Week+8

WEEK 8  Debrief from School Placements  Today's lecture was really interesting and informative as I have learnt a lot of things from the speech given by a deputy principal from a local school. This lecture allows me to become aware of certain things as how to survive the accountability in my 1st years of teaching and the idea of performance and development culture in school teaching. Through this lecture, I again realise how important my role is as a educator, after coming back for the practicum, I totally aware of the great impact I have on children's future success. There was a question being raised in the lecture for us, "What am I going to do with the children in the long run?" This is such a stimulating question. Yes, what am I going to do with them in the long run? I am not only influencing them in the year of teaching them, I am actually bringing the things that they learn from me to their lives in the future.  We have been discussing about the professional standards in the lecture. I find it really helpful since they are very important information for graduates to know about when they are out to find a job. VIT has various requirements for me, and every school will have different duty of care that we all need to be aware of. Assessment and Reporting is another piece of information talked in the lecture. They are things that all teachers need to be doing throughout their teaching life. We need to keep regular record of the students. It is an ongoing monitoring task.
 * __ Week 8 Lecture __**

“ YOU ARE NOT ALONE!” is such a comforting message brought up in the lecture. During my practicum, I often felt lonely and helpless. But this message reminds me that I am in a learning community, we learn from one another. Even though not all people will help but I can always seek for other friendly people who are willing to assist me and share with me their experiences.  The last thing being discussed in the lecture was the four key characteristics of an effective teacher, Empathy, Energy, Efficacy and Evidence-based. I also learnt how students determine an ideal teacher. And I do agree with them after being contacted with the children. Yet, I still have a lot to learn and improve.

(Man Man Hung, Christy)

**__Week 8 Workshop__**

In this workshop, we have a great opportunity to share our placement experience in small groups. It is really interesting to know the extremes of school conditions that some peers have experienced. During my own practicum, I have been telling some of my friends how tough my mentor teacher was pushing me and how naughty the students were. But after today's workshop, I have such a relieve. I realize I am actually very lucky to be placed in that school, and most importantly, the students were not that naught at all. They were all adorable and cute instead. I guess all of us have learnt a lot from others' sharings. If I need to evaluate my practicum again, I would say my school has good disciplined students, and yes, my mentor teacher was being harsh to me, nonetheless I am actually learning a lot from the tough experience and of course,I have learnt a lot from my mentor too. When I heard someone said she experienced scissors stabbing and chasing in her school, I was horrified. I can never imagined how I would react when I see the situation myself. The whole practicum experience of mine was tough and stressful, but I did learnt a lot and felt what teaching is like. This gives me a chance to reconsider whether I am a suitable person to become an educator. But there is one thing I really care about is, my lovely students in my class. I actually dropped some tears on my last day when students bought me a book with their names written on the front page. I will miss the kids.

(Man Man Hung, Christy) June 25th 2009

I feel Christy has a point that we must stay accountable and professional and learn from one another in the learning community which we belong. We should support each other, when in need, in a positive way. We all have our good and bad days ! I learned a lot about the importance of building bonds with the students and getting to know them in order to use that knowledge to engage them fully in their learning. "To teach is to touch lives forever" says it all. As teachers we will leave lasting impressions on the children we teach. If I can do my best to engage every child then their futures will be better off for my efforts. It is so important to remember that you're not alone and make use of the support of the resources available whether that be peer support or professional support and advice. On practicums I was lucky enough to have a very open and supportive environment from all staff, not just my mentor teacher. It gave me confidence to try new and interesting activities and not feel I was stepping on anyones toes. I was very lucky and I think I did a better job than I would have otherwise. It was interesting to hear the results of the student survey, as to what makes a good teacher. The list - The ideal teacher is someone who listens, bothers to get to know them, doesn't yell, understands their feelings, praises, talks to them, takes them outside for games, makes learning real, uses computers for learning or hands on activities, is fair and lets them make mistakes. I think that if we always keep these responses at the back of our minds more of our students will remain engaged in the learning process for more of the time and their learning outcomes will be better.

Knowing what is expected in the professional standards is important to be able to meet them effectively as a teacher. . Practicum allowed me to observe how many of these features were put into practice on a daily basis.
 * POLT- Principles of learning and teaching.
 * Code of conduct and duty of care.
 * Assessment requirements and records

Integrated Inquiry Unit activity

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Playdough Digestive Systems Information Report - The Digestive System



This is an example where I was able to integrate subjects to promote effective and engaging learning. 24/6/09 Anita Dinon

During this week, most of us appreciated the opportunity to debrief and share experiences from the practicum placements. It was a valuable learning experience for me to hear what other pre-service teachers had experienced and learnt. I was amazed at the vast range of experiences we all had. I learnt so much during my 7 weeks in a school. I feel I have developed many skills. More importantly, I have a much clearer understanding about how what I have learnt applies to everyday life in a school, what I bring to teaching and what I still want to learn this year. It was interesting to reflect on Diane Powell’s perspective of the expectations and experiences of new graduates in her school. As a pre-service teacher on my first placement in a school I was focused on learning from my mentor and developing my teaching skills. To hear a vice principal’s and students’ perspective about what they expect from a teacher was enlightening. Everyday, students, their parents, our peers and employers will want their needs met with empathy, professionalism and efficacy. I agree with Christy, it is reassuring to hear we are not alone and that we are part of a professional team. As a graduate teacher, there is still so much to learn. Knowing you are part of a team is important. I was very fortunate at the school I did my placement. I was aware of peer mentoring and other strategies (planning and moderation) in place there to support new graduates. It was great to see these practises in a school, as well as in the lecture theatre. Sonia McAlary 24/6/0 9