‘Communities of inquiry are places that emphasise the active
strategic nature of learning, where children routinely engage in a search for
understanding and effort after meaning and in which they develop insight into
their own strengths and weaknesses and access to their own repertoires of
strategies for learning…And in communities of inquiry, members are critically
dependent on each other, expertise is deliberately distributed, no one is an
island; no one knows it all; collaborative learning is necessary for survival.
This interdependence promotes an atmosphere of joint responsibility, mutual
respect, and a sense of personal and group identity.’ (Claxton 1999)
'How do we square that circle?
Many brilliant people, think they're not.'
At this stage, which aspect(s) of
teaching you do you find most interesting and rewarding?
I find planning and experimenting with ways
to promote autonomy amongst learners interesting and motivational. I have concentrated my efforts during BP2 on celebrating
student work in KS3, after half term, I have organised a Year 9 Fashion Show to
share Body Adornment outcomes with the whole school. I have a concrete belief in all young people
and strive to give students confidence and belief through peer critique plenaries
and practical starter activities. I find
that this way of ‘teaching’ promotes shared responsibility for quality and
achievement amongst learners.
I have a deep interest in vocabulary, words
and communication. The work of Tim
Ryland’s has had a deep impact on my first year in the classroom. I have a ‘need to know’ attitude towards
communicating and developing relationships with students. I want them to always see me as the adult in
the room who is interested in them and I have tried to develop a culture in the
classroom whereby each child knows exactly what it is that they need to do to
achieve and exceed their potential. In
my classroom a target grade is never a stopping point. Each student is encouraged to achieve their
perception of ‘outstanding’.
What has led to your interest in these
areas?
My interest in the building of a constructivist environment
in the classroom has stemmed from my upbringing as the daughter of a primary
school Head teacher and the granddaughter of a primary school teacher. I have been brought up on ‘teacher talk’ and
had already begun forming opinions, ideas and my own identity as 'teacher' before commencing PGCE last
September. This year input from Paul
Ginnis and Tim Rylands alongside excellent, thought provoking in house training both on
BP1 and 2 have developed this identity further.
I am inherently interested in a Mantle of The Expert
approach to curriculum and have taken time during BP2 to research and read the
work of Dorothy Heathcote. Students are
given the chance to become the expert and practice divergent thinking. There are lots of possible answers in my
classroom and divergent thinking is encouraged and exercised throughout lessons. I spend lots of time
setting up experiences and organising/collecting/making resources so that I am able to give only 10% input as the ‘speaker’. I
let the students explore and engineer their own curriculum whilst I input ‘skill demonstrations’ as the
need for them appears. Mostly I will
allow and encourage students to ‘teach’ and share with each other.
How would you like to develop these
interests?
I
currently spend one afternoon a week in primary education, observing and
gaining insight in to that which comes before secondary education. This has helped me when working with year
seven students in particular. Rather than
‘batch’ the students in my classroom when it comes to differentiation. I spend time with the SENCO and allow
students to explore together before stepping in with scaffolding/differentiated
starting points. I have seen this year
that expectations/predictions of students must remain moveable.
I would
like to continue spending time in primary education during my NQT year. I have also been excited by results obtained
from my DCR intervention and would hope to continue this research on a whole school
scale.
As you approach the award of QTS,
what do you consider to be your main strengths and achievements as a teacher?
I have been commended on my high expectations of students during both
BP1 and 2. At the outset of PGCE I had
worries about behaviour management due to my quiet voice and hopes for a calm
classroom environment. I soon found that
the content of your classroom experience as a teacher can be used as a vehicle
for behaviour management. If a student
is engaged and invested in their learning, in most cases there is little time
for challenging behaviour. I spend time
finding out what interests students and plan lessons around these snippets of
insight. I also find that calm is mirrored and I try to avoid challenging student behaviour with an audience. I make clear to students that there is always 'chance to change', particularly within lessons.
High expectations also help to eradicate challenging behaviour. If a student feel that you believe they will
contribute and progress during your lesson, they appear to want to be in the
room and share their work and ideas.
‘I need to know your name’, works like magic when you first meet a
student. ‘I need to know your ideas’ can
light up even the most despondent eyes.
What examples do you have of your achievements
in these areas?
Year 10 GCSE coursework examples
from this year at my BP2 school are experimental, exhaustive of ideas and
outcomes are vastly different. The outcomes
reflect personal interests and demonstrate independent journeys. I believe that my interest in self chosen
themes and my insistence that students share these ideas with their peers
alongside setting and sharing personal goals has resulted in high quality
folder work and outcomes.
3 In which aspects of teaching would you
value further experience in the future?
Aspects of teaching about which you feel less confident, or
where you have had limited opportunities to gain experience;
I feel unconfident in some aspects
of my subject knowledge, for example CAD/CAM, ECT and Engineering.
I have gained great reward from working closely alongside the SENCO during BP2, in particular finding the 'right' LSA for a student with an ASD. I would like to build on this knowledge during my NQT year.
Areas of particular strength or interest on which you want to
build further.
I have very much enjoyed working within the Art Department
whilst on BP2 and have attempted to promote cohesion between the subject areas
in order to engage male students in Art.
I am constantly trying to instil the notion of ‘material drawing’. I would like to build on this using a
combination of hand made exercises alongside CAD/CAM. I tell my students ‘if you ‘can’t draw’ with
a pencil, pick up some wire…’
At the moment, which of these areas do you
particularly hope to develop during your induction period?
I hope to take part in more external training and also to
share teaching and learning ideas within my first appointment school. I feel that once you stop looking outside and
evolving your teaching strategies and methodologies, the quality of the
learning experience for your students, their progress and interest will wane.
For my own personal growth, I would like to take part in
training on CAD/Cam within textiles.
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