Category Archives: 1.4 Prof. Commitment

Dance- Lesson plan.

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Following our one and only dance input of MA1 I have decided to try planning my own dance lesson. The lesson I have planned is for a P5 class and the stimulus for the lesson is the seasons.

315964861384The different seasons conjure up different emotions, different associations etc. and I thought it would be interesting to explore these through dance.

Prior to the lesson which I have planned the children would have had 2 lessons focusing on the different types of movement and expression within dance, meeting the outcome EXA2-08a, as well as a class discussion on the stimulus of ‘Seasons’.

001 The lesson itself would meet the outcome:

‘Inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express my ideas, thoughts and feelings through creative work in dance.’ EXA2-09a.

The learning intention would be: To create a group dance/movement piece which is inspired by the seasons.

The success criteria:

  • To work effectively as part of a team listening to each others ideas of the thoughts and feelings which relate to ‘seasons’.
  • To contribute to your teams efforts by effectively expressing the thoughts and feelings discussed through dance, drawing on those used in previous lessons if needed.
  • To be able to rehearse a completed dance/movement piece as a team.

 

The overall lesson would last for around 1hr 15 minutes. ( A breakdown of my timings can be seen on the above image.)

I feel it would be important to have a consolidation lesson soon after the initial lesson allowing the children to perfect their routines and perhaps to include an element of performance working towards the outcome:

I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other people’s presentations/performances.

EXA 0-01a / EXA 1-01a / EXA 2-01a

Drawing on one of the examples given by Nikki Doig within the dance input the children could be split in half with half of them being the audience and half performing. This removes some of the apprehension for the children of performing in front of their peers.

 

The input with Nikki highlighted some of my own apprehension over teaching dance. During my school career my only real connection with dance was mandatory social dancing at the end of each year. Since then I have found a love for exercise classes with a dance element such as Zumba but after an unfortunate accident I now suffer with an ankle injury which considerably restricts the things I am able to take part in.

During our dance input I went through mixed emotions feeling completely useless due to my injury and quite out of place. What this highlighted for me was the mixed emotions I will be faced with when I come to teach dance to my pupils. It is important then that I can demonstrate enthusiasm to my pupils regardless of my own hesitation and show them that despite any reservations they are having they can still have fun and take part.

A next step for me is to look into ways I can demonstrate movements of dance to my children even with my injury.

Sink or Swim: Animation Tdt

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Following a brilliant Technologies ICT input with Sharon Tonner I have a new found confidence in my computing ability. Following an input on animation we were asked to group up and make our own animation using Plasticine, a camera and a piece of computer software called ZU3D.

Myself and my partner’s creation was something which we felt incredibly proud of and the lesson was one which I feel I would be confident teaching.

I feel this type of lesson would meet the following outcome:

 I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways.

TCH 1-04b / TCH 2-04b

This project should be taught over more than one lesson as children need a background knowledge of the software and procedures involved in order to fulfill the objective.

The children also need a lesson to brain storm ideas either as a class or in small groups. The animations could be linked to a particular topic or to a piece of creative writing etc. The opportunities are never ending!

The modelling of the characters could be done as an art lesson.

Each child needs to be given a role so that no one is left out. These roles should be rotated to ensure each child is gaining experience in each stage of the animation process.

Some barriers to teaching this lesson could be its relevance. I think the interests of the children need to be captured in their characters etc. Some children may also find it too challenging but this can be avoided by preparing them over several lessons.

Sharon also showed us a software called Pivot which could be used as a way of introducing the children to the terminology and processes which surround animation. Another stimulus could be showing the class an animated film such as Wallace and Gromit and discussing the processes its creators would have had to go through in order to complete it.

This input has really opened my eyes to the scope a lesson can have in terms of interdisciplinary learning and opportunities to broaden a class’ knowledge.

Social Studies- A Personal Audit.

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As a starting point for my work within Social Studies I have decided to audit my current knowledge using the CfE  Principles and Practice as a guide. These can be found here.

The first of which is that Children will:

  • develop their understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world

In terms of my own learning:

  •  I grew up in Arbroath and was taught a lot about The Bellrock Lighthouse and the fishing community.
  • Coming from Angus meant a trip to Pictavia to learn all about the Picts, their battles and their culture.

The second is that Children will:

  • broaden their understanding of the world by learning about human activities and achievements in the past and present

In terms of my own learning:

  • In primary we studied the Vikings and the Victorians but I don’t recall any of the details!!
  • In secondary I took history at Higher and studied both the World Wars as well as German and British Political changes.
  • At Higher level I also learnt about Women’s Rights and the political reforms that led to them receiving the vote.

The third is that Children will:

  • develop their understanding of their own values, beliefs and cultures and those of others

In terms of my own learning:

  • I learnt a lot about values, beliefs and cultures within my study of RME, which I took to Higher level.
  • We also explored differences between cultures within history in the early years of high school.

The fourth is to:

  • develop an understanding of the principles of democracy and citizenship through experience of critical and independent thinking

In terms of my own learning:

  • Democracy in terms of the British Political system wasn’t something I had much interest in until 5th year. My Higher history teacher taught about the German political system so well that it encouraged me to learn more about the one which governs me.

The fifth is to:

  • explore and evaluate different types of sources and evidence

In terms of my own learning:

  • This was a crucial part of my Higher history course as well as within my studies of RME.

The sixth is to:

  • learn how to locate, explore and link periods, people and events in time and place

In terms of my own learning:

  • We often explored timelines within my primary school and up into secondary. We also linked topics in an attempt to better understand when events occurred in relation to one another.
  • In terms of place…I was never very good at geography and I don’t actually remember looking at many maps apart from when I was learning about the German Invasions within WW2.

The seventh:

  • learn how to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield

In terms of my own learning:

  • Again, I don’t really remember ever working with maps or learning about where places were in relation to me. I don’t recall primary topics ever linking in terms of history either.

The eighth:

  • engage in activities which encourage enterprising attitudes

In terms of my own learning:

  • At high school we took part in an enterprise day where we moved through groups and completed various tasks.

The ninth:

  • develop an understanding of concepts that encourage enterprise and influence business

In terms of my own learning:

  • Again, the only example I have is the above group task.

And finally:

  • establish firm foundations for lifelong learning and for further specialised study and careers.

In terms of my own learning:

  • I didn’t develop the skills I would have loved to have now like map reading, and plotting co-ordinates. I don’t have a great grasp of world geography either.

Overall I feel it is my duty as a trainee teacher to broaden my knowledge and skills. This audit has shown that my own learning has been restricted in fields such as geography and I have a stronger skill set in terms of history and modern studies. Now that I know this I plan to buy myself a globe or a world map so that I can build up an understanding of where the UK is in relation to the world. Every time I listen to a news article I shall endeavour to find the country being mentioned. Further more I shall use internet resources and television documentaries as well as trips and visits to broaden my knowledge of all these areas so that I can deliver a quality teaching experience to my pupils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science: Food for Thought

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Science is a subject of which I have limited knowledge. I studied all 3 sciences at Standard Grade but it was never something I had much of a passion for. Naturally after reflecting on what little information I could remember, using the science audit Richard supplied, I knew it was my duty as a trainee teacher to do something to increase and develop my science knowledge.

Following the first Science input of this semester I have thought a lot about how to begin developing my knowledge and skills within the sciences. There are a wealth of online resources at my disposal as well as many places to visit and explore within the local area. 

This brings me to the Tdt which Richard set myself and my fellow students. He asked us to set a SMART target that would help us develop our confidence and competence within Science. Below I have added mine in the form of a power point:

Smart Target power point

The Expectations and Outcomes which would be met by resulting lesson would be:

I can explore examples of food chains and show an appreciation of how animals and plants depend on each other for food.

SCN 1-02a

This comes from the section Planet Earth: Biodiversity and interdependence

 ‘Learners explore the rich and changing diversity of living things and develop their understanding of how organisms are interrelated at local and global levels. By exploring interactions and energy flow between plants and animals (including humans) learners develop their understanding of how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. Learners investigate the factors affecting plant growth and develop their understanding of the positive and negative impact of the human population on the environment.’

Somes resources which could be used to plan the lesson/within the lesson:

Food chains:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zjshfg8

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t2-s-160-food-chain-sorting-game

Ideas for lesson:

Lucky dip bag filled with animal types (one per child). Once allocated each child must research their chosen animal using computers, books etc to find out about their food chain. They must then communicate with their class mates to find those with animals which are part of the same food chain. Once in groups they will be required to plan and produce a poster explaining the food chain with labels and pictures.

 

 

Simply by reflecting on my knowledge of science and acting to make it more vast I have been able to develop a better understanding of a particular topic area as well as discover many resources to use within placement. I now feel more confident and capable, ready to explore the other areas of the subject.

Sign of Success..

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Communication is a vital part of life which many of us take for granted. We talk to express our needs, our wants and our feelings. From birth we are listening and learning, absorbing information from our environment which will aid us in our acquisition of language. Imagine your frustration if you knew what you wanted to say but you couldn’t form the words or you weren’t able to convey the right meaning with the words you currently knew?
An example of this frustration with which we are all familiar is the controversially named stage of development ‘The Terrible Two’s.’ Famous for tantrums and embarrassing behaviour two year olds are given a particularly bad reputation. Perhaps if we put ourselves in their shoes we could begin to understand and avoid such behaviours. Imagine you are limited to a handful of words within your vocabulary. Now imagine being snatched up by your mother, father or caregiver right in the middle of doing something, shoved into your jacket and marched out the door. You are strapped into an uncomfortable car seat and driven to a noisy shopping centre, where you are man handled into a trolley and careered around at top speed. Would you cry? Would you shout and thrash? Evidence suggests that the use of Baby sign can help children, from a very young age, express themselves without tears.
‘Research into ‘baby signing’ provides evidence that babies can be taught to sign their intentions to their parents or to make combinations of first words and gestures to form two-item strings.’ (Doherty-Sneddon, 2008, cited in Smith, Cowie and Blades, 2015)
Most children move through the ‘Terrible Two’s,’ and emerge the other side with a good grasp of language and an ability to express their wants and needs. Unfortunately though, some children do not develop at the same rate. This could be a result of poverty or neglect, or of an additional support need. Makaton, a system of language developed in the 1970’s and made up of signs and symbols which aid communication, could be used with children to help them develop their language and express themselves.
‘Children and adults can use Makaton to let others know what they want, make choices, share information and understand more. This helps build and develop important communication and language skills.’ (The Makaton Charity, 2015)
It is my belief that the use of Makaton can be beneficial to all children irrespective of stage or circumstance. I have seen it used within nurseries and early primary classes and it is an invaluable tool. Not only does it help children to grasp language more quickly it also provides a vital line of communication between children with no speech or little speech and their teacher and peers.
‘Makaton is regularly used in mainstream schools, to support all children to develop communication, language and literacy skills. It is also supports integration, as children with and without language difficulties can communicate with each other, learn and play together more easily.’ (The Makaton Charity, 2015)
The use of signs and symbols can also be utilised to help children for whom English is their second language. This would prevent them from feeling isolated or excluded within their class.
‘This structured approach can also help people who are learning English as an additional language, helping them to communicate straightaway, while also supporting their learning.’(The Makaton Charity, 2015)
As a student teacher this is something I feel incredibly passionate about. Linking to the idea of self-esteem which was touched on in a recent lecture, the ability to provide a child with the means to communicate and engage with their peers, their teacher, their world is vital to the development of their self-concept.
Makaton is something I feel should be taught as part of teacher training as it is a widely used, highly praised system of language. Many charities who work closely with schools recommend its use, including Down’s Syndrome Scotland and The Makaton Charity. I feel, if utilised correctly, Makaton could potentially bridge the gap between mainstream classes and ASN classes. Given Scotland’s stance on a culture of inclusion surely this can only be seen as a positive thing?

 

References.

  • Doherty-Sneddon, 2008. Cited in Smith, Cowie and Blades, 2015. Understanding Children’s Development. Sixth Edition.
  • The Makaton Charity (2015) How Makaton works. Available at: https://www.makaton.org/aboutMakaton/howMakatonWorks (Accessed: 7th November 2015).
  • The Makaton Charity (2015) Who uses Makaton? Available at: https://www.makaton.org/aboutMakaton/whoUsesMakaton/ (Accessed: 7th November 2015)

Reflecting on Feedback..

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Getting feedback can be a great experience or a terrible one. The experience you have with feedback doesn’t necessarily reflect your efforts, it can often be the case that the feedback you are given just isn’t very good.

Feedback should be constructive, something which can be built upon and which can aid personal development. It is not a tool that should be used merely to voice what irks you about a person. Everyone can remember a time they have experienced negative feedback and you can be pretty certain that they didn’t act upon it. What was there to act upon?! DSC05201

It is OK to give critical feedback but the thing that makes the feedback valuable is when it points out a problem and offers a solution.

Some people, including myself, find it a little uncomfortable to offer feedback- especially in circumstances such as peer review. I find myself becoming incredibly critical of my own responses; do I sound condescending? Is this going to convey the right message? Am I offering advice that can be worked on or am I just being overly critical? Others feel as though they can’t possibly offer feedback as they aren’t confident enough on the subject themselves.

With regards to the feedback I received from my peers for my recent practitioner enquiry post, I found the experience to be a positive one. I have been given tips with regards to improving my future posts using images and embedding links, things I wouldn’t have thought of without their input. Furthermore by actively commenting on my peers posts I began to feel more confident and comfortable with the idea of feedback. By reading their posts I was able to take away other viewpoints and ideas upon which I can now reflect.

All in all the process of feedback seems an invaluable one and one with which I shall continue to engage throughout my time at university and within my future career.

Enquiring Practitioner

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To be a teacher now is very different from what it once was. Gone are the days when a teacher lived inside the ‘bubble’ that was their classroom.

BubbleThrough the implementation of the CFE we are seeing a shift to a more collegiate way of working. Teachers are encouraged to interact within the school whether it be through: staff meetings, team teaching, joint planning, work parties or school events. As well as this teachers are expected to be enquiring practitioners.

To be an enquiring practitioner is to go beyond personal enquiry and reflection. It is to share your new found knowledge with others, to the benefit of others as well as yourself. It is described by the GTCS as “knowing deeply; knowing what; knowing why; knowing how.”    Within the GTCS’s Standards for Registration 1.4.2 it states that one of the Professional Values and Personal Commitments core to being a teacher is:  “Committing to lifelong enquiry, learning, professional development and leadership as core aspects of professionalism and collaborative practice.”IMG_2427

“Lifelong enquiry” says it all. As teachers we must question and search for meaning, we must research and make ourselves aware and knowledgeable, and we must pass on our knowledge to our pupils and our colleagues. On top of this we must constantly look to improve our practice through “professional development.” We mustn’t shy away from new ideas and approaches.

Being an enquiring practitioner has its challenges; it is easy to get stuck in a rut and be afraid of change but as teachers we must overcome our fears and embrace change. You may come across others who do not share your views and that can be challenging too but its perfectly fine. These challenges are completely outweighed by the benefits that can be reaped by yourself, your colleagues, your school and your class.

Reflecting on what I’ve read- ‘The Study Skills Book’ by Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers.

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As part of the MA Education course at Dundee University we, as students, are set TDT’s (Tutor Directed Tasks) in order to further our learning and expand our knowledge on particular subjects.

Our first task was to read from ‘The Study Skills Book’ by Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers. This book is a guide to university study and includes chapters on everything from beginning to understand what is expected from you at University to planning for your future after graduation.

Needless to say I was not expecting the first question within the text to be as limitless and challenging as ‘What are your life goals?’ And it didn’t stop there.

This book, even within the mere 32 pages of reading that was asked of us, has caused me to take time to reflect upon the most basic yet most fundamental of questions. Below I am going to record some of my answers so that I may look back over the course of my degree and see how they have changed and how I have developed.

  • What are your life goals? My goals are to graduate with an honors degree, to have a career that fits well around family life, to be accomplished in my chosen field and to travel for work to broaden my horizons.
  • What career path do you have as your aim? My aim is to become a fully qualified teacher, to be international baccalaureate accredited- opening up options to teach further a field, to further my knowledge and experience working with children with additional support needs and pursuing a career in this area.
  • What subjects do you need to study to achieve your career goals? I need to achieve an honors degree in MA Education, take the IB specific modules from second year on wards, choose a Learning from Life Placement in second year that relates to my interest in working with children with additional support needs.
  • How might university limit my options? By qualifying with a degree in primary education I am limiting my self to a career in a specific sector. If I wanted to change my mind I would most likely have to return to university to qualify in another field.
  • What skills do you think you will need to develop? I need to focus on developing my skills in working using technology, I also need to work on becoming more self confident and assertive. I need to work hard to ensure my spelling and grammar is up to a high standard.

Overall I feel this book is going to be a valuable tool. One I can use to aid me throughout my degree and to challenge me to face up to tough questions that need to be answered in order to develop. It brought areas of self development to my attention by asking me to assess my skills and attributes, and this is something I can regularly refer back to to check my progress against.