Managing my learning

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Recognition/ Reflection Action
What helps my learning? How can I utilise this?
Organisation Ensuring my work area/desk is neat and tidy

Colour coding my notes
Re-writing Taking the time to rewrite any notes that I feel I do not fully understand

Learning important facts for any exams by rewriting them numerous times
Peer discussion After trying something myself first, going to other peers to ask what approach they have taken and how they got there

Ask peers face to face, or online

Meet with a group of peers who also want to discuss their work with other people
Peace and quiet  Studying in a quiet place with low noise levels, for example, the library

 

 

Recognition/Reflection Action
What hinders my learning? How can I address this factor?
I struggle to take information in straight away Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes

Print lecture notes off and add to them during lectures
Social media and texting Keep my phone out of sight, turned off

I have previously found that deleting apps e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. whilst studying has kept me off my phone so this is an action I could take again
Studying for long periods of time Take short breaks from studying when I feel they are necessary

5 important virtues of a teacher

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Patience

You have to be able to remain calm when you are teaching. If a pupil is getting frustrated about something, the teacher cannot become frustrated as well. As teachers, we are role models to our pupils and must provide a positive image for them. We do not want to teach them to be impatient and get very angry easily as this will only cause more problems for them. If that is what they see the teachers doing in the classroom, they will think it is okay to do this too.

You need to be able to understand that some children are less confident in some areas compared to others, so you need to have the patience to give them the extra help they need and not get annoyed as soon as they are stuck.

I remember whilst I was on placement not long ago, there was a pupil who was falling behind in maths, therefore I sat with her to keep encouraging her to get her work done. She was not interested at all and was very easily distracted, so it really tested my patience trying to get her to concentrate.

Fairness

Fairness for a teacher means treating the pupils equally. If you fail to do this, it could lead to suspicions of favouritism which may land you in trouble. Pupils have a right to be treated equally and you must respect that as a teacher.

Examples of times where fairness is crucial is when marking work. One answer for one person cannot be right if the same answer for another person is wrong. It is just not fair to mark people’s work differently. Another example is sorting issues between pupils that may have come up. Often, a dispute will take place in the playground at playtime or lunchtime and you have to respond fairly when trying to sort it out with the children. Often the teacher isn’t there to see it therefore cannot only give one person into trouble.

Fairness is an issue that teachers have to be aware of all day, every day. They also need to know how to address it right.

Compassion

Compassion is caring for the misfortunes of others, so for the teacher this means they have to be able to understand why some pupils do the things they do. Whether it is behaviour issues, or they are struggling with their work, you must be able to accommodate for this and be flexible enough to work round them and find a way to teach them which will help.

It is said that pupils from a poor background tend not to do as well in school as the children with a better background. When this is the case, we must understand it and help them to improve. However this is a stereotypical statement to make and is not always true. Disabilities are something else you need to be compassionate to deal with.

Kindness

Kindness for a teacher is to be friendly, approachable and nice to the children. I know from my experience in school that a teacher who was kind and friendly made a massive difference. No child wants a grumpy, horrible teacher, nor do other teachers want to work with one!

If a teacher is kind, it sets a good example of how the pupils should treat everyone in the class, including the teacher. You tend to get on with a teacher more if they are nice, therefore you’re more encouraged to listen to what they are saying and more willing to learn.

If you are kind it can go a long way. The people who you treat kindly will often return the favour and be kind to you. We need kindness to make the world go round!

Tolerance

As a teacher you must put up with a lot of things. Work load, behaviour issues and colleagues who you may not get along with are all examples of things that you may have to tolerate. You may disagree with something but you have to tolerate it because that is just what you have to do. For example, a lot of teachers have issues with the curriculum for excellence. However, they put up with it because they have no choice but to deliver it to the children. This is the way you’re told to educate them, so this is what you do.

Not only is it tolerating with things you disagree with, but you have to tolerate issues which cannot be helped e.g. disabilities. You have to be prepared to understand what pupils with disabilities are going through and perhaps change your teaching style to cater for them too.

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All of the above is required in making a good teacher, along with the care for the children’s learning.

Professionalism

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Video 1

At the basis of a good teacher is good education. A teacher must be able to deliver this to their pupils on a daily basis. A bad education may mean they lose some of the opportunities and chances in life they would’ve had, if only they’d been educated better. A teacher who delivers a good education to their pupils is a teacher who makes a difference. This means that they must have certain skills and abilities to be able to do so.

Throughout the video I agreed that all of the qualities mentioned were important for an exceptional teacher to have. One of many that was mentioned was that the teacher has to be reachable. The teacher comes into contact all the time with the pupils, often their parents and occasionally members of the public, such as the police. They have to be easy to talk to, and confident enough to speak to people they don’t know. Pupils should feel like they are able to come to the teacher with any problems they may have and know that they can trust him/her.

The most important point I took from this video is that to be a teacher who makes a difference, you must be willing to put the extra work in. I really enjoy art and am passionate about it, and would be willing to start an after school arts and crafts club for the children in a school. I used to love things like that in primary school and believe that they were beneficial to my creativity. Passion and commitment are qualities that a good teacher must have.

There are still many other qualities that a teacher who makes a difference has to have thought. Being professional is not just about dressing smart!

Video 2

In this video, the teachers say that professionalism is being a role model to your pupils. As the children grow up, their teachers have an effect on them. Their attitudes, language etc. rub off on them, therefore as teachers we must be a positive role model for them to look up to.

I agree that we, as teachers, are role models and need to be a good image. To be a good role model you must be able to present things well, speak well, and act appropriately in front of the kids. As mentioned in the video, it is also important how teachers react to the way the pupils speak to them. You cannot judge the children based on anything like background or class and must respond fairly and appropriately. You need to be an effective communicator and also be willing to keep up to date with ever-changing education.

Video 3

The message I got from video three was that there is an ongoing debate to whether or not teachers are professionals or workers. The male in this video thinks teachers should be highly appreciated and paid more money, because they are professionals. On the other hand, the female has the opinion that teachers are workers. She, who is a teacher, classes herself as ‘an educational worker’. The main thing about this video is that it makes you question yourself whether a teacher is a professional or a worker.

Social media is powerful!

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I was always brought up by my parents to be aware of the things that can go wrong on the internet, and how explosive it can be. Because of this, I have always been aware of what I posted on social media and made the decision myself, whether or not it was appropriate. Quite often something will come up on my Facebook news feed and I cannot believe what I am seeing, and can’t help but wonder why on earth some people post the things they do.

Social media is very dominant is the current generation. I bet nearly everybody you know has a Facebook account and probably half of them even have a Twitter account, without even mentioning all the other resources there are out there for people to socialise and connect on.

When it comes to the internet and you are in a professional career, you need to be very careful. You have to be mindful of what you post, who you are friends with and who can see your profile without you knowing. GTCS Scotland says, “Teachers therefore need to be alert to the risk that actions which might, on the face of it, seem quite innocent can be misunderstood and misconstrued by others.” Some people are unaware of how far something can go after innocently posting it on social media.

Take this group of women who wanted to have a night out and enjoy themselves, but couldn’t because of the power of social media… http://http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389292/Disgrace-drinking-pole-dancing-primary-school-teachers-published-pictures-Facebook.html

This proves that as a teacher who uses social media, you must be aware that once it goes online, there is no way of getting it back. You have to think to yourself: do I want everyone to identify me by this photo, as the teacher who is not fit to teach?

After an eye-opening lecture with Derek on internet safety I was taken by surprise by what I saw after I logged in to Facebook and checked out my privacy settings. There was an option on whether you wanted other search engines to link to your timeline. This was automatically turned on, and doesn’t come off unless you are aware it is there, and turn it off yourself.  Instantly, your information and photographs are escaping from the Facebook world and without you knowing, your profile is connected with search engines such as Google. I think this is scary as anyone has access to Google, therefore anyone can see your posts. It is frightening how wide the internet can reach and it helps you understand why a lot of people don’t agree with the use of social media.

A lot of people agree with the use of social media and internet in schools, but others don’t. Many frame it as a destroying resource, which may be because we only ever see the negative effects of the internet. You hear lots of horror stories about young people online and this bends your view on social media to it being a complete waste of time and that it shouldn’t exist. People less often talk about how fantastic Facebook, Twitter etc. is, therefore people don’t get the chance to see that they can be useful for many different things.

Boys and Girls!

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From my previous experiences in schools (both placement and my own school experience) I have noticed a difference between girls’ and boys’ attitude towards learning. In my primary school class, the girls were always more keen for extra work and liked to be ahead of other people. Meanwhile, the boys almost had a lazy attitude towards working and learning. There is no way that they ever would have asked for extra work to do. All that the boys in my class looked forward to was playtime and lunchtime and getting outside to play. Interestingly, whilst I was on placement earlier this year I noticed that boys and girls were both pretty equal; academically and socially. They all played together in the playground and all were eager to learn in the classroom. This suggests to me that teachers may be becoming more aware of gender in schools and are not suggesting to the pupils there is a difference between male and female.

A divide was definitely apparent in the playground in my primary school, due to gender. According to the male pupils, football was classed as a ‘boy’s game’ and they would not allow any girls to play as they didn’t think they could play as well as them. How are we supposed to learn to play if the boys won’t let us join in? On the other hand, was netball in my primary school. There were boys who played netball alongside the girls, but the sport itself was always viewed as a feminine sport.

I personally do not think any sport should be regarded as feminine or masculine. Look at how well the girls’ football teams do and there are some very good, male netball players out there. My personal primary school experience wasn’t majorly affected by gender division. I enjoyed being around both girls and boys.

However, I think teachers saying things like “Good morning, boys and girls!” should not be much of an issue as that is what we are. We are divided into male and female and there isn’t much we can do about it.

 

My inspiration for teaching

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Why have I chosen teaching? Basically I’ve known since a young age that becoming a teacher was what I wanted to do. As a child I loved pretending to be a teacher and always wished I had my own class of pupils to teach. This casts my memory back to when I was about 8, when staying at my Nana and Papa’s house for the weekend was a regular occurrence. One Saturday night, I sat at the computer at their house and built up a shopping basket of supplies for my ‘class’ on the Early Learning Centre website. Of course, with my Papa being the kind man he was, he agreed to let me order myself something. Little did he know that the order was approximately £100 worth until it arrived. I had ordered multipacks of pencils, pens, glue spreaders and even a pair of left handed scissors (I am right handed!). It makes me laugh, and it makes me realise how long I have wanted to become a qualified teacher. My most recent placement at a local school definitely reassured me that I wanted to be a teacher. It was such a rewarding experience and to be honest I had great fun on the obstacle course and dressing up as a dog and a ladybird! I really enjoy working with children.

As a teacher, my aim is to be very interactive. I want to be able to connect with the children and build a strong relationship with them all. I will be strict when I have to be to keep order in the classroom as I think discipline is a key skill children should learn from a young age. I want to be a teacher who inspires their pupils to work hard and achieve well. I cannot wait to decorate my class room and do lots of arts and crafts with the children. My main aim is to make my pupils’ education fun and enjoyable. I will want the best for my pupils and am excited to be a part of their education!