While placed in year 6 there was a child who had been excluded from the class for the morning, this was due to unacceptable behaviour in the classroom the day before. In my placements school behaviour policy (The Learning Trust, 2018) it states that sometimes it may be essential to exclude an individual or individuals for a specific amount of time in order to maintain a pleasant atmosphere based on a feeling of community and shared values. The child had accepted that their behaviour was unacceptable and when welcomed back into the classroom after lunch time they had a completely different attitude which was positive. Overall behaviour policies appear to be effective, but need to be consistently followed throughout the school.

During the assembly’s I attended while on placement, children were asked to sing the school rule song. Reading the rules in the lyrics, over my time at this school I could see how the children did obey to these rules. For example, every class had a strict no shouting out policy, hands up only. Getting the children to sing this song weekly helps enforce the rules of the school, but in a fun and playful way.

 According to Adams (2018) rules help to structure not only the classroom but the school itself. Rules must be enforced throughout the school and teachers across the board need to have the same regulations. Steer (2009) would agree that all parties must be informed of the school's expectations and the policies that apply. This allows consistency and clarity of expectations throughout the school. 

 

 During in my time in year 2 in placement I quickly recognised that there was a gifted child within the class. According to Manning (2006) children who are ‘labelled’ as gifted perform or have the potential to perform at greater levels in one or more domains than students of the same age. The child in my class clearly showed advancements in their level of learning, especially in maths. 

 

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (2008) highlights the need for effective provision in the classroom for a gifted child to reach their full potential. They recognise that teachers should use a range of teaching techniques and matching activities to learners' maturity and chosen learning styles, make learning an exciting and challenging experience. While on placement the teacher had given the gifted child a separate work sheet which was more challenging than the rest of the class. I was so impressed by the child however, the child seemed to be very upset with himself for missing five questions out of the seventy. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (2008) acknowledges that some children are perfectionists who find it difficult to ask for help and are disappointed when they do not achieve their goals. This made me realise that this child may not get challenged as often as they needed to be, as they found it difficult and confusing that they found the work harder, meaning they could not be perfect at the task. I would maybe take the approach to expose the child to more challenges, so they do not find it so overwhelming. 

 

Bennet (2016) sets out the three R’s of the behaviour curriculum, one of them being relationships. Knight (2018) recognises most behaviour for learning rules focus on establishing trust and respect. This trust and respect can be demonstrated by creating class rules and routines together, ensuring the children feel heard and have a say in the decisions made in their classroom. 

 

During my time at placement the year 6 teacher highlighted to me the importance of trust between him and his class. He expressed that when trust is gained between both parties then respect is there too.  When setting tasks, he trusted the children not to mess about but to get on with the task in hand. This trust allows children to feel valued and safe, enabling good behaviour. Brewster (2003) understood by research that good relationships in school play a vital role in positive behaviour. His research reports that in schools where pupils feel safe and know their teachers care about them, the school tends to have a higher achieving academic level. Blase and J.Roberts Blase (2001) would add without trust the school cannot grow into a rich and loving micro-society that is required by both children and adults.

 

With this knowledge I now understand the importance of gaining the trust of the children. The children were more motivated when with their class teacher than the supply teacher, I suspect this was because the children didn’t have a strong relationship with the supply teacher. When positive bonds are made children feel more secure and motivated. 

 

According to Kyriacou (2018) formative assessment is aimed to help students learn more effectively in the future. Black and William (1998) would add that formative assessment is where teachers and students utilise data on student accomplishment to make changes to the children’s learning that will enhance their performance. Formative assessment is now widely recognised to be crucial for effective teaching, student motivation and engagement and better levels of accomplishment according to Arthur and Peterson (2013). 

 

In year 6 I witnessed formative assessments being used a lot throughout the lessons. One example of this could be the use of the web-based tool name Kahoot!. Kahoot! can be used as an online multiple-choice quiz, the teacher would set the questions and the students would answer individually on their tablets. During my experience the quiz was set on their learning of fractions, the quiz was 20 questions long. From the use of Kahoot! the year 6 teacher concluded that the class needed more support and teaching when it comes to dividing fractions, as the majority of the class got these questions wrong. On the other hand, the teacher understood that the class was confident with adding fractions as all questions on this area were answered correct. From this formative assessment the teacher has beneficial feedback to support future learning. 

 

From experiencing this type of assessment, I grasped how effective is it. There is two main factors of why I found it effective. One being how fast you can gain the information you need, for example the Kahoot! quiz took no longer than 15 minutes. Secondly, it saves teachers so much time, for example if the teacher is going over learning outcomes that all students have already met then time is not being used in a productive and efficient way.  

 

Hansen (2018) highlights the difference of assessments in the foundation stages compared to key stages 1 and 2. Typically in the foundation stage assessment is mostly done through observations. However, through the years in addition to formative assessments, summative assessments are also introduced. According to Kyriacou (2018) summative assessments determines the level of achievement attained at a specific point in time, usually towards the conclusion of the term. 

 

During my time on placement the year 6 children were preparing for their SATS (standard assessment tests). SATs is an exam that year 2s and year 6s have to undertake at the end of their academic year. SATs is a summative assessment; this measures the educational achievement of the child. In their research Black and William (1998) did not overlook the importance of summative assessment, which is the most common approach for determining where pupils are in their learning. However, Black et al. (2003) argue that summative testing should be used in conjunction with formative evaluation, rather than being viewed as two distinct procedures. At my time in placement I could sense the children feeling anxious about their SATs, and they had told me they felt overwhelmed. Black et al. (2003) highlights that Summative assessment should be considered as an important element of the learning process - not as something to be dreaded, but as a way of charting the process and identifying deficiencies so that they may be rectified.

 

During my time in early years on placement I was introduced to the activity cards. These cards were all linked with certain activities around the classroom. Every morning after the children finished their phonics the children were invited to choose their 4 activities for the day. These activities were integrated with other learning, so activity time was scheduled before snack time and straight after lunch. After the children had chosen their activities, they would place their cards on their name activity boards, this allowed children to visually see what they have chosen to do for the day. 

I found this strategy to work extremely well, involving the children with the choice of their learning allowed them to feel as if they had freedom. The routine of this activity was evidently understood by the children, they all knew what activity was next. In the classroom they had a timetable on the wall allowing the children to visually see and use their own initiative to find out what’s next. According to Pollard (2019) classroom routines allow us to put broad guidelines into practise and apply their ideas to specific tasks. Having the timetable of the day on the wall made it easier for children to understand what will happen, and they can see when they can go home. This made it easier when children started to get a little teary for their parents, being able to show them how many activities there was left helped tremendously. Pollard (2019) makes it clear that routines need to be maintained, otherwise children’s understandings might deteriorate with time. Every single morning the children would come in and sit down on the mat and have to try to write their name 3 times, when I first came into this class all the children did this without asking, this shows this routine has been followed over a long period of time.

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