Did someone say Christmas?

Well that week flew by! I feel immersed in the school life after these two weeks, and also the Christmas excitement that is in the air. The result of this is both positive and negative. It is good to feel that I am involved in the daily running of the Year 1 class, and starting to get more involved in the teaching side of things, but on the flip side I am contending with children who are having daily rehearsals for the Christmas play and who are almost bursting with excitement at seeing the decorations go up around the school. By no means would I wish to deprive them of these experiences, but it makes my job harder when I am trying to keep behaviour under control!

I had my first opportunity to teach a lesson on Thursday. Working from the teacher’s plan I began the lesson using a “parachute” starter, and then progressed to the introduction of the main activity, followed by explaining what each ability group would be doing in their groups. For maths there are two tables of lower ability, two of middle ability and one of higher ability. The tables are given shape names so that there is no mention of the ability level other than between the teacher and teaching assistant, and the groups then change for English, and then mixed ability tables for other subjects. The higher ability table do seem to have an awareness that they are of an advanced level to their peers, but I have not witnessed the other ability groups consciously act as if they are working to any different target. The objective of the lesson is the same for all groups, but they success criteria for each level differs slightly. The language that I use is very important, and the content of the behaviour seminar that I attended keeps springing to mind. For the higher ability groups it is important to highlight their effort and not their ‘cleverness’ in completing a task, and for lower ability children they must be praised for what they have achieved, and wherever possible challenged so that they can build their confidence in their own abilities.

The last two weeks have really been about settling into the class and the school, and as of tomorrow the work really begins. At our weekly meeting, my mentor and I agreed that I will now be teaching the maths and the phonics lessons, I will have a guided reading group to work with, and I will continue with story and maths fluency sessions. I need to be working up to 13 hours teaching time by the end of the 4^th week, and then the other time will be spent doing observations or study. I am surprised that I feel I need to work on my subject knowledge in English more than maths at the moment. In terms of maths it is the pedagogy that I am coming to terms with because it is actually more difficult to teach the basics when the children are struggling with the concept. They are starting at the beginning so there is nothing to go back to for them to revise. It is a matter of finding the best way to access the child’s learning. For example, over the past week the children have been learning about doubling, and how this is the same as adding a number to itself. A lot of children will know that 4+4=8 (or can work it out using the resources), but then then can struggle with then terminology. To begin with I heard a lot of children say double 4 is 5 or double 4 is 6, because they could not appreciate that doubling was adding the same number. There were a lot of resources available (mainly multilink, counting animals and number cards for the visual representation), but for some they even struggled with the resources in front of them. The teacher did say that some do actually know how to work out the questions, but it was a matter of not wanting to do the work. It is so difficult to know which children are genuinely struggling, and those who are avoiding doing work. From previous experience I suspect this will be a skill I will develop as I get to know the children better.

In terms of the English, It is the writing development that I will have to build on. In year 1 they are working towards phase 5 in phonics, and therefore they should have most of the phonemes secured. I have spoken with my mentor and she states that we should not be spelling words out for them when they are writing. They need to be sounding the words out; segmenting and blending the phonemes to the level that they have currently been taught. It’s difficult for me to comprehend so goodness knows how hard their brains are working at this age. The class are still developing their letter and number formations and until I know the class better I am not sure of the ones that need more work with their handwriting skills, and those who are rushing because they don’t want to stay in for break time.

I hope I am not painting a negative picture of the class. They are a delight to work with, and I can’t wait for when I have developed my confidence with them so that I can feel more like their teacher. There just seems so much to take on board, and I am not used to working children in KS1. The important things for me take forward are that I need to build my CONFIDENCE and LEADERSHIP skills. Probably two of the most important skills to have to be a successful teacher and mine are only sprouting!

I hope you enjoy the festive background I have added to this blog. Singing Christmas play songs every day is definitely infectious! I am off to write up some lesson plans that my mentor have emailed me for next week with the songs in my head.

Not Yet The Butterfly

After 3 days and numerous names* I am beginning to find an established place in the class as Miss Gregory. I won’t deny it, this is an overwhelming experience. Moments of panic are frequent, and the fight or flight syndrome is really kicking in. But if nothing else, I am determined to remain resourceful, resilient and in time, a risk-taker.

If I look at it that I have had a total of 40 hours contact time in the class since Monday, then it seems an achievement that I have learnt all 26 names, worked with small groups in maths, English and guided reading, and even sat in for the teacher for part of a maths fluency session. It did feel encouraging to sit in front of the class and work through number bonds to 10 with them. I am pleased that the mentor felt she could give me the opportunity to do that at this early stage. I am also taking the register and reading a story to the children after lunch each day. My hands were shaking the first time I read to them, but they all sat there contentedly listening the story I had chosen to read (Slowly, Slowly, Slowly said the Sloth by Eric Carle) and I feel that I managed to read at a steady speed and have expression in my voice. I am looking forward to my Christmas presents this year because I have asked for children’s books to take into school and I am really excited to find ones that relate to the topics I will be teaching.

I really like Eric Carle’s technique of layering tissue paper to make the vibrantly coloured illustrations.

I have also had the chance to observe the two Year 1 class teachers identify and address the cross curricular links in maths for both this autumn term, and the spring term. It is good to get a picture of how the long to mid-term planning takes place. The staff are very welcoming, and it has been really helpful to be invited long to the staff meetings to begin to understand the workings of the school. My mentor is very calm, and energetic about teaching. Her attitude really helps me to feel that I have potential in teaching and that she can support me through the next few weeks when I begin to plan lessons and do my first formal teaching.

There are a few children with behavioural difficulties in the class, and I know that they are pushing me at the moment to see what they can get away with. I have made sure that I am fully aware of the behaviour policies within the school, and to make clear that I am to be treated the same way as any other member of staff in the room. I am concerned about how they will react when I am having my observed lessons, but I suppose that it is the same as anything that as long as I am following the right procedures to deal with the misbehaviour then I am doing the correct thing. It is to be expected in most classes that there are children who find being in the classroom setting a difficult thing, so I just need to be consistent with my leadership, and remember the lecture on growth mind set. By doing this then I acknowledge that all children do have potential.

On the thought of observed lessons, I have met with my visiting tutor and have provisionally agreed that I will have my first formal assessment on  the morning of 16^th December (the same day as the school Christmas dinner!) but it may change depending on what activities will be going on within the school that week. I would like to get one done before we break up for Christmas, so that I can get a feel for what is expected of me. I also want to start doing more whole class teaching as soon as possible because I fear I may fall into the trap of reverting back to my teaching assistant hat. It feels safe at the moment being in a supporting rather than leading role, and I believe it is fine to do this whilst I am settling in, but I don’t want to lose any confidence I have in taking the driving seat. I know that once I have had a go, then I will be buzzing to keep going.

I have not had any trouble in terms of my subject knowledge as yet, and I hope I do not forget all the valuable pieces of knowledge I developed during my time at university, and through my reading. I am managing to use the questioning skills that our maths tutor encouraged us to use and it helps me see what and how the children are learning. For example, the child might be able to say that 10-3=7, but through questioning I can establish whether they know that 10-7=3. It is too easy to assume that children would automatically know this but they do not. I have also seen plenty of active learning using Lego characters and the The Gruffalo to really get the children enthusiastic about maths. It is brilliant to observe.

I was pleased to find out that the school also use the Pie Corbett style of teaching English, which I learnt about when I went to for my phonics placement. What I need to do now is look into how the children are progressing in their reading. I need to investigate how the Simple View of Reading is used, and get my head around the colour bands for reading. I know that an area I need to improve on is how to conduct reading assessments. Furthermore, I need to become really secure in my knowledge of phase 3, 4 and 5 of Phonics. I have grasped how to plan the structure of phonics lessons, and what the level of writing should be at this stage in Year 1, but it is important to know how each phase progresses to the next, and then into structured writing skills.  I am finding it difficult to know how far I correct spelling when the word is being spelt phonetically correct. We tell the children to sound the word out that they are trying to spell, but that is leading to spelling errors. A lot of the children want to be using the bigger words that they have learnt both at home and in school, and we should not discourage that just because they use an ‘a’ for the ‘er’ sound or a ‘k’ instead of ‘c’.

I will end this week with a photo of the wallboard that I am working on in the classroom. All these little activities are getting me a bit more excited about, and a step closer to being a teacher.

Oops, The ‘W’ has escaped!!

*Mrs Roger, Miss Woods and Miss February to name a few.

Evolve, Revolve, Resolve…

As the last week at university draws to a close I find myself taking the time to go back over my learning from the last 9 weeks in preparation for school on Monday. I have made a difficult decision to put my assignment reading and self-study to one side for a few days, and concentrate on preparing myself for the first day in school. I have been organising the extensive paperwork I will be working through, and generally getting a feel for the content and type of learning that will be going on in a Year 1 classroom. By doing this I have managed to keep things in perspective. There have been a number of moments this week where the bigger picture has started to reveal itself, and I feel that I need to really secure my understanding of the key strands in English, maths and professional practice.

There certainly is reason to reflect on the nerves and emotions of my PGCE peers and I, but I feel that the last few entries on this blog have been very much in that vein of thought. I feel I need to spend the time reflecting on myself as an emergent teacher, and what I will be doing to prove that I am meeting the teacher standards. For the next couple of months I am required to hang my student hat up on the rack.

On Wednesday evening I attended a flagship lecture on mindsets and the management of misbehaviour presented by Robin Launder, a Behaviour Expert.  The theme of the lecture was considering how a pupil’s misbehaviour could be altered by not only the way the teacher views the child’s mindset, but also the teacher altering their own thinking. The presenter discussed how someone can have one of two mindsets – fixed or growth – and that we can either view ourselves and others as being able to build on intelligence and develop as a learner, or believe that intelligence is fixed and challenges are the enemy. What I came away with was a moment of personal evolution as both an individual, and a teacher. I have been doing this course consciously believing that intelligence is something that can be built on, and that any child has the potential to succeed, yet subconsciously believing that my own intelligence is fixed and that I should be in fear of criticism and the successes of others. I realise that to be a good teacher I must have the right mindset. Not only is it professional practice, it is also the core ideal in leadership.

This leads me from evolving to revolving. I was able to make some links between the behaviour lecture and an equally fascinating science seminar on inner and outer space. I am always aware of the importance of subject knowledge when training to be a teacher, and how such knowledge is required to foster learning in the classroom. I am pleased to say that there is a lot of science subject knowledge that has stuck in my mind since school, and I am feeling revived with enthusiasm for teaching such a broad subject.  In our seminar we looked in detail at particles, to the wider world and to the universe. We used small globes, drum beaters and torches to represent the earth, moon and sun, and the relationship of how objects move and revolve in space.

This got me thinking about the world of education. Human lives cannot evolve or progress without the earth orbiting the sun and revolving whilst doing so. Teachers and learners do a similar thing. We need education (the sun) to help us develop and grow, but at the same time we need to be revolving to get the benefits of the climates around us. Staring at the sun all day will not allow rest, and concentrating on learning without rest will lead to burn out. We need the moon/night time/reflection on learning to ensure we are developing as a person, leader, learner, or student.

I also used the revolve analogy to relate to stress that a course such as this can bring. During the English seminar this week we looked at non-fiction writing, and how ‘fact sheets’ can be used to demonstrate to children what non-fiction writing entails. We made our own Flanimals out of Plasticine and other materials, and the task was very therapeutic. It felt like I could turn the stress I was feeling around and put the energy into making something that becomes constructive learning. This picture shows how therapeutic we found making Flanimals, and then completing fact sheets about them:

It was a bit like stress-ball therapy!

Therefore, from evolving and revolving, comes resolving. I learnt this week that subjects such as design and technology is much more than making robots out of cardboard boxes. Delivering an effective D&T lesson can allow children to develop skills in resilience; perseverance; creativity and accepting when task does not go right first time round. We can resolve negative attitudes of ourselves by learning to learn from mistakes, and children will develop when they understand that sometimes going back to the beginning is the way to go forward.

So yes, I feel I am justified this week in taking the time to revisit and review what has happened, and what is on the horizon. In the back on my mind I have actually been thinking about the assignments more than I initially realised, but that is enough for now. I also know that being in a school I will begin to understand how talk is used in reading, and how effective it is. I know that I still have a lot of work to do in developing my critical eye, and thinking at masters level. For example, all the reading and research that I have done so far suggests that talk is important, and that it is recognised in schools more and more. I am still unsure how I am going to critique what I have read, but I am trying not to panic about it. Maybe if I go back over previous entries on this blog I will see my writing skills have developed a little already? Something to consider…

Well, that’s it from me, for now. I wish all my PGCE colleagues and friends the very best of luck in their placements. I have made some truly great friends so far, and I am so glad they are still with me on this journey. Here’s to the trainee teachers!

Diminuendo

And breathe. I am pleased to say that with personal determination, and a lot of support from friends and family, I am back on track. Again.

We have been told where we are going to be placed for the assessed time in school, and I am thrilled to be in a Year 1 class in a school not too far from where I live. It has been so exciting talking to everyone about their respective placements, and on the whole there is a feeling that a weight has been lifted from our shoulders now that we know where we will be teaching and learning for the next few months. I am really going to miss my buddies; I know that I will get to meet up with them outside of school hours, but I feel a real bond with the group now. I am proud of us all for getting this far, and for supporting each other through to this next challenge.

So in terms of my mind set following Monday’s wobble, I have found my motivation again, and I have regained my sense of purpose. One thing that really helped me was to be able to stand up in the maths seminar and explain to the tutor and to the rest of the group how I had made a misconception about a fractions question. I decided to use my disadvantage to my advantage, and by doing so it helped me to see where and why I had made an error, and hopefully it showed my peers how a child might stumble across similar misconceptions in their learning.

The question was: Is 3 divided by 4 the same as ¾?

I knew the answer was yes, but my mind went a bit off track when I visualised the question using Mars bars. If I divide 3 Mars bars between 4 people, I cut each bar into 4 pieces making 12 pieces. Each person get 3 out of 12 (3/12) pieces which can be simplified to ¼. Of course what I should have seen was that 3 pieces would be ¾ of one Mars bar and not ¼ of 3 Mars bars. Who’s confused? Who’s hungry?? I hope by reading this you get the learning point that I took from the activity!

We also used some great resources in the seminar to explore how younger children can use shape to understand fractions.

Working out fractions of shapes

In this picture we are using triangles and hexagons to show how a triangle can be 1/6 of a hexagon. I can see how these resources are so great for children who are nervous of maths. By visualising the concept and making the problem into something tangible, it can help both stick the learning in children’s minds, and ‘unstick the stuckness’ as my tutor says. By this she is referring to the idea that children will learn better when they are ‘stuck’ on something, and by rolling out the bumps in the learning, they will consolidate their understanding.

In addition to the maths seminar, I found the DPP sessions on Thursday really helpful in starting to think about behaviour management in the class room, and more personally for me, looking into what a child goes through to develop emotional intelligence. The subject became quite sensitive for me because I started reflecting on my own experiences in school and early adult life. I remembered that it took me a long time to know how to relate to other people of my age, and that I have often felt different to other people. I know that I am highly aware of my own emotions, and that I suffer with high and low episodes. But I had not considered how much my school life effects my adult life now. It has taken me this long to realise that a big influence on my decision to be a teacher is how I want to reach out to children who find communication hard in their early years of life. I hope to create positive experiences for all the pupils I teach, but I hope especially to be able to help children who discover stumbling blocks whilst they are learning about social and emotional interaction.

During the behaviour seminars we also discussed what type of teacher we want to be now that we are several weeks into the course. This brought me back to the shepherdess analogy I used to title this blog. We discussed the difference between leadership and management, and I am now aware that in order to embrace pupil led learning, and using talk as a way of learning in my classroom, that I have to lead (or guide) the children down that path. I have to be a leader to model to them how they can lead their own learning. So, yes I want to be an enthusiastic and engaging teacher making lots of cross-curricular links and facilitating learning, but also I do still want to be that shepherdess. Leadership is about knowing when to step back to allow curiosity to grow, but still being there to steer the learning in the right direction.

The week included English and music – as well as maths – and with the diminuendo in my head, came the crescendo of glockenspiels. We had a whole two hours exploring how children learn music in school and what important skills come out of teaching this subject. I was fascinated to find the links between music and other subjects, and we were given the opportunity to compose a short piece of Samba music using a drum, a cymbal, maracas and a tambourine. I am fortunate that I learnt the piano as a child so I do not find music a daunting task, but it was interested to look at the challenges of teaching all the different aspects such as rhythm, timbre, sequencing, silence and pulse. We were shown the following Youtube clip which may come in handy to show pupils some of the basics in a light-hearted way (great for Harry Potter Fans too):

My other great achievement for the week was to produce a timeline of all the key British history that now is compulsory on the National Curriculum (I must give a shout out to my awesome friend Nicola who worked with me on this. Great team work!) I found it really interesting, and also realised that I knew more than I thought, I just did not have it in chronological order in my head. I feel I am going to enjoy teaching history after doing this task:

Just some of the pages that make up our timeline of the history taught in the new primary school curriculum.

Now that I know that I am going to be in KS1 for my first placement, I feel that I need to sharpen up my knowledge of phonics a little more. From looking at the weekly timetable of the class that I am going to be in I now know that both guided reading and phonics are key daily activities for year 1. We have looked into shared and guided reading in English week and so now I hope that one of the first bits of teaching I get to do will be in one of these two areas. I have found it really helpful to look at the different types of questioning that pupils can look into when reading books.

I am going to leave you with a quotation from The Warrior of Light, by Paulo Coehlo. His writing hit home with me this week, and I think there are many musings to be taken from it:

A warrior of light knows that certain moments repeat themselves. He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life.

‘I’ve been through all this before,’ he says to his heart.

‘Yes, you have been through all this before’, replies his heart. ‘But you have never been beyond it.’

Then the warrior realises that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

Newness is scary, and I think I have been taking some solace in my not understanding. What I mean is that when I do not understand something it means that I am still the learner and not the teacher. So I now have to be brave and accept the new learning that I am taking on. By doing so, I am moving out of the comfort zone of being a student, but also I am a step closer to becoming a shepherdess.

S.O.S

I am hoping that writing this entry will help me sort my head out. It is only Monday evening and I am having what I can only describe as an anxiety attack. In two weeks I will be on my first assessed placement and even though I have mentioned it before, the reality has only really just set in. At the moment I cannot concentrate on reading anything, and I am sitting here with piles of paper all around me not representing any kind of order.

I don’t know where to start. I feel that I have so much to do still in terms of getting my maths subject knowledge up to date. I don’t feel like I can go into any real depth of reading with the directed tasks set by the tutors because there are so many of them, and the thought of my assignments is making me feel sick.

What I am most concerned about is that information is not moving from short term memory to the long term, and therefore my studying is futile. I just decided to start studying area, shape and perimeter for maths, and I read the first sentence three times before I realised that I was not taking it in. I am genuinely scared at the moment, and it is only by writing this blog that I can begin to calm down.

I will be honest and say that I am envious of a lot of my peers. I feel like I am getting dimmer, not smarter, and things just seem to come so easy to them. I am having these horrible visions of being in a class where the children will out smart me and I will be exposed as a fraud. What am I doing on this course? Do I really feel that I can get through this and be a good teacher at the other end?

I know that I need to refocus my mind, and that my crash in confidence can be fixed. But at the moment I don’t know when I will have the time to do that. It’s like going into a supermarket and wandering around aimlessly because I cannot remember, or do not know what I went in for. I pick up a packet of something, read the back of it, and then put it back because I don’t know if that is the most vital ingredient for whatever I am making!

I am appealing to any teachers or anyone else out there who have been in the same position. Just a little nudge in the right direction would be great right now…