Final reflection from
Nelson Boys College
My second placement at NBC went really well. I had the
opportunity to teach Year 9, 10, 11, and 13 Physical Education as well as
junior health. I grew up in Nelson so I felt as though it was an awesome
opportunity to head back to my home region to undertake some more development.
It was also interesting going into a single sex school. Prior to this placement
I had attended and worked at only co educational schools therefore I was happy
to experience the other type of schooling in New Zealand. The units I had the
opportunity to teach were; sports education model, two handed hitting, minor
games (juniors), and generation z, getting stuck in, biomechanics and game
sense with the seniors. My favourite moment was getting to take a year 10 learning
support class to the Abel Tasman, we walked for two days with some lads that
had never been on camp before and they had to sleep under tent flies on top of
cooking their own dinner. It was an awesome experience and for the most part
the weather was stunning.
What did I learn
about myself?
I did winder going into this placement how I would go in an
all boys environment. But I came out the other end having had an extremely
positive time. I love my sport and found it was easy to get the boys motivated
to participate in class.
Associates &
Liaison
I had two very good associates who helped me with any
queries I had. They had plenty of advice to offer and trusted me with their
classes pretty much from the get go. NBC
had a good set up where PRT’s and trainee teachers would meet every Thursday
for lunch and to discuss progress or any problems they were encountering.
What did I work on?
I worked hard on my differentiation within lessons; this was
identified by one of my associates during an observation.
NBC used BODOR statements so I worked hard to fit in around
their behaviour management strategies.
Classroom management
techniques used
I used wait time, eye contact, BODOR, group work, reminding
classes to put hand up when they had something to say, I sent a student out of
class for a couple of minutes.
Reflection on goals
1.
Learn students’ names within first two weeks.
I achieved this goal, I used Kamar print outs to research
the students I would be teaching.
2.
Get involved in co curricular activities.
I struggled to get involved with this as much as I would
have liked. The winter sports were well into their seasons and had
coaches/managers sorted so I sat in on a couple of junior basketball practices
and watched some sevens rugby. I also went on a three day camp with the
learning support class and went skiing with the year 11s.
3.
Use a variety of levels of questioning within
the classroom.
This was a goal that I worked really hard towards, I felt as
though I used different methods to orchestrate discussion in classes and it
worked well. I still need to improve on developing discussion points within
class that can test students at the excellence level as well as engaging
students at an achieve level.
4.
Be well prepared for each lesson I teach.
I think I was successful with this goal. I spent a lot of
time preparing for each lesson. My associate also discussed this with me
looking towards the future. He said he spent the first couple of years teaching
putting in a lot of prep work. I will continue to do this as I develop as a
teacher.
5.
Make a good impression!
I definitely achieved this, I stepped up to help in
situations where the department needed help and I felt as though I became a
full member of their team.
6.
Develop my classroom management strategies.
I continued to back
myself to create positive relationships with students. I followed the procedures
which were at the school using BODOR statements, so I now have this type of
strategy up my sleeve for future use.
Technology used
I had no access to computers with the classes so the boys
did a lot of work in booklets. I had the chance to use some software called
Silicone Coach for a year 13 unit and I found it an extremely useful tool for
analysing golf swings.
Use of Te Reo
I had the opportunity to teach a traditional Maori game to a
couple of classes (Ki O Rahi) which was a lot of fun. I also included Te Reo
words while talking about welling in health. (Taha Tinana, Taha Wairua, Taha
Hinengaro and Taha Whanau)
Summary
Overall, had an amazing time on section, I had the chance to
go on camp, go skiing and teach a variety of classes. I had really helpful
associates and I developed as a teacher. I am looking forward to starting work
next year and continuing to develop.