Reflection - Placement 2

I feel as though my placement and time at XXXX ​ College has been a positive experience that has helped to further develop my skills and abilities as a teacher. I feel as though I am well on the way to becoming a competent and effective teacher in my chosen fields of expertise.
 
My focus for my placement this time was not so much finding confidence in myself but learning and implementing different classroom and behaviour management strategies, in particular finding something that suits my style and of course the group, I work with.  To enable this, I stepped outside my learning and subject area and reached out to other teachers to observe their class, Religion, English, History, Science and Research Project. Through this, I was able to see how different subjects and teacher management their own classroom and find adapt things I had observed when the opportunity arose in my class the following lesson or day. I also sought to understand the curriculum of both senior and junior schools, through program development, looking at school resources and asking following up questions. I was also involved in some marking of a timed assessment in Stage 1 Religion Studies. I also participated in college life to the fullest engaging in Student Voice, Junior Relay for Life, School Masses and Year 12 Farewells. I feel this enabled me to get a sense of the true culture of XXXX  College and truly understand the community I am working in. I feel getting to know the community is an important aspect of a teacher starting out in a new school. I feel also as though forming a professional relationship with my Mentor enabled my experience to be as positive as it has been and also enabled me to learn as much as I can about the role of a teacher not just in the classroom but administratively.
 
Strengths: I have identified the following as points that I have been able to continue the development of and identify these as strengths or positives as this point in my journey.
 

• Beginning to use my bigger voice.
• Building relationships with students – learning names, interacting during class and before and after class, using icebreaker (every lesson in the first week of teaching an icebreaker was used) and presence in the classroom during my teaching time.
• I am able to organise and be efficient, having everything ready to go for the lesson and having it all at my fingertips.
• Started to develop class strategies - hand up to let them know that I want their attention, "Year 11s can I have your attention this way" and then waiting, seems like a long time but in actually fact student don't notice and give them a chance to all stop and listening. How to deal with students who may be off task.
• Allowing students to evaluate learning through exit cards at several points - enable them to look at the important bit they will take away and also for a reference when planning and where there might be gaps.
• Using what is available - technology (Electronic Whiteboard & workspace) adapting to the school and how they do things.
• Was able to continue to develop a strong understanding of the curriculum (Acara and SACE) to enable my unit to be stronger - enable through my own planning and see my mentor and other teachers action lesson and their planning guides.
• Able to bring the subject into a real life context using contemporary and modern themes that students were able to relate to. Enable them to practice strategies in a class and providing example activities and sharing my own personal experience.
• Through me sharing, the student were able to share to especially relevant for the task where students are looking at self-identity. Sharing, the students were able to share to especially relevant for a task where students are looking at self-identity.
• I felt like my unit themed together well and enable scaffolding and progression as well as closure and evaluating of learnings.
• Create a collaboratively working environment, where students are comfortable, on task and productive.
• Adapt unit to work with my style of teaching and for the students. My teacher style is very much one which involves students as the inquirer – ask questions of me, themselves and their peers to find the answers. I use a lot of group work and interactive activities. Students direct their own learning to some extent.
• Able to evaluate and improve my lessons/units and teacher practices through self-reflection but also through period feedback from students at various stage of the unit/lesson. I really see value in getting the student feedback and also have them recap was they do in class at various points - beginning of a lesson, end of a lesson and end fo unit.

 
Limitations: At my current stage I need to work on the following areas to improve and develop my practice as a teacher.

• Personal literacy – missing glaring easy errors on student worksheet, need to take the time to check properly before uploading and distributing. 
• I need to be careful of the language I use - e.g. 'assessment' rather than the word 'exam', especially with the younger year. I am now aware some words have the ability create anxiety and stress in students that is unnecessary and effects the overall outcome of activities and assessments.
• Voice projection – sometimes not loud enough – this is something that has improved by still needs work. I have seen myself during class fixing this as I go.
• Authoritative voice – e.g tone. Needs to be improved.
• Sometimes, my words run in to each other, I need to articulate more and slow my speech.

 
I feel as though if I continue on the path I have been with my development as a teacher, I can be successful and engage students and have them be successful. The experience at XXXX has been wonderful and I as aforementioned I have learnt so much and will take so much away for use in my effective practice.