Unit 1 – B. Managing My Learning

 

  1. Managing My Learning

  Activity 1

Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those factors and plan actions for each.

Recognition/ Reflection

Action

What helps my learning?

How can I utilise this?

Example: “Discussing the topic with others” ·       Set up a study group of like-minded peers·       Engage with the online community
Colour coordinating my notes
  •    Have certain colours for Sociology, Philosophy, Psychology etc.   
  •     Have certain colours for the other topics within them, e.g Gender, Ethnicity and Social class etc…
  •     Organise my notes/folders by colour
Having music playing
  •    Take earphones to the library
  •    Make sure it’s always productive
  •    Always use the study playlist made
Explaining the topic to others
  •    Continue phoning my parents and friends explaining what I’ve been studying
  •     Even write out texts or letters when its difficult to phone someone
Taking small breaks
  •      Set timers on phone to make sure I take breaks
  •      Set other timers to make sure I’m back on track on time
  •      Allow large enough breaks to eat when I should
Going between the library and my room to study
  •      Plan out days to go to the library
  •      If studying in my room isn’t productive just go to the library

 

 

Recognition/Reflection Action
What hinders my learning? How can I address this factor?
Example: “I’m easily distracted” ·       Study in a place where distractions are minimal·       Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes lectures to keep me focused
Procrastination
  •   Stick to plan for each day
  •   Do at least one thing on ‘to do list’ each day
  •   Keep busy with tasks, don’t get distracted
Phoning/texting my family
  •   Talk to them on certain days or have a certain time each day to talk
  •    Tell them the stuff I need to do so they understand when I’m busy
  •    Remember I’ll see them every couple of weeks
I struggle reading large texts
  •   Read small chunks and take notes
  •   Break reading up to keep interest
  •   Don’t expect to read loads/don’t set up to read loads because I’ll get demotivated straight away
  •   Put a book mark in for the first couple of pages I’ve to read then move it along so I wont just stop on a random page
  •   Have a goal to read a certain amount each day
Getting cabin fever
  •    Go out for walks
  •    Set times for studying with breaks where I need to go outside
  •    Ask my friends to come out walks for short periods of time
 

 

Activity 2

  • Make a timeline so that you are aware of all the potential busy periods and plan the year to ensure that you allocate sufficient time for each module to include reading time, writing time and any other aspects of the module where you need to allocate time.

 

Unit 1 – A. Identifying Skills and Abilities

Activities for unit 1 Personal and Interpersonal Skills and Abilities

  1. Identifying Skills and Abilities

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

Self Discipline

   

X

Listen to others

   

X

Contribute to discussions

 

X

 

Team Work

   

X

Use Technology

X

   

Computing Skills

X

   

Organise and Plan

   

X

 

Activity 2

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

Recognition

Reflection

Action

Skills already developed

How I will use these

How do I know (evidence)**

Self Discipline

This skill will help me to use my time effectively.  Where I am aware of the tasks and deadlines that are set allowing me to prioritise, knowing what work should be done first and how long I can/should spend of each task.  I feel as though self discipline is very important in terms of studying and learning as you should know; when you should be studying, how long you should be studying for, the difference between effective studying and wasting time studying without full commitment/concentration and when to take breaks to allow full concentration.  Personally I find this is very important in terms of becoming a teacher as I should be aware of my actions within the classroom and towards children.  It’s important to understand any mistakes made and work on them to improve and it is also important to take into account comments others make on areas they feel like I should develop.  Self discipline will help keep a balance when in the classroom; it will keep me on track of the lesson however allow certain times of distraction and discussion of various subjects with the children. This skill I feel will be used effectively and will help me throughout my studies and career.  

Listen to Others

Listening to others is such an important skill which I feel over my years of; being in a large family with different individuals, being in a group of friends who have different interests and opinions, being in schools and nurseries where children told me their stories frequently and being a buddy in school where young individuals relied on me for help and advice has actually highlighted to me that I enjoy listening to others.  As i enjoy this I find listening to others is a skill which is very natural to me.  It’s something which i find i engage in very well due to the fact i care for anyone who has had the courage to ask questions, seek advice or simply tell a story.  This is important in terms of my studies as through out my course I am constantly being informed with new information and opinions by my lecturers and peers, where I have to listen intently and think critically about their views/comments on all areas of the course.  I also feel this is an important skill when becoming a teacher as it is important to have an open mind with all children.  Many children will come into class with questions, stories, fears, opinions, problems etc. where I will be able to listen carefully to what they have to say allowing me to reply appropriately.  This will also allow all the children in my class to feel comfortable when speaking out, allowing everyone to embrace their voice.  This will help me develop these children into young confident individuals who realise their voice is important.  

Team Work

Team work is something that will be very important when working as a teacher.  Personally I feel as though a class itself is a team where I’m part of it as much as the children therefore being able to work together is very important.  My experience at Columba 1400 enhanced my skills when working in a team as we learned a lot about ourselves and each other while being there.  This is how I view a class as we will be with each other for a long period of time allowing us to get to know each other very well.  Children will get to know me as their teacher as much as I’ll get to know them as pupils.  It highlighted to me how important it is to allow everyone a voice, whether that’s in the context of them voicing their opinions through vocal communication or written communication or even just carrying out tasks where they’re the leader.  I find this will impact the way my classroom will work on a weekly basis as I think it’s important to hear every child and make sure they know they’re significant within our team therefore I’ll make sure this happens in a way which will suit the children.  Also Columba 1400 highlighted to me the importance of being able to question others opinions in a respectful manner rather than ignoring something I don’t agree with.  I feel as though this will be very important in terms of working with my colleges and parents as it will help build stronger bonds with better communication which will create a stronger, more pleasant relationship where we will work as a team.  This is important as we all have the same interests at heart- the children.  

Organise and Plan

Through my mum organising and planning it has been a very natural thing for me to do.  Growing up close to her allowed me to pick up her habits of always; writing down dates and times, planning out meals, planning out our night time routines and simple things like shopping lists.  These were all things she done almost everyday however there was still a large amount of flexibility with her organisation as she knew it involved myself and my siblings therefore she knew there would be complications and changes.  Having a rough outline of what she had to do, when she had to do them helped get everything done.  I have used these skills throughout my whole life.  They started to develop more in my 4th year in school as I began to get ready for exams with deadlines and personal commitments meaning I used them more.  Juggling my school work with my job allowed me to use these skills where I organised my time efficiently and planned out my days.  I found I planned most days with rough times of certain things that I had to do which I actually didn’t think about.  It’s only when I came to university that I realised how organised I actually am and how it will help my class hugely.  Not only will it help with my time in university but also my time as a teacher as it’ll mean I’ll be on task with what I should be teaching and making sure the children get the work complete in certain time frames but it will mean the classroom will be a healthy environment with little stress as there will be structure in the classroom.  In my experience with children when there’s structure children are normally more comfortable.  

 

Recognition

Reflection

Action

Skills to be developed How I will develop these

How do I know (evidence) **

Contribute to discussions

I will develop this skill by bringing forward my own opinions and thoughts when in lectures and groups of new people. I tend to listen to others when in discussions rather than voicing my own thoughts however if I persevere and try to voice my thoughts regularly then this will help grow my confidence and make me more comfortable when contributing to discussions.  As at the moment I feel I can contribute to discussions when in certain groups I just don’t do it often enough, or in bigger groups.  However in recent years as I’ve met more people and had many more discussions with people I have realised that contributing to discussions is very important and it helps lead onto a deeper discussion.  Throughout my study at university I will continue to push myself to contribute more when in different tasks and environments.  

Use Technology

Personally I am not a very confident person when it comes to using technology therefore I don’t tend to us it.  As technology is growing and is shown to be very useful in classrooms where almost every child knows how to use some for of technology this is a skill I’m working on developing.  I will work on improving this by using my laptop to; take notes, write up thoughts, read online books, communicate with others and for most of my tasks given in class.  This will allow me to learn how to use different software in technology.  I have also just set up a Facebook and a Twitter account for the first time where my friends and family are helping me learn how to use them.  Using these on my phone and laptop will help me develop my skills when using technology.  This is an important skill which I’ll continue to work on developing and improving, asking for help when I feel I need clarification.  I will also use my Eportfolio as much as possible, posting my thoughts and opinions on the different topics we learn about during class.  This will improve my skills as it is something I have never used before.  It will be challenging to use to begin with however my aim is to learn from the mistakes or questions I come across when using it.  I hope to be comfortable when using my Eportfolio in the next few years of this course where my skills will be a lot more advanced than what they are at this moment in time.  

Computing Skills

Computing is a subject which I always avoiding during my time at school as I was never comfortable when using computers or any software.  However this is something I will work on and challenge myself with to help improve my skills.  I have found downloading and using different software for my notes will help me develop my skills.  I have started to make my own power points and spreadsheets for personal use where I am learning new techniques from Youtube tutorials and from asking my siblings.  Even playing games with my little brother is helping me develop my computing skills as he uses various techniques when playing his games which he has been/will continue to show me.  This is an important skill which I feel is necessary for me to develop as it is such a significant part of being a teacher.  

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

 

How gender affected my time at school.

In primary school gender never affected me however it affected people around me.

We were made to sit boy, girl in most classes in primary which was never a problem for me however I know for some girls this was distressing coming into school to sit with boys who teased them, similarly I know some boys who felt distressed coming into school sitting with girls who felt they were above them.  I understand not all classes/schools are like this as my brother’s class have a lot of girls who tease boys and boys who think they’re above girls, it was just the opposite way in my class.  There was also football which ran every lunch time which I joined in with, however it meant I had to wear trousers to school on the days I wanted to play.  This wasn’t ever a problem for me but I knew some girls who wore their skirts a lot and couldn’t change before playing therefore they missed out.  It had never occurred to me that this was a factor as to why I was the only girl who played.

Moving up to secondary it affected me a lot more with; boys and girls being separated at P.E, not one boy choosing hospitality and myself being the only girl to be in the technical and physics class.  At first I didn’t think gender was significant during my time at school but thinking about it now, it really was.

Having this highlighted for me will definitely be something I will keep reflecting on in my career, it will be an important issue which I will try my best to overcome not only in my classroom but in all the school grounds.

Why Teaching?

When I was younger the only thing I remember telling people was that when I grow up I’ll be a primary teacher.  This came from being brought up around lots of children of various ages which allowed me to see how natural working with them was.  As I got older I started to babysit more for my neighbour’s around me (with my mum looking after them as well, we just pretended it was in my hands).  It started as a couple of hours every week to a couple of hours every few days then, when I got older it changed to looking after them at dinner time where I would then put them to bed.  I absolutely loved this!  It allowed me to really bond with the children where they became comfortable enough to do their homework with me and read books to me rather than the other way around.  This was something I looked forward to doing most weekends.  I never saw it as a job as it so much fun!  However, as I didn’t see it as a job I felt it was necessary to look into other fields of work because I thought, possibly, this was just a hobby I enjoyed doing at a young age but wouldn’t enjoy as much as a career.

Therefore, in my 4th year of school I realised that it was important to look into other fields of work as I had only ever thought about primary teaching.

My physics teacher encouraged me to look into engineering as I enjoyed the class so much and had shown determination and progress through out the two years of studying it.  My dad also encouraged me to look into other career paths as it would give me an insight into how much variety is out there.  Taking all this into account I spoke with my careers advisor where we discovered the different possibilities, some of these being; a nursery nurse, joining the RAF, an engineer, and working as a nanny.  I then looked into these in more depth finding out more information to see what grabbed my attention.  When doing this I got very interested in many different engineering apprenticeships however while looking at these I always came back to being a primary teacher.  Nothing sounded as wonderful as teaching a class of children; academic subjects, social skills, communication skills etc. where I would have the privilege to watch them develop into young individuals, watching their personalities develop and watching them grow, developing their own opinions and views.  Teaching was not just a career I had in mind but it was a career in which I practiced on a daily basis.  Babysitting many children round my home area as stated above highlighted to me how much impact I was having on the children and how I was teaching them such little things while helping them work through their homework, reading, playing games, getting ready for bedtime and putting them to bed.  When I started to think about all the small things I was teaching them every couple of weeks which they were still using when I saw them next filled me with such pride.  The more I noticed this, the more my excitement grew to see them and find out what they had learned so I could work on it with them, showing them various ways of doing tasks and helping them develop their skills.  However, with all this in mind I was still unsure whether primary teaching was the career for me or if working in a nursery would suit me best, therefore I took up my work experience in a nursery meanwhile making plans to help in a primary school when I was in my 5th/6th year of school.

In the nursery I was so thrilled with the work I got to do with the children.  Setting up the little stations around the room in the morning then seeing them come into the hall where they would burst with excitement to start playing and learning at the stations was an incredible experience, knowing the stations I had set up were being used by children to learn and have fun was fantastic.  During my week of work experience, I got to know the children and staff very well.  It was such a great experience.  I was offered an apprenticeship with them as they wanted me to become part of their team but, although it was an amazing experience which I was very passionate about, I felt there was something missing.  I wanted to teach the children more, I wanted to see them develop and grow with skills I was teaching them however in a nursery I just didn’t feel I was able to use my skills to the best of my ability, nor could I make the impact I desired.  I wasn’t able to show/teach the children many skills which would stay with them for the rest of their lives.  I wanted more out of my time with these children and I strived to see them learn and develop in their time with me, however due to the short time scale and the activities I carried out with them during that time did not allow me to do this.  This was incredibly significant, as I realised that working in a nursery was not the career I wanted for the rest of my life but I knew teaching children was.

In my 5th year of school my brother (who was 7 years old at the time) started struggling with his school work to the point where my family started questioning if the support he was receiving was enough.  Myself and my parents discussed his work and his ability to do his homework, where we came to the conclusion that we should contact the school.  Talking to the head teacher it was clear that my brother’s teacher had missed this as she hadn’t been keeping track of his work.  We discovered that his struggles may have be early signs of dyslexia.  Due to this the head teacher gave us a book called ‘Toe by Toe,’ which we were to carry out with him every night for 10 minutes, which would help him progress and catch up with the work he was falling behind on.  Knowing how my brother felt about this I decided I wanted to do this with him every night which my parents supported.  Every evening I worked with my brother to do his homework and work through this book, I also used other small day to day activities which I changed to try to benefit him meaning he didn’t always realise that he was working on his work so it wasn’t a chore which he got tired of.  I would sit with him while he played Minecraft where I would ask him to tell me about all the different features of it.  When we came across unusual words I’d pretend I didn’t understand the word he was saying, therefore I would ask him to spell it out for me, or when playing eye spy he would have to spell it rather than just say the word aloud.  Similarly with Maths, I would ask him to help me deliver newspapers and count the money for me or calculate how long we had on the clock until meals were ready meaning he would strengthen his problem solving skills.

This was the period of time I realised that teaching, particularly teaching children, was something that I felt extremely passionate about; it is something that I adore and I take so much pride in my ability to help children.  It never fails to amaze me what I can actually give the children in terms of confidence and life skills.  Watching how they learn, develop and form their own skills, opinions and adapt work to their own comforts interests me hugely.

Starting this course has highlighted to me how excited I am to become to a teacher, I’m eager to learn new theories and develop my skills throughout this course.  I’m thrilled to have started my journey on becoming the teacher I aim to be in the near future.

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