2014 has come to an end and 2015 begins so I thought it worth reflecting on the lessons learnt in 2014 and how I can use what I have learnt to improve my practice in 2015.
Lesson 1 - Communicate
As I develop as an educational practitioner I am increasingly aware of the need for good communication both up and down the command line. The more people aware of the direction you wish to head and the more aware you are of the direction that others wish to head the more chance of getting to the planned destination successfully. Like most young teachers I am filled with ambition and have joined the teaching profession to attempt to make a real positive difference to children's lives. I am full of ideas of how we can maximize learning opportunities for the children but now better understand that these ideas come to fruition much easier if everyone is aware of what the ideas are and the benefits to them.
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| Christmas Market an idea that came to fruition! |
Lesson 2 - Routine
Having a good routine for non-contact time before and after school is imperative for keeping on top of planning, preparation and assessment. Although there are incidents where it may be impossible to keep your routine returning back to it as soon as possible helps keep you on top of the workload. The best routine I have had is arriving half an hour before school and spending 15 minutes talking to staff, 15 minutes preparing the classroom. After school I have all the books open ready to be marked, write down a quick evaluation (what went well? what could we improve?), tidy the classroom and if possible plan the following weeks lessons at least in rough. When I am able to keep that routine I feel on top of the workload and the learners can see and discuss their feedback in the next lesson.
Lesson 3 - Collaborate
This goes back towards communication however collaboration is a good way of making the most of resources and experience from other educational professionals. One of the best and certainly most exciting learning experiences that the learners in my class had last year was when @davidleighevans came in to do some STEM work.
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| STEM work, creative designs using gears and levers. |
I am also a newly converted fan of online forums on twitter such as @edchat and @primaryrocks. Although initially apprehensive about joining in a chat on twitter especially after 6pm I have found it to be a good community to share ideas while lounging on the sofa with a cup of coffee, sometimes even with the football on!
The Past Year
Star: - The Christmas market was a pretty special event this year. I was so proud of the work that the learners put into it and it was fantastic to see an idea that I had work so well in practice. It would not have been possible without fantastic staff and fantastic learners working towards the same goal.
Wish: - My wish in the summer was to have better mid term and long term planning and that is something I still want to improve upon. Hopefully this year I can put together an effective plan and share it with my colleagues so that we can work together to help our learners reach their potential.
The Year Ahead
My goals for 2014/2015 were to set up an Etwinning opportunity with at least one other school, run an adventure club and introduce new ICT opportunities for learners all of those goals have been met which is very pleasing. I hope to continue the Etwinning project by putting together a video made by the learners about our school and putting it on to our school website. I would like to increase the amount of collaborative feedback and give learners an opportunity to suggest how they would like to learn. I also hope that the work I cover in Year 2 of my Masters in Educational Practice can lead to exciting learning opportunities for the learners i teach.
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