Final Reflection - End of Practicum Report

I believe I have sufficiently achieved both of my goals that I set for myself at the beginning of this practicum. I have developed substantially as a professional teacher and have seen myself grow in practice, attitude, and confidence.

My first goal was in regards to all forms of assessment (diagnostic, formative, and summative). This has been achieved to a high standard and I believe I have gained valuable experience and progress in this area.

Diagnostic assessment was carried out at the beginning of every unit, including mathematics, writing, and inquiry. These tasks were based around oral discussions and collaborative work, to stimulate their ideas and develop an awareness of their prior knowledge and experiences in relation to the intended learning. For example, in inquiry I structured a lesson around discussing aspects of culture to gain insight into their views about ‘What is culture?’ It became clear after this session that my assumptions about what they would know were clearly too complex. I thought they would be able to identify what a culture was and that there are different practices they follow. However, all they could identify was that they are from different countries. Due to the unit focus being on how culture is represented through art, music, and games from, I used these diagnostic observations to adapt the unit slightly to focus more on the idea of how surface features (art, music, games) can be different in other countries, followed by discussing ideas for why different people might do things differently, rather than having a cultural focus on deeper concepts such as values and beliefs. Whenever these were discussed they showed great confusion, so it became clear they needed to firstly focus on surface features. This form of assessment has been hugely beneficial in all learning areas to gain an insight into what they already know, so I can ensure the learning focuses are set at appropriate levels that will extend them further and guide them to develop key attitudes, knowledge, and skills.

Formative assessment was consistently used throughout my entire placement in all learning areas. Observations, collaborative and independent tasks, and discussions all contributed to this assessment and enabled myself to modify future lessons to best suit students’ developing needs and abilities. I created various templates whereby I could document adjustments made and keep track of each student or groups learning progress, as well as my own professional development. I reflected on every lesson in relation to learning and teaching, using this to inform my next teaching steps. I have developed a huge amount of confidence in this area and know that they way I conduct formative assessment is appropriate, relevant and effective.

Summative assessment has been included in all units, unfortunately we have not had time for all of them to be completed; some will be completed by my AT in the weeks after I have left. Mathematics is the main area where summative assessment was used. At the end of my fractions, decimals and percentages unit, I created an independent test that covered all learning intentions from the unit. Students independently completed this test, which was then used alongside the diagnostic assessment to identify progress students have made over the duration of the learning.  I believe I have developed effective ways to record these results through tables, and have developed an ability to use these appropriately to inform future decisions in regards to learning and teaching.

Behaviour management has been the area I have developed the most. This classroom has multiple behavioural challenges; there have been times where I have been completely lost in my ways and stuck with how to react. However, all of these situations have contributed to substantial professional development. The biggest learning curve I had was the idea that rather than behaviour management it is actually ‘management for learning’. We cannot try to control behaviours; children’s personalities and attitudes reflect their upbringing, nature, and home lives. The way they are allowed to behave at home will transfer into the classroom. If we spend all of our time trying to control and shape these behaviours to perfection, we will exhaust ourselves and be too focused on behaviour rather than learning. Instead, we need to manage these behaviours to maximise all students’ learning opportunities and progress. We need to be aware of what is making students disengage with the learning. Maybe the lesson has been going too long? Are they interested in the context for learning? Are they distracted by other things? Or is it a matter of they need to be given ‘think’ time to reflect on their actions? This is where having strong relationships with our students is crucial; we need to know how to read them and be able to act appropriately in every situation. We need to create respectful, trusting, safe environments where students are comfortable to express themselves in an honest way. Having these relationships will enable us to effectively manage behaviours for learning. I cannot say I have developed a set of effective strategies to manage behaviours that will always work. I have learnt that these strategies will be ever changing; it is completely dependent on individual students. Yes, this placement I did develop effective strategies that worked with this group of students such as counting down from 5, giving choice, and questioning the right thing to do. I did achieve this goal to a sufficient standard. I have definitely come to know that positive reinforcement and focusing on a positive and calm approach is the style that suits myself as a teacher, however the way in which this is enforced will be ever-changing.

One extra piece of learning I developed this practicum that was not an intended goal, was how to cater for such a wide and diverse range of abilities and needs. Yes I need further improvement in this area, however I have learnt the importance of equity. Each child needs to be supported in an equitable manner. Some students will need more support than others. The learning environment needs to be fair to all learning needs and empower all students, not just those who are able. Yet at the same time we cannot hold back those students who are ahead and ready to extend their learning further. It is crucial to maintain a balance and support each individual appropriately to ensure they all progress. Our expectations will be different for each student; however every student will be challenged and extended in relation to their own needs and abilities. For example, in writing it became clear that some students were ready to independently write a whole persuasive piece of writing that followed detailed paragraph and sentence structure. Others however, needed guidance in how to form ideas and transfer these into complete sentences. It was challenging to find a balance whereby I could scaffold students appropriately so they all achieved the learning purpose, but were challenged and given high expectations in relation to their abilities. Finding appropriate and effective ways to implement this programme took a lot of time, reflection, and modification. This experience was hugely beneficial and I honestly believe I developed substantially in my ability to make adjustments to suit the needs of all learners as individuals, and was able to display equity in my teaching. We cannot leave anyone behind, and we cannot hold anyone back. I personally believe that equity is a key value that needs to be explicitly modelled in everyday teaching and learning. Without it, we will disable students from reaching their true potential. 

Overall I have developed a significant amount throughout this practicum in regards to my professional practice, attitude, and confidence. I have gained experience and learnt a huge deal about assessment, management for learning, and equity. I know I will always continue to grow as a professional, but am 100% sure I am more than ready to move into my own classroom. I have developed the confidence, positive attitude, passion, and knowledge required to be an effective teacher and am completely committed to continuing to grow as a teacher. Learning will never stop; there will always be areas for improvement and adjustments to be made based on our students abilities and needs. This practicum has been an invaluable experience and I am very confident with the teacher I am becoming.