Category Archives: 3. Prof. Skills & Abilities

Professionalism: My Views…

After watching these videos and taking my own notes on the different opinions/views on professionalism I have gathered some of my own thoughts on them…

Video 1

I completely agreed with everything that was brought up in this video. I think it’s making a very strong, powerful point when looking at professionalism. How the doctor and nurse explained their jobs are very similar to teaching, in my opinion. We take a child who has a certain level of knowledge and skills where we then work with them to develop them further as individuals, this brings the great satisfaction which is felt by the doctors and nurses when taking in a patient and making them better. I think that when you have had a significant impact on a child’s life where they’re grown and developed as individuals who are equipped to move on and develop even further what you’ve taught them in your year of working with them a great satisfaction will be felt. Passion, dedication, loving your job, team work, commitment, enthusiasm, being reachable etc. is what professionalism looks like according to some of the teachers in the video. I feel strongly about all of these factors as I think they all make such a huge different to treating teaching as your job; something that needs to be done for a couple of hours and being professional where you’ll see teaching as more than just a job, more than just a couple of hours in the classroom. Being a teacher means going above and beyond your duties; it’s caring for the whole community and taking into account the difference you’re making in it and not just the children. Being a professionalism means always staying informed with the; new curriculum, new discussions, new issues and new teaching methods. To be professional we must be aiming to meet/going beyond the quality and the standard of which society expects us to guarantee the children. It’s mentioned in the video that teachers aren’t just the educator of the child but the educator of the community, they have such a wider impact than only the child sitting in their classroom. Therefore being a professional is taking this into consideration and putting in extra effort out of school hours and out of the school. In saying this though it’s important to have an aim in your efforts, it’s important to know what you’re doing and what you want the outcome to be in the end as this will allow you to help spread your knowledge and skills throughout many people’s lives.

Video 2

I split this video up into 5 sections for the different teachers opinions on professionalism;

The notes I took from the Miss Catherine Long were points which conflicted with some of my personal views. Personally I don’t feel as though professionalism is becoming more noticed within society this present day. I find it has always been noticed merely the concept of professionalism has changed. When you look back 40 odd years now you find teachers were professional in terms of; their classroom environment, their delivery of information, the methods of teaching, working with the pupils, teacher/pupil relationships and their involvement with children at break times etc. For all teachers these factors were to be addressed in the same manner therefore they approached these in professional ways. However in the 21 century professionalism has changed and adapted for the new education system. These days their are big differences on what is classed as professionalism. Teachers have varieties in their classrooms environments, methods of teaching due to the new outlook on teaching. Working with the pupils is approached in a number of different ways and the teacher/pupil relationship has changed dramatically as they must adapt with society and the changes which occur in it, taking into consideration the new attitudes of children and their development. Teachers involvements at break times have changed as aspects of behaviour were highlighted and must be monitored etc. There are many changes which I feel has altered our view of professionalism and therefore I feel society has more of a voice now because everyone has different view points.

I agreed with everything Mrs Nursen Chemmi explained in the video. I feel teachers have a huge role to play as children will use them as role models where they will copy the way in which you speak/act. Professionalism should mean you’re continuously being a positive role model in their lives are many children will either be missing a mother/father figure or not have positive role models in their lives. Children are influenced very easily therefore as a teacher you should take this into consideration and ensure you’re influencing them appropriately.

The first part Mrs Coleen Walsh spoke about is the same as Mrs Nursen Chemmi, however the second part was very interesting for me as it is something that I find is affecting children more often. Children should never be judge by their home life as it’s something which they have no control over. If children were judged on their home lives and parents then there would be extremely unfair judgements both positive and negative. Every single child should be treated equally and given the same chance with their education.

Mrs Erin Smith raised the point that professionalism should be used differently with different groups of people, to a certain extent I agree with this. Professionalism should vary slightly depending on who you are communicating with however your communication should still be clear and you should still have appropriate attitudes towards each individual the same. I find that when communicating with different individuals it’s important to keep your key values of professionalism therefore you’ll always respect and approach them appropriately.

Miss Catherine Long describes here essentially that teachers should be engaging with what I just learned to be an enquiring practitioner. As from my previous blog post I have explained why it is important to be involved in practitioner enquiry. I feel these are very important and significant words which I strongly agree with in terms of professionalism.

Video 3

Chris

I think that Chris had a very positive message about teachers! I enjoyed listening to him and felt as though he had an important, inspiring speech. Chris’s passion really shone through in his message where he believes teachers are ver important and should be treating well while being payed well. I agree with him as he describes how teachers should valued as we care for kids. This is such a true statement which I feel is overlooked a lot. Teachers care for every single child in their class and in their school, hence the reason most teachers go above and beyond to help their children learn and develop. It was very refreshing and I think many teachers would agree with Chris’s words here.

Karen

I disliked Karens statement and I disagreed with it hugely. Karen states that she is an educational worker who merely punches a clock, I think this is a hugely negative view on being a teacher which will have a very negative impact on her work as a teacher. Personally I do not feel that being a teacher is a job in which you can punch a clock as you must dedicate so much of your time and energy into it. In my opinion Karen is not a professional teacher, nor is she someone who is taking her job serious enough. She has a variety of children of different ages and different abilities who are all counting on her support to aid them with their development however with this negative attitude Karen will not be able to do this effectively. I think it’s a very irresponsible and selfish view she has on her job.

Participating in Practitioner Enquiry…

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So what is a Practitioner Enquiry?

A practitioner enquiry is an individual who actively engages with their own practice based research. They will reflect on their research to help them improve/deepen their own knowledge. Practitioner enquiry is key in when being professional as it will allow you to gain a better understanding of your practice which is essential with primary teaching as it’s a profession which is continuously changing. Being involved in practitioner enquiry doesn’t always mean research into your profession alone, it can also be groups of individuals who come together to share their research and knowledge which they’ve learned from their reflection. Learning and sharing within a group allows teachers to explore questions which have cropped up during their lessons or during observations in another’s lesson.

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update/practitioner-enquiry/practitioner-enquiry.aspx

So why should we participate in practitioner enquiry?

Here is a list of some of the benefits;

Increases the teacher’s knowledge which benefits not only them themselves but also the; children, parents, school and community.
Gaining a greater knowledge will benefit the children’s learning experiences and the learning environment of which they learn in.
Sharing and discussing information with other teachers can help improve your own understanding on it while allowing you to use this appropriately.
Having a deeper knowledge will improve a child’s achievements as you will be more equipped when teaching them.
Also having a deeper knowledge will improve the pupils development as a greater understanding from the teacher will allow a significant positive impact on the child.
The teachers who are getting involved with practitioner enquiry are able to be greatly more involved with current challenges which are discussed within the education.
Allows teachers to continuously develop and keep a record of their development.
Improve techniques of research for teachers allowing them to use and manipulate these techniques within lessons or other aspects of their profession.
When sharing research it allows for ideas from colleagues which can improve your understanding.

The potential gains from teachers engaging in practitioner enquiry, as noted above, offer significant value for the wider school improvement agenda. Staff are able to work individually and collectively to investigate, question, consider and plan for change and development. This kind of school improvement is evidence-informed and critically justified.

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update/practitioner-enquiry/why-practitioner-enquiry.aspx#benefits

Here is a list of some of the Challenges;

Many teachers/students may find it intimidating as it will highlight areas which they thought they were comfortable with therefore it will push them out their comfort zone.
It involves developing new skills for many teachers which may unsettle them.
It includes seeking further knowledge on subjects which are ‘touchy’ and are often just accepted.
The outcome is not always fast nor is it always clear.
The research found must always relate back to education.
Must plan your time when participating.
You are challenging yourself which is a very difficult task for many people.

Therefore taking both the benefits and the challenges into account I feel for me as a student, being an enquiring practitioner is essential. Personally I like to question why and find out more information on many subjects however I don’t take this approach normally when I’m looking at ‘school’ or ‘university’ topics. I feel coming straight from school has built me up to accept information that I was taught, memorise is and re-write it in an exam. However being at university is the exact opposite. I find that this course allows me and encourages me to question my techniques on learning and understanding. It also encourages me to question the knowledge i’m being taught which allows me to seek further information, ensuring I’m understanding it and interpreting it in my own way. Also using this Eportfolio is helping me record my development where I can look back at certain blog posts to find out whether my views have changed after reading something related. It is also helping me to communicate and share my knowledge and information with me peers and allowing me to view there’s which I find to be hugely interesting and helpful as sometimes makes me question my own thoughts on parts of the course where I go back over it and discuss their thoughts with them. I find this to be the start of my participation in being an enquiring practitioner. It’s something I’m finding to be greatly helpful and interesting and I’m excited to take this throughout my journey into becoming a primary teacher as it will make a significant difference in terms of my impact on the; children, parents, school, community and colleagues.

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle

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Gibbs reflective cycle effects everyone continuously in their day to day lives, especially students who are studying at; school, college, university or any other educational setting.

Here we can view what Gibbs reflective cycle looks like;

http://www.northallertonvts.org.uk/eportfolio/reflection

This cycle can be used in everyday situations that will occur. However as a student I will be applying it to different situations which arise in my course, then as a teacher I will apply this to any class lessons or situations I find myself within the classroom.

Bethany Alden Rivers video has helped me to understand what reflection is and how I can use the reflective cycle.

My break down of this video;

The process of reflection can help us to explore the thoughts and assumptions which we already have on certain areas that will allow us to come to conclusions with any problems we come across. Normally when in an argument or misunderstanding with someone we compare our original thoughts to theirs in attempt to make sense of the information that is being confused. In the end we come to a conclusion as both people have voiced their different thoughts where they will have reflected on the information shared to bring a full understanding to each individual.
When we are working together on a misunderstanding we are creating new knowledge together which we will continue on to use in a separate situation. This will normally then make new information as it is being used with a new, separate experience therefore this is showing the cycle to be starting all over again. This is the explanation of the cycle continuing.
Reflection is a way to actually take information from a topic/situation. To allow information to be fully understood we need to use it in real life, therefore the Gibbs reflective cycle is important to all pupils or students as it involves an action plan before we start the cycle over. This then links back to number 2 as by having an action plan we are using the new knowledge in a situation allowing us to manage our own learning.

Doing the task from the video and the other tasks from the online units I have came to the conclusion that reflecting is taking information; new or old, from an experience or lesson and thinking deeply about it, making sense of it in your own way where the information is modified to suit you. It’s then taking that information and applying it to a situation or using it in a real life situation which helps you to understand it fully. Often reflecting is used in my own life when something negative happens and so I look at the information I received from the experience and I explore the issue to make sure I understand it fully. I then think about what I can change about the information to allow it to be positive or for future experiences to be different from the negative one. Another example of reflecting in my personal life is in lessons I learn new information which I focus on more and understand more thorough. I then do an activity, write an essay or do a presentation on that piece of work which allows me to use it therefore it becomes information which I fully understand. I can then use this and link it with any new information I learn later on in my education.

Reflecting is very important when it comes to my lifetime as a student as I will be constantly reflecting on my learning and my attitude towards my learning. It is also very important when I make my development into a teacher as I will still constantly be reflecting but it’ll then be a reflection of my own lessons and my attitudes towards them and the children I’ll be teaching. Reflection is an important part of life, we are continuously reflecting without even realising it. However I feel as though it is important to use reflection in an effective way when learning to help with overall understanding of coursework. Reflection will become increasingly more important as presentations and essays are marked or placement feedback is given as it will be essential to reflect on any marks or feedback to ensure a correct approach can be taken withe the next steps.

Inspiration

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This video of Joseph Lekuton which was linked within the online unit has filled me with such admiration and has inspired me considerably. Listening to him tell the story of the blind man and the man with no legs was incredible. It made me think and link it to lots of different ideas I have but most importantly the idea that this is the type of situation that will be happening when I’m teaching a class. The children will be the legs where I will be their eyes. I will be able to lead them to a positive destination by the end of the year, not only in their academic life but also within their personal lives. They will come into my classroom at the start of the year having no idea in their minds of where they will be when they finish their 12 months with me. Even if I were to tell them everything I plan on doing with them throughout the year they still won’t understand how much they will develop throughout the year. I will though, which means I can use my education and my own experiences/connections to aid the children as Joseph is doing with his community. I will be able to teach them the academic course set out for the year however that’s not what school is wholly about. I will be able to teach them and guide them on so many different personal, social or global issues that they become aware of throughout the year .

Joseph has a 5 year plan to make his community a model which can help others develop. This is what I aim for in my classroom. My classroom to be an environment in which children are; happy, having fun, enthusiastic, confident, supporting each other, working together efficiently, working individually, setting goals, achieving/working on these goals, helping their community, becoming wonderful citizens, aware of the outside world, sharing their knowledge and stories with me, continuously communicating with myself and their peers, and so much more! All of these things will work together, being combed to make a brilliant classroom ethos which aid others in their development!

Joseph described in this video how he wasn’t going to make this community on his own but he was ‘introducing students to different fields to produce a comprehensive group of people who can return to help a community grow…’. This is what being a teacher essentially is. It’s supporting children develop into individuals who can continue into young students who benefit themselves by going into a field of work which then positively effects their community. If this was happening all over the world then no community would be suffering. Education is the key to building; a better community, a better society, a better world. By education I don’t just mean academic education (which of course is hugely significant) but also education on life and the skills needed which benefit not only you in your lifetime but the other surrounding you.

This is a message I feel is extremely important when going into the teaching profession and it is one which I know will make a great impact on my attitude when I go into a classroom preparing to teach the individuals who will soon be leading; communities, cities and countries.

On Social Media…

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Personally I’ve found looking at this is very different from others due of the fact I had no social media before joining university however I understand why GTC highlights and explains appropriate use of social media and I think this is a beneficial booklet. It will aid students who are studying to join the profession because everyone is using it and many have been for years therefore may not be aware/have forgotten how important this is..

What challenges/opportunities you may be faced with when marrying the personal vs the professional presence on social media?

I understand that when bringing together a personal and professional presence on social media is difficult due to teachers being ‘normal’ human beings who go out and enjoy themselves or have challenging opinions however personally I have never felt a need in posting my life online. I have never found an interest in posting any personal photos or personal opinions online because I feel it’s only in the interest of my friends and family to see/hear these things therefore I can; discuss topics, have debates or share photos with them. I’m also lucky where I have friends who have a similar mind set to me. Yes they have social media but they rarely post information on it meaning I’m never tagged in anything which would be deemed inappropriate according to GTC. For this reason I don’t find a problem with sharing my social media with pupils; of an appropriate age that is. As a primary teacher I don’t feel it necessary for any pupils I teach to ‘follow’ me on any social media sites. Many, if not all, pupils of the lower school will be without social media and if any of the upper school pupils are starting on social media I don’t feel it would be appropriate being ‘friends’ with me or ‘following’ me on social media. Anything personal which I would care to share with the class I would do so in other ways, not through social media.

In saying this I find Edmodo an extremely useful tool which I used in secondary school. I think this is a real opportunity which I would consider introducing it to children as soon as they start learning IT skills at school, they could make an account where they could discuss their learning and any problems they have came across during their use of technology. I find this would be a way of marrying the personal and professional presence online because teachers will be discussing topics with each other which the children could read and comment on with each person (including the teacher) have profiles like Facebook therefore if there was anything significant that was worth sharing with the pupils it could be done through this. I think this is a safe way of bringing both social media and education together so the teachers and children have an online world which they can share that is; safe, controlled and appropriate. I also think this would excite the children from a young age as they would be learning how to use technology within the class while carrying it on at home; being able to discuss with peers and the teacher which would build enthusiasm. I would definitely introduce this into the upper primary section as it’s a very useful tool for teachers to; post the homework tasks or small tasks which came from a lesson. It also allows the teacher to help and support the children whilst at home. It would allow them to find problem areas that many children are coming across where they could then take 5 minutes to write a post explaining the work for them before it’s due handing in the next day. It would also be/is an amazing way for peers to help and support one another as i found many times when i asked a question it was not the teacher who answered me but a peer. It also has a wonderful feature of the parent being able to have an account where they can track their child’s progress. Personally we did not use this in secondary school as it was only in my 5th year this was introduced and by this point we were responsible for ourselves; not our parents, therefore they weren’t contacted. However I think this would be a brilliant way of involving parents with their child’s learning and development where they can actively be aware.

How are the challenges/opportunities afforded by social media framed? How will you frame things – positive or deficit viewpoint?

The way social media is framed makes it difficult to bring through opportunities using it. However I think that by using it positively to help and support children will eventually change the way it is framed. Social media allows many challenges to arise, with children especially. I don’t feel social media benefits children in primary school as I find the majority of the time it’s unnecessary however when the children are open about having social media and are discussing it within the classroom then I think it allows opportunities for teachers to then discuss it further with them making sure they understand how to use it and what to be aware of. Websites that were linked in Derek’s power point for this were extremely interesting. NSPCC Net Aware was a brilliant resource which I wasn’t even aware existed, after watching the videos in the lecture I decided to read more into it, I think it’s a useful tool which I then send to my mum as I have younger siblings/family members. The website Thinkuknow I found again, to be a brilliant resource which I sent to my little brother to have a look at as he’s just turned 9 years old. I also sent the link to the 14+ section to my sister who is 15 to allow her to get involved, reading and understanding social media a lot more. I think these websites are how the challenges social media brings should be combated. Using these, allowing parents and children to use them so they’re aware of; the different sites, the different activities you can do on them, the problems that can arise from these, how to overcome these problems, how to be safe online, understanding the different terminology before doing anything etc. There’s so much these websites provide, if only more people knew about them! I think it’s important for children to visit these sites and be aware of as much as they can about online social media; the benefits and the dangers. I think the more progress happens with social media the more the way it is framed will change.

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