New Teacher Induction

When reflecting on my acquired attributes and competencies I believe that fall largely within the ‘proficient’ range. I believe I am skilled when it comes to these attributes and competencies but there is room for growth.

As a to be new qualified teacher I believe I have sound subject knowledge. I know I can teach any lesson within the intermediate phase syllabus however I know there is always room for improvement.

I believe that I am able to identify learner needs and match them with the appropriate subject content and teaching style. I am able to pace my lesson so that I will ensure adequate subject coverage while meeting the needs of multi-level class.

I feel the first week of meeting your learners is the most crucial as you learn about them and from this you are able to determine how your learners need to be taught. Through the years of teaching practice, I have also learnt that I need to be flexible in my approach and adapt to my learners’ evolving needs.

I consider my ability to communicate with my learners to be one of my strengths. I am able to bond with my learners through showing empathy when they encounter barriers to learning. I am also able to reach learners who are shy by showing interest in their hobbies and sporting affiliations and then linking these to my lessons. In this way they become interested in the lesson.

Because numeracy was not my strength at school, I am able to relate to learners who experience problems in this area and provide effective ways of mastering this skill. My literacy skills are considerably better, and I use them to communicate effectively with my learners. I have confidence in my abilities to manage various technology (smartboards, projectors, laptops, etc.) used in the classroom however I know there is room for improvement as technology evolves year-round and new ways of using this technology in the classroom is developed.

Since I have not had much experience designing learning programmes, I rely on my knowledge about the school curriculum to formulate my lesson plans. I enjoy engaging with specialised content in order to teach my learners. I am confident in my ability to source many different resources in order to enhance my lessons.

During my four years of teaching practice I was exposed to a variety of schools with different ethea which helped me appreciate that South Africa is a land of diversity and that in order to be a successful teacher I will need to embrace this diversity in order to foster a sense of Ubuntu in my classroom. many learners face a host of learning and social challenges in their daily lives. It is thus imperative that I engage the help of professionals to ensure that my learners receive the help they need.

In order to ensure a conducive learning environment, it is important to consider the diversity of my learners in the class. Understanding diverse contexts will ensure that I include all my learners in assigned weekly tasks and activities.

I tend to follow the traditional way of assessing learners’ abilities, using tests or orals. However effective it does prove to be, I wish to formulate other was of assessing my learners so that I am able to meet their needs. You cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, so too must I use varied assessments match the skills learners acquire in order to be reliable. It is important to analyse results so that I am able to adapt my lesson and ultimately improve the culture of learning and teaching in my classroom.

I believe that this reflection on my competency will allow me to critically analyse my role as a teacher and ultimately make me more effective.