Reflection on Teaching and my Placements
May 2014 - ETP410 (10 day) Placement: St Georges Basin Public School.
Starting on my first day (12th May) I felt quite sick, no voice and feeling anxious about what my mentor, the kids and the school itself would be like. On meeting my mentor Assistant Principal Jodi my nerves settled down and once I was introduced to the school I felt a little more at ease. I was on Early Stage 1 - Kindergarten (KF) and the kids were amazingly friendly and in a classroom routine. |
The children were already classified through the Best Start Program and I was given many wonderful opportunities while at this school. I had time in Stage 1 and the IM Special Unit as well as given the opportunity to arrange classroom visuals and routine for a student who only recently started in the class just like me. He was undergoing evaluation and outside testing for Autism. It was hard in the classroom even though there was an aid there was no routine and he seemed to do what he likes as it was easier at that time as he was new and classroom management it was easier to let this happen.
I was given the opportunity to observe the nature of the classroom management and given copies of the assessment process as well as programming information without hesitation from the mentor. I assisted with the L3 program and found this to be an area I would like to develop in my future career through the continual Personal Development of this profession. I was also given the opportunity to talk to parents of the students and an individual meeting setting up the student (William) visual routine, social story booklet on school and what happens at school as well as obtaining written permission from the parents of the student with Autism to use work of his as evidence if needed in my portfolio. I also fulfilled my teaching requirements by teaching 1:1 individual teaching using the student with Autism during my placement.
During my placement I was given the position of checking and changing daily the Home Readers as well as awards for the students of the week. Each day I was on l class I became more and more at ease and confident in my knowledge and abilities in dealing with Early Stage 1 students. I also completed the regular teacher duties of taking the roll, yard, bus and assembly at times nervously, however the guidance I was given at all times was helpful, appropriate and assisted in these duties to the best of my capabilities. I also attended staff meetings and professional development. Watching teachers going about their daily teaching with minimal hiccups and showing transitioning between Literacy and Numeracy so easily makes me wonder if I will ever be that good in my career.
Resources varied by my mentor. Such things as You tube for yoga, fitness and dance ( gross motor skill development) to bead threading, cutting and pasting, playdough (fine motor skills) as well incidental learning of Literacy and Numeracy the main area that is linked to all aspects of the curriculum. It is funny my mentor gave me great advice on classroom management and that is 'change behaviours by rewards rather than discipline' this was rather confusing when I first was told but when it was explained I realised that you get more from them with positive reinforcement by any means that is viable like rewards (can be silent reading time, computer time, dance time at the end of the day to a ice block at lunch time) and therefore the students see the rewards and therefore will follow the appropriate behaviour in order to receive such rewards.
In Early Stage 1 I realised very quickly that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2 choices at any options provided. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill then reinforce in individual group work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time.
This 10 days placement has increased my knowledge and has given me a start towards my toolbox of strategies to kick off my teaching career for my future placements and in turn my teaching career.
I was given the opportunity to observe the nature of the classroom management and given copies of the assessment process as well as programming information without hesitation from the mentor. I assisted with the L3 program and found this to be an area I would like to develop in my future career through the continual Personal Development of this profession. I was also given the opportunity to talk to parents of the students and an individual meeting setting up the student (William) visual routine, social story booklet on school and what happens at school as well as obtaining written permission from the parents of the student with Autism to use work of his as evidence if needed in my portfolio. I also fulfilled my teaching requirements by teaching 1:1 individual teaching using the student with Autism during my placement.
During my placement I was given the position of checking and changing daily the Home Readers as well as awards for the students of the week. Each day I was on l class I became more and more at ease and confident in my knowledge and abilities in dealing with Early Stage 1 students. I also completed the regular teacher duties of taking the roll, yard, bus and assembly at times nervously, however the guidance I was given at all times was helpful, appropriate and assisted in these duties to the best of my capabilities. I also attended staff meetings and professional development. Watching teachers going about their daily teaching with minimal hiccups and showing transitioning between Literacy and Numeracy so easily makes me wonder if I will ever be that good in my career.
Resources varied by my mentor. Such things as You tube for yoga, fitness and dance ( gross motor skill development) to bead threading, cutting and pasting, playdough (fine motor skills) as well incidental learning of Literacy and Numeracy the main area that is linked to all aspects of the curriculum. It is funny my mentor gave me great advice on classroom management and that is 'change behaviours by rewards rather than discipline' this was rather confusing when I first was told but when it was explained I realised that you get more from them with positive reinforcement by any means that is viable like rewards (can be silent reading time, computer time, dance time at the end of the day to a ice block at lunch time) and therefore the students see the rewards and therefore will follow the appropriate behaviour in order to receive such rewards.
In Early Stage 1 I realised very quickly that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2 choices at any options provided. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill then reinforce in individual group work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time.
This 10 days placement has increased my knowledge and has given me a start towards my toolbox of strategies to kick off my teaching career for my future placements and in turn my teaching career.
April 2015 - ETP420 (10 day) Placement: Sanctuary Point Public School.
My first day of placement started at 840am with an orientation of the school and facilities by the Assistant Principal prior to being introduced to my mentor Scott and SLO Rob. I was suppose to be doing my concurrent placement of ETP420/425/426 but was told that there had been a mix up and I could not complete my graduate diploma at the school. However, I was still given the opportunity to complete my ETP420 placement in a special unit (IM level). |
I was informed by my mentor what he uses as classroom management strategies, a brief introduction of the students in the class, the IQ levels and stages of the students (Early Stage 1, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 were all involved in the class) giving me an opportunity to learn different aspects of each of the stages of the curriculum. He also informed me that they use ICT quite a lot and to get familiar with sites such as Edmodo, Studyladder, Quick maths and others as well he uses.
Observing on my first day, I was introduced to the class and was accepted from the start by the students. Again my mentor appears effortless in his teaching skills and I wonder if I will ever be that seamless. The day consisted of Literacy morning session, Numeracy in the middle session followed by other areas of the curriculum. There was a lot of incidental learning and reinforcement of such learning so the students had the opportunity to learn concepts in varying ways depending on the student themselves. There was Literacy and Numeracy groups used and I asked how did he determine who was in what group. It did not go on the age of the student but the IQ level of attainment and this was constantly monitored weekly with Literacy tests, maths worksheets and reading/comprehension levels. I also was shown and taught inline with 'PLAN" (Planning, Literacy and Numeracy).
My mentor gave the opportunity for the students to take part in the lesson by ways of speech, turn taking, self esteem building ensuring the students want to learn and be part of this day to day process. I found this to be a very hard concept but easy all the same. The students loved this type of teaching and all the students played some part in the plan. I took this on board as in the placement I was to do 5 days of teaching and as in ETP410 I only did my teaching on an individual student, this was going to be a challenge teaching to a class of students (12 students).
I was given the guidance and support to teach the Literacy part of the day in accordance with the Australian and NSW curriculum. I also was given the opportunity to assess and keep records of their results in assisting with the individual students assessment outcomes. My mentor also gave me the opportunity to assist in other classroom activities each day and treated me as a co worker not a student on placement. This confidence of my mentor ensured my confidence and knowledge continued to grow and build on the previous ETP410 placement.
During this placement I attended excursions (Forest School), Men's Shed (boys go to men shed in the area to learn woodwork) assembly's, yard, gate and bus duties, staff meetings and professional development. Each day my mentor verbally debriefed with me on what he saw and what he would like to see the next day. This was such a great thing to do as it clarified any issues that may arise and this also occurred straight after my on class teaching of Literacy with written feedback as well as verbal. This method ensured I did not bottle up my fears, feelings,anxieties which I have been know to do and I am to scared to ask questions as I always felt stupid rather than seeing it as professional development as everyone goes through and continues to go through in any form of employment.
As in ETP410 I learnt that it is not only in Early Stage 1 that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2-3 choices at anytime it is all stage levels of Primary. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill then reinforce in individual group work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time. So it is important to always maintain a calm and persistent nature to ensure the students know where you are coming from and be approachable for students to feel secure in asking questions rather than closed off in order to prove a point. That kind of approach means to me that the student will not learn and close down from obtaining learning they require for growth in their life.
The opportunities and knowledge I gained from this placement can not be verbalised. My mentor was excellent with my learning and his classroom management skills as well as ensuring my resources were being kept and suggesting an usb external drive to keep all ICT information and resources that I could download from the school and his personal information. He also ensured that I am on the right learning path and that this is the type of teaching I would like to be. Incorporating skills from my previous mentor and the nature and skills of this mentor I know I am on the right track towards being a confident and have the confidence in my ability to make a difference to a student even if it is just 1, I will know I have given it my all.
Observing on my first day, I was introduced to the class and was accepted from the start by the students. Again my mentor appears effortless in his teaching skills and I wonder if I will ever be that seamless. The day consisted of Literacy morning session, Numeracy in the middle session followed by other areas of the curriculum. There was a lot of incidental learning and reinforcement of such learning so the students had the opportunity to learn concepts in varying ways depending on the student themselves. There was Literacy and Numeracy groups used and I asked how did he determine who was in what group. It did not go on the age of the student but the IQ level of attainment and this was constantly monitored weekly with Literacy tests, maths worksheets and reading/comprehension levels. I also was shown and taught inline with 'PLAN" (Planning, Literacy and Numeracy).
My mentor gave the opportunity for the students to take part in the lesson by ways of speech, turn taking, self esteem building ensuring the students want to learn and be part of this day to day process. I found this to be a very hard concept but easy all the same. The students loved this type of teaching and all the students played some part in the plan. I took this on board as in the placement I was to do 5 days of teaching and as in ETP410 I only did my teaching on an individual student, this was going to be a challenge teaching to a class of students (12 students).
I was given the guidance and support to teach the Literacy part of the day in accordance with the Australian and NSW curriculum. I also was given the opportunity to assess and keep records of their results in assisting with the individual students assessment outcomes. My mentor also gave me the opportunity to assist in other classroom activities each day and treated me as a co worker not a student on placement. This confidence of my mentor ensured my confidence and knowledge continued to grow and build on the previous ETP410 placement.
During this placement I attended excursions (Forest School), Men's Shed (boys go to men shed in the area to learn woodwork) assembly's, yard, gate and bus duties, staff meetings and professional development. Each day my mentor verbally debriefed with me on what he saw and what he would like to see the next day. This was such a great thing to do as it clarified any issues that may arise and this also occurred straight after my on class teaching of Literacy with written feedback as well as verbal. This method ensured I did not bottle up my fears, feelings,anxieties which I have been know to do and I am to scared to ask questions as I always felt stupid rather than seeing it as professional development as everyone goes through and continues to go through in any form of employment.
As in ETP410 I learnt that it is not only in Early Stage 1 that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2-3 choices at anytime it is all stage levels of Primary. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill then reinforce in individual group work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time. So it is important to always maintain a calm and persistent nature to ensure the students know where you are coming from and be approachable for students to feel secure in asking questions rather than closed off in order to prove a point. That kind of approach means to me that the student will not learn and close down from obtaining learning they require for growth in their life.
The opportunities and knowledge I gained from this placement can not be verbalised. My mentor was excellent with my learning and his classroom management skills as well as ensuring my resources were being kept and suggesting an usb external drive to keep all ICT information and resources that I could download from the school and his personal information. He also ensured that I am on the right learning path and that this is the type of teaching I would like to be. Incorporating skills from my previous mentor and the nature and skills of this mentor I know I am on the right track towards being a confident and have the confidence in my ability to make a difference to a student even if it is just 1, I will know I have given it my all.
August 2015, ETP425 (10 Day) Placement: Nowra Hill Public School.
After many weeks of trying to find a school to complete my graduate diploma, I received a phone call prior to my family holiday in July 2015. The teacher was Cilla who said she would like to take me on for my whole placement not just for ETP425, but for ETP426 (50 days) as well. I informed her I was leaving for a holiday and she stated to come and see the school when I got back as it was a small school (it is part of the Small School Association) to see for myself before committing. When I returned I attended and meet her and the principal Max and as I needed to complete my degree and there was no other options on the table I agreed to start my concurrent placements with the school. |
MI enjoyed getting to know the students not only in my class but at the whole school (total approx 100 students) as well as the other teachers and casual teachers. The time went fast and the time on spent teaching just enforced my decision to pursue teaching. The time went fast and before I knew it I had completed ETP425 without incident and as I had previously done emailed my Forms A, B and C off to Inschool so I could then proceed to start my ETP426 placement at the same school.
As in ETP410 and ETP420 I learnt that it is not only in Early Stage 1 that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2-3 choices at anytime it is all stage levels of Primary. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill than reinforce in individual work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time. So it is important to always maintain a calm and persistent nature to ensure the students know where you are coming from and be approachable for students to feel secure in asking questions rather than closed off in order to prove a point. That kind of approach means to me that the student will not learn and close down from obtaining learning they require for growth in their life. At times with my mentor my views on teaching was questioned. I believed being questioned by my mentor was an indication to guide me to view other ways in teaching. However, at times I did feel she was negative and did not accept the new concepts and ways the 21st Century teaches had to offer. So I tried to change to her concepts to try another approach however at times I felt very constricted in my teaching and interaction towards students and colleagues. As she had passed me in this unit I believed that finally she was happy in my teaching approach, strategies and interactions with the students in the class.
October 2015 ETP426 (50 Day) Placement: Nowra Hill Public School.
It has been quite hard going into my ETP426 placement at the same school as my ETP425. I started to get an uneasy feeling from my mentor but no verbal feedback or issues had been raised in the first 4 and half weeks of my placement. Therefore I assumed that she was pleased with my progress as she was a very outspoken person and you knew where you stood with her and this is how I knew her to be from my previous placement (ETP425). However, this changed at the 4 and half week mark when she arranged for a co worker to attend a meeting after school where she proceeded to give me my halfway (Form A) feedback. To say the least I was shocked and did not have enough time to process her comments and read the written remarks at the time and she pushed for me to discuss but I could not do this due to the fact I was so caught off guard and could not speak. So the meeting was wrapped on the Monday afternoon where I left the school and went home to read and comprehend what had just happened. I was not sure what, where and how things could have gone so wrong when I have had built a great rapport with the children and I felt I was progressing slowly but positively without incident due to no verbal feedback prior to this meeting. I understand the concept of negative and positive feedback and it is given in the situation of improving your skills to learn from your mistakes and change what is not working. However this was not the case, it felt personal and like she had enough of me in her classroom with her kids as such. I just could not get my head around it and decided to write down some points so the next day (Tuesday) I could ask for some clarification on some of the comments. Moving on it has turned out for the best, I have a new mentor Max who has agreed to take me on for remainder of my placement. It has been a pleasant and very high paced learning environment since changing stages, however it does feel like I am now fully understanding what teaching is all about. Looking forward to returning in Term 1 2016 to finalise my placement and continue on my journey of learning and teaching.
I have now returned to complete my ETP426 placement with a new sense of direction and enthusiasm as my mentor Max has given me more opportunities that I feel I have had previously with my old mentor. I have been given the chance to run the cooking program with his class and help with selling the product in order for the students to learn the abilities to shop, estimate weights and costs, read recipes to actually cooking and selling their products to determine if they would run at a loss or a profit. This has increased my ability and strategies in the area of time management, anxiety control of students, using a timer as a countdown to ending a session or segment which has made me feel more motivated and rewarded to pursue teaching further. I believed after my first part of this placement that I was not good enough and would never make a teacher however with a new sense of direction and new strategies learnt I feel that my passion has been re established and I thank Max and the Class 3/4 from end of last year and Class 4/5 this year for the best journey of this placement and rapport I have build with the kids making the last part of this journey magical and inspiring for future growth in my teaching career.
As in ETP410 and ETP420 I learnt that it is not only in Early Stage 1 that their cognitive abilities can not take on board more than 2-3 choices at anytime it is all stage levels of Primary. It is easier to explicit teacher a new concept/skill than reinforce in individual work. To increase the capability of a students work, can be done when the individual student achieves the required assessment and if the next level is not attainable then they can always go back to the previous level and try again at a higher level at another appropriate time. So it is important to always maintain a calm and persistent nature to ensure the students know where you are coming from and be approachable for students to feel secure in asking questions rather than closed off in order to prove a point. That kind of approach means to me that the student will not learn and close down from obtaining learning they require for growth in their life. At times with my mentor my views on teaching was questioned. I believed being questioned by my mentor was an indication to guide me to view other ways in teaching. However, at times I did feel she was negative and did not accept the new concepts and ways the 21st Century teaches had to offer. So I tried to change to her concepts to try another approach however at times I felt very constricted in my teaching and interaction towards students and colleagues. As she had passed me in this unit I believed that finally she was happy in my teaching approach, strategies and interactions with the students in the class.
October 2015 ETP426 (50 Day) Placement: Nowra Hill Public School.
It has been quite hard going into my ETP426 placement at the same school as my ETP425. I started to get an uneasy feeling from my mentor but no verbal feedback or issues had been raised in the first 4 and half weeks of my placement. Therefore I assumed that she was pleased with my progress as she was a very outspoken person and you knew where you stood with her and this is how I knew her to be from my previous placement (ETP425). However, this changed at the 4 and half week mark when she arranged for a co worker to attend a meeting after school where she proceeded to give me my halfway (Form A) feedback. To say the least I was shocked and did not have enough time to process her comments and read the written remarks at the time and she pushed for me to discuss but I could not do this due to the fact I was so caught off guard and could not speak. So the meeting was wrapped on the Monday afternoon where I left the school and went home to read and comprehend what had just happened. I was not sure what, where and how things could have gone so wrong when I have had built a great rapport with the children and I felt I was progressing slowly but positively without incident due to no verbal feedback prior to this meeting. I understand the concept of negative and positive feedback and it is given in the situation of improving your skills to learn from your mistakes and change what is not working. However this was not the case, it felt personal and like she had enough of me in her classroom with her kids as such. I just could not get my head around it and decided to write down some points so the next day (Tuesday) I could ask for some clarification on some of the comments. Moving on it has turned out for the best, I have a new mentor Max who has agreed to take me on for remainder of my placement. It has been a pleasant and very high paced learning environment since changing stages, however it does feel like I am now fully understanding what teaching is all about. Looking forward to returning in Term 1 2016 to finalise my placement and continue on my journey of learning and teaching.
I have now returned to complete my ETP426 placement with a new sense of direction and enthusiasm as my mentor Max has given me more opportunities that I feel I have had previously with my old mentor. I have been given the chance to run the cooking program with his class and help with selling the product in order for the students to learn the abilities to shop, estimate weights and costs, read recipes to actually cooking and selling their products to determine if they would run at a loss or a profit. This has increased my ability and strategies in the area of time management, anxiety control of students, using a timer as a countdown to ending a session or segment which has made me feel more motivated and rewarded to pursue teaching further. I believed after my first part of this placement that I was not good enough and would never make a teacher however with a new sense of direction and new strategies learnt I feel that my passion has been re established and I thank Max and the Class 3/4 from end of last year and Class 4/5 this year for the best journey of this placement and rapport I have build with the kids making the last part of this journey magical and inspiring for future growth in my teaching career.
IN CONCLUDING OF ALL MY PLACEMENTS:
I am scared of the future however I do believe I am in the best place possible to undertake these changes ahead of me. The mentors have been mostly helpful and forthcoming in their knowledge to ensure I learn as much as I could in the time allocated for my placements. For the one mentor that created hell for me I have no misgivings in her mind she was trying to prepare me for what teaching is about but did so in the wrong way in my opinion. In this learning I have looked within myself and realised that teaching is a profession where you may or may not be like with what your teachings are about. That not only being approachable for your students/parents/care givers and their frustrations at the learning process you will also come across other teachers that do not agree with your pedagogy or strategies you use and will voice such disapproval. So I take time to thank this mentor for making me a little stronger in my approach and knowledge that reflection is not only a way to rectify your teaching/lesson ways but also in a personal way to search within yourself why such comments towards me made me feel inferior when in fact looking at the situation in a new context that she may have felt threatened by new teachers coming through with new pedagogy/information/teaching concepts and thus felt the need to take her frustrations out on me rather than constructively on my teaching approaches/pedagogy. I have gained invaluable knowledge and now am so looking forward to having a class on my own and guiding younger minds in their learning process.
I am scared of the future however I do believe I am in the best place possible to undertake these changes ahead of me. The mentors have been mostly helpful and forthcoming in their knowledge to ensure I learn as much as I could in the time allocated for my placements. For the one mentor that created hell for me I have no misgivings in her mind she was trying to prepare me for what teaching is about but did so in the wrong way in my opinion. In this learning I have looked within myself and realised that teaching is a profession where you may or may not be like with what your teachings are about. That not only being approachable for your students/parents/care givers and their frustrations at the learning process you will also come across other teachers that do not agree with your pedagogy or strategies you use and will voice such disapproval. So I take time to thank this mentor for making me a little stronger in my approach and knowledge that reflection is not only a way to rectify your teaching/lesson ways but also in a personal way to search within yourself why such comments towards me made me feel inferior when in fact looking at the situation in a new context that she may have felt threatened by new teachers coming through with new pedagogy/information/teaching concepts and thus felt the need to take her frustrations out on me rather than constructively on my teaching approaches/pedagogy. I have gained invaluable knowledge and now am so looking forward to having a class on my own and guiding younger minds in their learning process.