Establishing each students learning goals has allowed me to effectively plan lessons accordingly. Students in my class have demonstrated varied abilities, varied qualities as a learner (motivation, strategies for learning, persistence etc) and varied personal lives and past experiences that impact the learner. To ensure that planning has been achieved effectively, I have encompass constructivism, building on prior learning, building connections with students, actively engaging them, supporting them to make connections with prior learning and build meaning and created an environment where students are in their zone of proximal development.
As part of my classroom display, I have created a 'goal wall.' Students wrote down their goal that they would like to achieve by the end of Year 5. After each student provided me with their goal, I laminated it and placed it onto the goal wall. This has been on display all year and will be reflected on at the end of the year. Students have been able to look back to the goal wall all year as a reminder of what they are aiming towards before Year 6.
Evidence:
It is important to plan lessons that will encounter all learning abilities and engage student learning. Time, effort and dedication towards planning must take place in order to achieve the national standards and provide students with the most beneficial education. Understanding how each individual student learns has allowed me to plan, structure and sequence learning programs efficiently, ensuring the best outcome is achieved. Daily, weekly and termly planners should be conducted individually and collaboratively to ensure a well-flowed sequence is incorporated into learning, further setting students up for greater success and development.
Planning units of work and structuring it accurately, ensures there is consistency throughout a students education. It is important to sequence units of work that connect and lead into the next. For example; the first Maths topic I taught at the start of the year was Number Concepts. Covering all aspects of number, using the four operations and understanding basic problem solving questions within this unit. Why? Because in each other topic area for Maths, students need the basic knowledge to complete other concepts. One way that I have taken key notes and consideration in my planning is referring back to and using the Department of Education resources and unit plans. This has not only given me an opportunity to follow their resource, but to also gather information of how a unit of work for particular topics should be structured:
Evidence:
In order to make the most of each lesson, I implement a range of strategies into my teaching that are effective for student learning and engages them into lessons. To facilitate learning, I ensure that learning intentions and success criteria's are clearly explained to students to ensure they understand what the expectations are to reach the end outcome of the unit of work and individual lessons. I understand the three domains that come into using effective strategies through the classroom; creating safe conditions for rigorous learning, develop expert learners and personalise and connect learning to the real world to have students become lifelong learners. I have acknowledged that strategies will not always work and occasionally need to be changed, depending on the students in the classroom and varied abilities.
It has been extremely rewarding to learn several different strategies the past two years that has not only been a fantastic way to promote student engagement and educate them, but also to manage behaviour appropriately. Considering I have taught Years 2-12 in the past two years through my contract and TRT work, I thoroughly believe learning new strategies has really made me find myself as an educator, understanding what works best for me. Several strategies that I have found useful in my career includes; traffic light self-assessment, open-ended tasks, negotiated learning, behaviour step ladder, hands on activity and consistently using learning intentions and success criteria's.
Evidence:
By using a range of resources, it allows students to explore and elaborate on different concepts that fit the selected context. Implementing tasks that include ICT, books, film clips and practical materials provides students to actively learn. Engaging students in learning tasks will vary based on what resource will work best for the selected task. Throughout the week, different resources should be incorporated to maintain student engagement. I have found myself using several resources throughout the week including, the DfE unit plans, Seven Steps for Writing program, Back 2 Front Maths, Study Ladder, TeachStarter, Twinkl and Reading Doctor.
I ensure to study these resources prior to the lesson and adjust/plan where it fits into the criteria of what needs to be completed. Three in particular, I have found myself using consistently. These include; the DfE unit plans, Seven Steps for Writing and Back 2 Front Maths. I have found myself using the DfE unit plans and adding in additional activities to promote higher order thinking and allow for additional practice to grasp key learning concepts. Seven Steps for writing has been incorporated into all my English writing lessons. I have found these extremely effective and have also taken part in collaborative activities with teaching staff to ensure I am implementing it effectively to develop an increase in student writing, a SIP goal at Keithcot Farm Primary School.
Evidence:
As a teacher, I pride myself on delivering open and clear communication to students, colleagues, families and the wider community. I always acknowledge that effective communication, can promote engagement and also strong working relationships. I send regular emails to students families, and always take time to ensure I am also developing students communication skills. I have placed numerous strategies into my pedagogy that evidently demonstrates clear and transparent communication skills. This includes verbal and non-verbal effective communication skills in order to facilitate student and parent engagement throughout the year. I have taken noticed that relationships with my students, colleagues and families have been formed strongly, based on open communication and always making myself available to talk at any time.
A key way that I communicate with all students, parents, and leadership staff is through my classroom website. This website has specifically been produced to make learning visible in all aspects and have families, students and colleagues see what is explicitly being taught and when, in each subject area in 2021. It is available for access at any time and details term overviews, weekly homework activities, assessment tasks and daily timetables that is specified accordingly. This includes, daily reminders, admin notes that need to be returned or if an upcoming due date is approaching for a project. This classroom website has been effective as it allows communication and feedback between families, students and teachers daily. It allows leadership staff and parents to be engaged and feel included in my classroom community. Additionally, showing a clear, sequenced and transparent curriculum. I have received some fantastic feedback from parents about this website and how it has been an easy process for them to keep up to date with their child's learning.
Evidence:
Through reflection and evaluations on student and leadership input, I have been able to recognise and acknowledge what areas did and did not work in order to improve and enhance student learning. It is important to consider that one strategy will not work for all classes and all age groups, meaning different strategies must be explored to acknowledge what works best for the suited class and age group, with multiple aspects being considered whilst planning. I have been able to reflect on all my lessons as well as having a wider perspective from the students and my line manager. After using multiple strategies for a variety of lessons, I always involve students in a group discussion at the end of the lessons and ask 'what did you like about that lesson?, what was something you found challenging? Is there anything that we did that you think didn't help with your learning and understanding?' Further, I also use the traffic lights as not only a self assessment tool but also as a lesson reflection tool.
Additionally, I have had my line manager come to observe multiple lessons. During this time, my line manager takes observation notes and lists what happened during the lesson and followed through with feedback on what to continue doing in my practices, and what I can do to improve. This has not only provided me with advise on what strategies I can try in my teaching but also allowed me the opportunity to evaluate future lessons and how I can make them better.
Evidence:
Including parents in their child's educative process allows them to keep up to date with what students are learning and how they are developing in all subject areas throughout the year. It is important to have parents feel part of the school and classroom community and offer different opportunities for them to remain up to date. Consistently implementing strategies to involve parents in the school community can result in greater student achievement and motivation for students to reach their personal goals and succeed. I take every opportunity to build strong relationships with families.
As mentioned in standard 3.5, I send regular emails to parents with updated information on news in the classroom as well as making my classroom website accessible at any time. This has helped massively, specifically near report time as parents had a clear understanding from the assessment task sheets posted on the class website, what their child was going to assessed on for the semester. Parents feedback has been incredibly positive and have allowed them to be part of the classroom community every single day.
Evidence: