Monday, 28 September 2015
Your fear of failure and the effect it might have on students.....
The reason I use the word 'YOUR' in the title of this blog is that I want you to look at my personal thoughts on this and think about how YOU feel about making mistakes and how this might have an on-flow effect to your students. Think about your REACTIONS.
Thursday, 9 July 2015
Here it goes
I'm not yet sure what this blog will contain, most likely a bunch of random ramblings about my journey to becoming a teacher. Although apparently I am already supposed to think of myself as a teacher. On my last placement when my supervisor visited me she asked 'Answer me this, are you a teacher?', she had me stumped there but I knew what she wanted to hear - so I answered 'Yes?'. And I guess in a way I was, but it's a scary thought to think that at the end of this course if I am lucky enough to get a job I will be responsible for my own class of students! Perish the thought! I'm be responsible for the education of up to 25 fresh young minds.
It hasn't been an easy journey doing my Bachelor of Education. There have bene triumphs and pitfalls along the way. Things outside of uni have at times made it that bit stressful, and I've made it that bit more stressful when I do my own head in come assignment time. But that comes with the territory I guess. There are other students that have, and still do, face much bigger hardships that I have. When it comes down to it I must be doing something right, despite the stress I put myself through come crunch time with assignments, as I have just received my latest set of end of semester results. I already figured I'd do well in Math, but it was still nice to see a HD pop on the screen when I got my results sms yesterday. For science I had not expected anything better than a C. Yet I was surprised to discover I got a D for the last assignment, and as I knew I'd aced most of the quizzes I had hopes for a semi decent mark. My hopes were fulfilled when a D popped up on the screen. Then there was Pedagogy. We did really well in the group assignment, although two of us did most of the work - we still had a good group which was a nice change (not looking forward to the group assignments this semester though, they always fill me with dread!). It was the last assignment that really did my head in. It was based on our own pedagogical approach to teaching so we had a lot of leeway in what we wrote about and how we presented it, queue stressville! But I got there in the end and somehow passed with flying colours despite thinking I'd gone in the wrong direction and our tutor saying it would be easier to get a good mark doing a presentation as she'd be able to ask us questions - well I proved that wrong didn't I? Lol.
Anyway it's almost time to embark on another semester of this 4 year degree. Turns out one of the teachers I am not a fan of is one of the main teachers (and co author of our textbook!) for out main education subject. I'm just hoping I don't get him as a tutor (so I probably will now!). Don't get me wrong, he's a very knowledgable person and knows his stuff but I hated that way he responded to students answering his questions if he didn't like their answer or the scathing way he spoke about something someone had written in an assignment (I actually complained about that comment in my unit feedback, he really was un-necessarily nasty). It's always a worry wondering who will walk in the door in your first tutorial each semester. I have bene lucky so far in that I have had pretty good tutors, some exceptionally good and some just ok - but no bad ones. I gelled with some more than others but didn't really have any negative experiences, so let's hope that continues!
I'll also be doing even more volunteer work this semester! Although I wasn't 100% happy with my uni timetable (but it could be worse) as it meant I had to give up classes at AB (was gutted when I realised), it allows me to fit in the things that will look good on the resume (volunteering) and keep up my other extra-curricular activities (Pilates and running) and it also looks like I will be able to continue Ballet elsewhere (I need the creative outlet). Anyway, so I'll continue volunteering at the school I'm doing placement at if they'll have me, and I'll also be starting reading tutoring at another school. I think I'll have 4 or 5 students I'll be working with from the sounds of it. I am looking forward to this as literacy/reading is one of the subjects I have a passion for so I am hoping I keep help these kids get more confident in their reading so that that can enjoy it at least half as much as I do! Either way the main thing is that they improve their reading skills, anything else is a bonus. But I am looking forward to starting and it is good having the benefit of working one on one with the students. It will also help for when I start teaching and have students who struggle with their reading.
Not much else to report. I can't say what this blog will contain or be about (well it will be about my journey to becoming a teacher, but what in relation to that, who knows!) or how often it will or won't be updated (I don't have a good history of keeping up with these things!). Time will tell. For now I will leave you (I say that like someone is actually going to read this.....) with a few things that struck a chord with me when I was doing research for my Pedagogy assignment last semester.....
I found this when I was doing some research into the Reggio Emilia approach and it really struck a chord with me. Teaching and learning truly is a journey that we take WITH our students. Education should never be dictated to them, we should always be learning with and from our students.....
Rita Pierson This woman is an inspiration, I highly recommend checking out her TEDx talk if you haven't already seen it.
If there is one thing I have learnt in this course is that I need to be the best teacher I can be, not the best teacher someone else was.....
It hasn't been an easy journey doing my Bachelor of Education. There have bene triumphs and pitfalls along the way. Things outside of uni have at times made it that bit stressful, and I've made it that bit more stressful when I do my own head in come assignment time. But that comes with the territory I guess. There are other students that have, and still do, face much bigger hardships that I have. When it comes down to it I must be doing something right, despite the stress I put myself through come crunch time with assignments, as I have just received my latest set of end of semester results. I already figured I'd do well in Math, but it was still nice to see a HD pop on the screen when I got my results sms yesterday. For science I had not expected anything better than a C. Yet I was surprised to discover I got a D for the last assignment, and as I knew I'd aced most of the quizzes I had hopes for a semi decent mark. My hopes were fulfilled when a D popped up on the screen. Then there was Pedagogy. We did really well in the group assignment, although two of us did most of the work - we still had a good group which was a nice change (not looking forward to the group assignments this semester though, they always fill me with dread!). It was the last assignment that really did my head in. It was based on our own pedagogical approach to teaching so we had a lot of leeway in what we wrote about and how we presented it, queue stressville! But I got there in the end and somehow passed with flying colours despite thinking I'd gone in the wrong direction and our tutor saying it would be easier to get a good mark doing a presentation as she'd be able to ask us questions - well I proved that wrong didn't I? Lol.
Anyway it's almost time to embark on another semester of this 4 year degree. Turns out one of the teachers I am not a fan of is one of the main teachers (and co author of our textbook!) for out main education subject. I'm just hoping I don't get him as a tutor (so I probably will now!). Don't get me wrong, he's a very knowledgable person and knows his stuff but I hated that way he responded to students answering his questions if he didn't like their answer or the scathing way he spoke about something someone had written in an assignment (I actually complained about that comment in my unit feedback, he really was un-necessarily nasty). It's always a worry wondering who will walk in the door in your first tutorial each semester. I have bene lucky so far in that I have had pretty good tutors, some exceptionally good and some just ok - but no bad ones. I gelled with some more than others but didn't really have any negative experiences, so let's hope that continues!
I'll also be doing even more volunteer work this semester! Although I wasn't 100% happy with my uni timetable (but it could be worse) as it meant I had to give up classes at AB (was gutted when I realised), it allows me to fit in the things that will look good on the resume (volunteering) and keep up my other extra-curricular activities (Pilates and running) and it also looks like I will be able to continue Ballet elsewhere (I need the creative outlet). Anyway, so I'll continue volunteering at the school I'm doing placement at if they'll have me, and I'll also be starting reading tutoring at another school. I think I'll have 4 or 5 students I'll be working with from the sounds of it. I am looking forward to this as literacy/reading is one of the subjects I have a passion for so I am hoping I keep help these kids get more confident in their reading so that that can enjoy it at least half as much as I do! Either way the main thing is that they improve their reading skills, anything else is a bonus. But I am looking forward to starting and it is good having the benefit of working one on one with the students. It will also help for when I start teaching and have students who struggle with their reading.
Not much else to report. I can't say what this blog will contain or be about (well it will be about my journey to becoming a teacher, but what in relation to that, who knows!) or how often it will or won't be updated (I don't have a good history of keeping up with these things!). Time will tell. For now I will leave you (I say that like someone is actually going to read this.....) with a few things that struck a chord with me when I was doing research for my Pedagogy assignment last semester.....
I found this when I was doing some research into the Reggio Emilia approach and it really struck a chord with me. Teaching and learning truly is a journey that we take WITH our students. Education should never be dictated to them, we should always be learning with and from our students.....
‘Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch
the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the
water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning
how to learn’
- Edwards et al. (2011, p. 58)
Rita Pierson This woman is an inspiration, I highly recommend checking out her TEDx talk if you haven't already seen it.
If there is one thing I have learnt in this course is that I need to be the best teacher I can be, not the best teacher someone else was.....
‘If we try to emulate someone else, are we being true to ourselves and
our students in our strive to be the best teachers we can be so that our
students can be the best students they can be? For as we strive to be someone
else we run the risk of creating a falsehood on whom we are as teachers’
- Rita Pierson (2013)
References:
Every kid needs a champion 2013, TED, Rita Pierson, retrieved 2
May 2015,
< https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en>.
Edwards, C, S. r. l.,
RC, Forman, G, & Gandini, L 2011, The Hundred Languages of Children:
The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation, Praeger, Santa Barbara.
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