The Positive Lifestyle Centre - Personal Statement Example

REFLECTION PIECE ON PLACEMENT By of the The of the School The and where it is located Date REFLECTION PIECE ON PLACEMENT I was given the opportunity to carry out a hybrid placement. During the week for two days, I worked at the Positive Lifestyle Centre and for the rest of the week I was given the opportunity to work at One in a Million Free School. The Positive Lifestyle Centre carried out a range of workshop activities for primary school children. The Positive Lifestyle Centre offered a variety of workshop activities ranging from bullying, self-esteem, road safety, citizenship, and healthy lifestyle. However, since the Positive Lifestyle was situated at One in a Million Free School, I was able to carry out part of my placement at the school. I felt very nervous and over-whelmed especially when I went for the induction. During the induction, I thought that maybe this placement is not for me and considered choosing another placement as the thought of fitting into two teams and adjusting to a hybrid placement seemed overwhelming for me. However, I chose to carry out the placement and give it my best attempt, as I was determined and wanted to surpass and excel in my expectations. During my first week, I observed lessons and was given time and support to get used to the new surroundings. However, since I am a fast learner, I was able to adjust quickly. Nonetheless, I got stuck when I participated in a number of activities but got used to them with time. I also got involved in teamwork, not only with groups of children but also with colleagues that I was working with. In my opinion, group work enabled me to interact more and through it, I was able to build my confidence and create relationships with other parties. (Hagenbach, 2011, p. 121). According to research, “teamwork is the level that will give students the skills to work in a team. Many are the same skills children need to develop friendships. Being a friend is an important focus for the younger student” (Hagenbach, 2011, p. 121). At the Positive Lifestyle Centre, I was able to work with children from a variety of age groups especially when different classes from a number of schools carried out different workshops. When I introduced myself to the first group, I was very quiet and shy; however, as the weeks went by, I was able to introduce myself to others with improved confidence. During one of the groups’ tasks, the children were required to write down how they would feel after being bullied. I explained this to the group and all the children provided great ideas. However, when speaking to my colleagues after the task, I became aware of the fact that I did not give sufficient attention to the quiet members of the group since there were a number of outspoken characters in the group. (Dean, 2006, p. 32). Having learnt the importance of unbiased attention, I made sure that in my next group task I was aware of everybody in the group and that I paid attention to all the children. “The fact that boys are likely to be more disruptive than girls leads teachers to pay more attention to the boys. They are more outspoken and assertive. The consequence of this is that teachers tend to pay more attention to boys than girls, even though they do not intend to do this” (Dean, 2006, p. 32). I viewed this not as a mistake but as a learning curve. During one incident, I accidently laughed with the children. Nonetheless, it was harder for me to calm them down but one of my colleagues gave me constructive criticism and advised me on this matter. As my colleague stated, when you laugh with the children it takes longer for the children to calm down and settle again. I also carried out a workshop at the Positive Lifestyle Centre specifically about bullying. My colleague ran through the session with me. I also made sure I rehearsed the plan, as I was feeling nervous. Thankfully, my first workshop went really well as I received positive feedback from the teachers, children, and my fellow colleagues. However, I felt as though I let myself down a little as I forgot what I had to say at one point and had to strengthen myself and carry on. I was able to turn that mistake around into a joke, which lightened the atmosphere as the attention was then diverted from me. Nevertheless, I was not satisfied with my performance and felt as though I could do better. I then carried out two workshops throughout my placement, which were a great success. When listening to a child reading for the first time, the child mostly got stuck at certain sophisticated words. At such an instance, I would support the child by pronouncing and explaining the term for them and providing scaffolding (Rathus, 2011, p. 24). However, as I progressed, I became aware of the fact that children will not benefit if I was telling them the answers. According to Vygotsky, “teachers and parents provide children with problem solving methods that serve as cognitive scaffolding while the child gains the ability to function independently” (Rathus, 2011, p. 24). Therefore, the next time I listened to a child read, I provided scaffolding for the child by asking the child questions such as what sound does the ‘ch’ make to help the child in pronouncing the words after spelling them out. I feel as though I developed a great skill such as supporting a child’s learning and providing scaffolding as an important aspect of working with children. (Gifford, 2007, p. 53). While working in the school, it took me a few days to get into the zone, as I had to brush up on my communication skills with the children. This is because I had to communicate with them on their level. During the first few days, the children did not understand me; I believe I was not talking to them at their level. However, as time went on, I learnt and observed different methods of communication from colleagues and then put the skills to practice. Communicating with young children now flows naturally, as I spent a lot of time with the children and learnt what they require. This then showed that the evaluation of my previous communication skills was successful since improvements were visible in the form of improved participation from the children. During the first few weeks at my placement, I felt as though it was not my place to reprimand behaviour. I felt as though I am only a student and may come across an over powering situation. However, my colleagues explained the behavioural procedures to me. I then became aware of the behavioural concept of the school and what was required of the students. (Porter, 2007, p. 13) During one incident, I was able to deal with a group of boys fighting. I was able to break up the fight and explain the situation to the head teacher and was shown how to fill out an accident form. I was also given a small group of children to work with who had special educational needs. My group had difficulty in maths and I was told to practise times tables with them. I carried out research on my own time and found out that children learn better and faster when visualising objects (Cohen & Cowen, 2007, p. 533). The next session I brought along teddy bear counters and explained the concept of multiplying by using visual props. The children then found it easier to work out their times tables. According to literature, “visual tools are excellent ways to have children respond to literature because children usually find them fun and helpful in organizing material” (Cohen & Cowen, 2007, p. 533). I was also given the opportunity to take part in P.E lessons and was allocated a small group of children to take care of while on a trip to the park. I believe these opportunities have made me responsible and more aware of young children in my care. Having previous knowledge about the rules and legislations regarding children, I put them into practice while at the school. Knowledge and skills gained throughout the lectures aided me in having common background knowledge regarding young children and how laws, legislations, policies, and theories were introduced to safe guard children. The school put this legislation into practice by insuring that the children were given healthy and nutritious meals throughout the day. Furthermore, The Children Act of 1994 influenced my work, as I made sure that all children were safe in their environment. After meal times whilst the children took their daily nap, I cleaned the floor using detergent. I carried this out when there were no children around because the environment could become unsafe for them. In addition, I observed that members of staff double-checked to ensure that the doors were closed when leaving a room. Moreover, I also took great care in assuring that the doors were closed, which therefore provided a safe environment for the children. The Children Act 1994 also highlights the importance of positively contributing to a child’s life. I believe that my background understanding of this act enabled me to have a positive impact on the children with whom I was working. Whilst working with pre-school children, I instructed the children on how to hold a pencil correctly and write their name. I also encouraged the children to play and interact together as this had a positive impact on the children’s growth and their social skills developed. The Children Act 2004 sheds light upon the importance that every child matters and is a unique individual. The Children Act 2004, which was strictly followed at the school, had a positive impact on the children and their environment. In addition, I adhered to the procedures of health and safety at the playgroup. I am now able to fill out an accident form following the guidelines I was given. During my time at the school, I witnessed a child fall during a trip. I then recorded this on an accident form ready to give to the parents. The health and safety procedures of the nursery enabled me to further my knowledge on health and safety requirements that are needed and used in childcare settings. Upon reflection, I feel overall that my placement was a very positive experience. The areas that I believe have developed are my knowledge and understanding of the development of children and how a child’s social, emotional, and physical needs are met through interaction and play. My ability to care, nurture, and interact with young children strengthened during my time at the school. This experience shed light upon the fact that every child is unique and requires adequate care and attention in order to excel in their development during the early years. Furthermore, I believe this experience has enabled me to have a good insight into working in a childcare setting. Besides such improvements, my communication skills and self-esteem developed. References Cohen, V. L., & Cowen, J. E. 2007, Literacy for children in an information age: teaching reading, writing, and thinking. Belmont, Thompson/ Wadsworth. Dean, J. 2006, Meeting the Learning Needs of All Children: Personalised Learning in the Primary School. New York, Routledge. Gifford, S. 2007, Teaching Mathematics 3-5. Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd. Hagenbach, S. 2011. Teaching children responsible behavior: a complete toolkit. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics. Porter, L. 2007, Young childrens behaviour: practical approaches for caregivers and teachers. Mauriceville, N.S.W., Elsevier Australia. Rathus, S. A. 2011, Childhood and adolescence: voyages in development. Belmont, CA, Cengage Learning. Read More