A brief

As part of the ‘social in context’ module in my second academic year, I had a weekly two-hour placement at Clifton Green Primary School situated in York. Myself, along with two of my peers would facilitate a workshop with a class of 31 year 3 pupils. The aim of this module was to express the PSHE topic of friendship and bullying through a creative and practical drama workshop. Because of receiving a class brief from the class teacher before our very first session, we were informed about the behaviour difficulties from some of the individual children we were working with, for example ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as facilitating children who were brought up in negative and difficult circumstances. Therefore, through my teaching strategies I had to have a level of sensitivity and understanding when facilitating certain workshops which influenced myself to undergo some relative research. “Instead of reprimanding children for being late or forgetting homework, be affirming and accommodating by establishing a visual cue or verbal reminder to help that child” (We are teachers, 2006)

Experience in relation to teaching

When reflecting on this placement in terms of contributing to my facilitating experience and future teaching profession, It massively challenged me to go outside of my comfort zone from just following a lesson plan which before the placement experience, I was naive to how complex the world of teaching is. Therefore my first experience of a distraction from an individual who decided to run around the class room was a turning point in my learning as I knew I had to improvise a strategy to get that individual back focused in the room without taking away from the other pupils learning. Although the class teacher also helped in this situation, it allowed me to know what was appropriate and what works with that child in case it was to happen a second time. I will now take forward into my teaching career the call and responses, count downs and discipline that I have learnt from a more experienced facilitator.  Aside from behaviour management which I have noted as being my most significant learning, I also became aware of the relationship you need with your pupils. Again, I was perhaps naive In believing that there is a certain status between teacher and pupils where one facilitates and the other listens. Naturally I created a bond with the pupils in terms of wanting them to excel and having a passion for watching their work and self-confidence grow each week. Through this process as being my first placement in the education setting, I understood early on how important it is to include the pupils in the process of their learning just as much as myself. For example, through devising, allow them to create the ending. This thought, through research taught me that using the children as co-facilitators is the best way for them to understand, focus and enjoy. “The most salient reason is to nurture a kind of theatre that includes a child’s perspective” (Reason, 2010)