GMIT EXAMINATIONS –2017/18

Continuous Assessment
School Placement 1 Reflective Essay
Programme: BSc (Hons) in Education (Design Graphics and Construction)

Year: 1

Module: School Placement 1

Module Credits: 5

CA Weighting: 50%

Internal Examiner(s): Mr. Seán Breen

External Examiner(s): TBA

Submission
Submission Date/Time:

Post Lesson Reflection: 12/3/2018 at 10pm

Unless accompanied by a signed absence sheet, late submission will not be marked

Instructions to Candidates:
Please read the following information carefully

Student Name:

Student Number: G00356985

The Joys of Teaching! Module: School Placement 1

Introduction
During my last two visits to the national school of school placement one, I looked into the
topic of ‘The Joys of Teaching’. This topic gave me a great insight into my future profession
as there will be both positive but also negative moments of teaching. These moments
broaden my perspective of ‘The Joys of Teaching’ as I have witnessed many incidents of
both the ups and downs of teaching , these incidents make me passionate about becoming a
teacher in the future. In this reflective essay, I will discuss the incidents of the everyday life
of a teacher.

My Experience
The first point I wish to talk about is the progression of individual students in both the junior
and senior room respectively. From the first visit I noticed that a student in the junior room
had a slight speech impediment and at first he was very shy and unwilling to work in the
classroom due to what I believe, his speech difficulties. However, every time I was in the
classroom, the teacher continued to get him to talk aloud and the teacher done this by a
class activity called ‘ Show and Tell’, this activity demonstrated public speaking about
something that the students enjoyed in their daily lives. I believed this was a great idea as it
gave the child more confidence in front of his peers which is very crucial nowadays. To me
this incident was a positive aspect of ‘The Joys of Teaching’, as I gained an insight into how
to help a struggling student in the classroom which will indeed help me in my future
profession as I will meet these situations in the future. ‘In the context of effective teaching,
it is worth noting that effective teaching is in itself the highest form of pastoral care, since it
stems from a duty of care by the teacher for the pupil’s educational progress’ (Kyricou,
2007, P.117)

The second point I wish to discuss is the negative impact I felt from having between
three to four classes in the same classroom. The school I attended was a two classroom
school and I felt that the class teacher found it difficult at times to manage the different
levels of academic development in the room. At times the teacher in the senior room for
example, had to give written exercises to both the fourth and fifth class while she gives
the sixth class an in class exam. I felt she was trying to watch the younger classes while
giving out the exam questions and in my view this deprived the older sixth class of the
teachers’ full attention. However, this adds further to the joys of teaching in the modern
era as this situation adds to the common topic of good classroom management which is
something I will need in the future and this in class example helped me a lot. This
situation, in my view was all about the teachers’ ability to balance many different types
of student in the classroom at the one time and she demonstrated this in a professional
manner. ‘Simply wanting students to be quiet in class is a bankrupt position unless it is
based upon sound pedagogical principles’ (Dolan, 2009, P.97).
The Joys of Teaching! Module: School Placement 1

The third point I wish to discuss is the positive relationships I built with both the class
teachers’ but also the students. I felt on a professional level that the class teacher accepted
me in the classroom and this eased my nerves a lot. Even though I was only supposed to be
observing, the class teacher still allowed me to both work from the whiteboard and interact
with the children. This made my school placement very enjoyable as I got to practice being
in front of a class but also having time to practice on the whiteboard which was very
beneficial for the near future in my view. I also enjoyed the fact that the children called me
‘teacher’ anytime I was present , this made my school placement very realistic.’ It has been
widely acknowledged that the Teacher–Child relationship plays an important role when it
comes to children’s social, emotional and behavioral adjustment’ (Breeman, 2015, P.2)

Conclusion
From my school placement one, I got to experience many aspects of the joys of teaching
with both negative and positive situations along the way. I feel that the placement has given
me a great insight into the profession of teaching by observing the joys of teaching on a
daily basis. I can conclude that there is an abundance of aspects of the joys of teaching and
this has made me hungrier to become a teacher.

Bibliography
Kyricou, C. (2007) Essential Teaching Skills

Dolan, B. W. (2009) A Guide to Teaching Practice in Ireland

Breeman, L.D (2015) The Journal of School Psychology

The Joys of Teaching! Module: School Placement 1