Reflective Practice
- "I'd like to thank you helping me this term to understand that history can be enjoyable and I will definitely be choosing at as a subject next year thanks to that."- year 10 history student
-" Thank you so much for helping me these days, you are a really good teacher and I think you did a different way to teach us how to study English and how to make friend, it is really helpful!" -year 11 ESL student
Marryatville High School-Practicum One:
Week 1 Placement:
It's the first week of placement at Marryatville High School. I am feeling nervous yet excited. My first day went well, I met all my fellow placement teachers and they were really nice, there were a few new faces as well which was good. We had an orientation around Marryatville, it is a beautiful school with lots of great facilities. Their tennis courts were amazing and they have a new building full of classrooms which was also really nice. I met my classes and mentors. I will be teaching year 8 English as a Second Lanuage and ISEC- the intensive English program for PLP and home economics. I am really excited at what this placement will bring. My mentors are really nice and supportive and my classes are really nice as well. The ISEC class has a diverse range of ages and capabilities- some students are only just learning English while others are quite proficient.
This week has been only observation which has been good. It means I have been able to grasp the programs such as Day Map, get to know students names, observe the teachers behavioural managment and teaching strategies, plan for the following week and get to know how the school works.
Week 2 Placement
First week of teaching done and dusted. It has been a very educational and interesting week. I learnt alot about how important it is to scaffold my work and be clear with my directions. I also learnt not to do so much teacher talk and incorporate group and pair work into my activities. I found this week to very challenging but rewarding. I found the teaching to be invigorating, nerve racking and exciting. I incorporated activities such as group work, pair and share, individual work and drama. These seemed to work well and increase the students confidence in class, getting to know eachother and in speaking English. I feel I have learnt alot this week and although it has been very challenging, it has been equally as rewarding. I look forward to what the next week brings.
Week 3 Placement
This week has been a good opportunity to start feeling more comfortable in the role of teaching. Although I am still very new to it all, I am beginning to understanding and use different strategies in the class and see what works and what doesn't. I am enjoying the challenge that teaching brings and am finding reflection and liasing with mentor teachers and other teachers to be very important. I am so lucky to have such supportive and encouraging mentors! After every class they will write down a list of things I have done well and what I can improve on which I am finding very useful. This week, we cooked in Home - Ec, I can already see the students improving in their listening skills. I am enjoying the atmosphere of Marryatville and the community feel. By now I am getting to know the students individual personalities and strengths and weaknesses in which I am trying to cater my teaching and assesment style towards. This has been working well and I am really enjoying the challenge of scaffolding the tasks I am giving and making sure to be very concious of what I say, how I say it and making sure my instructions, praise and teachings are all very clear for the students.
Week 4 Placement
By now, I have started to really find my feet, only two weeks to go! Time definently goes fast when your having fun. By now, I have a clear understanding of how the school works and what, as a teacher, is expected. I am really happy with the way the students are developing and learning. I have set a few assesment tasks this week which have needed clear instructions and examples. I make sure my communication is very clear and that students have a thorough understanding of what is expected of them. This week, I have been incorporating more drama based activities into the class, so that students can gain confidence when in front of the class, in their spoken English and working as groups. There are many different levels in the ISEC class, from some students who have very low level English to those quite preficient. I am finding this a challenge to cater for such a diverse range of needs, but I can see the students are interested and trying really hard and this makes it a lot easier. I am incorporating ICT into my lessons and getting the students to write letters home so that the assessment has a personal touch. The year 8's are working on a newsletter text piece on a production about the sea. They really enjoyed it and through thorough scaffolding, the students are doing a really good job of their newsletter piece. I have found throughout the last few weeks that praise really is the key to productivity. I have been ensuring to use this tactic throughout my lessons and am finding it is helping me a lot to build a strong repoir with the students and helps me to earn their trust and respect. Next week is the last week, so I am going to ensure to make the most out of it and try my hardest.
Week 5 Placement
And..... it's the final week of my first placement done. I thoroughly enjoyed this week and found it a very rewarding experience. It was so nice to get such great feedback from my mentors and classes. We had a few class parties to celebrate which was lots of fun and I am sad to leave. A few things I have learnt in the last few weeks:
-scaffold, scaffold, scaffold. You can never do enough when ESL teaching
-clear and comprehensive explanations- always be concious of your wording and explain what you say in a clear and relatable context
-don't do too much teacher talk- students will block off and won't always understand what you are saying
-praise is very important and a crucial part for productive and positive learning
-flexibility- you never know how a lesson will go or what mood the students are in, it's important to be flexible with your tasks
-change lesson activities around- the same things will get boring, experiment, if it doesnt work, try something different
-don't be too hard on yourself if a lesson doesn't work out the way you expected, I found I did this, but I soon learnt that punishing yourself wouldn't make it easier
It's a great feeling to have achieved so much in a small amount of time. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I feel excited for the next placement and what else I can learn and experience.
Marryatville High School-Practicum Two:
Week 1 Placement:
Back at Marryatville for my second placement and I am really enjoying being back and feeling familiar with the school. I have year 11 ESL, year 10 ESL, Year 10 History and I have taken on Year 11 Research Project for the international students. Although I am doing four subjects, I am enjoying the busyness of it and feeling more prepared for when we join the real workforce and teaching. My mentors and students are really nice and I have a feeling it will be a good but busy placement. I observed for a few days but started teaching at the end of the week which was good for getting into the swing of things and gaining confidence. I will be teaching a lot of about research for ESL and Australia in WW2 for history. I am interested to learn about the research project as I did not do it at school and haven't learnt a lot about it at uni. I hope to incorporate some more strategies that I have learnt this placement and really incorporate the AITSL standards into my teaching.
Week 2 Placement:
I have found this a challenging but rewarding week. Doing 4 subjects definitely takes up more time but I am finding the research project to be very interesting and I realise its an important subject to have behind you as a teacher. For history this week I introduced the beginning, causes and Europe in WW2 as defined by ACARA. The class responded well to the subject and I am looking forward to bring Australia's involvement into it. For year 11 and year 10 I have been reviewing essay and research points. I have been trying to make the grammar points more interesting and am hoping to incorporate some more interesting group and team activities into the lessons.
Week 3 Placement:
This week I have experimented a bit more with my lessons. I found that by making the classes swap around and change the classroom structure around there was a lot more energy within the class and the students were talking to people they don't usually talk to. I did this with my ESL classes and incorporated a lot more group work activities into my lessons. Although the students at first were hesitant, they soon got the idea and joined in. It took a few tries but It soon started to work better. For history this week, I introduced the Holocaust for one lesson which was quite a heavy subject, but the students took it in well. I've also been using more ICT in my history lessons, incorporating power points and more group work which seems to be working quite well. I only have 2 weeks left so I really hope to make the most of it and learn as much as I can while I'm still a pre-service teacher and have such a wonderful support basis.
Week 4 Placement:
One more week done and I can't believe I only have a week left of my final placement! This week I really tried to experiment a lot with my lessons. I am feeling quite confident in front of the class now and I am trying to see what work and what doesn't. I found that for my ESL classes, a lot of the students didn't know their fellow students and as group work is so important for studying in Australia and at Universities, I really tried to incorporate lots of group work and activities into my lessons. The students really enjoyed it and I made sure to make subjects like grammar and revision a bit more exciting with revision games like bingo, or silent ball with students revising what they had learnt. I always made sure after the activity that as a class we would reflect on what worked/what didn't and what we learnt from the activity. For my assessment pieces, I heavily scaffolded the work for students needing it and scaffolded the assignments on a general basis for a majority of the class. For my history class, I included a lot of activities that encouraged empathy, as noted by ACARA. This helped the students relate a lot more to the subject matter and enjoy the subject more. There was a lot more freedom this week to be flexible with my planning and although a lot was covered, it was covered in depth and students learnt a lot. Overall, I feel a lot more confident after this week and really enjoyed taking risks and seeing students encourage themselves and others and grow in confidence and knowledge.
Week 5 Placement:
Wow, last week done and dusted for the final ever placement! We were lucky enough to spend the last day with a school activity called the 'Big Day In'. This is a day in which the students hold food stalls from all different countries and hold a music concert that displays their talents. It was a great day and it was wonderful to see the students so proud of all their creations.The last week of classes included closing up the unit of work, handing up assessments, revision and class parties. It was a great week and I felt very confident in my classes. It was sad to say good bye to the students, but I was very proud of how far they had gotten during the last 5 weeks. I am looking forward to putting what I learnt this and last placement into action in the future and as a qualified teacher.
-" Thank you so much for helping me these days, you are a really good teacher and I think you did a different way to teach us how to study English and how to make friend, it is really helpful!" -year 11 ESL student
Marryatville High School-Practicum One:
Week 1 Placement:
It's the first week of placement at Marryatville High School. I am feeling nervous yet excited. My first day went well, I met all my fellow placement teachers and they were really nice, there were a few new faces as well which was good. We had an orientation around Marryatville, it is a beautiful school with lots of great facilities. Their tennis courts were amazing and they have a new building full of classrooms which was also really nice. I met my classes and mentors. I will be teaching year 8 English as a Second Lanuage and ISEC- the intensive English program for PLP and home economics. I am really excited at what this placement will bring. My mentors are really nice and supportive and my classes are really nice as well. The ISEC class has a diverse range of ages and capabilities- some students are only just learning English while others are quite proficient.
This week has been only observation which has been good. It means I have been able to grasp the programs such as Day Map, get to know students names, observe the teachers behavioural managment and teaching strategies, plan for the following week and get to know how the school works.
Week 2 Placement
First week of teaching done and dusted. It has been a very educational and interesting week. I learnt alot about how important it is to scaffold my work and be clear with my directions. I also learnt not to do so much teacher talk and incorporate group and pair work into my activities. I found this week to very challenging but rewarding. I found the teaching to be invigorating, nerve racking and exciting. I incorporated activities such as group work, pair and share, individual work and drama. These seemed to work well and increase the students confidence in class, getting to know eachother and in speaking English. I feel I have learnt alot this week and although it has been very challenging, it has been equally as rewarding. I look forward to what the next week brings.
Week 3 Placement
This week has been a good opportunity to start feeling more comfortable in the role of teaching. Although I am still very new to it all, I am beginning to understanding and use different strategies in the class and see what works and what doesn't. I am enjoying the challenge that teaching brings and am finding reflection and liasing with mentor teachers and other teachers to be very important. I am so lucky to have such supportive and encouraging mentors! After every class they will write down a list of things I have done well and what I can improve on which I am finding very useful. This week, we cooked in Home - Ec, I can already see the students improving in their listening skills. I am enjoying the atmosphere of Marryatville and the community feel. By now I am getting to know the students individual personalities and strengths and weaknesses in which I am trying to cater my teaching and assesment style towards. This has been working well and I am really enjoying the challenge of scaffolding the tasks I am giving and making sure to be very concious of what I say, how I say it and making sure my instructions, praise and teachings are all very clear for the students.
Week 4 Placement
By now, I have started to really find my feet, only two weeks to go! Time definently goes fast when your having fun. By now, I have a clear understanding of how the school works and what, as a teacher, is expected. I am really happy with the way the students are developing and learning. I have set a few assesment tasks this week which have needed clear instructions and examples. I make sure my communication is very clear and that students have a thorough understanding of what is expected of them. This week, I have been incorporating more drama based activities into the class, so that students can gain confidence when in front of the class, in their spoken English and working as groups. There are many different levels in the ISEC class, from some students who have very low level English to those quite preficient. I am finding this a challenge to cater for such a diverse range of needs, but I can see the students are interested and trying really hard and this makes it a lot easier. I am incorporating ICT into my lessons and getting the students to write letters home so that the assessment has a personal touch. The year 8's are working on a newsletter text piece on a production about the sea. They really enjoyed it and through thorough scaffolding, the students are doing a really good job of their newsletter piece. I have found throughout the last few weeks that praise really is the key to productivity. I have been ensuring to use this tactic throughout my lessons and am finding it is helping me a lot to build a strong repoir with the students and helps me to earn their trust and respect. Next week is the last week, so I am going to ensure to make the most out of it and try my hardest.
Week 5 Placement
And..... it's the final week of my first placement done. I thoroughly enjoyed this week and found it a very rewarding experience. It was so nice to get such great feedback from my mentors and classes. We had a few class parties to celebrate which was lots of fun and I am sad to leave. A few things I have learnt in the last few weeks:
-scaffold, scaffold, scaffold. You can never do enough when ESL teaching
-clear and comprehensive explanations- always be concious of your wording and explain what you say in a clear and relatable context
-don't do too much teacher talk- students will block off and won't always understand what you are saying
-praise is very important and a crucial part for productive and positive learning
-flexibility- you never know how a lesson will go or what mood the students are in, it's important to be flexible with your tasks
-change lesson activities around- the same things will get boring, experiment, if it doesnt work, try something different
-don't be too hard on yourself if a lesson doesn't work out the way you expected, I found I did this, but I soon learnt that punishing yourself wouldn't make it easier
It's a great feeling to have achieved so much in a small amount of time. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I feel excited for the next placement and what else I can learn and experience.
Marryatville High School-Practicum Two:
Week 1 Placement:
Back at Marryatville for my second placement and I am really enjoying being back and feeling familiar with the school. I have year 11 ESL, year 10 ESL, Year 10 History and I have taken on Year 11 Research Project for the international students. Although I am doing four subjects, I am enjoying the busyness of it and feeling more prepared for when we join the real workforce and teaching. My mentors and students are really nice and I have a feeling it will be a good but busy placement. I observed for a few days but started teaching at the end of the week which was good for getting into the swing of things and gaining confidence. I will be teaching a lot of about research for ESL and Australia in WW2 for history. I am interested to learn about the research project as I did not do it at school and haven't learnt a lot about it at uni. I hope to incorporate some more strategies that I have learnt this placement and really incorporate the AITSL standards into my teaching.
Week 2 Placement:
I have found this a challenging but rewarding week. Doing 4 subjects definitely takes up more time but I am finding the research project to be very interesting and I realise its an important subject to have behind you as a teacher. For history this week I introduced the beginning, causes and Europe in WW2 as defined by ACARA. The class responded well to the subject and I am looking forward to bring Australia's involvement into it. For year 11 and year 10 I have been reviewing essay and research points. I have been trying to make the grammar points more interesting and am hoping to incorporate some more interesting group and team activities into the lessons.
Week 3 Placement:
This week I have experimented a bit more with my lessons. I found that by making the classes swap around and change the classroom structure around there was a lot more energy within the class and the students were talking to people they don't usually talk to. I did this with my ESL classes and incorporated a lot more group work activities into my lessons. Although the students at first were hesitant, they soon got the idea and joined in. It took a few tries but It soon started to work better. For history this week, I introduced the Holocaust for one lesson which was quite a heavy subject, but the students took it in well. I've also been using more ICT in my history lessons, incorporating power points and more group work which seems to be working quite well. I only have 2 weeks left so I really hope to make the most of it and learn as much as I can while I'm still a pre-service teacher and have such a wonderful support basis.
Week 4 Placement:
One more week done and I can't believe I only have a week left of my final placement! This week I really tried to experiment a lot with my lessons. I am feeling quite confident in front of the class now and I am trying to see what work and what doesn't. I found that for my ESL classes, a lot of the students didn't know their fellow students and as group work is so important for studying in Australia and at Universities, I really tried to incorporate lots of group work and activities into my lessons. The students really enjoyed it and I made sure to make subjects like grammar and revision a bit more exciting with revision games like bingo, or silent ball with students revising what they had learnt. I always made sure after the activity that as a class we would reflect on what worked/what didn't and what we learnt from the activity. For my assessment pieces, I heavily scaffolded the work for students needing it and scaffolded the assignments on a general basis for a majority of the class. For my history class, I included a lot of activities that encouraged empathy, as noted by ACARA. This helped the students relate a lot more to the subject matter and enjoy the subject more. There was a lot more freedom this week to be flexible with my planning and although a lot was covered, it was covered in depth and students learnt a lot. Overall, I feel a lot more confident after this week and really enjoyed taking risks and seeing students encourage themselves and others and grow in confidence and knowledge.
Week 5 Placement:
Wow, last week done and dusted for the final ever placement! We were lucky enough to spend the last day with a school activity called the 'Big Day In'. This is a day in which the students hold food stalls from all different countries and hold a music concert that displays their talents. It was a great day and it was wonderful to see the students so proud of all their creations.The last week of classes included closing up the unit of work, handing up assessments, revision and class parties. It was a great week and I felt very confident in my classes. It was sad to say good bye to the students, but I was very proud of how far they had gotten during the last 5 weeks. I am looking forward to putting what I learnt this and last placement into action in the future and as a qualified teacher.