April Log

So we’re now less than 3 months until the end of my placement! As well as celebrating my birthday in April, just a week I also had my debut of leading the class! I taught maths starter for 20 minutes. After liaising with the class teacher we both agreed it would be a great opportunity for me to gain experience in actually leading part of a lesson. I based it on the topic they were doing earlier that week which was negative numbers, by having an online interactive activity to do with temperature and thermometers. I was quite nervous at first but knowing the class, and them knowing me, gave me a touch of confidence, as they had a rather excited reaction when the class teacher told them I would be teaching the starter. Teaching the starter was an interesting experience, it felt so different to be working from the front of the class rather than from the back or sitting amongst the children’s tables. Usually being the extra pair of eyes in the class you can spot ever so easily when a child is distracted, but trying to keep an eye out for that, at the same time as giving a good delivery to the eyes and faces peering at you takes some serious multitasking! Having the kids already know about the topic, was a definite help, because it meant that it was an activity they would feel comfortable and confident having a go at, even if I hadn’t explained it clearly, having done negative number related work over the past couple days. I think the real task would be teaching a new topic from scratch, where the delivery would need to be clear and accurate for them to be able to grasp the idea and learn from me. However, before I do that I plan to teach a starter again, perhaps in Grammar. The feedback from the teacher was really helpful so hopefully I can improve next time.

The LSA’s and staff had training on Science this month which was quite a fun and interactive session, with lots of sorting and questions to get your brain going. It tackled a lot of statements we make that might not be scientifically true and reminded us of the importance of using the correct language with children to make them understand. Sometimes it was statements you wouldn’t think twice about like leaving the children to believe that the sugar disappears when put in hot tea, when really it dissolves and doesn’t disappear because it’s still there!

I've also been making a real push this term to be more cosistent with those I take out for Interventions or IEPs (Individual Learning Plans). Even leading those kind of sessions contribute to my experience and growth in delivering to the whole class. It's also been amazing to have that consistency with the kids knowing the routine of coming out of class with me and the expectations I have when working with them. It's nice to know that entering the final parts of my placement I'm still taking steps to build and develop on what I'm learning.

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March Log

The Girls' at Hampstead School for the Maths competition

So the month of March has just flown by! The girls I accompanied to the Maths competition on International Women’s Day, did well coming half way up the rankings, 12^th out of 24 teams. It was definitely an experience, as it was not at all what I had imagined. Once the competition started, as the supervising teacher we had to be mixed up as to which school we were working with, you would be the ‘go to’ person for another school’s team during the rounds and mark that schools answers at the end of the round. It was only in between and at breaks that I really got to find out how my girls were doing. However I still enjoyed it, it was a nice day out with some excellent students, it was nice to see teams of girls enthusiastic about learning wrecking their brains to try and get the answers to these difficult questions way beyond their level, and actually succeeding. I had the proud privilege of presenting the participation certificates to the girls from our school in the Celebration Assembly the following week.

Year 5 and 6 Girls Team of HPS feeling triumphant at the Maths competition

Presenting the certificates to the Girls' in Celebration Assembly

Something I really do enjoy about the job is that although you have a routine that you follow each day is different from the last. Whether it’s what the children are learning, something new or a continuation, or when they have a fun day, you have a fun day too! To celebrate ‘World Book Day’, Harlesden primary had a Fairy-tale and Disney Day! All the children had to come dressed as fairy-tale characters and so did the staff! I came as Esmerelda for ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and although I didn’t rip the runway in the final Assembly like the Children and some of the other staff did, I had a whale of a time as one of the judges of the competition.

This month the Year 5 class I’m working also started their work on Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’! We went to watch a performance of it at Salisbury school in Queen’s Park, where a couple of the schools involved with the Shakespeare Company competition watched also. Last year’s Year 5’s at Harlesden were winners with ‘Hamlet’ so we’ll have to see if this year’s Year 5’s can do the same. As a Literature student myself who has studied this play, time and again, I was very excited about the class starting Macbeth! My excitement seemed to rub off on the class although after watching it, although they enjoyed it, they couldn’t understand the level of enthusiasm I had for the play, although it seems to be growing. They had a workshop on the opening scenes at Harlesden Library the same week, and on the last week of term had an actor come in to do a workshop with them as well. So with most of their first interactions with ‘Macbeth’ being active lessons, it’s a great foundation and introduction to Shakespeare which by the current look of High school curriculum will benefit them in the future. I can’t wait to see what they get to produce this term. The class teacher encourage us as adults to get involved with the workshops the actor runs and that has been so much for me. I think part of the thrill is that I have a confidence in the knowledge I have about Shakespeare, drama and the actual play! So I feel happy to help them understand and educate them about an area of Literature I love studying myself!   

 Year 5 Macbeth Workshop at Harlesden Library 

'The Witches' First encounter with 'Macbeth' and  'Banquo' 

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