Teaching Practice Reflections: Week 5

List three successes of your teaching this week and state why you feel each point was a success.

• Teamwork – This week I prepared a document for the Principal in-case of school closures. The document I created was based on an idea I had to address parent and guardian concern in-case of school closures. I created over 15 Frequently Asked Questions and compiled answers to them based on information that I had gathered from various emails and announcements made over the course of the past two weeks. Example: How will the school communicate with parents and students during school closure? The school will communicate via the school app and email. Teachers will have a direct communication link with students via Microsoft Teams for each class.
• Communication – This week I sent emails to all the teachers whom I have been teaching for the past 6 weeks. I created documents with an overview of everything I covered to make it easier for them to pick up where I left off. I copied my co-operating teacher for oversight. The teachers and my co-op teacher were very appreciative of this clear and conscience overview as it showed everything I had covered with each class. I offered to send them on lesson plans if they required further insight into any content I had covered.
• Feedback– This week I had my third and final inspection of my Advanced Student Placement. It is very reassuring to receive positive feedback and it has given me confidence going forward in my teaching practice. I think it’s vital to receive feedback as it helps me stay on track. I find inspections can also be very motivating and energising. The feedback I received this week from my inspector was very useful and will inform my teaching practice going forward.

List areas for improvement which you will focus on going forward in your teaching practice?

• A good friend who works in Paediatrics shared an interesting article with me this week. The article demonstrates ways we as teachers can address questions that will be asked of us in the classroom. In an age of increasing anxiety levels in children and young adults I believe it is crucial how we communication with them about Corvid-19. Here are some of the key points from the article that I will be incorporating into my teaching practice in the coming weeks.

What to say / do:

• Acknowledge their fear as understandable, that you’re a little worried about it too
• Tell them that it was great that they told you about their worries
• Acknowledge disappointment if an event (sporting, St Patrick’s parade, concert etc) has to be cancelled but that it is more important that everyone tries to stay healthy and there will be other big events again in the future
• Try to keep other aspects of their normal daily routine as much as possible the same. When we get really worried about something we fear the unknown and what it might bring. The more routine there is when other aspects of life are unknown / unpredictable the more reassuring it is for kids

What not to say:

• It’ll be grand
• You’ve nothing to worry about
• Don’t be silly you’ll never get the virus / I’ll never get the virus

Discuss one theoretical idea that influenced your teaching this week

Research has shown that peer learning can bolster children's self-esteem, awaken their interest in challenging tasks, enhance scholarly achievement, and foster prosocial behaviour (Damon, 2002).

This theory applied and influenced my teaching this week as I incorporated pair and group work into my lessons. I also incorporated ‘two stars and a wish’ and allowed the students to give feedback to each other in a positive environment. Students appeared to enjoy this type of feedback and learning experience.

What was your most enjoyable moment while teaching this week?

This week was particularly challenging due to the Corvid-19 outbreak. The atmosphere in the school was tense especially among exam years. When the news broke about the school closures on Thursday there was a mix of emotion from excitement to panic as students hurried to pack their locker belongings into bags. Due to my background and experience in ICT, I offered to assist and train staff about digital online platforms that they could use to communicate with their students during the closure. My initiative and supported was commended by the principal and vice-principle.