Category Archives: Professional Studies

Fear of Feedback.

Feedback is defined in the Oxford dictionary as: “Information about reactions to a product, a person’s perform Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 10.44.53 ance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.” Feedback can range from praise too criticism, each are equally importance. Praise allows us to realise that what we are doing is correct and that we are on the right path, it also makes a person feel good about their work and themselves. Criticism can create an opportunity for development, it allows us to view our work from another person’s perspective and most importantly learn from our mistakes.

I have titled this blog post “fear of feedback” as I believe that giving feedback can sometimes much more difficult than receiving it. Criticising a person’s work is never easy. You don’t want to offend a person or insult their work however it is also important to highlight areas for improvement so they don’t continue making regular mistakes. Personally, I prefer receiving feedback. I love being able to see where I have made key points and perhaps am working in the correct direction, but I also get motivated by criticism as I always try to better myself and my work. Sometimes when criticism is too harsh it can knock a person’s confidence and this has happened to me in the past. When your feedback is all negative and doesn’t give you any tips to improve it can make you feel like giving up so it is important as teachers we learn how to give effective feedback to allow successful learning and improvement.

The feedback I received on my lasted blog post has so far been very positive. This has made this task a more positive experience. I was initially worried about the thought of giving feedback to people I didn’t know too well. I sometimes find it easier to give feedback to people I have a strong connection with as you know exactly how to word any critique in order for them to take it on board but to not be offended. However giving feedback to friends can also cause you to feel pressurised into saying that everything is great when in reality there are various improvements to be made. Thankfully, both blog posts I read were extremely well written and met the criteria fully. This did make this process a lot easier for me as personally giving positive feedback is much more enjoyable than highlighting areas for improvement.

I have learned a lot from this task. Firstly, that giving feedback is extremely important to allow an individual to progress. I have also learned that giving criticism is just as important as giving positive feedback. I hope that overtime I gain more confidence in relation to providing peers with feedback, and this this found confidence will make giving small criticisms slightly less daunting.

This task can also teach us a lot for when we are on placement and eventually qualified teachers. It is important not to overwhelm children with criticism. This can not onl Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 10.18.48 y knock their confidence but force them into a negative frame of mind in relation to learning. Their are multiple ways to give feedback such as 2 stars and a wish, stickers and reward charts. Although 2 stars and a wish can work positively in most situations, it is possible for some children to get fed up of constantly having an improvement and if their work is of high standards we shouldn’t force ourselves to find faults. I hope that when on placement I learn other effective feedback systems which I can use and develop in my teaching. I also hope that I can effectively use feedback I receive to improve my writing technique and teaching styles.

There are multiple websites giving advice on how to give effective feedback. I found this site very interesting and am sure it will be beneficial for future use:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger

What it means to be an enquiring practitioner

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An enquiring practitioner conducts research to find out valuable information. The practitioner then shares this information with colleagues. Working together is vital to being an effective practitioner however group work can pose may challenges. Ineffective communication can be a major problem when working in partnership and could cause breakdowns in relationship and misunderstandings. Conflict between team members hinders the amount of work completed and lowers the group moral. It could also isolate members and cause them to show a lack of focus and non-contribution.

There are many benefits associated with group work. Working in groups can raise an individual’s confidence. It also creates opportunities to share and develop ideas, allowing individuals to gain knowledge from their peers. Increased efficiency is also associated with successful group work, tasks and workloads can be shared and any problems can be discussed and solved quickly.

I believe that being an enquiring practitioner is important to consider as a student teacher. Acting as an enquiring practitioner allows student teachers to effectively work with colleagues to plan and develop lessons. Group discussions also highlight areas of improvement, and as a student teacher it is important to recognise weaknesses and learn how to improve on these areas. Working with colleagues in the school environment can also give you the opportunity to observe how other teachers take lessons and perhaps you can use their techniques and incorporate them into your own lessons. Being able to research issues and share your findings is valuable as it creates the ability to learn new ideas, new solutions and ways to enforce your findings. Practitioner enquiry gives teachers confidence to challenge and improve the curriculum. Donaldson states:

“…if we are to achieve the aspiration of teachers being leaders of educational improvement, they need to develop expertise in using research, inquiry and reflection as part of their daily skill set.’”(Donaldson, 2011:4)

In conclusion being an enquiring practitioner can develop our teaching skills and professional attributes. It is important as a student teacher to research and then reflect on research. Student’s can gain confidence and knowledge from working with qualified teachers and should value their opinions as professionals. Working with others helps us improve a number of skills including our teaching technique.

24 Hours in Police Custody – Online Unit

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I believe that the police in the episode of 24 hours in police custody showed great patience, especially when suspects were continually answering with “no comment” as this does not help their investigation. I can imagine this would also be extremely frustrating yet the police officers managed to stay extremely calm and collected which is a great professional attribute. There was a huge sense of cooperation between all departments of the police in organising arrests and interviews. Being a team member is very important in this profession as they are working against the clock and need to communicate and work together to make the most of their time. I believe the officers (particularly the female interviewer) showed compassion and respect to the suspect, especially when she said she was not here to judge. She also shows compassion for the families of suspects. All these officers are extremely determined to protect children. They are very knowledgeable about their career and also how criminals can think, but they also have knowledge on how their presence can impact children in the home which they are entering. I think this is extremely important and contributes to them being good professionals as they have knowledge beyond their profession.

What points in the programme are the professional’s skills most noticeable?

I think the professional’s skills are most noticeable in interviews. They show huge amounts of patience and calmness throughout the long interview process. They also listen carefully and don’t interrupt suspects when speaking. Another professional skill shown during the interview process is the respect they show the suspect. They allow them to discuss issues with their solicitor and give them the ability to not answer any questions they find inappropriate. The officers are very considerate when entering people’s homes as well and try to minimise the impact their presence will have on children, I feel this is a professional skill. When the suspect leaves the room the officers talk normally and joke, however at no point do they do this in front of the suspect which I feel is important in acting professionally.

Are there any times in the programme where the professionals do not act professionally?

I didn’t feel there were many times the officers acted unprofessionally. However there was one incident were the female custody sergeant referred to a suspect as “what an idiot.” Although the suspect did not hear her, I think the comment is extremely inappropriate and unprofessional as she is casting judgement.

What is the impact of professional and (if you saw any) unprofessional behaviour on the people the midwife/barrister/police officer was working with?

I felt that the professional behaviour of the interviewing officers allowed the suspects to feel more relaxed and at ease. I think the fact they weren’t judging allowed one suspect in particular to be a lot more open about his crimes. I also feel that because they are listening and respecting the suspect, the suspect shows the same behaviour back and has a better interview process because he feels fairly treated. I didn’t notice any unprofessional behaviour which impacted the people the officers were working with, however this could’ve been a different story had a suspect heard the officer refer to him as an idiot.

What about dress code? Does it matter how the midwives/barristers/police officers dress and if so why?

I believe that the custody sergeant was dressed very smartly and this gave the impression that what was about to happen was very serious. However many of the police officers and interviewers were dressed very casually. I feel this gives the impression that the situation is very informal when in reality the people they are interviewing could be going to prison for a long time. I feel their dress code does not reflect the seriousness of the case. I believe that when entering people’s houses officers should be dressed in uniform so that the suspects can identify the potential seriousness of a situation. In my opinion entering a person’s house to investigate in a hoody looks very unprofessional.

Having watched the programme, if you were asked to develop a degree for student midwives/barristers/police officers what learning methods do you think would be most relevant? Try and ascribe a percentage of time the students might need to spend on the following learning methods and give a rationale for your percentage.

Attending lectures – 20%
Background reading about relevant subjects. – 35%
Practical skills based training such as role play – 25%
Work based learning – 30%

I found this really difficult to decide. I feel that attending lectures is extremely important in any degree. However I feel that the most important aspect in a degree for police officers could possible be the background reading. The police officers in this episode showed a huge amount of background knowledge and seemed to also have knowledge on other topic areas. I think role play is also an important aspect because some situations may get physical and can often be unpredictable so it is important to train students as best as possible in order for them to deal with any situation. I believe work based learning is of huge importance to any trainee. It allows them to observe and get a taste of their chosen profession. It also allows them to see different ways officers deal with situation. I think a hands on experience would be very beneficial in training any profession.

What does it mean to be professional? (Online Unit)

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