WEEK ONE DAILY REFLECTIONS

21/11/22 – 25/11/22
21/11/22
An interesting first day and introduction to the school. The school runs a different system to
what I’m familiar with, they work around 3 semesters in the year broken up into 11/12 week
blocks with exams at the end of them. My placement will cover most of semester two with it
starting off in the final week of semester one. This means my first week has very little classes
with most students undergoing exams and the school closing early each day, at 2.33pm. This
does have its benefits for though as it allows me to become more familiar and comfortable with
the school environment and its community, giving me confidence, authority, and a readiness in
the classroom. Maybe not the ideal start for some but I apricate this ‘easing in’ period to get all
the final few bits in order and ready to hit the ground running come next week when classes
return to normal. I feared I may be missing out on a week of teaching but the students will not
have Christmas exams so when most other PME’s are sitting out and just observing exams I will
still be teaching right up to the Christmas break.

22/11/22
Exam week is continuing in the school with few classes on and most students at home revising
for exams. There is a quietness to the school that I’m sure will quickly change once the full
complement of students return to class.
I stepped in and observed a LCA group working on their projects, “a desk storage unit”. In
discussing the class and how they are with the co-operating I found out, again, the approach to
the class is a bit different. Both 5th and 6th LCA are taught construction studies at the same time,
this is how its been done for years and the co-op simply inherited the method and class.
Originally due to scheduling constraints, they have been unable to revert to separate classes,
like with all other subject they participate in leading to a unique yearly approach. Over the
course of two they would complete the woodworking and construction elements in the first
year and then the following year they would complete the graphical and technical elements.
Each year alternating with elements are focused, this allows the entire group to be taught
together and not try to teach two different classes at the same time. The co-operating teacher
admits this is not an ideal situation and would prefer to separate the two groups but he also
recognizing the benefits having a larger group and getting more engagement from them.
Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, the most attended class for the LCA group is the
construction studies, I believe thanks to nature of the subject and how these students, who
have struggled with the traditional learning styles, can see the real world applications to what
they are learning.
23/11/22
Observed the 2nd year wood technology exam today. The school has moved to a new way of
providing feedback for student exams, introduced by Mr. Lannin. The system looks to avoid
giving direct percentages for their grades, instead giving individual feedback. Over the past four
years the school has been easing into this change, this year will see the method used across all
subjects for the first time.
Every exam cover sheet will have 2 sections: WWW; What Went Well and EBI; Even Better If.
The teachers will then use this cover sheet as a framework to provide feedback. When report
cards go home the parents receive this feedback alongside the percentage grade. The reports he
has seen improvements from both the students and engagement from the parents. One
downside he did mention though is it does put more work on the teacher to give detail
feedback and sometimes teachers do not, only giving brief details.
I think the seen improvement of engagement from the parents is a massive positive factor to
keep pushing this feedback method forward. With this school being a community school, a big
issue I've run into the past and many others have is that lack of parental oversight and
engagement. But with the support from both home and the school I believe grade trends will
start to significantly rise.
24/11/22
Observed the 1st year graphic exam today. It was a good opportunity to see the ability of each
student before taking over from the co-operating teacher. There was a wide range of abilities
within the class, some students being able to complete the test with ease and some not able to
attempt either question.
They are a positive bunch, still carrying a small bit of excitement from being in a new school and
new subjects. But the pressures of exams and their youthfulness still shows for some. A difficult
moment during the exam when one of the students got quite upset after struggling to attempt
either question. They were able to leave the room and calm themselves down, mustering the
strength to come back into the class and continue with the test. With a fresh mindset, they
were able to complete test and achieve a pass grade. It was difficult but rewarding moment.
I do find it worrisome though that a student so young feels that kind of pressure. Maybe an
internal drive, pressure from home, or perhaps just exam situation itself, whatever it may be
that caused those feelings, I truly believe no child of that age should feel that kind pressure.

25/11/22
Only one class today, 1st year graphics. Luckily, they had already completed their exam earlier in
the week, so I was able to take them and begin teaching. We our beginning with Orthographic
project, they have covered polygons and lines with some familiarity with technical terms.
They are lovely class to teach, very eager please and take part with activities. With a mix of
media, they were able to grasp the concept of an ortho drawing quickly, able to complete some
basic worksheets by the end. I do worry though as a few were out of the class and when we
come back to the topic in the next class they will struggle to following along and will require
extra attention to catch back up.
Something I have struggled with in the past is keep that balance of pushing the lessons forward
for most of the students and allowing time for the students who may struggled or missed lesson
to catch up. It can be very difficult for students to catch up when missing class, emphasised by
the inability of assigning homework as few have equipment or space at home to complete it.
Perhaps approaching the question through sketching first at home and then complete questions
in the classroom with the proper equipment could be a unique way of overcoming this problem
while also building their core understanding and skills.