A walk in the park

“Ah teaching, it seems like a walk in the park, so I’ll give it a go.”

The brave words of a naïve girl going into her final year of undergraduate study who saw the seemingly endless possibilities of the notorious teacher summer holidays and thought (innocently) that this could be the career for her. Fast-forward to November, however, and you’ll find that same girl very much changed, for what she believes to be the better.

Teaching as a profession is quite literally a shock to the system, a wholly dynamic and terrifying yet magical experience that changes how you see the world and your place in it. By experiencing the practicalities of teaching, along with gaining access to a plethora of resources to improve my practice through my work-based learning module, I hope to gain a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the profession to foreground a career within the education sector. This blog systematically reflects upon how I prepared for my first day in school. Using Gibb’s reflective cycle [1], I will examine the thoughts, emotions, and practical preparations that contributed to my experience, and explore the implications it will have on my further practice.

[1]

Fighting my fears: Preparing for my Placement

I chose to complete my placement within Castlederg High school, providing literacy support to four small groups of year eight and nine students every Monday. As a state-maintained school, I believed it would provide me experience with a variety of different students and abilities, and certainly enough, that it has. The feeling of ease at the prospect of teaching soon faded away as the date loomed ever closer and the prospect of working with such a range of students became daunting. In completing my CELTA training just a few weeks before I was due to start my placement, the realities of the teaching profession hit me like a tonne of bricks, and I began my search for the key to success. Teaching, I found, like any other profession, requires intensive training and skill. Hence, in the summer months of 2021, my intensive preparation commenced.

However, as summer waned and my first day drew closer, the feeling of anxiety at the thought of failure started to infiltrate my mind even more. As a self-proclaimed ball of stress, discovering that teaching is considered amongst the top three most stressful occupations in the UK [2] only served to heighten my anxieties to dramatic proportions.

Thoughts to action: Conquering the Experience  

However, due to the self-awareness and knowledge I have from previous experiences with stress, I knew that rigorous preparation would help to quell some of my anxiety and limiting beliefs. I began by asking for advice from those around me who work within the profession. My previous English teacher recommended Bill Rodger’s Classroom Behaviour (2015) as a starting point. Along with providing theoretically grounded strategies, such as the framework of key principles for successful classroom management [3] which proved instrumental in my later practise, Rodgers also stressed the importance of experiencing real situations and dilemmas in the classroom, which I had not done prior. This prompted me to contact my placement supervisor to ask if I could come in the week before my placement was due to start to observe the teachers at work within the English Department. This scaffolding of research and observation provided me with a strong basis of knowledge to present myself as prepared, professional and competent in my abilities from the outset of my placement.

[3]

Reflecting: The Good, the Bad and the Lesson Plans

The necessity of the theoretical models behind effective teaching practice and its ability to “provide a basis for judging the accuracy and usefulness of beliefs” [4] soon became clear. For instance, as my first day of taking my literacy support sessions was coming to a close, my final group rowdily appeared through the door of the classroom. As it was the final period of the day, this was to be expected, and so I did not let it phase me. My previous research into classroom management helped me find a solution and negate the belief that I was powerless in preventing the chaos that was (in my mind) about to ensue. I reflected back on my reading of Bill Rodgers and his chapter titled ‘The Language of Behaviour Management and discipline’ to guide my initial interaction with the class. Despite certain things going array, like running out of time and being unable to complete the lesson I had planned in that initial session due to the disruptive behaviour, I was able to cope with it effectively using ‘calm, clear directional language’ [5].

[5]

Onwards and upwards: New and Improved Action Plan

Upon reviewing my preparation, what became apparent was my lack of attention towards effective and realistic lesson planning. My training for the CELTA qualification required me to create incredibly detailed and specific lesson plans and although this skill proved useful for my placement, it brought with it the idealistic belief that a lesson would run smoothly and in accordance with said plan (which it most definitely did not). Since my first day, I have read several books on lesson planning, such as Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-Star Approach (2011) which breaks down the process into five basic components. This experience and research have taught me to dispel any expectations of a ‘perfect’ classroom and to instead celebrate every session in all its complexities, its trials and tribulations, and to grow and develop from them.

Just last week, I informed my mentor in school of my long-gone opinion of teaching as a walk in the park, to which she laughed and said;

“Teaching is a walk in the park… if the park is Jurassic park.”

And now, I couldn’t agree more.

References:

[1] University of Cumbria Academic Services & Retention Team (2016) Gibbs’ reflective cycle, Available at: https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveCycleGibbs.pdf. (Accessed: 19th November 2021).

[2] Wiggins, K. (2015) Teaching is among the ‘top three most stressed occupations’, Available at: https://www.tes.com/news/teaching-among-top-three-most-stressed-occupations. (Accessed: 15th November 2021).

[3] Rodgers, Bill. Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support. SAGE Publications, 2015.

[4] Lefrançois, Guy R.. Theories of Human Learning: Mrs Gribbin’s Cat.  Cambridge University Press, 2019.

[5] ‘Dr Bill Rogers – Ensuring a settled and focused class’. YouTube, uploaded by Osiris Educational, 26^th September, 2012, Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFcaovsriA. (Accessed: 14^th November 2021).

[6] Serdyukov, Peter, and Ryan, Mark. Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-Star Approach. Pearson Education, 2011.

Bibliography:

1. ‘Dr Bill Rogers – Ensuring a settled and focused class’. YouTube, uploaded by Osiris Educational, 26^th September, 2012, Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFcaovsriA. (Accessed: 14^th November 2021).
2. Lefrançois, Guy R.. Theories of Human Learning: Mrs Gribbin’s Cat. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
3. Pedota, Paul. “Strategies for Effective Classroom Management in the Secondary Setting.” The Clearing House, vol. 80, no. 4, Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 2007, pp. 163–66, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30192144. (Accessed 16th November).
4. Rogers, Bill. Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support. SAGE Publications, 2015.
5. Schunk, Dale H.. Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective. Pearson, 2019.
6. Serdyukov, Peter, and Ryan, Mark. Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-Star Approach. Pearson Education, 2011.
7. Serdyukov, Peter, and Ryan, Mark. Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-Star Approach. Pearson Education, 2011.
8. Simonsen, Brandi, et al. “Evidence-Based Practices in Classroom Management: Considerations for Research to Practice.” Education and Treatment of Children, vol. 31, no. 3, West Virginia University Press, 2008, pp. 351–80, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42899983. (Accessed: 15th November 2021).
9. University of Cumbria Academic Services & Retention Team (2016) Gibbs’ reflective cycle, Available at: https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveCycleGibbs.pdf. (Accessed: 19th November 2021).
10. Wiggins, K. (2015) Teaching is among the ‘top three most stressed occupations’, Available at: https://www.tes.com/news/teaching-among-top-three-most-stressed-occupations. (Accessed: 14th November 2021).