Category Archives: Contemporary issues

Virtue of Teaching Videos

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Q1. What makes a teacher who makes a difference?

From watching the video I have been able to draw some conclusions about the aspects of teachers that make a difference. A teacher who makes a difference should be avidly involved in team work and should be willing to share information with others – the video mentioned a new curriculum one teacher discovered and she decided it was a great idea to share this with others, because of this they were able to upgrade their teaching degrees through workshops to include this new curriculum. To make a difference, a teacher should also be understanding of others; caring; approachable to their pupils, parents and fellow colleagues and they should be seen to “go the extra mile” in everything they do. In addition to this, a teacher who makes a difference should be willing to learn all the time and not just stop learning when they have obtained their degree. This links in with being aware of what is happening, so keeping up to date with methods of teaching and resources used for learning – which could include technological advances; I think these all show commitment and love of the work they undertake. Finally, a teacher who makes a difference should be dedicated, should discipline at the correct moments, they should be willing to make some sacrifices for the benefit of their pupils and they should definitely go home at the end of every day with a sense of satisfaction knowing that they have done the best they possibly could have for their pupils and that their pupils have increased their knowledge because of the work they have done..

I found this article, which shows what the pupils have to say about this:

Students view of what makes a perfect teacher.

 

Q2. Do you agree with what these teachers call professionalism?

I do agree with what these teachers call professionalism. The teachers talked about how teachers are becoming more accountable for their actions like other professions, for example a doctor. A doctor is accountable for their actions when treating patients and this is the same for teachers – they are accountable for their actions when educating and beyond. They also described how teachers are seen as role models and should have an appropriate attitude. They also said that a professional should be mindful of how they react to the way others speak to them, therefore not judging someone just because of their background. A professional should be an effective communicator and be able to communicate efficiently with all people of all ages. One teacher said in order for teachers to be professional they should keep up with their professional development by increasing their teaching and learning standards and they should be able to cater for the needs of their students in the class very, very well.

I do agree with what the teachers say about professionalism and it is evident that being a teacher is being part of a profession. A profession isn’t determined by the clothes you wear but by your attitude and attributes towards that profession.

 

Q3. What is the message here?

The message I receive from Chris Christie is that teachers are a very highly valued part of society. They go above and beyond for every student and show care and compassion. Chris also said that teachers should be paid what they deserve to be paid and more, however, I think most teachers are in this profession for many other things other than the pay they receive – satisfaction of seeing a pupil understand their work, watching the pupils grow and develop through time, knowing that you have given your students the time, the care, the support, the understanding to help them with their future. Teaching is about the things that don’t cost money!

The message I receive from Karen Lewis is that if you are the type of teacher whose work is only in the school and in the classroom then you are not a professional. A worker is someone who will clock in at the start of their shift and clock out at the end of their shift – they leave their work at work. From what Karen said, I believe that if you are a worker then you are not a professional. A professional doesn’t stop their work once they have clocked out. In order to be considered a professional as a teacher, you should spend time out with school hours planning lessons, researching for topics, marking work, trying to make sure that every pupil is benefiting from the lesson and ensuring that your lesson is fun – making sure every student wants to participate and no one is bored. There is more to teaching than educating in a classroom – it is educating in a classroom and everything else that is done to ensure that it goes smoothly that makes you a professional!

Professionalism in the online world

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What challenges/opportunities you may be faced with when marrying the personal vs the professional presence on social media?

Having social media sites that are used for both personal and professional use may have some advantages. It may allow pupils to see your interests and to realise there is more to you than the teacher they see in an educational environment. I do, however, believe that having shared social media should only be of access to pupils who are of an appropriate age to use social media (as a Primary school teacher, I wouldn’t let the pupils follow me on Twitter or be friends on Facebook.) I think shared social media may help in lessons. For example, if you had travelled to Australia and the lesson had some connection to Australia, the pictures you had posted on social media of your time there might help the pupils to understand what Australia is like and give them a realistic view of it.

On the other hand, social media used for both professional and personal use may not be appropriate. There may be photos taken from a night out or family function that some may deem unprofessional and inappropriate. This may start to raise questions of whether you are suited in such a role. It might not be appropriate for pupils to see some aspects of your private life as we are seen to be role models for them. Also, a comment you post on social media may be taken in a negative way and may put you in a difficult situation. This once again may cause people to question whether you are fit to teach.

I personally believe that, as a Primary teacher, there should be separate accounts for personal use and another one for professional use. I believe that we are all human beings and are allowed to have a life away from the professional setting in an educational environment. I do, however, believe that when “letting our hair down” that there is still a manner of professionalism that we should remember and that we shouldn’t post things on social media that we wouldn’t be happy for our parents to see.

How are the challenges/opportunities afforded by social media framed? How will you frame things – positive or deficit viewpoint?

I think the media has a large part to play in how social media is framed. I think it frames social media in a negative way as there are always horror stories of social media in the news. Whether it be stories of cyberbullying, stories about images of an explicit nature being sent or even a story about teachers on a night out supposedly “pole dancing”. I think that the media gives society a one sided view of social media, thus making a large section of society see it in a very negative way. Even though we have seen positive aspects of social media – like people finding missing relatives or the use of social media to help fundraise for a cause – I don’t think this is reported as much in the media. I do strongly believe that those real villains of the online world should be shown for what they are when it is right to do so.  The public perception becomes one that believes social media shouldn’t be used in the classroom because of all the negative things it has been seen to be used for, despite there being many positive uses of it.

Personally, I would like to frame social media in a positive way. By using it in the classroom and in lessons as an extension to the traditional textbook and jotter and also instead of the traditional methods of teaching. As time goes on, technology is being developed further and I believe we should “move with the times” so that the pupils have a current education rather than one that is outdated. We should be preparing the pupils for a life outside of school and their working career, so if they have a good and positive understanding of technology and social media, it can be further developed as they grow and help open up numerous possibilities for them in the future. I also believe that people should be aware of the negatives of social media. I think that pupils should be educated about the dangers of social media so that they know it isn’t this “perfect” world and so that they don’t get themselves caught up in the negative side of social media, or if they do, know how to rectify it or how to get help to rectify it.

Gender: Did it affect me?

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I spent my time at Primary school switching from being a ‘girly’ girl to being heavily involved in sports – back and forth. In Primary 3 I started to play football with the boys. They were happy for me to play and didn’t care about my ability – it didn’t seem as if this was obscure to them and I was really happy to play. I would often play football with them right up until I left Primary school. I remember one lunch time in Primary 3, a playground assistant came up to me and said “Get away from the boys playing football; you’re getting in the way!” I told her that I was involved in this game and she was very shocked, however she let me play with them. Maybe this was one time when my gender affected me?

As I grew older, I started to play with the girls more – nothing unsurprising. We would play games where we would pretend we had babies or create fictional worlds that we would live out at break and lunchtime. Every now and again though, the boys and girls in my class would come together and play games such as Granny (with a tennis ball and a wall) or jungle’s on fire. I personally had the most fun at these times because we all got along and it was like one huge friends group.

Looking back now, I realise there may have been some slight ways in which my gender was taken into account. Like on sports day – they would split the boys and girls up in each class when it was time to do the races. Or even at the start of the day, when the bell would ring we would line up in two separate lines according to our gender. Or what about when the girls got to pack up 5 minutes early because we had been the best behaved that day – had we really been the best behaved? I never realised this when I was at Primary school, it just seemed like the ‘normal’ thing to do.

I honestly do not think that the way in which my gender was taken into account at Primary school affected me nor do I think it has affected the person I have become today. Having a niece and nephew of Primary school age, it was really lovely to hear my nephew say his best friend was a girl in his class and when I attended my niece’s sports day earlier this year it was wonderful to see the class was mixed together at the races, for example the egg and spoon race and one legged race – the boys and girls often paired up in races they needed to be in pairs for. This was a far cry to the sports days I had experienced when I was in Primary school – even if I only left 7 years ago.