Week Two Reflection - Importance of Seeking Feedback

This week has been another very eventful week; to be honest it has been quite overwhelming. I have been battling tiredness and headaches due to being unwell. I have also been struggling to fit in to this classroom; my teaching philosophy and style is very different to my associate teacher’s approach. However I have come to realise that diversity in teaching styles is beneficial. I can learn from my associate’s expertise and grasp the opportunity to bring in my own modern teaching styles to this classroom environment.

I have firstly learnt that using a variety of teaching approaches is crucial in catering for varying learning needs and abilities. Decimals can be a difficult concept to grasp; it lacks meaning in their lives and is very difficult to visualise. My class is not used to working in groups or having materials to support their numeracy development, however I strongly believe they are crucial in being confidently numerate and understanding ‘why’ rather than simply ‘how’. The decimal unit I am teaching follows the ‘Numeracy Project Strategy Teaching Model’, which is a new approach I am bringing to the classroom. However as a result of the three lessons this week, it is clear that this approach is appropriate and beneficial to the needs of my students; they need a visual aid to make connections and maintain engagement.

One major learning curve for myself as a teacher in these numeracy lessons is the importance of making connections to every day lives, and having realistic but high expectations. Decimals are a very difficult concept; my approach of using materials is assisting their understanding. I thought that as long as they had a visual aid then it would not take very long to develop and learn how to apply this knowledge. In reflection most students have only confidently achieved two of the learning intentions. It is clear my students are still finding it difficult to grasp this knowledge and apply it in other problems, so something needs to be modified in my approach. I struggled to realise how it could be changed as this seemed like the most effective approach to me, which encouraged me to seek feedback from my students and my associate teacher.

My associate teacher firstly indicated that the expectations I have might be too high. These students are all below standard and have troubled backgrounds; I need to take this into consideration when setting my expectations but not use it as an excuse. She mentioned that we needed to focus on scaffolding them towards understanding the fundamentals that they need to progress forward, rather than expecting them to develop the knowledge and apply in advanced situations. This clearly indicated that I needed to reassess my expectations and move towards a focus on developing the basic knowledge and applying this in meaningful problems, without trying to push them too far. Once they have developed this competently, then we can re-evaluate and extend them further. She secondly suggested connecting to money; they all know the value of dollars compared to cents. Through doing this the learning will be meaningful and relevant, which has the potential to guide them towards understanding these concepts in a much easier and authentic way. In the next half of my unit I will take on board this feedback and try to connect the learning to their lives and set realistic expectations.

I also turned to the students in my group to see what they would like to continue in our lessons and what could change. They were positive and said they really enjoyed using materials, having games, and working as a group rather than independently. This is very different to the classroom teachers approach; they are used to whole class written teaching, so it was beneficial to hear that they enjoy group work and hands-on learning. They then mentioned that we could try pairing the students that understand the concepts with those who do not; to see if peer guidance may support everyone’s learning. This feedback really broadened my views and gave an insight into how I could extend the one’s who do understand whilst still scaffolding those who need more practice.

A second learning curve is the importance of looking after myself. I am so passionate about teaching and always put everything I have into it; sometimes we need to take a step back. If I am not in good health, then I will not be equipped to support my students sufficiently. I had a bit of a tumble this week. I have been unwell, causing myself to be tired and lacking energy in the classroom. However, I continued to push through. On Wednesday it was clear I had pushed myself too far and reached breaking point; a situation arose and I was unable to cope when usually I would have been fine. I took a step back and realised that if I was not in a good headspace, then there is no way my class would be supported as well as they should be. I need to learn my limits and make sure I give myself breaks when possible. Teaching is my passion and all I want to do is support children’s learning in a meaningful, safe and engaging way. However, I will not be able to uphold this if I do not look after myself throughout the process.

This week has been a bumpy ride, but I have learnt so much. Seeking feedback is crucial in adapting my teaching to best suit the learning needs. Without it, I would continually stay stuck in my own ways. Most importantly, I need to find my limits and ensure I do not push myself too far. This profession can be demanding; if we do not look after ourselves, we will struggle to manage and will be unable to sufficiently support our students.