The following questions are based on an interview I held with my cooperating teachers reflecting on my experience I had within the school during my placement. Looking back over your school placement, what have you learnt about yourself as a person? Overall, school placement was a thoroughly invaluable and enjoyable experience that has taught me many things about myself as both a person and as an educator. The first thing I learnt about myself is that I am a very approachable and friendly individual that can establish positive relationships very well. This was also noted by my tutors who acknowledged the good rapport I had with my students. “Rapport requires that you develop the respect of your students. You will achieve this by being professional about preparation, timekeeping, dress, and so on, and by showing that you respect your students as individuals” (Petty, 2009). Although I may seem a confident individual, this is not always the case. Before starting placement, I was still somewhat nervous about having to stand up in front of a senior cycle group as I am not that much older than them. However now that school placement is over, this previously daunting task would no longer phase me. Teaching practice has really contributed to and enhanced confidence within my teaching. Another thing I learnt about myself is that I thrive under pressure. There were numerous occasions on school placement which I did experience a certain degree of pressure. It was during these periods that I found out what I am capable of as I seemed to work much more efficiently whilst under pressure. Now that I am aware of this new level of work, I am capable of, my next goal is to try and work with that efficiency even when I am not under as much pressure. There are many other things I have learnt about myself which I would only love to continue writing about if I could. What was your biggest challenge and why? What have you learnt from this about yourself as a teacher and about teaching and learning? As stated in previous reflections, my biggest challenge was probably trying to find the correct mix between being nice and caring towards the students yet strict and assertive. I have learnt that it is important not to get too bogged down worrying about whether students like you or not, at the end of the day, a teacher’s primary job is to facilitate learning, not to make friends. I felt it was important however to get this balance right, if I was to come across as too strict, the students would be afraid to ask questions during the class whereas being too nice tended to lead to students thinking they could get away with being disruptive. The process of getting the balance right was a matter of trial and error, however it was important to start placement as being very strict in order to get discipline in order from the start, it would have been a lot harder to get back on track otherwise. Before my final year school placement, I was still somewhat unsure if teaching was the path I still wanted to take in life. It honestly was a truly eye-opening experience. It did not only give me a chance to gain experience teaching, but it gave me a real opportunity to see and reinforce why this is the career choice I want to take. I learnt that yes, this is most certainly the direction I want to be going with my life and it has inspired me to keep working hard over the next few months to achieve this goal. At the end of school placement, what are you most proud of and why? With placement, I am probably most proud of the fact that I was able to improve my whole school experience from SP3. I feel this is a satisfactory reward for all the time and hard work that was put into making each class a success and worthwhile learning experience for the students. I am also proud of the fact that other staff members found me a pleasure to work and the feedback I got from students which was all very positive as mentioned in countless exit cards and student post lesson reflections What have you learnt from this about yourself as a teacher and about teaching and learning? Personally, I feel that school placement has taught me far more about teaching and learning than all the education lectures I’ve had over the past three and a half years. I have learnt that there is far more to teaching than one might initially think. If I had to describe it to someone, I would compare it to a concert, you must think about all the behind the scenes work that was done which made the show a success. “Teachers must create rich educational experiences that challenge students’ ideas and stretch them as far as they can go” (Zepke, 2010). Teaching is the same, preparation is key. I also learned that teaching requires you not only to look the part but also to play the part, if a teacher is not interested, how will the students be? “Asking a question with interest conveyed in your tone of voice and facial expression, as opposed to sounding tired and bored, makes a world of difference to the type of response you will get” (Kyriacou, 2007). My best teaching probably took place within my DCG classes, as this is a subject where I believe my greatest strength lies. In what areas do you need to develop as a teacher? Nobody is perfect, I do not consider myself as a know it all now that I have completed placement. I’ve been told it takes years to perfect your art. Even though I do feel more competent with certain aspects of my teaching I can still always improve, learning is a continuous process, it does not stop. However, there are some areas that I would like to focus on for development. Such areas would include assertiveness in the classroom and portraying enthusiasm for all subject areas. I have a strong voice which I need to keep building the confidence for using as this will improve both areas I particularly need to develop. “An audible voice level is best as it encourages listening, discourages background noise, and makes varying the tone and volume of your delivery easier.” (Kyriacou, 2007) As School Placement 4 comes to a closure, I will think of the hard work and dedication it took. But most of all I will remember the joyous experiences that I got to be a part of. The relationships I developed with staff, the learning I facilitated and the growth from beginning as a student teacher to developing into something much more. I will always be reminded that “the pursuit of our dreams is not without any difficulty. Those who triumphs have learnt to overcome the difficulty.” (Lailah, 2015) Bibliography Zepke. (2010). Improving Student Engagement: 10 Proposals for Action. New Zealand: Sage Productions. Kyriacou, C., 2007. Essential Teaching Skills. 3rd ed: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Petty, G. (2009). Teaching today. 4th ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Lailah Gifty Akita (2015). Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind.
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With the introduction of the new junior cycle reforms it brings with it a suite of revised subjects and short courses, a focus on literacy, numeracy and key skills, and new approaches of assessment and reporting. Schools will have more freedom to design junior cycle programmes that meet the learning needs of all students. The framework for this Junior Cycle (2015), “sets out a clear vision of how teaching, learning and assessment practices will evolve in the first three years of post-primary education” (DES, 2015). For students, the new junior cycle will mean that the curriculum available in their schools will be a mix of subjects and short courses as well as other learning experiences.
The technology subjects will be introduced in 2019 as part of phase five of the Framework for Junior Cycle implementation. As a result, preparing students for learning in the technology subjects is not just about teaching towards the technology but towards the skills that are fundamental to the technology subjects and are transferable into other areas of their learning. Skills that encourage the student to problem-solve through creation, innovation, communication, collaboration and exploration, all of which are developed in an active learning environment where students can advance their ideas from conception to realisation. Learning in these subjects will be active and student centred, with learners collaborating in the pursuit of knowledge and in the safe management of the technology classroom environment. Through the challenges posed by the design-based philosophy of the subject, students will develop the relevant knowledge, skills and values to bring ideas from conception to reality in a way that will allow them to be expressive, creative and innovative. With the technology subjects they want to “foster creative problem solving and design along with developing the necessary manipulative skillset for the subject area” (NCCA, 2018). Junior Certificate Materials Technology (Wood) provides students in the junior cycle of post-primary education with an opportunity to explore their role in making and shaping their environment. It involves the use of a design process, which is a central feature of the subject, through which students undertake tasks that require the use of practical problem-solving skills and the application of scientific and technological knowledge. Materials Technology (Wood) is assessed at two levels, Ordinary level and Higher level, by means of a written examination paper and a student project. The most integral aspect of the new junior cycle reform for me personally was the emphasis of formative feedback. During my time we were almost taught in a manner of ‘teaching to the test’. A form of rote learning. “Research shows that the greatest benefits for students’ learning occur when teachers provide effective feedback to students that helps them to understand how their learning can be improved” (Department of Education and Skills, 2015). Bibliography Department of Education and Skills, 2015. Framework for Junior Cycle. [Online] Available at: http://www.juniorcycle.ie/NCCA_JuniorCycle/media/NCCA/Documents/Framework-forJunior-Cycle-2015-2.pdf [Accessed 10 Feb 2019 ]. Department of Education and Skills, D., 2015. Framework for Junior Cycle, Dublin: DES. NCCA, 2018. Junior Cycle Reform - Technology Subjects. [Online] Available at: https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Technology [Accessed 10 February 2019]. During the completion of our 8th week of placement I found myself being disillusioned with the standard of retention I was observing with follow up classes within my students. This is perhaps a reflection of the standards I set within my own teaching parameters. It can be easy to subconsciously assume that because you yourself are happy with your teaching performance that in correlation the students have performed equally as effective with their learning. This has led me to reflect on my closures and consider introducing a flipped classroom approach to enhance the learning environment.
Reflecting on my closures and its effectiveness towards the end of class I will always implement a quick recap to ensure that the students have effectively digested what I, the teacher had intended for them to learn. Elizabeth Perrott writes that “the objective of closure is to help the pupils retain important points presented in the lesson, thus increasing the possibility that they will be able to recall and use that information” (Perrott, 1982). In my opinion a recap during the end of the lesson is vitally important at cementing the new learning. A closure can allow a student to refresh their memory or reinforce it. So why were my students struggling to retain the new learning transitioning into the next class? Dialoguing with my cooperating teacher he encouraged me to reflect on my own ability to retain new information and effectively apply it the next day. I didn’t always understand what was being thought or maybe in another situation that I would forget things after class as my attention was now focused on the next class. Would the students be better off spending time exploring learning at home? I have concluded that “Teachers must create rich educational experiences that challenge students’ ideas and stretch them as far as they can go” (Zepke, 2010). A flipped classroom is where “Students gain control of the learning process through studying course material outside of class / instructors facilitate the learning process by helping students work through course material individually and in groups” (Washington, 2019). My main objective with this strategy is to a class is to develop improved learning experiences for the student. The success of this will hinge on my ability to distribute information and provide students with an accessible toolkit for independent learning. Introducing the learning material before class will allow me to dedicate classroom time to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities facilitated by me. In Portlaoise College we employ the use of Google Classroom via the students iPad. This perhaps will lay the foundation as the perfect platform to develop a flipped classroom approach. Thus having thoroughly reflected on the topic I have come to the conclusion that I will consider employing a flipped classroom approach to facilitate an increased positive learning environment. Bibliography Perrott, E. (1982). Effective Teaching a practical guide to improving your teaching . Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited . Zepke. (2010). Improving Student Engagement: 10 Proposals for Action. New Zealand: Sage Productions. Washington, U. o. (2019, February 03). Center for Teaching and Learning: Flipping the Classroom. Retrieved from University of Washington: https://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/flipping-the-classroom/ |