As part of our MA1 placement, we have been asked to set ourselves three main goals / areas of focus. These goals are linked closely with the Standards for Provisional Registration (SPR) and are there to help make our first time in the classroom as student teachers a valuable experience.

Goal 1 – Behaviour Management

I think this is one of the most important goals for any teacher. Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. If students are disorderly and disrespectful, with no apparent rules and procedures to guide behaviour, chaos becomes the norm.

The area relating to this in the SPR is:

3.2.2 – Develop positive relationships and positive behaviour strategies

• Show awareness of educational research and local and national advice, and demonstrate the ability to use a variety of strategies to build relationships with learners, promote positive behaviour and celebrate success
• Apply the school’s positive behaviour policy, including strategies for understanding and preventing bullying

To do this, I will aim to develop positive, professional relationships with my pupils by having a fair, compassionate and supportive approach. I will also make clear my expectations from the beginning. From this I hope to gain their respect and a happier learning environment.

I will also focus my professional reading on how best to control the classroom. This will help with making wise choices about the most effective instructional strategies to employ, and will coincide with the strategies of the class teacher and those detailed in the school’s policies handbook. My current placement uses the traffic light system to monitor behaviour management so I will continue with this method with the hope that it works as well for me as it does the class teacher.

Goal 2 – Lesson Planning

This is an area that I will develop while on placement and with the help and supervision of the class teacher. Ensuring that I always link my lessons back to the curriculum is an important point to remember, and this will become easier as I become more familiar with the CfE documents.

The areas relating to this in the SPR is:

2.1.1 – Have knowledge and understanding of the nature of the curriculum and its development

• Develop an understanding of the principles of curriculum design and the contexts for learning

2.1.3 – Have knowledge and understanding of planning coherent and progressive teaching programmes

• Know how to plan for effective teaching and learning across different contexts and experiences
• Know and understand how to justify what is taught within curricular areas in relation to the curriculum and the relevance to the needs of all learners

Having a broad knowledge of the curriculum will help to match the level of curricular areas to the needs of all learners. This knowledge is something I will gain over a continued period of time and with the guidance of the class teacher. Observing the class teacher plan and deliver her lessons will allow me to gain an idea of the stage of each individual child, and will help inform the way in which I should plan my own lessons.

Relevance in terms of teaching is another key factor to take into consideration when planning a lesson. Asking questions such as ‘why am I teaching this’ is a good way to ensure that my plans are justified.

Goal 3 – Time Management

When planning lessons, I never really know how long to give for each task. But I think this is a skill that I will hopefully develop with more experience and guidance from the class teacher. it is quite difficult to predict the outcome of a lesson before presenting it to the class, so I will pay close attention to how long the class teacher gives to certain tasks and try to adapt my own plans to reflect these observations.

The area relating to this in the SPR is:

3.1.1 – Plan coherent, progressive and stimulating teaching programmes which match learners’ needs and abilities

• Plan appropriately for effective teaching and in order to meet the needs of all learners, including learning in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and skills for learning, life and work

Paying close attention to timing will help ensure that my lessons run as smoothly as possible. This will mean that my pupils will not feel that the pace of the lesson is too rushed, and that they have enough time to compete their tasks.

Planning for the unexpected is also an essential part of any lesson plan and definitely something that should be taken into consideration in terms of timing. For example, planning for if a pupil finishes early and having a follow up task.