In this assignment I will consider reflective practice in planning and inclusive practice in a primary school setting. Assignment A explored theories of learning, assessment, literacy and numeracy and related these issues to my own experience in the secondary and HE sectors. Assessment B is based on practical teaching experience in a primary school and looks at the issues of reflective practice and inclusive planning by evaluating that experience.
Reflective planningPollard divides planning into four structural parts: whole-school curricular planning, structuring schemes of work, short-term planning and evaluating teaching. I have focused on short-term planning and evaluating teaching, two essential components of reflective planning. My inexperience in the primary sector meant that I planned lessons on a day-to-day basis, rather than planning an entire week, and I used MacDougall's eight-point lesson plan structure as a guideline. MacDougall's guidelines are particularly relevant to reflective planning in parts 7 & 8 (learning and teaching evaluation) and how they feed into parts 3 & 4 (learning intentions and success criteria) of a subsequent lesson. Another aspect of reflective planning is what Donald Schön refers to as reflection-in-action : the decisions a teacher makes about how the lesson is going and the next moves required during the lesson itself. I will discuss these aspects in Part Two.
Inclusive practice
Before reflecting on my ability to enable an inclusive learning experience, I will define what I mean by inclusive practice and explain how I want to achieve it. Thomas and Vaughan make a distinction between the concepts of integration or mainstreaming and inclusion. The first two concepts contain the idea that a child with particular needs is in some way being accommodated by the school, whereas inclusion is based on the premise that it is a child's right to belong to the local school, irrespective of race, gender, level of attainment, or, and perhaps most controversially, emotional and behavioural issues. The emphasis of a child's rights over a child's needs is at the heart of inclusion and is mirrored in the Curriculum for Excellence initiative by the "the aspiration that all children and young people should develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors”.
To achieve inclusion in my four-day teaching period, I based my preparation on the three key principles I considered most relevant to effective and inclusive primary school learning and teaching: cooperative learning, formative assessment and pedagogical analysis. I will explain the reasons for my choices in Part One.
In more general terms, Part One will address some of the issues highlighted in the feedback to Assignment A, specifically my understanding of the values that underpin the Curriculum for Excellence initiative and their application in a primary classroom.
Part Two will look in detail at the issue of planning, apply MacDougall's model to the four-day learning experience, and look at ways of improving my planning skills for future lessons.
Part Three will consider the Curriculum for Excellence initiative in detail, looking at each curriculum area and each principle for curriculum design, and demonstrate how I would apply these principles in the classroom.
Part Four will reflect on the GTCS Standard for teaching in primary schools and identify areas for future development, indicating how I intend to address these in practice.
In the conclusion, I will draw together strands discussed in the four parts of the assignment and look at my overall preparedness for life as a primary school teacher.
THOMAS, G. AND VAUGHAN, M., (2004). Inclusive Education . Milton Keynes : Open University Press, p.2
Learning and Teaching Scotland , (Undated). Curriculum for Excellence. Available: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/buildingthecurriculum/guidance/btc1/introduction/index.asp
[Date Accessed: 09/12/2009]
POLLARD, A., (2005). Reflective Teaching. 2nd Edition. London : Continuum, p.244
MACDOUGALL, L., (Undated). Planning for Learning and Teaching - The Planning Process . Available:http://www.iserve.edu.abdn.ac.uk/Video/Terry/Staff/LMacDougall300909/LMacDougall-300909_High.html[Date Accessed: 11/11/2009]
POLLARD, A., (2002). Readings for Reflective Teaching 2nd Edition. London : Continuum, p.5