Half Term review for Autumn Term 1

This time last year I had only just started getting experience in a school environment and yet fast forward 12 months I am now planning lessons, attending meetings, being a student myself again, reading even more than I did in my youth (I was an avid reader so that says a lot) and really enjoying my new career.

To recapitulate the past 8 weeks in just a page or so will be tough going especially for me. I’ve had to learn the names of at least 100 children, 20+ adults and the layout of quite confusing school grounds. My head teacher has an open door policy and this has made it easier to say hi and ask her opinion on things, from what I am hoping to teach in a lesson to how I am getting on at University- this I feel helps to create a positive working environment

MY CLASS

The class are the Year 6’s. I have managed to: engage with each and every one of them, share stories of the summer holidays, explore the theory and practical side of Light, in a Science unit, oversee and sometimes join in with a game of basketball, bring up the Maths and English Reading levels of two students chosen for my School Based Training, offered support both inside and outside the classroom, and building solid teacher-pupil relationships.

MEMORABLE OBSERVATIONS

During this half term I managed to observe quite a number of lessons. This covered every age group from Year 3-6 and in a number of lessons. Personal favourites included: Science with Year 4 about keeping a hard-boiled egg in different liquids for a week and recording what had happened to them, Topic with Year 3 looking at the compass points and the teacher making it fun and interactive by having the children place the 8 points on the classroom walls, Phonics with Year 1 because I didn’t do this as a child and the Read Write Inc programme is a fun and quick paced way to learn without it being tiresome and predictable. In all of the observed lessons I focused on a variety of things. Behaviour Management was one of them and I saw some unusual ways of gaining class attention very quickly. Differentiation was also evident in the Year 3 and 4 classes because the Learning Objectives were clearly defined and each task was relevant to the group/s of children.

MY TEACHING

As for my own teaching, I hadn’t done as much as I’d hoped. Having only 3 days a week in school and fitting in observations, planning and meetings, I did fit in quite a few. Guided Reading was a success because not only did it bring out some excellent speaking and listening skills from my 5 students but I was able to develop a series of lessons based on the tough subject of immigration. All of them responded well and came out of the lessons with new vocab, they realised that past and present is not that dissimilar, and their inference is much better.

I took a Maths lesson a week after Central Training on the subject. The starter was well received and the pace of the lesson and differentiation meant that every child learnt something. I could have done better with my plenary as well as explaining one of the tasks better but this is something that will come with experience and practice.

UNIVERSITY CENTRAL TRAINING

My University life has been very different. I have made a ton of friends, shared teaching experiences, given and taken plenty of advice, learnt a lot in a short space of time and have come away each week with a feeling that I am going to make it to July in one piece.

As you know I am a social butterfly, I do not stick to one group and like to give my opinions in class. Some people are either too shy or are just passengers in this rollercoaster ride and whilst that’s ok for them – I would rather say something even if it turns out I am wrong. Music and Maths were two of my favourite lessons so far. I like practical teaching and being an outgoing, and active person I hope to create a fun learning environment whenever possible. There will be times when silence is golden and independent work is needed but on the whole I believe people need to express themselves, share ideas and not be afraid to get things wrong. The sooner children learn that the better.

PLAN FOR THE NEAR FUTURE

My aim for Autumn 2 is to plan an entire Science unit based on Electricity, teach at least one Phonics lesson a week, assist in the planning of an excellent class assembly based on Remembrance Day, co-manage the school football teams, carry on with the Upper School choir and take part in a joint-schools concert in December, crackdown on the classroom behaviour, deliver both SEND and Behaviour Management presentations with my groups and finally, head into the Christmas holidays a lot more prepared for the 60% teaching.