It is important to take note on how the children respond to your own practice, as this identifies how well the delivery method of information worked.
If all of the work was completed quickly etc, then the method worked well for the student(s). It is also one of the best ways of finding out pupils’ strengths and weaknesses within a subject, this can apply for all subjects as notes can be taken at any time through the lesson. Taking notes will also allow you to know if anything in the delivery method needs changed for next time. Most importantly, it assures you that the learning tools and activities are successful in actually teaching the pupils Taking notes of young people’s response can also remind you of things such as; who participated more in group activities, who put their hand up to answer questions, who was behaving and/or misbehaving and maybe who was struggling with certain kinds of questions or topics etc. Notes are also good to look back on when creating things such as progress reports, or attending parents’ evenings.
Identify possible development opportunities relevant to improving own practice. A person should always be striving to improve on their own practice, whether working in a school or not. There are many ways to improve your own practice, depending on available time etc. For instance, for someone who may not have the same time frame available every week, an online course may be better than physical lessons. Online courses can be taught either on a one-to-one basis or in a group. One-to-one’s are usually more expensive as they can be moved around to fit a person’s availability.
When working in a school, however, they have a lot of connections with other organisations which can help you improve, this is most commonly referred to as ‘teacher training’. In an apprenticeship, the school will team up with a training provider, or multiple, to help them move forward in their career. An apprentice is entitled to 20% of their working hours in training. Although there are all of these options, having a more experienced teacher to assist you in progressing/improving is a way to improve without spending extra hours outside of work. This is a better option for some people as it is learning while you are working, gaining further experience in your workplace. A common reason for people continuing their professional development is the enhancement of knowledge from doing so.
An increased amount of knowledge in your profession, opens doors towards things such as further employment, a raise and promotions. It also allows for your knowledge to be up-to-date, and continue to be competent, as things may change as the years go on. If your knowledge is up-to-date then you will know about current situations etc, meaning you can make more important/meaningful contributions to your team. It also keeps you confident in your profession as you will know more about what you’re doing and what you will be doing etc. Teamwork is important in schools as there is usually, multiple, large groups of students to monitor.
Each student needs to be encouraged towards hitting their target grades over the years they’re in school. Although teams which monitor behaviour, uniform and attendance, only consist of a few members off staff, they still require a lot of teamwork to ensure everything is accurate etc. Communication is key when working in teams, especially when in schools. Teachers are required to communicate with each other when a student is falling behind, and do what they can to get the grades back on track. Communicating through your teams means sharing your knowledge and skill set, but also hearing other people’s and therefore expanding your own knowledge.
It is also important that tasks are shared out equally among people and a due date is set so work gets done efficiently. The purpose of a general team is to make it easier for a number of people to work together, and provide other opinions on problems one person may be having. Teams often use ‘SMART’ to set a structure for their team. Specific – Clearly understand the your own role and what it is you do for the team, and what the team is working towards.
Measurable – Achievable – The goals/aims for the team must be within reach in the time frame issued. For example, teaching pupils enough information to jump 3 grades in a few weeks isn’t very reasonable. Realistic – It’s important to understand that there is enough support within the team to achieve the goals set. Time bound – To ensure the team has agreed on a due date for projects that are being worked on either together or individually, and making sure everyone understands that things need to be done efficiently.
The SEND team is there to help pupils with more needs than others. Whether it be physical or mental. We are tasked with helping them live a life which is as normal as possible, without the limitations from having low grades etc. We also try and help with things such as social skills where possible/needed.
My role, in the SEND team, is to monitor two pupils and keep track of any problems in the class. It can be any problem from not completing homework, to distracting others from learning in the classroom. If I see any problems, I can take notes and log them onto the computer system for other staff to see, later on in the day. Other members of the SEND team have similar roles, however they may withdraw students from lessons for more practice with spellings etc.
Each practitioner will bring their own skills, expertise and knowledge to the team, and so it is important that they are treated equally and fairly. Respecting their skills and expertise is a way to form positive relationships with colleagues. Essentially, respecting other practitioners is something which should come naturally. Not respecting their skills, or mocking them, can not only form a bad relationship between yourselves, but making them feel uncomfortable when going to work etc.
If they were to put in a complaint, it could get you suspended from your current job, and be something which is added to a professional record and make it harder to get another job. The purpose of Kingsmeadow Comprehensive, is to lead students through a secondary school life, coming out with results they can be proud of and enjoying their time throughout. I support this purpose as I help students to improve certain skills and knowledge within lessons, ensuring they have been taught enough to get through their exams successfully. I also supervise homework club after school every afternoon and provide help to any students who are struggling to get things completed. We also offer a wide variety of extra curricular activities for students to participate in, to improve key skills such as communication and leadership etc. Every Tuesday, lessons are cut down by 10 minutes in order to gain a ‘free’ hour at the end of the day.
This hour is used as a way for students to participate in various activities ranging from sports to extra curricular, or just catching up on homework. Each week I help supervise anywhere which is understaffed or just needing help watching the pupils, this gives me more experience in different areas I may not be used to, but also gives pupils another member of staff to support them. If teams are required to improve their work, they could get one person to take a step back and spectate from a learners point of view to see how it is working for them. This is a good way to reflect on your work as you can try and see how effective it is being. However, personally I have not yet seen issues with the way the team works, and don’t think I could pick out any faults to be worked on.
