October 3, 2018
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Comments Off on Maths IS important!
“Is maths important?” my lecturer asked during a recent Discovering Mathematics workshop. My exam driven former self would have explicitly answered no to this question, as I had all sorts of weird and wonderful equations and rules drilled into my head at this point – none of which I have actually implemented within my everyday […] Continue reading
September 30, 2018
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Comments Off on Do We Draw the Line on Equity?
Last Tuesday, during my Values Seminar, we were all asked to split into 5 groups. Each group was then given an envelope, which all contained the same materials. Or so we thought. Initially I didn’t even clock on to the fact that other groups had more or even less resources than the group I was […] Continue reading
September 28, 2018
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Comments Off on I think; therefore I am
Walking out of Tuesday’s ‘Values’ module, I felt an ironic sense of negativity that I joked about to my peers. After a two hour lecture on biological discrimination, I felt bad as an atheist, straight Caucasian male. Once I had left the company of human communication, I delved a little into my own thoughts as […] Continue reading
September 28, 2018
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Comments Off on The Power of Yet
Recently, through an input on math anxiety, I discovered the saying, “the power of yet.” Since this input this saying has really stuck with me. During my first year placement whilst teaching mathematics, specially time, one boy – who was more intelligent than he let on – decided through frustration and panic gave up on … Continue reading The Power of Yet → Continue reading
September 25, 2018
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Comments Off on Standing up for justice; standing up for our children.
I sit and write this blog after one of the most thought provoking discussions so far in my university journey. One in which we were discussing theories such as the Montessori, Owen and Frobel perspectives on education. Each being primarily child-centre focused and broadening on aspects of children thriving on their own initiative and creativity. […] Continue reading
September 24, 2018
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Comments Off on My first exposure to the values unit and it’s harsh realities…
So this is my second blog post but my first proper reflection post. We had a lecture on Social injustices and the biases within our culture in the morning and then the seminar in the afternoon. I have to say the morning lecture did knock me sideways a little bit as I was not expecting […] Continue reading
September 24, 2018
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Comments Off on Values Workshop 1 – A task with a lot of meaning.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first Values workshop. When we entered the class, we were split into four groups consisting of approximately eight to ten people. Each group was then handed an envelope and instructed not to open in until the instructions were read out to us. We were informed that there were objects inside the […] Continue reading
September 23, 2018
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Comments Off on Structural Inequalities and the Dreaded Half Mark
Our first Values seminar was a brilliant deceit and I ate it up. It began with our tutor giving each group a envelope of goodies- and by goodies I mean a load of random stationary- which we had to use to come up with a concept that would have helped us when we first started […] Continue reading
September 22, 2018
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Comments Off on Structural inequalities in the classroom
During our first seminar with Brenda, we were split into 5 groups. She told us that with the resources she was going to provide us, we had to create something that would make ‘our first week on campus easier’. She handed us out envelopes with the equipment we were to use to make this idea […] Continue reading
September 21, 2018
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Being a teacher comes with a stigma. The majority of everyone’s childhood is spent confined between the four walls of a classroom; this paints an image in our heads of what a teacher should be like. Whether you have been out of education for over 40 years or have just finished Primary Four, people seem … Continue reading Stereotypes that are associated with teaching → Continue reading
September 20, 2018
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Comments Off on Structural Inequalities
So today we participated in a very insightful group activity within out Values Module. The class was split into four groups and each group was given an envelope that contained a selection of stationary materials. Each tables pack contained different materials, some groups having more than others. We were then asked to discuss in our […] Continue reading
September 19, 2018
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Comments Off on A Lesson in Structural Inequalities
Yesterday I realised a some-what hard hitting truth that I thought I already knew. Personal bias is everywhere. It is as instinctual in humans as our sense of survival. Whether we like to admit it or not, favouritism is more present in our lives than we would like to admit. Be it a favourite friend […] Continue reading
September 19, 2018
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Comments Off on Time + Commitment + Understanding = Success
Let me start off my saying the word ‘yes’. Yes, I am aware that we use maths everyday, whether that be in telling the time so you are not to miss your train, or working out the change you are due when paying for your bus early on a Monday morning. Whilst I am not […] Continue reading
September 16, 2018
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Comments Off on What was the most pleasant learning experience from my time at school?
TDT: Developing Effectiveness in Teaching and Learning During my time in high school I struggled with finding my passion in certain subjects throughout my A- Levels. After I decided to resit a year at school with an array of completely random subjects (Psychology, Philosophy, Media Studies and Music), I found my passion grow for each […] Continue reading
September 13, 2018
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Comments Off on To teach or not to teach?
During my years at school I quickly realised that teachers had a large impact on my school experience. One teacher in particular inspired me, during my primary years, to want to teach children. She always encouraged me to do my best and reach my full potential, which showed me the type of teacher I aspire […] Continue reading
September 13, 2018
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Comments Off on Why Teaching?
When did I decide I wanted to become a teacher? I volunteered weekly at a primary school in an area of deprivation. Part of this involved working with some vulnerable refugee children. As I attended Arabic school on weekends for nine years, I was taught to speak, read and write in Arabic. This helped me […] Continue reading
September 12, 2018
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Comments Off on Why I chose teaching.
Throughout my life I always enjoyed school and my teachers had a massive role in this. I always had a very positive relationship with teachers, throughout my school career, which made me interested in the field from a young age. The organizational aspects of teaching – planning lessons and marking papers- appealed to me as […] Continue reading
September 4, 2018
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Comments Off on PYP and CfE – similarities and differences
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the IB has a lot of similarities in terms of encouraging self-reliant learning as CfE. There are some slight differences in curricular areas however. The PYP curricular areas are as follows: Language Mathematics Science Social Studies Arts Personal, Social, and Physical Education These curricular areas seem to be a […] Continue reading
September 3, 2018
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Comments Off on Which of the IB’s progressive educational trends align with CfE?
Trends in education and they way in which children and young people are taught in schools is constantly evolving, and has changed a fair bit in recent years. Teaching and learning used to be centred around test scores and strict academic ability, with very little flexibility within learning methods to allow children to achieve to […] Continue reading
September 3, 2018
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Comments Off on The IB Learner Profile attributes and the four capacities of CfE
The Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) has four main capacities, which are as follows: Successful Learners – encouraging students to reach their highest possible standards of personal achievement by being open to new ways of thinking/learning, and to be motivated and enthusiastic about their own learning. Successful Learners are able to use communication, literacy, numeracy […] Continue reading
