Pre Skype Blog/ Task 4a

After receiving my grades today for Module 1 I was very pleased to get what I got and know what I need to work on for next time to aim a bit higher on the grading system!

I thought it would be a good idea to blog some of my ideas prior to the skype we are having tomorrow with Paula/Adesola for the first part of Module 2. This way I can share things and my ideas to see if I am going along the right lines for the start of the tasks.

Looking back at Task 2D already placed some ideas in my mind for Module 2 Line of inquiry however after reading the reader I still have to explore some more ideas but was going to investigate these after the first skype chat.

My main ideas all link back to my future career pathway that I am wanting to pursue- TEACHING. Surely my inquiry should be something I want to explore further and learn more about, something that inspires me and motivates me.... for me personally this is teaching.

Now obviously the question cannot be something as simple as 'what makes a good teacher?' as this is too vague and comes down mostly to opinions. However I enjoy exploring ideas into how children learn best and how teachers can adapt their methods of teaching to help the different learners.... this could essentially be very complicated.

Another idea I considered was 'How can my performing background benefit me as a teacher?' this can also feed into 'How can I adapt my teaching style to include my performance background?' 'What can I bring to an educational environment that a non performer can't?' 'Does a 3 year university course in primary education make a better teacher than those that have studied through a different route (a performer)? '
The performance aspect of an inquiry would be a good line for me to explore as performing is my current practice and teaching would be my future practice therefore I am benefiting from both sides of the question.
Keeping on with the performing ideas I would love to also explore 'How performing arts can benefit children in an educational environment?'

Finding the perfect line of enquiry for me is going to be a long process but I know I want to include some aspects of learning/education. Whether that be within my current practice or exploring a bit of both and using my tools and networks to their full potential.

The next step for me is going to be a collation of all my thoughts in a mind map, but I feel now I can go into the Skype chat tomorrow with a clear thought of what I believe is expected of me for thinking of ideas and to begin Module 2. If I didn't go in with any thoughts how would I know if I'm treading along the right lines?

Teaching Experience

As most of you probably know by now I have spent some time in a local independent primary school teaching different year groups each day. The year groups are incredibly small at this school which means a more one on one chance for tuition and any extra help needed. The week has been tough and very full on but has opened my eyes to the world of teaching and has only made me want to pursue it more. Throughout the week I kept an online journal that I edited everyday.... BEWARE LONG BLOG ENTRY BELOW!!!!

Day One
- I spent all day with the year 3's, consisting of only 10 in the class there were plenty of chances to get very 'hands on'. What opened my eyes most about the day was how quickly time can go in a lesson for young children... by the time they have got out their books and pencil cases ten minutes of the lesson has already passed. Short lessons of 40 mins at this school meant things seemed to fly by!
- The children in the class were incredibly bright for those of a 7 or 8 year old, it was wrong of me to go in with expectations of their level of intelligence but I did expect a lot lower than what was shown to me.
- Throughout the day it became very clear that teaching dance was very similar to teaching curriculum based things.... for example similarities included lots of repetition, discipline firm but fair, explaining things very slowly and making all lessons seem fun to the children so they can learn to their best efforts.
- I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with year three because I have taught children of a similar age in dance and I am used to ways in which they do things. I do think it is very apparent at this school though that the children are taught to 'love to learn' perhaps even by their parents as they are the ones paying the fees.
- The day was very long starting at 8.30 and ending at 5.15 for those children doing extra curricular activities.
- At the end of the day what was most rewarding was the children running up and giving me a hug and not wanting me to leave as they knew I would be with a different year group the following day. It just goes to show how much things or a person can impact a child's day and that even though they are young they have an incredible memory name wise and can become very attached very easily!!

Day Two
- Even though I am only interested in primary it was nice to see parts of the Junior sector today. I spent most of the day with the year 6 students who are aged around 10 and 11. It was amazing to see the jump in age and how much they can develop from just starting at junior school to almost the end of their time at junior school. The students were a lot more independent and didn't need as much help the difference with older students is they will always attempt their work before asking whereas younger children tend to ask for help first.
- I also personally feel that at this school the younger students enjoy the learning experience more than the older years, I felt that the teachers of the young years delivered their education to the students in a fun way whereas the older years cannot have the fun and excitement of games and things because they then feel that the teacher is treating them like a baby. This then can make the learning experience for older children boring. This is something I am going to bear in mind if I ever teach the older sector of a school, is to keep things new and exciting but at the same way not too patronising.

Day Three
- Today had been my favourite day of the week so far! I spent all day with Year 1, the age group I am more interested in teaching in the future. The children were in awe that a new teacher was going to be spending all day with them and they couldn't wait to show me their skills. When the main teacher asked who wanted to read to me, all their hands shot up in the air! This enthusiasm is just not there with the older children and it becomes more of a chore for them.
- Simple tasks like eating their school dinner was a learning experience as these are the age groups where manners need to be taught so the whole day becomes a teaching experience.
- PE was a great lesson for me to observe as the lesson was delivered with fun games. The children forgot that they were being active and keeping fit because they were having so much fun playing the games given to them. This is a great thing to hold onto and remember for when I go into teaching- is to try and make the children forget they are learning by delivering their education in a way they really enjoy.

Day Four
- The hardest day of the week so far was today due to the fact I was with the most challenging children of the school - RECEPTION
- Only age 4 and 5 they are at the most important stage of their life learning the basics of everything from the alphabet to numbers. Without this foundation knowledge they can't move onto anything else. Therefore when teaching this age group it's vital you can be in control as children of this age can lack focus. The day was a lot more free in terms of lesson structure as it was very bitty and time had to be allowed for them to play and refresh so they aren't learning too much within the day.
- It was a great day to observe as the children learnt life lessons from them being naughty. Discipline for them needs to be more of a telling off and it has to be an explanation. For example- one little girl pushed a girl into a bench so she banged her head, the little girl refused to say sorry and this event leaded onto the teacher sitting all the children down and explaining why it is important to say sorry. After the explanation the little girl went over and did eventually apologise. This was a major life lesson for all the children to see.
- The day definitely didn't put me off teaching reception age, I think it is such a rewarding year group to teach. The teacher showed me the children's work books and it was amazing to see the transition from September (the start of the year) to now (halfway through the year) at the start they were only writing shapes that were barely readable and now they are writing full words and can sound them out and spell them. As a teacher to look back and see that must be so rewarding.

Day Five
- Because I had enjoyed the primary sector so much this week I spent the last day of my week placement with Year 2 so I had covered all ages of the Key Stage 1 and early years learning.
- Again the transition in maturity is incredible to see, it was most noticeable in their writing and reading skills. Throughout the day it was also nice to walk in corridors and see children from other year groups I had spent the day with shouting 'Miss Sampson' and remembering who I was and the younger children being so sad that i wasn't with them and that I was with Year 2 instead.

The whole experience has confirmed that this is definitely the right pathway for me to take in the future and I can't wait to get started. I got the chance to speak to a lot of teachers about their career pathway into teaching and it confirmed my ideas that a PGCE full time route was the quickest way into it and the most fitting for me. I originally wanted to do School Direct but this is a long process and the teacher's said even though a PGCE is a lot of coursework, once done it is the best thing to have when finding a job. The best part of the week was that they said they would have me back for when I am doing my placements on a PGCE and that to me meant a lot! Even though I worked for free the whole week I would do it again! I highly recommend anyone who wants to go into teaching should try a week in a school of an age they want to teach and see if it is for them as it is so different when you are actually placed in the environment!

Skype Session 7th February

The first skype session of the year gave me a really good grounding for how I was going to go about Module 2. It was really helpful having both Module 2 students and Module 3 students in the same chat so they could share their experiences and this in turn helps out with those moving onto the new module.  After receiving my Module 1 feedback I was pleased with it and I'm still awaiting my grade which is taking rather a lot of my patience, however I feel ready to move on swifty and crack on with the tasks given to us for Module 2. In the session we covered two main topics that came about from some questions people had.

One of the main ones was Scheduling and how you can build your own timetable to manage your work. Talking about the ideas some people had really helped me to picture how to move forward with module 2 and not fall too far behind as I felt I did this in Module 1.  Some people said dedicate yourself a set amount of time a day where you have pure focus on your studies- for example a coffee shop away from any distractions at home. For me Module 2 seems a lot more free and therefore I am worried that it is going to take a lot more of my time up than Module 1 did. One student who had just completed module 2 explained that my feelings were correct but to just go with it and trust your instincts.

The second topic we covered was Literature. Having not had much experience with too much literature in Module 1 it was nice to finally understand where I could correctly locate resources I may use for the next module and Paula gave us the instructions to access the online library which was really helpful! I am a little more confident that I could happily search for more resources now whereas at the beginning of the conversation I didn't have a clue!

A conclusion from the whole chat for me was to use others experience to help my own, other students are a great resource that sometimes I forget about. One thing I'm going to do is take a look at some students blogs that have already completed Module 2 and use some of their comments to build upon my own thoughts. I am also going to try and attend as many skype sessions and campus sessions as possible as I think they can really help bring out the best in our studies.

I am starting the first task of the module this week and I am awaiting a 1-1 skype chat with my tutor which should really help get my idea's going for the next few months.

Good Luck to everyone starting their new module! :)

Back to it!

During the short break we had off from studying it allowed me to do plenty of retail therapy in the new year sales and get my life together! It came around fast but it's finally time for the next chapter of the course! I printed off all the module handbooks and readers today and have been left feeling a little helpless at the moment. Hopefully things will start making sense after some online chats and sessions as at the moment I don't understand where to even start! Hope I'm not the only one feeling this!!!

Next week I'm taking a holiday from Warner's and I'm doing a week experience in an independent local primary school. I'm so excited to get an insight into the world of teaching and what it will be like and whether I even like it! I will definitely upload a blog after the week has finished! Wish me luck!

Feeling a little nervous about results from the previous module too! Impatience is kicking in!

Speak to you all soon!

A Happy New Year!

So Christmas is officially over! Gone are  all the Christmas shows and pantomimes we do here at Warner's. I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas away from home as hard as it was! Working on Christmas day was tough as well but it kept me busy! The hotel has closed now for 10 days as we go through some HUGE refurbishments but the work doesn't stop for me! 5 days holiday then I'm straight back teaching a new girl into our shows! It's all good fun! 

Here's some pics of our fantastic Christmas and New Year 'Warner Style' and for those of you who don't know what that is, it's essentially a holiday vacation aimed towards the over 50's. 

Now that it's all out the way it only means one thing.... time to submit the essay! Did anyone else get that nervous feeling as you clicked submit?!

2017 is a big year, the final year of my studies, I just don't know what's going to happen. I really want to be able to get my teaching career up and running this year. Started off well by planning some unpaid work experience at a primary school near me! I am excited for that come February time! I'll keep you all updated! Be nice to have a rest from studying for a few weeks though! Wishing you all the best for the New Year!!!!

Howard Gardner test

This is my online version of my Howard Gardner intelligence test for an appendix to my essay. I thought the only way to do this would be to edit in adobe PDF and print screen to my blog and then in the essay to link my blog.

http://www.businessballs.com/freepdfmaterials/free_multiple_intelligences_test_manual_version.pdf

Referencing troubles

I don't know about anyone else but Harvard referencing is completely new to me! Paula's blog post with the website really helped! It allows you to search for what type of source you are trying to cite and shows you how to do it properly. http://www.citethemrightonline.com
All you have to do is sign in with your unihub details! I wish I'd seen this before!

Now that I am working on my second draft for the essay things are becoming very real and scary! I still would love a little magic fairy to tell me the grade I am currently at so I know what I'm looking at getting.

So now that I'm a little more confident on the referencing hopefully this will help my next draft, I also did my first draft in headings for each part of the module but after receiving feedback I need to focus more on using the module as a lens for my practice rather than using the module as a base for the essay, use your practice, I think this is good advice from Adesola - my tutor and something I hadn't really understood at first but now that I do I think I can move forward and start focusing on getting a really detailed essay.

An update on life

Work is tough lately as Christmas approaches and fitting it in around all my studies is harder than I initially thought but being away from home at Christmas is also something new to me but as you can see below I've tried to make my room here at the hotel as homely as possible! So I'm feeling festive and its christmas here at Nidd Hall so MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!