Category Archives: edushare

Behaviour Management

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Behaviour Management is something that scares me the most about going on placement to our primary schools. With past experience I have only ever worked with younger years from primary 1 to primary 3. The behaviour management strategies that are usually put in place for this age group tends to be the popular traffic light system. All children start on green due to positive behaviour. If the child starts to misbehave the child is asked to move their name to yellow. This acts as a warning and signifies to the child that their behaviour needs to be changed. If the child continues to misbehave then they are then asked to move their name to red. A punishment can then be put in place to show the child that the behaviour they are displaying is not acceptable. This may be loss of Golden Time. traffic-light-allHowever, I am aware that this strategy is more age appropriate for the younger years. As I have been given a primary 5 class, when I first go I will ask the teacher what behaviour management they use in the class so I can go home and do further reading. This will allow me to feel confident when going in to the classroom and using the system. As a teacher I also need to be aware of other issues that may effect a child’s behaviour such as: home issues or children with additional support needs. We need to be aware that every child is different and that not all children in the class will benefit from the class system that is put in place. Some children may need their own behaviour systems in order for them to understand what is expected of them. I know how important literature is and I know it will expand my knowledge when dealing with behaviour management. From this I may be able to use my own strategies and realise what works best for me. This will help massively when I go on to be a teacher in my own classroom.

John Bowlby- Attachment Theory

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During a lecture on the Social Child- Attachment I took a great interest in John Bowlby. I feel this was mainly due to the fact that I both agreed and disagreed with parts of his theory. John Bowlby is a theorist who believes that attachment is a crucial factor to the start of a child’s life. The bond the child then makes, which is usually with the mother, is a bond that will help develop the child as it goes through life. If the child has an attachment with someone who meets all the categories in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs then the child will therefore have: higher self esteem, be in a caring environment, be more socially skilled and overall more secure. However, despite agreeing that a child needs a primary attachment I disagree with Bowlby when he states that maternal deprivation will result in delinquent personality. Many children who have not had the attachment and in some cases children who have to be taken in to care have the ability, in my eyes, to create an attachment later on in life. This may be with adopted parents or foster cares. With the right care and a positive attachment the child can do very well in life and when having their own child can create an attachment despite not having their own at a young age. I understand that many children may fall through the school system due to lack of support from people at home and who’s self esteem is low to the stage where they don’t believe in themselves. This may result in the social and emotional health being altered negatively. The attachment they then have with their child could possibly mirror the negative bond they had, as they have not experienced anything different. However, with the right care I feel a childs development through attachment can be reversed and a positive outcome can conclude.

Part 1: Unit 2- Reflection

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Due to Unit 2 of our online unit being so detailed I have decided to split it into sections to allow me to feel organised with my own learning. Whilst watching the YouTube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wHANninAl4

it became clear that reflection has a massive connection with our perceptions and experiences. By reflecting, we are able to look back on problems we have endured and find ways to solve them. This way, like the video states we are the ones we are in charge of our learning. Barriers that once may have hindered our learning can now be removed. Due to the reflection process we can now think of different pathways that can lead us to overcome the struggles we have faced. For children this is a great way for them to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This will lead to the child building their own development distinguishing abilities that may need more work on. In some ways it also changed the child’s thought process. Instead of them seeing themselves as “bad” in a certain subject, they can then change that negative thinking and see the subject as something with “room for improvement”. The reflection process enables them to think in this positive way.

What is Reflection?
– Being able to identify our own strengths and weaknesses.
– Finding different pathways or action points that we can use to overcome our problems.
– Standing back and viewing the experience with an open mind.

What is NOT Reflection?
– Only having one viewpoint.
– Believing that there is no development needed therefore having a stubborn attitude and not reflecting at all.
– Negative process.

My Skills And Abilities

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Being able to rate ourselves very early on in the course is a great importance as it will allow us to reflect. Here, we can visually see the improvements we are making as we develop through the course.

Rate yourself (1=Not very well developed; 3=very well developed)

Flexibility = 2
Self Confidence = 3
Self-Discipline = 2
Working Under Pressure = 2
Set Personal Goals = 3
Take Risks = 1
Share Opinions Confidently = 3
Team Work = 3
Taking Responsibility = 2
Build Social Networks = 2
Manage Time = 2
Act as a Leader = 2
Negotiate = 3
Make Presentations = 2
Listen to Others = 2
Debate Formally and Informally = 2
Contribute to Discussions = 3
Converse Confidently = 3
Take Notes = 2
Writing for Academic Purposes = 2
Computing Skills = 2
Being Creative = 3
Using Technology = 3
Problem Solve = 2
Generating New Ideas = 3
Working on Own Initiative = 2
Organise and Plan = 2
Think Critically = 2
Evaluate information =2

The Virtues Of Teaching

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Respect- I feel that there is a great importance that a teacher has to be respectful in their occupation. This has an important connection with being professional. As a teacher we have to respect that each child is an individual who have their own needs that we need to attend to. Also by giving each child respect it then allows the child to respect us back therefore having a positive connection with each other and creating a positive atmosphere within the classroom.

Patience- I feel there will be many times when teachers feel they are going to lose their patience. Patience means being able to keep calm in stressful situations. For example, if a child does not understand part of a lesson, no matter how many times we explain it we must remain patient. By doing this we can then think of other ways to teach the lesson to the child to ensure that they understand it. Another example may be if the classroom is very noisy and the children won’t settle down. Instead of shouting and getting angry, which can result in the situation becoming worse we can keep calm and patient. The children may then recognise you are wanting their attention.

Fairness- being fair mean that we treat everyone the same without favouring someone over another. This is crucial that as teachers we are fair throughout our profession. We need to treat every child the same. By doing so no child is left out and they all feel equal.

Kindness- The children see their teacher as a role model. This leads to the child copying many things that the teacher does, including their behaviour. This is why we need to be kind. If we are friendly and generous the children will then start to show signs of this kindness when they interact with other pupils. This is important as we want to see every child being kind to others. As a teacher it then makes it our responsibility to shape these young children into the best person they can be.

Self-control- self control is very important in our profession as we need to remind ourselves of what is appropriate and what isn’t. When dealing with opinionated staff or parents we need to control our views and try to get an understanding of the view of the other person. If we do not agree we cannot allow our emotions to get the better of us. Instead come up with a balanced view where both opinions are seen to matter. This way everyone is kept happy.

My inspiration to become a teacher…

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My primary one teacher had a massive impact on me. She was the type of teacher who made every child in the class believe in themselves. (SORRY IF IT’S CHEESY) She would tell the class that if they worked hard in life they could be whatever they wanted to be. It didn’t matter if you wanted to be a baker, a nurse or even a bin man. If you wanted to be any of those as long as you worked hard and were determined enough you could make it. Every child in my class left primary one already having a favourite teacher including me. I feel that I am the determined and motivated person I am today because of her. Sadly, when I reached primary six I found out that my primary one teacher had passed away from cancer. From that moment I realised I wanted to be a primary teacher. I wanted to continue the amazing job she had made, giving young children like me the best start in their early years of education.

As I went through education from primary school to high school there were so many different teachers I met. From these teachers I took away all my favourite aspects from each and decided to use them to form myself into the best teacher I could be. One teacher was always up for a joke and a laugh with his pupils. Every time I entered his class I was excited as he made it more fun than I initially thought school was. I also had a teacher who was very supportive. If anyone had a problem they felt comfortable to go to her and explain what was wrong. This I felt was important as your students need to feel at ease when speaking to you. This allowed me to get a good view of the type of teacher that I wished to be, plus adding my own personality into the job.