Throughout my two week placement, I was given the opportunity to experience all of the primary classes including some composite classes and the nursery. I enjoyed this as it was a chance for me to gain knowledge of the different levels of teaching.

During placement I realised that one of my strengths is that I am able to change my tone and pitch when talking to different year groups. For example, when talking to primary one I changed my tone to suit their age range to ensure they could understand me and interact with me. I felt more confident when I was working with the younger school as I felt like they interacted with me more. However, in the upper school I had to completely change the way I interacted with the pupils to ensure I wasn’t their ‘friend’ but also wasn’t patronising towards them. Surprisingly, I enjoyed working with all age ranges of pupils as over time I felt more confident when changing my tone.

One area of my communication I need to develop is controlling when I say “eh”, “like” and “em.” Often when answering pupils questions I was inclined to use filler words while thinking of what to say. I also used filler words if I felt I was in an awkward situation or felt slightly uncomfortable with the situation. For example, when talking to a professional I almost felt like if I didn’t know what to say so I used filler words to get myself out of the situation. On my school experience form from the head teacher, It was stated that I am not very confident when talking to members of staff therefore, this is something I need to work on.

Overall, I enjoyed placement and loved the experience. I have acknowledged what I need to work on and have identified strategies that will help me.