For my blog post on my initial time with the work-based learning module, I will be following the structure set out by Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988). Starting out my module I kept a short diary on my notes app following the structure set out by the Dundalk Institute of Technology (Libguides: Reflective Practice: Reflective writing), to document my weekly thoughts on both my work and the modules itself. I initially questioned the practicality of journaling as I have not successfully kept a diary of my thoughts prior. However I was motivated to do so from reading an article on reflective practice from Cambridge University where in particular it talks about how reflective practice can help ‘with issues of self-talk’ and to give you ‘areas to improve or develop’ (Libguides: Reflective Practice Toolkit: What is reflective practice?). Going into my work-based learning as someone helping as a teaching assistant in Carnmoney Primary School I have noticed that I did struggle with both being overly critical of my own performance within the school whilst simultaneously struggling to pinpoint which areas I struggled with and could improve on.
At the beginning of my time in Carnmoney I was not at all concerned about my ability to interact with the children. I had spent the previous year there teaching a coding club part-time, and so had assumed these skills would translate into the classroom. Whilst they did in part, I was not prepared for how much more difficult a classroom environment is in comparison to an after school club. I got along well with most of the children, and I found them to be very fun and interesting to engage with. However what I struggled with was maintaining control of the children, especially if one or two of them attempted to challenge my authority. At the start of my teaching experience there were two boys in particular who would outright make jokes at my expense to make the class laugh and further disrupt them, or would simply refuse to do what I had asked him to do as a way to check how ‘in charge’ I really was. As well as this, the transition from university work to teaching a Primary 2 class has been very difficult to get used to; there are students in my class who struggle with basic spelling and mathematics which is normal for a class of their age, but it is a struggle I had forgotten would come up. When children needed help figuring spellings and mathematics out, my first instinct was often to give them vague and limited instruction as in my mind it was not ‘that difficult of a question’. Additionally, a few weeks into my placement a second student on a work placement from her teaching college was placed in a classroom with me. I got along very well with her, and we made a great team working with the children. However I would often compare myself to her, and direct harsh criticism towards myself when I felt I was not measuring up.
In evaluating my current progress as a student teacher however I have realized that although there are areas I still need to improve on, I should still be proud of how much I have learnt in this short space of time. As well as this, I need to both reflect on ‘why’ I compare myself to other student teachers as well as what I can do in order to prevent myself from doing so. I read a website article from Keith Webb to gain some insight on the matter and the website agrees that comparisons are not something you can gain from, but that you need to instead learn so you can ‘improve yourself to be a better you, not someone else’ (How to stop comparing and start learning 2015). To achieve these goals I noted down aspects of my work experience which I needed to learn from and improve on, through both reflecting on my past experience and through researching new methods of teaching and looking up resources online.
In order for me to help the children more effectively learn their spellings, I employed tactics offered by ‘Oxford Owl’ which were aimed at parents helping children revise. In particular I found their ‘practise phonics’ section. When children encountered difficulty with their spellings I would encourage them to ‘sound out’ the words and rather than only saying the letters, I would also repeat to the children what sound each letter made, and if these sounds changed when in combination with another letter (Spelling in Year 2 (age 6–7) 2022). For maths, I made use of the Learning Space’s tips for both helping children remember their basic numbers, as well as ensuring they remain curious and eager to continue learning. From this website the most important tip that I learnt was showing children ‘that numbers can be partitioned’. I followed their method of showing children ‘a small number of objects, get them to close their eyes, cover some of the objects and then ask how many are covered’ (Year 2 maths curriculum: Home learning toolkit for 6 Year Olds and 7 Year Olds 2023).
For the lack of control I felt in the classroom, I did not look to any specific website for assistance but I instead remembered what my own primary school teachers used to do when I was struggling to pay attention. If I wanted to speak to a child, I would calmly and politely ask them to look me in the eyes at the beginning. This ensured from the very start that the child gave me their full attention, and made it less likely that they would become distracted and forget to listen to me. As well as this, I would stop talking if a child spoke over me and I would not resume speaking until they were silent. Doing this in tandem with remaining in the conversation patiently until I finished what I was going to say was very effective as the children learned very quickly that while I would give them respect by not shouting at them or losing my temper, they would also owe me respect by listening to what I was saying and not speaking over me. Additionally when I did need to speak to a child about their behaviour and issue punishments, I would always make a point of explaining to the child exactly what their behaviour was, why it was wrong and why I was giving specific punishments. For example when one boy lost his temper at a game of football and tried to start a fight with another boy I quickly separated the two, and then had the perpetrator stand out at the sidelines with me. For more serious instances such as fights as well, I would also be sure to inform the teachers of what had happened in case either child was hurt.
When considering what to do with my own self-critical attitude and my tendency to compare myself to the other student teachers, I employed a strategy of reflective practice. After every day at work I would take half an hour at home to work through what I was feeling in the moment .After I worked through my emotions I would take the time to then more logically examine my actions during class, to pinpoint if there was anything else I could have done better that day. If there was something else, then I would write it in my journal so I could brainstorm ways to improve later. When considering later strategies to use I would both look online for methods other teachers recommended, but I would also ask the other classroom assistant as well as the teacher if there was any advice they could give me or anything they had noticed from me in the classroom which worked well or which needed to be worked on.
With my greater level of perception I also noticed in the classroom that Youtube videos still played ads which disrupted the classroom, and so I took the initiative to ask my teacher if she would like me to teach her how to use adblock. Since then the Youtube videos have played smoothly and the teacher no longer needs to worry about ads playing and disrupting the class. The fact that the teacher listened to me and took on board my advice also helped with my confidence, and feeling as though I had helped the teacher and made a positive impact on the classroom was something I was very proud of.
Overall, all of these strategies together have helped me greatly in the classroom. I now have a more realistic understanding of what working with children is like, and I know the difficulties that come with it. However I now also am aware of the fact that it is work which I personally find enjoyable and rewarding, and I have strategies in place to improve my ability at working in the classroom and so I can approach the rest of my work experience with a much greater level of confidence than before.
Bibliography
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. London: Further Education Unit.
Libguides: Reflective Practice: Reflective writing (no date) Reflective Writing – Reflective Practice – LibGuides at Dundalk Institute of Technology. Available at: https://dkit.ie.libguides.com/reflective_practice/reflective_writing (Accessed: 16 November 2023).
Libguides: Reflective Practice Toolkit: What is reflective practice? (no date) What is reflective practice? – Reflective Practice Toolkit – LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries. Available at: https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/reflectivepracticetoolkit/whatisreflectivepractice (Accessed: 16 November 2023).
Creative Results Management (2015) How to stop comparing and start learning, Keith Webb. Available at: https://keithwebb.com/how-to-stop-comparing-and-start-learning/#:~:text=Comparisons%20touch%20ego%20and%20emotions,others%20and%20start%20learning%20instead. (Accessed: 16 November 2023).
Spelling in Year 2 (age 6–7) (2022) Oxford Owl for Home. Available at: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-spelling/spelling-year-2-age-6-7/ (Accessed: 16 November 2023).
Such, C. (2023) Year 2 maths curriculum: Home learning toolkit for 6 Year Olds and 7 Year Olds, Third Space Learning. Available at: https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/year-2-maths/ (Accessed: 17 November 2023).