Back to teaching followed by a massive headache.

Back to teaching followed by a massive headache

 

Well, I didn’t expect that. I naturally assumed I would slide back into teaching after a 6-week break with no problems. I was wrong. It wasn’t so much that the students were not behaving or not paying attention, it was the fact that I forgot how much effort is required to teach people. Why does it take so much effort? It’s a subject I know, the students were reasonably behaved, yet I felt exhausted. I wonder if there are any theories out there that may explain it, probably, but I put it down to your brain going into overdrive. Whilst learning about theories behind teaching, you try and sieve through and use them when teaching, which in turn makes your brain go nuts. Maybe once the theories of teaching become 2nd nature, like using martial arts, it will become a lot easier. Or maybe just try and concentrate on one theory at a time. Fingers crossed.

 

Then I realised, I’ve just reflected on my lesson. I’ve used a basic form of Kolb’s (1984) model. I have done the lesson, reflected on the experience, see what I have learned from it and can improve on, then decided on what to do next lesson. Wow, maybe I am becoming a teacher using teaching theories

Why do we need to reflect though? Rushton, I, & Suter, M (2012 p. 3) said the following:

 

“There are many reasons for reflecting on practice and it is useful for our purposes here to group them into three categories:

• improving and developing teaching and learning;
• accommodating change;
• complying with regulatory systems.”

 

Now, I can understand improving and developing teaching. It is so crucial that as a teacher you reflect on what’s gone well and what can bad. Not just in your head like I said above though. I have found that if I reflect after teaching and just think about it in my head, by the time the next lesson has come around (a week later), I have forgotten what my plan was to improve the lesson was. So, to get the best out of reflective practice, you should write it down. I don’t believe this has to be exhaustive, otherwise it will become too much to get done in your working day. What I am going to start doing is keep a journal on my computer. Something I can write a few lines on what’s happened in the lessons and anything I’m going to change or try to improve on. I can then look at this before lessons or in any down time.

Complying with regulatory systems? Well if you take the teaching professional standards 1 & 2, these are all about reflective practice. So, if OFSTED or an awarding body wanted to see that I ‘am following my professional standards, me just saying I do it in my head wouldn’t be sufficient. Showing them a teaching reflection journal, I believe, would.

Accommodating change? Reflecting on your teaching is about you and your learners and what works or doesn’t. What if though, my organisation changes the course somehow, for example, teaching times, length of course, awarding body, course content etc. I will need to reflect on these changes and how they might affect my teaching and/or once they are in place how they are affecting my teaching. The other key things that can change are me and my learners. As adults we still grow and mature mentally. Things that go on in our lives can change us dramatically. By reflecting upon these changes, again, I can alter or improve on my teaching practice. As a teacher I believe you must be very adaptable. Actually, I believe it is the most important thing that a teacher can be. How can we achieve this? By reflective practice 😊

Bibliography

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Read online https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html (16.05.18)

Rushton, I, & Suter, M (2012), Reflective Practice For Teaching In Lifelong Learning, McGraw-Hill Education, Maidenhead. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. Viewed [21 May 2018].