NewVic Interview (2)

For this interview:

1) Complete a 30mins task asking how I would assess my students to ensure they are learning.

I made sure I listed all the different ways I check students are learning and gave examples of how I implemented each one in my lessons.

2) Micro tech on photographic composition 

This was something I was more comfortable with teaching. To ensure I wasn't pitching to high I decided to do it on the 'rule of thirds':

• I gave out pieces of numbered paper to ensure I differentiated. I didn't know their names so I found this a better way of aiding and using Q&A. 
• I introduced the lesson 
• Looked at what composition is 
• Looked at what the rule of thirds means
• Looked at visual examples to support this as well as a video 
• I told one of the learners to come up and demonstrate the rule of thirds on the board 
• Task: I gave learners a selection of backgrounds and cut-outs of funny animals/celeb photos and objects and told them to arrange them on the paper to demonstrate the rule of thirds 
• On a whim I told them to get out their camera phones and take pictures of their examples and use their camera phones to crop and angle the photos

3) Interview with a panel of students 

This consisted of a panel of 8-10 learners who asked 6 questions regarding engaging learners, diverse assessment methods, disruptive students and classroom management. 

4) Tour of the college 

5) Final interview (Short list - I made it through) 

This consisted of similar questions to the students panel interview with additional questions on the implementation of ICT, diverse homework tasks, comprehensive idea, progression, classroom management and what I thought about my micro teach. 

There was only 3 of us left and I was admittedly hopeful. I made sure I:

• Constantly gave examples 
• Referred to my experience as a learners 
• Referred to my experience as a supervisor in the industry

Admittedly there were a 1/2 questions I did not do very well in. I knew the interview was going to be the hardest thing for me but I was hoping my previous tasks would shine. 

This whole experience lasted 7 hours and I was the last one out the college. It was the most nerve wracking experience ever! I have never felt so sick from nerves in my life!

I got a call 2 days later…You haven't got the job. 

Words cannot describe how sad I was. My confidence took another blow. I listened to my feedback:

• You did a very good micro teach with good differentiating but it was pitched a little low 
• The students liked you 
• There were a few questions you could have done better in (ICT and homework Qs)
• Assessment task was good 
• We particularly liked your reference to your experience as a learner and middle manager 
• We feel you lacked technical experience: Photoshop/Indesign/Illustrator and we want a teacher who can come in and already possess this knowledge 
• We feel you would fit very well with this college so if another position opens up we would like it if you applied 

At that last point I wanted to burst into tears and yell at the phone… So why didn't I get the job!?

So maybe I wasn't right for that particular job but I felt like in the end it came down to the back that I had a lack of knowledge in computer software used to edit/manipulate/organise images. I knew this was a weakness and I addressed it by saying I was happy to join courses that will enable me to develop in those areas. (I was also happy to pay and course only lasted a week)

Maybe its a sign ?/@*&

Interview (1) BSix

BSix 

I applied for an A Level Media teacher position. I worked so hard preparing for the interview, its possibly one of the most stressful things I have ever done in my life. That and some aspects of actual teaching.

1) I had an interview with a member of management, HR assistant and head of department.

2) I had to do a micro lesson on how new technologies are changing the way audiences watch film to a mixed group of students.  

3) Exercise on marking an A level piece of film work, a film trailer to be specific.

5) Tour of the college

6) Reflective entry on my whole experience

People thought I was going to get the job because I was an NQT who was already familiar with staff and students. I stayed till the end and worked over 200 hours of teaching. However, I received a call saying I did not get the job.

Feedback 

I went to one of the interviewers to get feedback. I needed to:

• Give my answers and constantly back them up with examples of what I have done or what I want to do 
• Refer to my experience as a learners and member of management within the industry. Make connections. 
• Improve my teaching - I was graded a 2 with elements of 3. Admittedly it was not my best performance but I was still shocked. The micro teach is the deal breaker. Thats where they see what you're really made of. 
• Structure my answers 

The advice that was given to me was actually very helpful. In the end, I was not strong in the interview and micro teach. I was up against an experienced, graded outstanding and number one in his department teacher. I already lost.

Although I completely understood why I didn't get the job I was still gutted and my confidence took a blow. Nonetheless I decided to try again…  

Impact of Education on Local Area

Sir Michael Wilshaw, asked whether the Further Education sector could be considered “fit for purpose”. (Ofsted: 4: 2012 cited in Cannicott. S: 11: nd) He concluded that there were significant challenges with the quality of teaching and governance but did not attempt to define what a college’s core purpose should be. Yet looking at the characteristics of the school leavers enrolled at colleges, it is evident that colleges are well positioned to be drivers of social mobility, particularly when it comes to working with school leavers. More than 850,000 16-18 year olds attended a college in 2012. (Cannicott. S: 12: nd) I will be focusing on how my placement college: Brook House Sixth Form college has attempted to, through a selection of policies, to widen participation and inclusion, and how this may have encouraged personal development, economic growth and community regeneration.

Background

Bsix college is based in the London Borough of Hackney, which is the second most deprived borough in the country and the fourth most diverse in London with over 100 languages being spoken. Despite this information, Hackney has gone through a lot of developments. The most telling statistic of change, however, is that in 2006 32% of residents were educated to degree level whereas now the figure is 48%, at the London average but well above the national average of 34%. This transformation, fuelled by an influx of young graduates, is most rapid and most visible in Clapton, the home area of BSix. This rapid change has also has a direct effect on areas as ‘murder mile’ (as was) on the Lower Clapton Road, has been a deterrent for some young people and their parents. After a serious reputational, educational and financial crisis in 2007-09 the College has stabilised at 1520-50 full-time students. The student cohort reflects the diversity of East London. The biggest groups are Black African (31%), White (19%) and African Caribbean (9%). The gender breakdown is 60% female and 40% male. 65% of students receive some form of financial support from the College.

Widening participation and inclusion

Bsix aims to encourage young people from diverse backgrounds: ethnicity, socio-economic, home language, gender, special needs, disability, and giftedness to continue and aim higher through education. Education is seen as something to aid learners to progress and achieve in life and for this reason, they particularly focus on low achievers and learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is reflected in their (lack of) entry requirements, which are generally, lower than other colleges I compared them to in Hackney. As a result, BSix offer a wide range of courses at all levels from entry to advance.

Additionally, they attract earners from a wide range of ethic backgrounds, which provides for a celebratory and anti-discriminatory atmosphere: "The college provides a harmonious and stimulating learning environment in which students feel safe and happy. The cultural diversity of the students gives the college its distinctive character and is celebrated widely" (Ofsted: 2013)

Partnership with secondary schools and universities

According to the Bsix website, I could see that the college is in partnership with a number of local secondary schools and Russell group universities, which provides learners with a gateway into further and higher education as well as attracting learners from ethnic minority backgrounds. To name a few: Tawhid Boys School (private muslim school), Petchy Academy, Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Oxford. Bsix also works with them to enable students to visit the universities and get a taste of university life and higher education as well receiving expertise in certain subject areas. This gives learners a steadier pathway into higher education and enables them to really explore their chosen area of study. As a result BSix was 2011 winner for the outstanding provider of the year and later won a TES FE award.

Student Voice

Despite still being in the process of being perfected, the college attempts to involve students within the management of the college through its programme of Learning Advocates (similar to student representatives). They are trained to observe lessons and to judge the quality of what we offer. They have also spoken at many conferences to leaders in schools and sixth form colleges. This coupled with student surveys offer the college an opportunity to critically reflect on its inner workings. Ofsted state: "Inspection by students who are trained thoroughly to carry out the role, has been introduced and makes a valuable contribution to reviews of the quality of provision." (2013)

References

Brook House Sixth Form College Website. Last viewed 18^th June 2014. Access online: www.bsix.ac.uk

Bsix (2014) Background Information for Applicants Available online. Access: www.bsix.ac.uk

Cannicott. S with Kempton. J and McDaniel. S (nd) Smarter Accountability in Further Education. Last viewed June 20^th 2014. Access online: http://www.centreforum.org/assets/pubs/smarter-accountability-web.pdf

Ofsted (2013) Brook House Sixth Form College Ofsted Report. Last viewed June 16^th 2014. Access online:

http://www.bsix.ac.uk/PDF/Staff/BSix%20Brooke%20House%20Published%20Report.pdf

Ofsted (2012) The report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills: Learning and skills, p.4. In Cannicott. S with Kempton. J and McDaniel. S (nd) Smarter Accountability in Further Education. Last viewed June 20^th 2014. Access online: http://www.centreforum.org/assets/pubs/smarter-accountability-web.pdf

Coming to an end

I've decided that I should take an element of Brookfield's reflective lenses further. I want to create a questionnaire for my learners that will hopefully open my eyes to what they really think about my classes and teaching methods. This will enable me to see the areas I might need to improve in. 

When I get my own classes I will implement a sort of questionnaire/evaluation/ILP at the beginning of the year, middle and end to really see what students think about their learning experience, the college, theirs and my developmental needs, goals and target, learning needs, and any other difficulties.

Anyway, I am going to give out the student surveys nearer to the end. 

Photography Unit

I've been quietly reflecting on my photography unit and I feel like I could have planned it in more depth and possible used a wider and more diverse range of assessment methods.

Combo disciplines

I think I should have made more of an attempt to combine sociology into media. Certainly for the more capable students with the theory.

Assessment methods/sketchbook:

-    despite putting pictures on the wall of what a distinction sketchbook should look like and the list of subjects that were needed. I found learners were still clueless when it came to putting it together. Reflecting on it now, I think I should have put posters up to illustrate generic examples of what the layout of the sketchbook might look like. For learners who find sketchbook daunting, I will allow them to use A3 pieces of paper to illustrate their journeys and ask them to keep a production diary that they fill at the the end of each lesson.

Photographs:

-    learners started taking their photographs really late in the unit. I wanted them to manage their time and independently allocate time to take the photographs and improve them within the given time slot which was 3 weeks. Most of them didn't and if they did, the photographs were rushed with no context. Next time, I will set up a collection of deadlines so learners can tackle each task step by step. In order not to impinge on their autonomy, I will accompany learners on some of their final productions and support them in terms of their confidence and idea development.

Course Curriculum

Module 3 has played a significant role in the development of my teaching practice and ideas. My independent research, during the planning of my course, led me to the investigation of the praxis, process and hidden curriculum models, which ultimately led me to question our current education system, purpose and context, subject hierarchy and my role as a teacher. I focused on critical and emancipatory pedagogies as well as equality and diversity ideology to enhance the incorporation of inclusivity. The process of creating my course enabled me to understand further what kind of teacher I wanted to be as I analysed my position in teaching, the way I chose to encourage learning and the change in my values. My main influences were: Michael Apple, Paulo Freire, Ken Robinson and Dr Christine Rose. Like myself, they all reject structures such as selective, narrative and banking education. However, I was disappointed with the way in which education seemed to be shifting away from curriculums such as process and praxis, and becoming more focused on the product model. Curriculum should aim to create expressive, creative individuals with the skills, knowledge and criticality needed to make a difference and equip them for life. I reflected on my teaching and role as a teacher:

I analysed the way in which I encouraged my students to engage and learn. I noticed that I moved away from my original purpose for coming into teaching and got caught up in the pressure to perform as a teacher. Within this pressure there was a growing need to provide evidence of ‘good’ teaching. Module three enabled me to revaluate my role. I wanted to adopt ideas from the above theorists and incorporate them into my teaching but I found that the current climate in education meant that my efforts were aspirational or difficult to achieve because of my lack of experience. In accordance to the implementation to ICT, I found myself wanting to take a step back from the age of information. I think that like all things it has its advantages and disadvantages, however, I do not think it is a vital element in producing an Ofsted grade one. In my case, teaching media is ICT heavy but I find it frustrating that learners have used ICT or rather the Internet as their sole method of research so I have made it compulsory for learners to include references to books in their writing.

Further Reading: 

Apple. W M (2004) Ideology and Curriculum (3rd edn). RoutledgeFalmer, New York and London

Freire. P (2003) ‘From Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ In: Darder. A, Baltodano. M, Torres. D.R. ed. The Critical Pedagogy Reader. RoutledgeFalmer: New York, London

Freire. P (1972) Cultural Action for Freedom, Penguin education. Penguin, Harmondsworth

Rose. C (2010) Embedding E&D within Curriculum Planning and Teaching and Learning Delivery – Guide by Dr Christine Rose distributed at City and Islington College Professional Development Day 9th July 2010

TED (2006) Ken Robinson: How Schools Kill Creativity, February 2006. Viewed 21 March 2014. Access online: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

Homework Continued

As expected, learners did not do their homework but their enthusiasm to get a merit/distinction was refreshing so I decided to have a gentle talk with them. I have found that the imbalance of teaching hours means learners uphold a unit over another. For example, they will have video production classes 2-3hours a day and compared to other units which only get 1 hour. I have tried to extend this by adding workshops to the lessons especially during practical tasks but it doesn't always work because learners end up doing other pieces of work. According to other teachers, learners are unable to prioritise their lessons. This is mainly due to the fact that they do not do homework. I shared with them, the way in which I juggle university, teaching, work and homework:

Monday: teaching

Tuesday: teaching

Wednesday: university

Thursday: teaching

Friday: teaching

Saturday: off

Sunday: work (paid)

"By the way guys, I don't get paid to teach you..."

Their facial expressions were priceless and it put them in their place. In the end end I gave them individual targets. Each learner was (for now) required to do at least 1 hour homework except for one learner who was ahead, I decided to give her a target of 2-3 hours.

Despite all this effort I think the college itself needs to be tougher on entrenching rules on doing homework.

Homework

I have come to the conclusion that I need to get the students to do homework. Sadly, they never do homework and this is obvious from the fact that they have a tendency to hand in their assignments late. I was told that it is a requirement for learners to do a minimum of 5 hours homework and reading outside of college but this is not being emulated with the year 2 BTEC media class. 

I gave the learners feedback and told them to improve their worksheets, complete the extension tasks and work on documentary photography. I half heartedly asked them to do it over the weekend and give it to me on monday. To be honest I am expecting a disappointing result but I am going to prepare myself for this:

• Ask why it has not be done (Get their side of the story)
• Reward (hopefully) whoever has completed it through accommodation cards
• Highlight time management and responsibility 
• Make connections with university and deadlines 
• Make connections with the workplace and deadline 
• Highlight the fact that I am a trainee student teacher and I am juggling work, university and teaching and still manage to meet deadlines. 
• Keep them back to complete the work if I need to 

I need to try get leaners to do homework. This is where I will really test behaviourism and humanism. 

Using Schon

Now I am doing the photography unit, I decided to challenge the learners by teaching them semiotics.

Level
I found whilst teaching them 'signifier' and 'signified, I may have confused them. They seemed to grasp denotation and connotation better so I decided to stick to that when asking them to use semiotics as a method to look at images.

I think I should think about rehearsing. I know this is not something I will probably do in the future but hopefully that will be because I will have gained more experience.

Timing
I initially thought that my presentation and the work sheets would consume the lesson's time but I had 15 minutes remaining and so I thought on my feet (thank you Schon) and decided to give them an extension task to find either a photographic, advertising or magazine image and use semiotics to deconstruct it.

For future lessons, I will need to consider adding extension tasks for students who are ahead as I am trying to encourage learners to use their sketchbooks, I will use them to get learners to do extra research or develop their ideas in their books.

Marking 
At the end I got back all the worksheets and marked them. I sat there and thought about the way I marked:

• What colour pen shall I use?
• Shall I make a distinction when another student does better work e.g. "excellent work" or "very good work"?
• Should I give feedback on work that will eventually be stuck in their sketchbook?

I think I will ask my mentor for some advice and look at some previous marking they have done so I have a better way of approaching this. 

Trust

"They seem to trust you with their problems but be careful you don't get too involved…" A teacher said to me after the string of learners coming to me with their problems. I assured them that I was aware of the safeguarding policy and that I always made it clear to learners that if the issue effected their safety, I had to refer them or let another teacher know. 

I was told by two teacher that I should distant myself from learners with major problems (safeguarding issues) because I might end up getting caught up in it. I think they said this to protect me and did not mean anything negative but I still felt a little uneasy with what they said. I was pleased that learners trusted me enough with their problems and I did not mind if they needed to talk to me privately about anything. I just made a mental note:

• Make it clear to the learner that you are not a professional - You are a teacher not a trained councillor 
• Know about what support the college offers learners with problems 
• Inform learners that if the issue effects their health and safety, I have a duty to refer them and let another member of staff know 
• Listen to what the learner says but do not put words in their mouth 
• Ask learners if anyone else knows about the issue and what support they are receiving 
• Ask other teacher if I can have access to the pro forma (Student records)
• Depending on the issue, inform tutor and head of department via email 

 

A Teacher Is...

So much more than just a teacher.

The day before I gave the student a blank art book: 'For when you cant articulate your feelings or emotions, write in this book... If you want, you can draw in it too. What you do with this book is up to you and who you show it too is entirely up to you but let it be a form of venting.'

 

Today, the same student came to me. After a rough night of being kicked out the house. The student looked exhausted and drained. I took the learner to their tutor who referred to 'Student Services'. I was told this was an ongoing problem.

 

Another student approached me yesterday: "I'm a father." I wasn't sure how to react but I was shocked. I let the learner know that this was a serious matter, which I was required to share with their tutor. I ran into a couple of problems, apparently this particular student has ADHD:

 

"ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that affects the parts controlling attention, concentration and impulsivity.

This means a child’s behaviour can be anything from being ‘very dreamy’ (or unable to pay attention) through to being ‘always on the go’ (or hyperactive). A person with ADHD has difficulty filtering out all the information coming into his brain, so he’s easily distracted, tends to respond before he has considered things properly and doesn’t know when to stop."

Read more: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/adhd/whatisadhd.htm#ixzz2nAy8jsyK

 

Although this was an issue, I tried to put my assumptions to the side. I have come into terms with the fact that learners are all diverse and with them comes various stories, background and experiences. For this reason it is important that I am aware of my boundaries as a trainee teacher: “The setting of professional and personal boundaries… is an important aspect of professionalism… a boundary is a limit on the extent of involvement.” (Francis and Gould: 2009: 12) As a teacher, I may encounter learners with varying degrees of needs such as disabilities, crime, refugees, health or housing issues. In these circumstances, it is important that I remain professional and objective and review points of referral to meet the learner’s needs.

Having said this, it dawned upon me that I am not very aware of all the help the college might offer for students these kinds of circumstances. In my previous college learners were given a diary which contained a long list of internal and external bodies that can support students by offering them information and advice. Any students in need of emotional support can be referred to the college’s counselling service or directed by them or myself to external bodies like the Samaritans (08457 909 090). There was also student finance (0845 302 1444), the National Drug Helpline (0800 776 600), career advice and a Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult team (020 7697 171) within the college.

 

I don't think the college I am in now has that much support but that could also be down to funding. Having been confided in by a couple of learners and in order to maintain good teaching practice, I will be going to 'Student Services' to speak to one of the staff about dealing with learners in difficult circumstances.



Learning Difficulties

To begin, I think it is important that I mention that I have a learning difficulty. I have found that a common misconception around people with learning difficulties is that we are all the same. 

When I tell people I am dyslexic, they are usually shocked because I apparently 'don't look it' or 'come across as having' a learning difficulty. I think this is because: 

• People are unaware of the different levels of learning difficulties
• Once a learner understands the way in which they learn and process information, the learning difficulty is no longer a difficulty 
• Learners are diverse and therefore must be recognised as individuals, which will ultimately affect the way they learn and how we support them.  For example some learners process information more easily through the use of coloured paper handouts whilst others do not. 

I think the best way to approach the situation as a teacher is to look at the ways in which that particular learner processes information and learns. Learners with learning difficulties need to be considered when planning and delivering inclusive learning and teaching. There are several ways I could support students with learning difficulties:

Differentiation

According to Gravells, differentiation is about: “using a range of different approaches and resources to meet the needs of individuals and groups.” (2012: 73) Using differentiation, I can select resources to meet the needs of my learners. Designing resources according to their ability and experience can do this. For example, students with learning difficulties tend to find it difficult to structure essays, I would create a worksheet showing how to construct an essay body or a list of alternative phrases and sentences. These worksheets can also be given to other students who may also benefit from them.

Resources

The resources I use can dictate the effectiveness of my teaching and learning strategies. According to Reece and Walker: “Increase understanding, reinforce key facts, create deeper learning, motivate… and simplify ideas.” (2006 cited Wilson: 2008: 73)  Resources are also important in meeting the needs of my learners and can add variety, which appeals to different learning styles. (Scales: 2008) 

In order to adapt and use a range of resources to meet my learners’ needs, I need to ensure that they are both accessible and inclusive. For example PowerPoint presentations can: incorporate other learning styles (still images, animations, video clips and sound/music), clearly present key points, be printed out as handouts and accessed online. I can also prepare clear handouts with images including one with media terminology and their definitions, create responsibility for their own learning, initiate peer support and communicate clearly without using slang or jargon. (Wilson: 2008) 

Assessment 

Just as resources and learning and teaching strategies are differentiated to meet the needs of all learners; there should also be variety of assessment methods available. To ensure my lessons are effective, I have to identify my learners’ needs, which can be done through an initial assessment. This will find out whether learners require additional support with literacy, numeracy, language or other disabilities. Carrying out assessments at an early stage can also help in identifying learners’ current level of knowledge (Wilson: 2008). Learning styles can also be assessed in order to understand my students’ preferred way of learning. Formative assessments are designed to check learners’ progression through informal methods such as quizzes, discussions or short tasks. If I use my own, I needs to take into account equality, diversity and treat each student as an individual. 

Records

Assessment records must be kept in order to monitor learners’ progression as well as evidence of the teacher’s observation of the learners’ performance. This can be done through initial or diagnostic assessments such ILP, which is also apart of self-assessment. Other records include tracking grades, progression reports, tutorial reviews and feedback. I have created my own form of record keeping for my learners so I can track their progression. I will also create a poster for the photography unit I will be teaching, so learners are aware of their progression with individual pieces of work. 

These records can also be used to assist teaching performance in delivering the subject and future lesson planning. (Wilson: 2008) For students who may not be performing well, teaching and learning strategies can be reassessed to check if they are meeting learners’ needs. In other cases assessment records can also be used to pin point any learning difficulties that a student may have such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. Once pint pointed the learner can be referred to a specialist and given special assessment requirements.

Task 2: Reflective Log Directed Entry 3 – Applying learning theory to teaching practice

For the purpose of this short assignment and as a result on reflecting on my own teaching, I will only be discussing the application of humanistic and behaviourist theory. I have come to the conclusion that keeping a balance plays a significant role in my teaching practice. One of my biggest worries when teaching is the balance between student and teacher relationship. I want to make sure I do not overstep the boundaries but I want to have good rapport with my learners and maintain professionalism. For this reason I have decided to adopt a mixture of the behaviouristic and humanistic approach.

Behaviouristic psychology:

> A person’s environment determines their behaviour hence we learn our behaviour from our environment or conditioning
> Humans are born as ‘blank slates’ and are moulded by their environment
> Humans and animals have similar ways of learning
> Behaviour can be reduced to a simple stimulus response

Humanism rejected the assumption of the behaviourist perspective which, focused on reinforcement of stimulus-response behaviour and heavily dependent on animal research.

The humanistic approach studies:
> Concentrates on individuals to find out, in depth, the ways in which people think or feel.
> Holism: The study of the whole person.
> Uniqueness of each individual: Humanism believes that an individual’s behaviour is connected to his or her inner feelings and self-concept.

Although the two approaches oppose each other, I think using both will ensure a balance within the classroom and my teaching practice. Within my placement I use a mixture to also help with the way I manage my class. I use ‘accommodation cards’ (similar to a voucher. Students accumulate these and get rewards) to reward good behaviour. This reward system motivates learners, creates healthy competition amongst them and helps discipline the class. The humanistic approach is very useful in understanding students’ needs and external factors that may affect their learning. One of the responsibilities of a teacher is to attempt to break down any boundaries that may hinder a students learning, however, there will be instances that we can not be helped and in these cases we will need to refer the learner. I have use the humanistic approach to help me deal with certain situations that requires an emotive response. An example of this is when a student approached me with a serious safeguarding issue. I asked the student if they wanted to talk about but was told by the student that they were unable to articulate their emotions. I decided to approach the matter by suggesting to the student that they can write about their feelings and thoughts instead and what they decide to do with the writing is entirely up to them. The student responded well to this and was able to communicate better.

Creative Arts

At my placement, I am fortunate enough to be a part of the creative arts team, which is a tight group of teachers who constantly discuss and share advice, ideas on lesson planning and difficulties with learners. They are like a small family.

Even though I have one mentor, it sometimes feels like I have a couple. I get a lot of advice and support from most, if not all, the teachers that work within that department. This has helped my confidence and has allowed me to explore other methods and strategies of teaching.

I often like to listen to their conversations because I learn so much from them. I learn a lot about the institution, teaching as a vocation and the diversity of learners. From their experience I understand further that teaching is something that is very much underestimated within our society and that parents rely on us to help their children. 

Music

Even though I am training to be a media teacher, I have been supporting music/radio lessons. Today I was asked to support some learners on the BTEC Music course. As it was my first time with this class, I went in with no assumptions and tried to get stuck in but found that the learners did to respond to me like my other classes did. By the end of the class I was a little confused but intrigued by the learners.

They were so diverse and I am not just talking about learning styles. The dynamics of the class and personalities are like no class I have ever been to…

The class has: 3 girls, 1 Asian guy, 1 Turkish guy and about 9 black guys.

I know I will get judged for highlighting their ethnicity, race and gender but I found that this is a crucial part of teaching. It helps us understand learners’ needs and gives us background knowledge of the area/community and college. I was told at the end of the class about the following students: 

> 1 learner has problems outside of college, which has affected their attendance and home life.

> 2 learners have learning difficulties, which means they have to be spoken to very slowly. Instructions have to be repeated because they often forget what is said to them by the time the sentence is finished. A light bulb flickered in my head when I was told this… No wonder they looked at me cluelessly! I  was explaining how they can structure their assignment so its easier to write and they looked at me like I was speaking another language and then turned to their screens like I had frightened them. They assured me they knew what they were doing but I felt like they wanted to get rid of me. Noticing this, I decided to leave them to get along with their work then check up on them a little later. 

> Most if not all learners have very poor attendance

> 1 learner has a personality that can only be described as “out of the box”. For the lack of a better word and to avoid sounding judgemental, I will attempt to describe it further. This learner is by far the most intriguing student I have ever met in my life. The learner: 

a)     Has a completely blank facial expression, which means no one can identity their emotions

b)     Has a lot of confidence

c)      Has possible learning difficulties 

d)     Does not communicate with other learners in a conventional manner

This is a very small selection of things I have highlighted. There are more but to avoid sounding judgemental, I think it is better I keep them to myself.

I decided to carry on attending this class because I think I can learn a lot about the diverse ways I can meet learners’ needs. This will open my eyes to students who need support in specific areas of their learning and will improve my communication. This will also help with my reflecting from the students’ lens. (Brookfield: 1995)

Critical Incident: Mixed theories

The teacher arrived to the lesson and asked me to give learners who arrived to the class before he did accommodation cards. A learner shouted to the teacher: "I beat you to the class…" and the teacher replied "Good, [My name] will give you an accommodation card. Keep it up!" This suggested to me that this method was used to motivate learners to arrive early to class. I identified this method as a behaviouristic approach.

Later on the class was getting loud and distracted, the teacher addressed this by highlighting whoever completed a certain amount of work will be rewarded with another accommodation card. This pushed extrinsically motivated learners. The teacher also used his knowledge of the class dynamics (rewarding learners in front of their peers) to motivate others.

The teacher noticed one of the students not working so he sat next to the learner and asked if she needed help. The learner started moaning saying she couldn't do the work. The teacher replied with questioning her on the task brief:
Teacher: Whats wrong?
Learner: I cant do this
Teacher: What does it say in the outline
[Learner explains]
Teacher: exactly, well done
Learner: Is that all I need to do?
Teacher: Yes and I'm expecting big things from you!

I liked the fact that the teacher was able to get down to the learners level and encourage and motivate her. I also like that he used questioning to check the learners understanding of the task and allowed her to identify the instructions herself before he explained anything. The approach used here is humanistic.

When the lesson was over, I spoke to students about the accommodation cards and they shared with me that they liked this teacher because he acknowledged their good behaviour and rewarded them regularly, which made them want to do well. They added that he was 'safe' (slang for a cool/good person), which suggested that the teacher had good rapport with them.

Critical Incident 2

I sat down with the student and as they spoke I knew this was going to be a sensitive issue so I tried to tap into the 'reflection-on-action' mode. I wanted to be there for the student…

I excused myself from the class and took the student with me (told the teacher I was team teaching with that I needed to leave for a bit). We went to an empty classroom and it was there that I was told what happened. It was a safeguarding issue. A serious one, which is why I am not going to go into detail but I checked with the student and was also informed by the tutor that the college is aware of the situation and are setting up counselling for the learner. I tried to be a supportive, caring and objective. I asked about the learner's well being and support they will receive. That was the most I could do.

Reflection-in-Action

Having broken down 'Magazine' into more manageable subjects for learners, I decided to use the lesson to check on learners' progression and support them individually.

Aims & Objectives
I begun by introducing the aims and objectives of the lesson and to my delight, the students thanked me and got on with their work.

Support
I went around the class to individual learners to check where they were with their work. I checked what they had done and gave them feedback on ways in which they could improve their work. I also asked them questions to get them to think about what they were producing. I told them to put themselves in the 'consumers' shoes', which will help them look at their work from different lenses. (A little like Brookfield:1995)

Task
I gave each learner a time frame to semi-/complete their advertisements/magazine covers/DVD cover/film festival flyer but I ran into a problem...

Reflection-in-action
Having went around the class. I noticed that most of their work was incomplete or needed a lot of improvement so I decided, on a whim, to run to the staff room and grab their 'reflective journals.' (College requirement, which students seem to dislike) I decided to get all learners to write:

1) What they did in the lesson
2) What they still need to do (list)
3) What they need for Friday

I checked their journals to make sure the level of reflection was adequate. I also decided that from now on learners are required to:

1) Start of the lesson: Write in their journals - What they are suppose to do/gain from the lesson
2) End of the lesson: Write in their journals - What they learnt and what they still need to complete

Doing this would ensure:

> Learners are aware of their progression
> Their journals are being followed through, checked and written in
> Learning is being checked

I shared this idea with learners and on a whole got good feedback.

I decided after going around the class, to set up a 2 hour intensive class on Friday on constructing cosmetic/perfume adverts for their magazine.

Critical Incident 1

Just when I was moaning about not being able to think of a critical incident I can discuss…

After speaking to a teacher about the incident, I was told that I have to email their tutor and the head of department:

"Potential Bullying Dear all,

Yesterday a student approached me about an incident.
Student 1 had distanced herself from the class, which gave me the impression that something was wrong. I asked her if something was wrong but she seemed reserved so I did not pursue the matter. 

Later on in the evening student 2 urged student 1 to approach me about what seems to be potential bullying. I was told by student 1, that herself, student 3, student 4 and (possibly) student 5 were discussing the ambiguity of a student’s sexuality (student 6). This seemed to have escalated and according to student 1, student 3 and student 4 in particular ‘ganged up’ on her and told student 7 (friends with student 6) that student 1 was being derrogative towards student 6. Student 1 added that student 7 and student 6 approached her about the matter. Student 1 said she tried to explain herself and apologised. According to student 1, it was during this explanation that she got punched in the face by both student 7 and student 6. I told student 1 to talk to another teacher but she refused. There seems to be tension within the class, which needs to be resolved…"

I learnt from this experience about 'safeguarding' and 'referrals' in more detail. In this instance, I was told that as a teacher, I must be able to record, in detail, and document any situations and problems. The college has something called a 'promonitor', which allows teachers to document anything important about their students. This information is guarded and is only used for teaching purposes. I don't have access to this but in these situations, I must be able to make an objective decision about whether its a safeguarding issue or something for referral.

Student' Eyes

In an attempt to incorporate plenaries, I used the traffic light method by cutting green, orange and red pieces of card into squares.

These cards were supposed to be used to rate and give feedback to each learner's film festival flyer. Sadly, by the end of the lesson one of the students was crying...

I underestimated the connotation of the colour 'red' which was held up at her work by her peers. The learner took it as an attack on her work. I felt so bad! I explained the relevance of the task and why I introduced it. Thankfully, the learner understood why I chose this method and ended up, with other students, giving me feedback on the whole lesson, which I was grateful for. Their feedback:

> They liked timed tasks because they worked better under pressure and ended up producing more.  

> They thought it was good that I introduced the purpose of the lesson as it made it structured and they knew what they were doing.  

> They liked it that I broke down the exercises through PowerPoint and visual aids

> They enjoyed giving and receiving feedback

As a result, I decided to implement these factors into future lessons. I also decided to completely get rid of the red cards when rating work or giving feedback and reiterate what each card indicates. Instead I will use the orange and green cards for learners to indicate whether they understand the topic or what they need to be doing