Reflection opportunity from my EDP3333 professional experience

It has been quite a time since my last post, much to my frustration and disappointment. My family, work and uni commitments had put posting on hold. But the opportunity to reflect on here from my last practical experience is too great to resist, so over the next few weeks I will be discussing what worked and what didn't work during my prac.

My first focus is on impression and building rapport. I was so nervous and anxious that I'm afraid I did not make the best impression. I lacked confidence and had trouble articulating a clear idea of who I am as a teacher. In addition to this, the students were expecting a replica of their teacher which I imagine would be pretty rare (however my EDC3100 prac, the students came close as my teaching and behaviour management style were quite similar to my mentor). By the end of my prac I am happy to say that I built a great relationship with the students and taught more in my own style that felt right for me. My intention is to do this right from the start of my next prac as I found that I was more successful as a teacher when I was myself, than when I was modelling my mentor.

So, what can I do in preparation for my next prac and for my future teaching as a whole, focusing on impressions and building rapport? Here are my thoughts so far:

• Unpack who I am and what teaching means to me... make a video that I can show the class as an introduction to myself and my pedagogy. Present it to my mentor prior to prac and to the class at the start of prac.
• Improve my confidence. Ideas to do this include doing things that make me step outside of my comfort zone to prove to myself that I can be successful. Research the topic of building confidence and increasing assertiveness. Be confident in my own abilities!
• Have a clear written focus on what my expectations are and questions that I want to ask my mentor prior to attending prac such as: Can I wonder around and support students while you are teaching or would you like me to wait until you have indicated for me to join in and support students? Can I utilise you as a resource in the classroom to assist students during lessons that I am teaching? What are some of the behaviours that the students exhibit, that I can expect? What are your expectations of behaviour and standard of work that is important that I maintain? Perhaps do a looks like, feels like, sounds like sheet from both my perspective and  from the mentors perspective prior to prac. 
• Provide copies of my classroom management plan, class rules and consequence posters to my mentor teacher and unpack it prior to prac so that I can be confident to create a classroom environment that promotes positive relationships and quality learning that works within my teaching style.
• Think about how I am presenting myself in terms of body language, tone and speech content to ensure I am presenting myself in the best way possible that builds a great rapport with both my mentor and students. 

I am sure that I will think of some more or if you have suggestions or experiences that you would like to share, feel free to comment on this post.

A great you-tube clip that I found about building rapport and making great first impressions from The On Demand Coach can be found by clicking here.