On 18th January, we had an input on ‘reflection in professional practice’ to ensure we were all prepared to reflect upon our lesson plans and the outcomes they may have. As a teacher I believe this is important because if I make a mistake, I need to understand why the lesson did not go to plan. Was it because it was not age appropriate? What activities could I implement in the future to make sure the children stay on track? Or was it due to the children not understanding my instructions? How could I be more clear next time? These questions allow me to question my teaching style to ensure the children are getting the best education they possibly can. This lecture was extremely beneficial, especially the range of examples that were given including both weak and detailed examples. This allowed me to visually see and understand the level of depth I need to give. I may prepare a task that I think I have planned well according to the children’s interests and learning levels however on the particular day, the children may not be focused or not behaving the way I wish them to so therefore I must be prepared to make changes to my next lesson to ensure this does not occur again. I understand I will have days where this will occur however it is how I deal with this and how I change this for the future. For this to happen, I must plan my lessons in advance however, it is how I react that matters and having a back up plan will also be very beneficial.
During semester 1, one key moment of reflection were the assignments. We were given input of what was expected of us and how we did this was up to ourselves. Everyday is a learning curve and although I was a little disappointed by my marks, it is fair to say I will only learn from this. The feedback was beneficial. It was my first core module assignment and therefore I implemented the skills I had built and developed in college so the standards are very clear to me now. On reflection, I know that in future I must back up any point I make with relevant evidence. I cannot state facts, rather question why. This was also discussed with my Adviser of Studies who re-enforced the importance of structure and dedicating the right amount of time and words to the different sections within the success criterion. I have made mistakes but is how I use the feedback to rectify these for future assignments that matters.
