Views & Opinion


Emotionsmake youwho you are Comment by ALICIA BLANCO-BAYO, Early Years teacher, Kirkham Grammar School


Emotions make you who you ar Comment by ALICIA BLANCO-BAY


LA As I studied Nussbaurn’s work on the


conceptualisation of social structures as we give meaning to real members of the


other when interactions are part of every-day life. This is what life in the classroom really is, life in a small community.Where do we fit true interactions within the school environment? This question came to mind as I observed children, parents and teachers responding to each other, and I was able to highlight that certain


responses occurred due to social expectations. I am fascinated how communicating with others awakens a part of our brain that has to think to engage in discussion. There is the part of the brain that receives messages and responds using emotions. It is by using


interactions that we can learn to understand our own and others’ emotions, and this is why listening to children as they explore the world around them is essential.


When I interact with people I often enter a process of self-reflection that helps me develop


When I interact with people I often enter a process of self-reflection that helps me develop


As I studied Nussbaurn’s work on the conceptualisation of social structures as we give meaning to real life stories, I observed how members of the same community relate to each other when interactions are part of every-day life. This is what life in the classroom really is, life in a small community. Where do we fit true interactions within the school environment? This question came to mind as I observed children, parents and teachers responding to each other, and I was able to highlight that certain responses occurred due to social expectations. I am fascinated how communicating with others awakens a part of our brain that has to think to engage in discussion. There is the part of the brain that receives messages and responds using emotions. It is by using interactions that we can learn to understand our own and others’ emotions, and this is why listening to children as they explore the world around them is essential.


same community relate to each life stories, I observed how


the tools I end up using with children and families. It is always easier if I use an example to describe how this might happen and how we can make it meaningful. So that children start to feel members of a small commun ity, we find opportunities to sit together to share special moments. Special moments can be as simple as making play-dough cakes or playing with dinosaurs in the sand. It is more about listening to children than setting up an overstimulating environment, because we feel the quality of our teaching and learning might not be as good if we don’t. If I have learnt one thing over the years it is that an over-stimulating environment leads to less purposeful thinking from the child. Subsequently, this may put in danger the development of thinking and reasoning skills which should start to develop before children are ready to apply mathematical concepts or work out words as they identify sounds and letters.


the tools I end up using with children and families. It is always easier if I use an example to describe how this might happen and how we can make it meaningful. So that children start to feel members of a small community, we find opportunities to sit together to share special moments. Special moments can be as simple as making play-dough cakes or playing with dinosaurs in the sand. It is more about listening to children than setting up an overstimulating environment, because we feel the quality of our teaching and learning might not be as good if we don’t. If I have learnt one thing over the years it is that an over-stimulating environment leads to less purposeful thinking from the child. Subsequently, this may put in danger the development of thinking and reasoning skills which should start to develop before children are ready to apply mathematical concepts or work out words as they identify sounds and letters.


After reading a story about creatures under the sea, a little girl said, “I want to be a diver to


After reading a story about creatures under the sea, a little girl said, “I want to be a diver to


AYO, Early Years teacher, KirkhamGrammar School


acquisition of concepts delivered by the adult. I somehow feel that the part of the brain tha t does the thinking and the working out to reach conclusions would have not been very active. This is what tells me that we do actually have plenty of tools on hand to support children’s development, but only if we are prepared to think with them and not for them.


see the creatures under the sea”. What if at that point we had not planned for this? Do we let it go or do we help her work out how she might be able to make this happen? I chose to support the child and so she worked very hard to think about what she could use to make her flippers, her oxygen tank and her goggles. Throughout this journey, there were moments of excitement and also moments of some frustration and it was by interacting with other children and the adult present that these emotions could be channelled. If I had directed the task from beginning to end, there would have been fewer opportunities to deal with various emotions and the child would have only explored the acquisition of concepts delivered by the adult. I somehow feel that the part of the brain that does the thinking and the working out to reach conclusions would have not been very active. This is what tells me that we do actually have plenty of tools on hand to support children’s development, but only if we are prepared to think with them and not for them.


ar


e moments of excitement er goggles. Throughout


and also moments of some frustration and it was by interacting with other children and the adult present that these emotions could be channelled. If I had directed the task from beginning to end, there would have been fewer opportunities to deal with various emotions and the child would have only explored the


see the creatures under the sea”.What if at that point we had not planned for this? Do we let it go or do we help her work out how she might be able to make this happen? I chose to support the child and so s he worked very h d to thin k about what she could use to make her flippers, her oxygen tank and h this journey, there wer


Vie ws & Op inio n


Howto ch oose the righ t supply ga e ncy Comment by CLA


LAREOTHMAN,Operations Director, Supply Desk


So you’ve decided to become a supply teacher, and now you’re faced with the task of choosing a supply agency. There are hundreds of agencies out there, so how do you choose the one that will work best for you?


Youmight think that registering with lots of agencies will improve your chances of securin g work. It won’t. In fact, it could work against you. Keeping a long list of agencies up-to-date with your availability is tiresome, and if you continually turn work down due to commitments with other agencies, youmay find the better offers start to dry up. Certainly, when you are starting out as a supply teacher it is recommended that you choose only a couple of agencies and stick with those. You can always switch later.Many supply teachers end up choosing to become exclusive with one particular agency after a while, as they develop a rapport and trust i n one agency over another . But how do you whittle the list of agencies down to just two or three? Here are some recommendations:


Personal recommendations Personal recommendations


Recommendations fromteachers you know and trust can be a wonderful way to find an agency that suits you but always remember that what


2 0 www


suits one person is not necessarily going to suit th e next .


School recommendations School recommendations


Most teachers have a list of schools or types of schools at which they’d be happy to work. Schools tend to work with just one or two supply agencies, so ask the schools you like w oh they work with, then register with those ag encies .


Consider your transport options Consider your transport options


If you have limitedmeans of transport, use agencies who service schools you’ll find easy to get to quickly. Often schools won’t know they need a supply teacher until 8am, there’s no sense inmaking life hard for yourself in themornings by trying to get to an inaccessible location quickly when you could have work just down the road!


Look for indicators of quality Look for indicators of quality


There are hundreds of supply teaching agencies around, and new agencies seemto pop up (an d close down) on a daily basis.


Will the agency actively market your skills? Some agencies wait for the phone to ring. Others recognise the skills you have will be valued by schools, and actively promote them.


Will the agency cy activelymarket your skills? www.education-today.co.uk.co.uk


Ask about continued professional development opportunities


Ask about continued professiona l development opportunities


In 2016 NASUWT found that 65%of supply teachers reported being denied professional development opportunities. Don’t be afraid to ask about the specifics of the CPD opportunities an agency offers.


Look for accredited agenciesi Look for accred ted agencie s


Ensure your agency is an accredited Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)member, and thus committed to raising recruitment standards.


Ask for testimonials (but maintain a healthy scepticism)


Ask for testimonials (butmaintain a healthy scepticism)


In this age of online reviews, we are all savvy enough to know that reviews and testimonials can be fake – both positive and negative. Signs of authenticity include use of full names, use of school names. Be wary of anonymous reviews and testimonials. Remember that people are 10 times more likely to complain than to praise even if they are at fault, but if you see a negative review that concerns youmake sure you raise it with the agency before you sign.


Marc h 2018 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54