This time next week...

Hello again!

Thanks to David for positively publicising my blog! Hope a few of you reading this get something worthwhile from it - even if it is just to realise that there are other student teachers out there having bad days as well!! But as David points out, even on those tough days, there will always be something positive to focus on!

Well, I dont know about anybody else but I am shattered - its only bloomin' Tuesday as well!! Today was quite busy but Im feeling much better than I did this time last week! I think my little fright last week was enough to remind me I can't sit back and assume good discipline etc will always prevail. I need to be constantly on top of it, and reviewing classroom discipline to improve it. Not only have I taken it into account for the class I will have my 'crit' with next week, but it has been useful to remind myself about my expectations of discipine and behaviour with all my classes.

I had my mid-placement review today, and it went really well. We discussed my strengths - organisation, planning, resources, classroom management, and discipline. And the acting PT was really helpful in suggesting ways to improve my areas for development - assessment, pupil rapport and pace of lessons. Im going to be assessing the third year exams and helping all the teachers in the department with marking. As I'v said before, my rapport with pupils is something which I really want to focus on but am finding hard during the intensity of the placement as a student. I still feel a bit like I am 'acting' when I stand up in front of the pupils, and not being the real me. I think its hard during placement when the classes you are taking arent really your own, and you know you have to give them back at the end of the placment! Do any other students feel similarly?? It it something which I will continue to focus on during lessons, and by considering the pace of lessons I will hopefully have more time to devote to forming relationships with the pupils.

Last period with the class my tutor will visit next week went well. I moved the class into the other room as suggested by the teacher, and what a difference it made. I also insisted on lining up quietly before entering the room, and enforced a seating plan which I'd spent time thinking about. The lesson itself was quite basic - it was reinforcing the colour work we had started last week, but by simplyfying it, I felt I could concentrate on classroom management and discipline. I realise I need to ensure the pace of my lessons do not become to slow however, encouraging underachievement, I used positive reinforcement and praise as much as possible and it was successful in keeping pupils on task. The class were all engaged in the lesson and their designs are looking great. There was however a problem with two boys who I noticed at the start of the peiod had not swapped seats. Instead of disrupting the lesson and asking them to return to their designated seats (which I wish I had done!) I continued with the lesson. After two warnings regarding distracting each other I isolated one of the boys. Because I had told him he had the choice of how to behave when I had warned him, the isolation really worked because he knew he had controlled the situation. Can you tell I read 'Getting the buggers to behave' at the weekend?? Haha!

Anyway, I'm off to write up my mid-placement review and get planning my day for tomorrow! Thanks again for the comments!