As I approach the end of my second year of teaching, I can see that my confidence and participation in school and professional life has grown immensely.
Below are some of my observations on how my working life has changed, which I hope will give you some insights into what to expect and aim for during your second year at the chalkface.
Confidence
The increasing freedom in the classroom has allowed me the confidence to find my own style of teaching. This in turn has built my confidence to experiment with particular learning activities and this has been great.
I think that is key – trying to inspire our youngsters while being creative. This approach has most definitely kept me on my toes as well as highly motivated.
I have loved the collaborative way I try things out and get pupils and students to give me their ideas and feedback. On occasion I have had moments of “if anyone walks in now they will wonder what the hell I am doing!”, but nonetheless it has been exhilarating just having a go – I would encourage you all to continue to experiment with your teaching.
Likewise this year I have felt more confident in asking pupils during or after an activity whether it worked for them or not, and what would have worked better. It can be daunting to do this, but with increased confidence it has been a positive challenge for me to respond to this constructive, honest feedback.
What has also helped is having a second cycle working through the schemes of learning. The majority of content and resources were already made and it is great to be able to tweak my activities rather than having to make lots from scratch. Plus it is wonderful knowing what activities were victorious for pupil progress and engagement last year and which were a flop and therefore needed addressing this time around.
Creativity
What has been a big inspiration for me this year is “creation” tasks. Since the spring term I seem to have used this concept of learning more and more. This has been inspired by the regular reminders of its significance in Anderson’s and Bloom’s Taxonomy and an element of the TEEP Learning Cycle.
Creation tasks facilitate the highest order of application. Pupils have been creating recipes, freeze frames, your guides, song lyrics, fact files, research projects – all of which ultimately revise entire units of work in order to establish whether the created piece fully covers what has been learnt or applied. It is an approach I would recommend.
Within school
As an “NQT+1”, I have felt much more of a recognised and valued member of the wider school team. I would possibly be as bold as to say a reputable member of staff!
Being asked to get involved in local TeachMeets has been a really pleasant acknowledgement of participating within the team of teachers rather than being an inexperienced apprentice. Being involved has extended my own teacher toolkit of activities too and it has been a perfect way to see other great, experienced teachers and support staff showcasing their tools.
Although it feels like a real treat – I can confirm that I have made it into the staffroom at break time at least on a few occasions this year! I have even managed a cup of tea and a brief chat with colleagues.
This for me was unknown in my NQT year and that was probably a mistake. I still don’t get time to do this as often as I would like but when the opportunity arises seeing colleagues outside of the department and sharing anecdotes of my day has been amazing. The glimpse of companionship from others plus the quick breather has been a real treat. I would urge you to make the time for this.
An extension to this is that when new initiatives (for instance in home learning or school behaviour policies) are implemented I have felt equally placed as an experienced teacher as we are all embarking on the change together. Making time for the staffroom has most definitely united me with others regardless of age or experience.
Within department
In department meetings, I have become more participative. As an NQT, I think it is normal to listen more and attempt to get a feel for the overall strategies and expectations of working. But this year I have felt much more involved in decision-making and trouble-shooting, especially when it comes to changes in course specifications and Department for Education expectations (including life after levels and Progress 8).
I am often now being invited to share ideas in order to find answers to manage and implement these changes. This collaborative working has most definitely played a significant part this year in building my confidence and involvement.
Wider school life
I have become involved in the school’s initial teacher training (ITT) team, which has included supporting both PGCE trainees and NQTs in various ways, through observations and feedback. I have also facilitated four Professional Learning CPD sessions this year. This again is highly recommended – if you can find ways to support others, it undoubtedly improves your own practice and reflection.
Two of the Professional Learning sessions I hosted were for NQTs, the first sharing my insight into the expectations of Hampshire’s NQT documentation and the other getting current NQTs to reflect on their “greatest successes and biggest flops” to create an NQT guide for the new cohort of 2016/17. The remaining two sessions were for trainees (securing your first job) and their mentors (effective objective setting).
The students
Finally – but most importantly – pupils and students: it is wonderful knowing more pupils around the site, whether I teach them or not. Forming more solid relationships with my classes, namely my year 11s, has been great. And having now sent them into battle in the exam hall, I was thrilled when many of them came to find me to feedback on how they feel they had performed. When this happens to you, make the most of it!
I feel most proud of my pupils and take pride in their progress and achievement: they remain the reason for all my hard work, time and effort.
- The author of this article was SecEd’s NQT diarist in 2014/15. She is now a second year teacher of sociology, history and philosophy from a school in the South of England.
NQT Special Edition
This article was published as part of SecEd's NQT Special Edition on June 30, 2016. Published with support from the NASUWT, the Special Edition features eight pages of best practice and advisory articles aimed at NQTs as they come to the end of their first year of teaching, and trainee teachers as they prepare for NQT life in September. Download a free pdf of the Special Edition, via our Supplements page at www.sec-ed.co.uk/supplements or directly via http://bit.ly/290nqhD