Category Archives: 1 Prof. Values & Personal Commitment

Teamwork makes the dream work

As part of today’s TDT we were encouraged to engage with peers posts which has prompt me to keep on top of my ePortfolio more. I do engage frequently with mine however it is more for TDT’s rather than professional thoughts and opinions. By looking at my peers posts it has inspired me to engage with my ePortfolio outwith my TDT’s.

Prior to the Christmas break I was beginning to really getting into the swing of writing posts and commenting on my peers posts. However this began to fall away when assessments and presentations were coming up as all my focus was on them. The lack of engagement from my peers and lecturers on my post also made me lose my confidence. When I am posting a blog it takes me ages to write it up as I am constantly re-reading and re-writing it. The amount of time I spent on my posts and the lack of feedback I received really made me think, whats the point?

However after today’s lecture with Derek my “what’s the point attitude” slowly began to fade. After engaging with my peers post I was made aware that people did not engage on every single post and they still continued to post outstanding blogs so therefore why shouldn’t I?One blog that particularly stood out for me was – 5,6,7.. Dance. I found this post really interesting as Lauren’s passion and enthusiasm for her love of dance really shone through. I liked how she incorporated pictures from her own dance experience into her blog to make it that bit more personal. Her lesson plan really showed how much experience she has in dance and I am sure her enthusiasm would really motivate the children.

For me to improve my blog personally I feel I need to be more open to share my posts on edushare. I still feel very apprehensive when posting my work on their for everyone to see and for my professional development I feel this is something I must work on. I also feel I need to include more interactive sources such as videos, pictures and my professional reading into my blog to show I am really meeting and understanding the Standards for Registration.

The ePortfolio’s are a great tool to use as it is a space in which your thoughts and feelings are gathered. It allows you to reflect and engage in professional dialogue with peers and university staff providing you with the opportunity to expand your professional knowledge, thoughts and opinions. After engaging with my peers posts this has really spurred me on to engage with my ePortfolio more and also my peers. By working together as a cohort and really engaging with one another’s ePortfolio’s we can flourish and grow together as professionals and make this a huge learning success.

how secure are you?

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During our psychology lectures one lesson I particularly enjoyed was studying the theory of attachment. I found it interesting that your sense of security and attachment is connected with the development of you as a person. Attachment is a bond in which a person has a special sense of security and comfort to another person which is usually the Mother. However in the modern day attachment can be formed with many different people such as the child’s father or the child’s grandparents.

I looked further into some studies regarding attachment and one that I thought was interesting was Freud and Dunn (1951) study on war orphans. Freud and Dunn studied six war orphans who’s parents were killed in the concentration camps. The infants were looked after as-well as possible from fellow prisoners however it was difficult to form any sort of attachment as people were never around long enough. The conditions the children lived in were hard and they had limited food and no toys to play with. After the war had ended the children were moved to Bulldogs Bank Reception in the Lake District. The children couldn’t communicate much except a few German swear words. Freud and Dunn found that the children were very hostile to the adults trying to help them and the children would do everything together, if one did not eat nor did the rest. They appeared to have formed attachment to one another. The children progressively developed relationships with adults and slowly recovered from the deprivation they suffered however still remained very much attached to one another. For me I thought this study was a real eye opener as to how key attachment is for development. The infants missed a crucial period for creating attachment therefore their social skills were affected.

An attachment theory I feel can be really beneficial in the classroom is Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation study. Ainsworth studied children’s reaction when a stranger was in a room with and without their mother present.As a result of the experiment she came up with three different attachment types; insecure avoidant, securely attached and insecure resistant. Insecure avoidant is when the child has little interest in their caregivers and aren’t phased when alone with a stranger, they also aren’t looking for comfort when the caregiver returns. Securely attached is when the child gets upset when their caregiver leaves and seems distressed when alone with the stranger, however is quickly soothed when their mother returns. Insecure attachment is when the child doesn’t want to explore the room and they cry when their caregiver leaves and when left alone with stranger. There is however mixed responses when their mother returns they want to be soothed but they can also reject their mothers comfort and be angry. Children with a secure attachment don’t need all the teachers attention on them and are happy for other children to receive some of that attention. These children are able to wait their turn, with belief that their teacher will be able to meet their needs. This allows the child to take risks and tolerate frustrations in the learning process. However, children with attachment difficulties will typically show distrust within in their teacher and classmates, and many put this down to lack of concentration rather than attachment difficulties. A child who constantly talks can be using this a strategy to keep bad thoughts away. These children may also have difficulty dealing with unstructured situations such as playtimes . If they make mistakes, these children may have explosive reactions.

Overall for me I feel that having the knowledge of the attachment theory is crucial for teachers. Having the ability to spot that a child is acting up as they have trust issues because due to not having that attachment figure in their life, and not because they are trying to show off or be the “class clown”. As teachers having the knowledge and tools to deal with this situation can only insure a better learning experience and future for your pupils.

What is an Enquiring Practitioner ?

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An enquiring practitioner is some who grows as professional “by challenging or ‘disrupting thinking’ and ‘ingrained habits of mind.” For me this means someone who is open to change, someone who seeks to gain more knowledge and someone who reflects on their teaching styles and aims to better these in order to provide their pupils with the best learning experience.The best way to better yourself as person is to reflect and learn from particular situations.

Some benefits of being an enquiring practitioner which is stated on the GTCS is that it “enables teachers to bring about fundamental changes in pedagogy and curriculum and thereby significantly improves the quality of students’ learning experiences in educational institutions.” Seeking further knowledge regarding the curriculum and incorporating different teaching styles allows teachers to grow as professionals but also improves the learning environment for children. Another benefit I thought was of importance was that it “enable teachers to collaboratively develop the curriculum.” The saying “two heads are better than one” comes to mind for this, working with someone allows you to see a situation from a whole different perspective. By reflecting together it allows people to share different experiences and ideas which can develop whole new opportunities for learning. Also to be a enquiring practitioner you have to ask why and having the ability to challenge certain ways of thinking. There are however some challenges which may be faced when being an enquiring practitioner such as some people may feel uncomfortable. As an enquiring practitioner the aim is to continue to better yourself as a professional through research and reflecting; this means there may be new skills and challenges being faced which can be daunting especially if you have been in the practice for a long-time. Another would be that It can be difficult to question your own assumptions therefore many can start looking for problems in products, strategies and pupils. To be an enquiring practitioner you have to be critical of yourself to learn how to adapt to different ways of teaching.

I feel that learning now, how to be an affective enquiring practitioner will really benefit me as a student teacher . Within the University set up for example, in lectures not just believing everything you are told. Having the ability to go away and research theories and challenge them will allow me to grow as professional. Another example would be whilst observing your classroom teacher on placement having the confidence to ask why they done that particular lesson plan or why they dealt with that behaviour in that way. Not just accepting that, that’s the way it is done. Then having the ability to reflect on this and either use it in your own lessons or deciding you may do something differently. I feel this will all set me in good stead for becoming an enquiring practitioner.

The Secret Life of the Brain

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As part of a psychology TDT we were asked to create a timeline of brain development. I felt that this was very interesting; to see what people used to think about the brain compared to now.

4000 B.C.- Sumerian records show first writing on the brain
450 B.C. – Alcmaeon was a Greek physician. He used anatomic dissection of animals as a basis for his theories. He believes from his studies that the brain is the central organ of sensation and thought. This idea contradicts a lifetime theory that see’s the heart as the true seat of intelligence.
335 B.C- Aristotle believes that the heart is the main organ for sensation and thought and the brain is a radiator which is there to cool it. Aristotle believes that the organ of thought and basis for thought are not the same. He claims that the basis for thought, is what he calls the rational soul, this is immaterial and can’t be found anywhere within the body. Aristotle’s theories about memory are proven to be more successful. He surmises that the processes involved in short term memory are different from those involved in long-term memory.
1664- Thomas Willis was an Oxford Professor he wrote the first monograph on brain autonomy and physiology. In his book, he states that the cerebral hemispheres – which makes up 70% of the human brain – determines thought and action and this is separate from the part of the brain that controls basic motor functions e.g walking. Willis’ work was crucial in encouraging future neuroscientists to study the functional contributions of individual brain parts.
1848- Phineas Gage was a railroad worker; he was involved in an accident at work when an explosion caused an iron rod to pierce the frontal lobe of his brain. He recovered from this accident however suffered from mood and behaviour changes. Accounts showed that Gage was a quite worker before the accident however became irritable and could not hold a job down. This was accident was a milestone in brain study as it showed a link between the frontal lobe and personality. These findings lead to the development of lobotomy. This was based on the theory that removing portions of the frontal lobe could cure mental derangement and depression.
1869- Francis Galton claimed that intelligence was an inherited trait and high levels of intelligence was linked to a person’s genes. He made the first attempt to measure intelligence. In 1888, he sets up an “anthropometric laboratory” he used measures of visual acuity, auditory accuracy, and breathing capacity to assess levels of intelligence.
1875 Wihelm Wundt set up the first lab devoted to study of behaviour. He was deeply interested in philosophy as well as psychology. He studied attention and sensory process.
1905- Alfred Binet was a French psychologist. He disagreed with Galtons use of sensory discrimination to explain intelligence. Binet believed that individual differences in intelligence can be detected only through measures of complex processes such as memory, imagination, attention and comprehension. Binet aimed to develop a scale that could differentiate children who are slow learners from children who are learning at a normal rate. The result as a scale made to measure a variety of mental processes such as memory and imagination. In 1905, Binet and Simon introduced their intelligence scale and provide guidelines for its administration. They stressed that the scale was only appropriate for assessing if a child is of normal or inferior intelligence and is not designed to uncover the psychologically unstable or insane.
1929: Hans Berger demonstrated the first human electroencephalograph (EEG). This was used to measure and record the electrical activity of the brain. Berger’s invention was fundamental in brain development as this is now used routinely as a diagnostic test in neurology and psychiatry and as a common tool in brain research.
1950: Karl Spencer Lashley was an America neuropsychologist who conducted an experiment which aimed to uncover neural components of memory which he named engrams. He worked with rats in order to see where their memory was situated. During one experiment, he systematically removed different percentages of rats’ brains and then tested them in mazes that they had ran before. The result of this was a gradual, but consistent, decline in their ability to remember the twists and turns of the maze. From Lashley’s findings he conclued that there is no particular area for memory in the brain, but that it is a holistic process made up of many neural connections.
1953: Nathaniel Kleitman and Eugene Aserinsky were doing research on children’s sleeping patterns when they discovered Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. Prior to this it was believed that the brain was inactive when a person was asleep. However when using the EEG record the brain activity of someone sleeping they found that the electrical pattern was similar to someone who was awake. However the electrical waves between periods of REM sleep were slow this suggested the brain was at rest. Researchers now believe that people experience two kinds of sleep, orthodox and paradoxical. These change throughout the night in breaks of about 100 minutes. Orthodox sleep occurs 80% of the night and there is no rapid eye movement. Paradoxical sleep (known as REM sleep) makes up the rest of the time and involves bodily movement as well as rapid eye movement. Newborns spend more than 20% of their sleep in the REM phase, this suggests to researchers that this part of sleep involves some sort of learning process.
1974: M.E.Phelps, E.J.Hoffman and M.M.Ter Pogossian created the first Positron Emission Topography (PET) scanner. This is a machine that gives visual information about the brains activity. A patient that undergoes a PET scan is administered a substance which includes radioactive atoms that give out positively charged particles known as positrons. The gamma radiation that results from this process is sensed by detectors and converted into computer-generated images of the brain. Doctors use PET scans to monitor such things as blood flow and oxygen utilization in the brain.
1987: Prozac is introduced to and becomes a treatment for depression. Prozac works by enhancing the effects of the chemical neurotransmitter, serotonin. Serotonin creates a sense of well-being. People who suffer from depression suffer from low levels of serotonin. Prozac alters the brain chemistry of depressed people by allowing more serotonin to remain in their brains.
1990: The US president George Bush declares this the “decade of the brain”.
2000 : Arvid Carlsson, Paul Greengard and Eric Kandel share the Nobel Prize for their discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system
2014 – John O’Keefe, Edvard Moser, and May-Britt Moser share the Nobel Prize for their discoveries about cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain

Teachers on professionalism

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What makes a teacher who makes a difference?

In video 1 “Being a Professional Teacher” it highlights certain similarities between teachers and doctors. Some of the similarities were that both teachers and doctors see their profession as a calling. They have to be caring, passionate and also up to date on their profession e.g new laws and regulations. However I have to disagree with the severeness of when life and death is stated. I would not say that having an unprofessional teacher is a matter of life and death. There have been many people who have had an unprofessional teacher or bad schooling experience but still succeed in their lives. However to be at the hands of an unprofessional doctor can result in death. The first teacher in the video shows how enthusiastic and committed she is to her pupils. Not only does the teacher have the backing of her pupils but also their families and community. The teacher has to adapt to her surroundings and little resources available and fulfill the needs of the pupils; by doing this provides her pupils with the best learning opportunities. The teacher in the video goes above and beyond the expected by taken on lots of extra activities such as abuse awareness and literacy classes in order to make the lives of the people around her better. I feel that what makes a teacher makes a difference is them making the first move to make a change.

What teachers call professionalism

In video 2 Miss Long highlights how teachers are becoming more noticed in society and there is a higher knowledge of professionalism of teachers. Many could see this as a disadvantage as it can add excess stress. However the higher standard set makes sure that teachers are providing an education to the greatest of their ability allowing the children to seize the most out of their education. Mrs Nursen states that professionalism of a teacher can affect the children when the they grow into adults. Your pupils spend a lot of time around you and therefore will pick up on your traits. Therefore if you behave in an unprofessional manner such as the language you use in your class or the values you portray the children will think that behavior is the norm. Mrs Walsh had a similar idea of Mrs Nursen that we have to professional as teachers have to be good role models to the children. She also highlights a very important point that as professionals you should not judge the pupils on their home life or appearance. Every child deserve fair and equal opportunities. Mrs Smith believes that professionalism allows you to be an effective communicator. You are able to communicate with children, family and teachers. Professionalism is about teachings being aware of the influence they have on children, they way you act in the classroom they take that outwith the school walls.

Virtues of Teachers

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As part of a TDT we were given a list of the virtues of teaching and told to pick five of the list. The five that stood out to me was; patience, fairness, respect, empathy and compassion.

I feel patience is such an important virtue to have in teaching. From my own personal experience at school I used to hate having to ask the teacher for help over and over again as I felt that they became less patient each time I asked. However for me I feel that you should not lose patience with a child because they do not get something correct first time. Your there to teach them how to do something and not every child is going to get it first time; there may be times were you have to keep going over something; however I love the feeling you get when you see that they are beginning to understand. You also are dealing with a large number of children everyday and they all want your undivided attention so your patience will be tested!!

Another virtue I thought was important was fairness. Every single child in your classroom should be treated the same. When you start to make divides in the classroom I believe this is when problems can be created. I believe a mutual respect is created when everyone is treated the same which creates a much more happier classroom.

Respect is an important part of teaching. As a teacher you have to be respectful of everyone you work with from the pupils, to the parents, canteen staff, janitors and headteachers. You all are a team and no one person is better than the other. Respecting people’s opinions is also important. As a teacher you hear different opinions regarding the way you teach and you have to respect these opinions and take on board what they are saying.

Being able to empathise with a person is important as a teacher. In teaching you meet people from all walks of life and you have to be able to see different perspectives. Empathy is essential for building bridges between individuals and the ability to understand other people’s emotions. Empathy is important for creating relationships for progress.

The final virtue I chose was compassion. You are seen as a “parental figure” at school. The children are with you everyday and you have to care for them. They rely on you so much, when they are hurt or have a problem you have to show compassion and that you are there to help them.

Personal vs Private

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The GTCS states that teachers have to use social media wisely and in a correct manner. Even though they are entitled to a private life; what they say on social media or how they use social media can be classed as unprofessional and seen as going against the GTC code. Teachers have to maintain the trust of both pupils and parents. This trust is maintained through behaving in an appropriate way both in there personal and professional life.

For me personally I feel it would be difficult to marry up both your personal life and private life on social media and I prefer to keep both mine separate. All my personal social media accounts such as; Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are private. In your private life you could say something on social media which you see as harmless however others may think you are being inappropriate or unprofessional. I also feel it would be difficult to maintain a professional boundary if you tried to marry it up with you personal life as people can see you in a different light. My personal view is that people have very high standards regarding the way teachers behave and are quick to pick up on any negative behavior and come down hard on this. I feel marrying the private and personal life can make a teacher vulnerable to scrutiny.

The use of social media professionally however I feel has great aspects. Social media is the forefront of everything these days and children are heavily involved within social media. I feel introducing social media sites into the classroom such as Glow makes learning more modern and relevant to the children. However I feel its so important to stress to children the dangers of using social media and that they should be taught how to use social media safely and appropriately. I looked into some statistics regarding social media and young children and one that really sprung out at me. On Guardchild (http://www.guardchild.com/social-media-statistics-2/) it stated that “Only 10% of parents of children aged 10 and under had frank talks about appropriate online behavior and threats” Children are using technology and social media from such a young age that this should be drilled into them especially when they do not get told in depth at home about appropriate use of social media.

There are many challenges to social media and I feel that social media is portrayed in a negative way. This could be due to all the horror stories you hear regarding it or that because its relatively new that some people of older generations see it a bit alien like. However I feel it is a very positive aspect of learning. Websites such as Glow allow you to communicate safely and appropriately with pupils. It expands pupils literacy skills e.g by using blogs. I feel there is always going to positives and negatives of using social media however it is the future and I believe we have no choice but to embrace it.

Professional and Academic Development

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Activity 1

1. Below are a list of skills and abilities. Complete an audit of where you are now. Record this in your learning journal/portfolio.

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

Skills and Abilities	1	2	3
Working under pressure			X
Time management			X
Listening			X
Confidence	X
Using technology		X
Learning outwith university		X

Although it is important to identify where we are now, it is not enough to stop there. We need to reflect upon how we can develop the skills where we are less confident and how we can transfer the skills in which we are confident and competent.

Activity 2

Complete the audit below, using the information from the table above.

Recognition	Reflection	Action
Skills already developed	How will I use these	How do I know (evidence)**
Working under pressure	I will use this skill when having to meet deadlines for my assignments. I feel working under pressure helps my time management skills.	During my time at school I studied a 5 or more subjects at one time. Therefore this meant that my work load I had was very high. The more I felt under pressure the better I worked as I knew that I had to get my work done in order to meet the deadlines set.
Time Management	I will be realistic about how much time I actually have to complete tasks. I prioritise my workload either by deadlines or by my strengths and weakness. For example; If I am finding a particular area difficult I will set myself more time to focus on this.	I plan my time by either using my whiteboard which I write down all my tasks and can then wipe them off when they have been completed. I also like to use my diary to keep on top of my time
Listening	I feel this skill is useful as I take into account other peoples opinions or points of views before making my own opinion on the situation.	In group discussions I like to hear what everyone has to say before I speak. I feel this helps my learning as someone’s perspective may be totally different to mine; however it then opens up my way of thinking and I see that situation from a whole new perspective.

** This section should be completed as you identify when/where/how you have used/developed these skills.

Recognition	Reflection	Action
Skills to be developed	How I will develop these	How do I know (evidence)**
Confidence	I feel I lack confidence in voicing my opinions in group discussions. I will try to improve this by being more vocal in discussions
Using technology	I am a little bit stuck in the olden days and much prefer to write everything down in a notebook rather than use technology. However I realise that technology is a huge part of my profession therefore I am going to make more of an effort to use it in my learning.	I already have started to do this by using my e-portfolio as a record of my learning.
Learning outwith the university	I need to develop this skill by taking my learning into my own hands and researching what I have learned in more depth.	I have started to come home and expand on all my notes from my lectures so that I have more information on that topic.