1 Week down, 7 to go!

Well... that marks the end of my first week on professional practice (phew)...

and what a week it has been. I have learnt so much already!

To date, I have been observing the class teacher and tried my best to mirror the strategies used in the classroom. I have been paying extra attention to the behaviour management strategies in play as I find these crucial when you are new to any class. This ensures I am following the behaviour policy which will reflect consistency in my approach when paired with the class teacher. As a result I will have earnt the children's respect and vice versa... necessary for any classroom to be successful.

In addition, it was fortunate timing that I started placement during the week that parents evening was scheduled. This was brilliant as I was able to firstly, shadow the teacher (this being my first experience of a parents evening in the role of a trainee teacher) and secondly, introduce myself to the parents of the children I will be teaching. This has initiated my attempts to communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being (TS8). I did take notice of one comment or feedback that came from meeting the parents, quite a few were unsure of how to support their children with certain areas of maths at home as they didn't know the correct strategies to model to the children. I suggested putting 'How to' videos of what we have done that day in class, whether its recording the teacher input or a simple demonstration at the end of the day. Maybe I'll make this one of my targets in the near future!

On a different note I am proud to report that I have learnt all the children's names! YAY!

Overview-

The first targets I set myself were to-

1. To continually motivate the children and set high expectations in the classroom, from the start, mirroring the current class teacher. TS1

How did I work towards it?

-Engage the children with the set tasks

-Firstly, observing challenges pupils may face then, acting upon this to find the appropriate solution

-Became familiar with the class rules

-Adhered to the behaviour policy of the school

-Modelled good practice from the class teacher, Frankie

-Will plan extension activities for children so that can extend their learning.

2. To build good/strong relationships with colleagues and work collaboratively on a daily basis. TS8

How did I work towards it?

-Asking advice from more experienced members of staff

-Attend staff briefings and meetings

-Questioned Frankie, Tracey and Sarah regarding curriculum and assessment questions

-Questioned staff members about certain children’s behaviour

-Provided staff with resources

#TS1 #TS8 #DigitalLeader