A reflextion on on the course so far

The GDLT course for me so far has been, in a word overwhelming. While all the material and learning exercises that we are given have been interesting, all the different things we must remember is a little un-nerving. There are all the different methods that should be incorporated into lesson plans, the dos and don’ts of Prac, a background of different diversities. Not to mention all the different acronyms, there are KLAs, WoW, ELs, DoLs, K&U, LEP, UoW and that’s just a few of them. I have acquired these commonly used ones as part of my 'internal dictionary' and recognise them when I hear them. With more use, I’m sure, the others will follow suit.

A lot of the various learning experiences ask you to reflect on your education, as I’m studying primary I thought it would be beneficial to reflect on my own primary education. This task however has proved to be challenging as my memory from primary school is a little foggy. I attended two primary schools, the local little country school from years 1-5 and a private school for years 6 & 7. The first school was a very small school with every class a composite and only 3 classes at that. With small class sizes the teacher was able to devote a lot of individual attention to each child. When I moved into the private school, it was a bit of a shock to the system. The school was enormous (it was a primary and secondary school) there was a gym, a nurse, a swimming pool, a few tennis courts, a theatre, and more overwhelming, thousands of girl! The primary section of the school was run similar to the secondary with bells indicating a change in lesson and different teachers for different subjects. I am able to remember small parts of my primary education, like in Grade 4 I remember being rather jealous of the year 2 class as they were playing with green slim and I was stuck in a maths lesson. Or in Grade 6, while learning about Medieval England we hosted a Medieval Theatre Restaurant that our parents and school officials attended. The entertainment was a medieval Spice Girls group. Overall I think the majority of my learning was done via 'Chalk and Talk' but the more memorable learning experiences were the ones that were outside the box.

Next term the GDLT students begin their first EBL (embedded learning, another acronym). I will be looking after a year 2 class at the local primary school. While I’m nervous about being in a classroom, and feel completely underprepared, it will be good to put some theory into practice. A few days ago i rang my Mentor Teacher (MT), speaking to her lowered my feelings of dread. Just knowing there is someone there who I can observe first hand to see how an experienced teacher teaches filled me with a lot more confidence.

Introduction

I'm undertaking the Graduate diploma of learning and teaching (primary). I will be looking after a year 2 class for my first embedded learning experience. I'm really looking forward to getting into the classroom and learning first hand from an experienced teacher how to teach young minds.

I also look after a junior group at the local musical theatre company. The children range from 7 - 16, and they're a great bunch of kids. This year we are staging 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', which is very exciting for them all.

That's all for now.

P.S The picture is from the major production last year of 'Disney's Beauty and the Beast', the little girl is my cousin and also an adoring fan of Belle.