Reports Completed ! May 30, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Assessment , 2commentsFinally completed my reports today. They have been read over by my HT and gained her approval. That’s another milestone completed. While I think of myself as very organised this process has taught me to keep more personal notes of the children’s work / progress as the year goes on. It will make writing reports with a “personal” touch that much easier. Still I`m quite pleased with my first attempt at reports.
Next milestone - the P7 camp in two weeks time. If it’s half as good as last years (which I attended in my final placement) it will be great fun.
Applications May 29, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Probation , 2commentsHaving written a week ago about the relatively scarcity of jobs for probationers it is somewhat ironic I find myself this week spending my evenings putting together applications for vacant teaching posts that have sprung up across East and Mid Lothian as well as Edinburgh. While not a large amount by any means, at least there is some light at the end of the tunnel. With the expected large number of applicants for each position I think it will pay to customise each application for each individual school - an application will have to standout to be noticed among so many. But of course this takes time … and lots of it. Still if I am fortunate enough to secure an interview, then the time will have been wisely spent.
Football Team Again ! May 28, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Probation , add a commentAccompanied the school football team to Meadowmill today for another tournament. In spite of my coaching the team did really well and ended up in the top three and as a result qualified for the finals day. My reward is to now accompany the team to this event on Sunday 10th June! Still, perhaps this will coincide with a visit from my mother-in-law. This would be a win-win situation. Seeing the look on the boys faces when they win a match and not having to find a place for the M.I.L. to park her broomstick!!! Seriously though I really enjoy these out of school activities because I can interact with the children outside the normal classroom environment.
Supply List May 22, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Probation, Uncategorized , 1 comment so farReturned home from school today to find two letters waiting for me. The first one I opened was regarding my application for a teaching position at the new Simpsons School in Bathgate. Rather depressingly, (although not unexpected - I`d heard through probationer grapevine that the positions were to be filled by West Lothian personnel) it was a polite rejection. The second letter was from East Lothian saying that they had received my application for the supply list and that they will contact me in the near future to arrange an interview. I wasn’t sure whether the reference number at the top - 827412 was for some internal purpose or was, in fact, the number of probationers actually applying to get on the supply list !!! Oh dear - time to look out that application form for B&Q.
Spring Fair May 21, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Uncategorized , add a commentSaturday saw the Pencaitland Spring Fair which was almost ruined by the high winds. Although the marquee was partly erected it was deemed too dangerous for use and the bulk of the activities were moved inside to the hall. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and it is great to see the children outside the school and class environment. I spent two hours as the goalkeeper in “Beat the Goalie” which was one of the few activities remaining outside. Boy, did I feel stiff and sore on Sunday morning - my wife kindly commented that “You are too old to be diving about the place anymore”. However I think the challenge of trying to score past the teacher encouraged more of the children to try and they certainly enjoyed it when they sneaked one in !!
Once the relief keeper turned up (his tournament had run late) I went round to be the target at “Soak the teacher”. Funnily enough this seemed really popular - I even had members of management queuing up to take a turn with the sponges. Is that some form of harrassment !!
Teaching and Learning 2; The Return of Don May 17, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Probation , 1 comment so farThe last of East Lothian’s probationer courses was held today in Musselburgh. Don Ledingham returned to lead another session with a mix of primary and secondary NQTs. With the job situation being a bit dire, Don wisely decided not to follow up his earlier session, but to provide us with an insight to Extreme Learning, from which we can draw elements to use in future teaching.
We were divided into groups, one of us acting as observer, and tasked with coming up with a research question. We then had to establish the steps which could be taken to answer the question, particularly concentrating on how the steps would fit into the four capacities described in ACfE. On reflection, our group felt it would have been better to choose a topic not directly related to education. This may have helped us to focus more on the point of the exercise which was what the child could do, and linking these to the capacities, rather than coming up with solutions from an adult and/or teacher’s perspective.
I can definitely see the benefit in allowing children to research their own topic, which they are already motivated to learn. From my own experience with the school blog I have seen that the children are increasingly motivated by the thought of a web-wide audience. Publishing the project on-line and comparing it with their peers would I believe engage them even further with learning.
Fired by Don’s enthusiasm I would be keen to try this myself with an ES topic, although I think I might have a fight on my hands as Lynne, my mentor, is keen on this too.
Going back to the course today, as we were reviewing our observers feedback, two consecutive sentences jumped out at us. “Dave adopted the leadership role in the group.” followed by “The group was confused”. I’d like to think it wasn’t as a direct result of my leadership. Perhaps a CPD opportunity!
ACfE Conference May 16, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Uncategorized , 2commentsSadly it would appear my eldest daughter’s opinion is of more value than mine! She attended a conference in Penicuik today on A Curriculum for Excellence. It’s good to know that the views of students are sought when planning for curriculum changes. Although some of the presentations were over the pupils heads (so I’m told), one presentation did get the thumbs up, and was particularly interesting. Apparently it was on the subject of blogging and given by one Mr David Gilmour!
The pupils who attended were involved in various exercises where they discussed ways in which teachers could make learning more interesting and how they could engage the pupils, and gave feedback to the conference. Top of their list was for teachers to show more enthusiasm for their subject, and for more dynamic, hands-on and out of classroom type learning.
Apparently it was an interesting day which she enjoyed being involved in, although if she were ever to attend again she would have preferred sausage rolls for lunch!
If you go down to the woods today…. May 15, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Probation , add a commentToday I had organised for Richard, the local ranger, to come in and talk to the children about woodland plants and animals, and take them for a woodland walk. It was evident by having some-one different in the classroom, the children were very attentive and keen to contribute. This followed a similar pattern to a previous visitor who demonstrated diving equipement. While I don’t think I’m a boring teacher (and this has been confirmed by my mentor), obviously a break in routine and a different person acts as a stimulus to childrens learning. I know that some parents can be concerned if they feel their primary age children are not being taught by a single class teacher, thinking that consistency equates to improved learning. However this evidence I think points to the opposite and strategies such as team teaching and class sharing may provide more positive benefits.
Edubuzz Open Meeting May 14, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farI attended the Edubuzz open meeting today at John Muir House. It is refreshing to use a more conversational type approach to this sort of meeting as it is a method which encourages more open input. While a gathering of like-minded individuals allows for a number of topics to be discussed at a good pace I couldn`t help feeling that the numbers attending was indicative of the struggle facing the region in getting more staff in education to pick up the baton and contribute enthusiastically to building the Edubuzz community. Most of the attendees were either those actually pushing back the boundaries or (like me) those willingly being pulled along once the technology has been explained to them. I feel more needs to be done to attract the bulk of teaching staff who have yet to be persuaded that there is a benefit or need to join this small but vociferous community. An advantage of a larger audience would be a more wide ranging opinion base. With such a like-minded group debating issues it is evident that a consensus is easily reached but this may not be representative of the views of the larger mass of teachers, or education workers, who do not attend.
The meeting itself centred around a few key topics such as the EduBuzz front page and site, the use of software tools available, extreme learning and barriers preventing individuals from accessing and using Edubuzz.
Booruch May 9, 2007
Posted by Dave Cain in : Uncategorized , add a commentBooruch - which I understand means a mess - is the title of David Noble’s podcasts. David is a chartered teacher based in Fife and some of you may already be familiar with his podcasts, where he reflects on new technology and its potential use in education. I must admit I hadn’t come across it until Dave approached me during the Easter holidays. He has recorded a chat we had about blogging and it will be broadcast soon. Meantime I thought it worth drawing attention to the podcasts as if like me, you haven’t come across them before, I’m sure you’ll find something worth listening to. You’ll find it at http://booruch.libsyn.com/
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