STUDENT REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

 

YEAR TWO SCHOOL OBSERVATION

SEMESTER  TWO (2)

NOTE:
This is only a sample guide on how to complete the Student Reflective Journal (SRJ) for your Year Two School Observation.

You are expected to edit, update, and include your own unique experiences, reflections, and observations based on your time in the school.

Always ensure that your entries are honest, specific, and relevant to your personal teaching and learning journey.

Name of lead mentor:

Name of mentor:

Number/names of other staff members:

Class	Boys	Girls	Total	SEN
J.H.S.ONE
J.H.S TWO
J.H.S.THREE

SCHOOL PROFILE

SCHOOL FACILITIES (e.g., football field, toilet, office space, tennis court, buildings etc.)

• Staff common room
• Classroom blocks
• Office and store room
• Football field
• Volley ball court
• Urinal facility
• Toilet facility
• Store room

                      BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL

                    Stakeholders collaborating with the school

• PTA
• GES
• Traditional council
• School management committee(SMC)
• School improvement/instructions support officers(SISO)
• NGO’s
• Old Students Association
• Students

Classroom rule	Why this rule is important	How the rule is enforced	Consequences if broken
No latenes in class	To promote punctually	Constant reminder	Kneeling down for 30 minutes or more
No fighting in class	To ensure unity in the classroom	The class prefect will Write names of those who will misbehave	Weeding and other Punishment
No eating in the classroom	To promote good Hygiene in the class	Constant reminder	Kneeling for 10 Minutes or more
No stealing and insulting in class	To promote discipline In the class	Constant reminder	Sweeping in the Classroom for days Or week.

TOPIC 1.1

Induction in School 2 – Familiarization and Orientation

Day of visit: THURSDAY

Date of visit

Activities 1.1.1 – 1.1.3: Sensitization on school culture and wider school life

SRJ Task: Record your reflections on the following:

                               School culture

• Roman Catholic school wear white on top with green designs and brown as the down as school uniform for male students and female students also wear straight dress all white with green design belt.
• They used L1 and L2 as a medium of instruction and communication. There’s unity among the teachers and the learners as well. They used bell for assembly, change lesson and break time. The sound of the bell determines whether it is break time, assembly or change lesson. Reporting time for students is 6:30am and lesson starts at 7:30 am and the close at 2:30pm.
• All the teachers and students recite Angelus for mid-noon of everyday.
• Roman catholic holidays such as St. Peters day and Ash Wednesday are celebrated by the school.
• Attending Mass once a week

                   Key education policies

• New curriculum has been introduced
• Every period last for 45 minutes and double period last for 90 minutes.
• Mode of communication is English
• Semester has been changed to Trimester
• Corporal punishment have been banned from school by Ghana Education

                          The wider school life

• The school attend March pass every year on Independence Day.
• The school participates in sporting activities that takes place every year.
• The school participates in cultural activities done annually

               What new knowledge have you learned from the Induction?

Induction has helped me to know much about the key areas that are hidden in teaching and learning. It also help the helps the teacher to plan well and also know what he/she is expected to do in the teaching process.

Topic 1.2

Identification of key features of the Basic School Curriculum (BSC)

Day of visit:

Date of visit:

Activities 1.2.1 – 1.2.2

SRJ task: Identify the key features of the Basic School Curriculum (BSC)

                    What have I learnt about scope and sequences in the BSC?

• I have learnt that the scope and sequence in the BSC will help the teacher to know the level of knowledge he/she is going to inculcate into the learners. It will also help the teacher to arrange his/her lessons systematically so that he will not fumble in the course of delivering the lesson.

           What ideas are behind the sequencing of the sub strands across the grade levels?

• To reduce the work load of the learners and the teachers.
• The sub-strands are apportioned into several varieties to suit and meet all the learners’ needs across all the grade level

                      How will I apply this new knowledge in my teaching/class?

• The strands,
• The Sub-strands,
• Content standard,
• Learn the resource pack.
• This will help me to be able to design the lesson plan accordingly to fit and suit the interest of the learners in the classroom

                      Why is continuity and progression important in lesson planning?

• It help teachers to be able to prepare and organize lessons very well.
• It help learners to develop progressive learning skills
• It also help learners to get in depth knowledge about the strand on the board

Topic 1.3:

Observation of Classroom and Wider School Life

Day of visit:

Date of visit:

Activity 1.3.1

SRJ task: Observation of classroom teaching and learning

      Make a list of the different teaching approaches that could not be observed during the teaching and learning period

• Group Discussion
• Individual learning
• Practical method
• Audio-Visual method

           What best practices did you observe during the lesson?

• There was a discussion between the students and the teacher.
• The teacher was not using a ‘hands up’ approach in asking and demanding answers

learners.

• The teachers posed a question that demand many responses in the classroom.

List any cross-cutting issues (inclusivity and diversity) that emerged during the teaching and learning interactions and state how they were addressed?

• A learner first mentioned the answer for the similarities between plant and animals cells and she initially got it wrong due to fright, the teacher then urged all the students to keep quiet for her to try again and she had the confidence to get it right right at the second time

Activity 1.3.2:

Observation of classroom teaching of small groups with learning needs.

What are the implications of the following domains of learning needs of the four (4) learners?

         Cognitive

The cognitive domain deals with the four learner’s intellectual abilities, how they reason to identify and solve problems.

The effect of the cognitive domain on the learner is that, the high the learner’s cognitive pontential, the high the learner is able to perform impeccably in the classroom .

            Affective

The affective domain deals with the four learner’s emotional abilities by portraying their mood and anxiety level, talking about feelings, rewarding themselves, and using positive self-talk .

So among the four learners, those whose affective domain emphasized on anxiety and also bad feelings were having no confidence in class which affected their performance and academic level. And those with positive self-talk, intrinsic motivation and self-rewards were able to perform well in class which raised their academic performance level.

       Psychomotor

The psychomotor domain deals with the four learner’s function of muscles under the control of the mind. Among the four learners, some were able to learn through the performance of some physical activities pertaining to the lesson to be taught.

Such learners can be classified under kinesthetic learners. Among the four learners, some benefited after the control of the action of the muscles in learning since they were dominant in that part. Those who were falling short could not perform but also used another method to grab the lesson.

          Social

The social domain deals with the four learner’s interaction with other learners and understanding of the target culture. Eg.

Asking questions, asking for clarification, talking with native-speaking patner, and exploring cultural and social norms.

Learners do learn through such interaction with other learners. Those learners who were very social and extrovert to interact with other learners explored more knowledge during my observation which facilitated their learning and those who were not social and introvert had only the information and they were given since they could not share their ideas with other learners. If what they managed to keep is wrong, it will affect their academic performance level.

Activity 1.3.3:

Observation and participation in the wider school life.

Observation on individual and group activities that go on in the wider school life/community:

            Learners’ lunch or play time activities

During lunch time or play time activities, one of the learner is assigned to monitor ththee time, the learner then rung the bell to discover other learners notice when the time is due. Some of the learners go out and others too remain in the classroom to interact with themselves. There’s canteen for those who could not bring food from home so they go to the canteen and buy food to eat. During Friday, it’s mandatory for all learners to engage in sporting activities that takes place during lunch time. Most of the learners do not participate in play time activities during lunch unless it’s Friday.

          Behaviour of learners

The behaviour of the learners are mostly affected by their emotions since they are JHS learners and are in their respective adolescent stage. Some are in the early adolescent, middle adolescent and late adolescent while others too are adults but they are one out of hundred in the class. They sometimes feel shy when they are being punished infront of their colleagues especially their opposite sexes.

Others too think that they are independent and can accomplish tasks on their own and all their actions are right and they should not be corrected when they are deviating from the right path.

                  Activities during assembly time

During assembly time activities, one of the learners is assigned to monitor the time, the learner then rung the bell to discover other learners notice when the time is due. All the learners do assembled themselves at one place know as parade grounds. Since it is a catholic school, they recite the Angelus and perform other catholic traditions as their normal daily routines. They gather in the morning and diverge to their various classroom. During the assembly time, after they have performed their traditional daily routines as a Catholic school, other announcement are said to the learners to help them know what is expected of them to do. During the afternoon they converge at the parade grounds again and do what’s necessary and diverge to their various homes.

             Staff meetings

Since we went to our assigned school, the school have not add any official staff meeting before, but what I have observed is that some of the staff members especially the teachers do meet at a specific location and interact to share ideas about how they can help promote teaching and learning in the school. In our school it is know as professional learning community (P.L.C).

              Lessons learnt from stakeholder meetings such as Staff, PTA, SMC or CPD

I have not witness any stake stakeholders meeting in the school I was assigned to, but I know that the teachers and the students are stakeholders and I have seen the teachers sharing ideas during some series of meeting thinking about the development of the school. Also learners meet and contribute in class to help buy some TLM’s for teaching and learning.

I have learnt that stakeholders are those who help in facilitating the smooth running of the school. Since I have not experience any of the schools official stakeholders meetings, I have not seen parents, SMC and CPD there before with the idea of thinking about the school.

           Co-curricular activities

Co-curricular activities are the activities that take place outside the classroom but it helps learners to gain knowledge as part of their learning. Some of the co-curricular co-curricul activities that went on in the school were football matches, athletics,volley etc. Students were able to interact with others during such activities which helped them to learn and also develop some human behaviours to help their lively matters succeed. Other extra activities too were; cleaning the classroom and the school compound.

                 Student teachers’ participation

Student teachers are in the school to observe, familiarized themselves with all the activities that goes on in the school.

They can also help their mentor present their TLM’s to learners, also they help discover their mentor’s notice on some of hidden behaviours of some learners since they always observe what happens in the classroom.

Others

TOPIC 1.4:

Small Scale Classroom Enquiry with four (4) Learners

Day of visit:

Date of visit:

Activity 1.4.1

SRJ task: Identification of learners’ learning needs. Record the learners’ learning needs you identified and suggest ways of addressing them in Table 10.4.1

Table 10.4.1: Learners’ Learning needs and suggested solutions

S/N	Learners’ Learning needs	Suggested ways of addressing them
1	Cognitive disability	Practicing problem solving skills with learners
2		Communicating effectively with peers and also teaching learners how and the importance of socialization.
	social disability
3		Teaching learners to be open to feedback from others and overcoming some emotions that are inconsiderate when dealing with other learners .
	Affective Disability
4		Giving learners the opportunity to get access to equipment and tools to improve their psychomotor skills and how to learn with others.
	Psychomotor Disability

       Activity 1.4.2

Designing simple tools for data collection

State three ways of collecting data on learners for a study.

1. Checklist
2. Questionair and survey
3. Direct observation

             Activity 1.4.3:

Analysis of data collected and writing of report on the learning progress of learners Write at least two key things you have learned in activity 10.4.3.

• 1. I have learnt that when a student seriousness declines, it affects his/her academic level.
• 2. I have learnt that learning is a continuous process, and the more you focus on it, the more you become better.
• 3. I have learnt that improvement and adjustment are crucial during learning.

             

TOPIC 1.5:

            Teacher Professionalism

Day of visi

Date of visit:

        Activity 1.5.1

        SRJ Task: Observation and recording (audio/video) of some teachers’ behaviours,  attitudes, knowledge and practices in the classroom and the wider school life

            Comments on diverse behaviours of teachers you observed.

Some of the teachers are very friendly and are very good in socializing with others especially we the student teachers, and others too are introvert so due to that it’s not easy to get close to them during interaction. Also I observed that some teachers are having all the professional traits and this helped them to inculcate great knowledge in their learners without fumbling. And those lacking some of the traits were finding it somehow difficult to present and express themselves well for the learners to understand them. Others too were patient with learners and are always ready to listen to the perceptions of learners while other teachers too were not.

                   What were your challenges during activity 10.5.1?

The challenges I had was that I was not able to devise the easiest way to observe the teachers since I was not familiar with them due to the limited time frame given to me. Also the key behaviours of some of the teachers were hidden and this made it very difficult for me to know the in-depth behaviours of them.

Activity 1.5.2

Playback of recorded and online audios/videos of expected behaviours, attitudes, knowledge and practices of a professional teacher

State at least three (3) acceptable teacher qualities that were not identified in Activity 7.5.2

• Listening skills
•  Friendly attitude
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills

In your opinion, how would an unacceptable behaviour observed from the playback influence the teacher’s work?

An unacceptable behaviour of a teacher will make the teaching very difficult since all the achievable outcomes will not be easy to be accomplished. Also the teacher is likely to be influenced by the negative behaviours he/she possesses and this can affect the academic level of the learners who are victims of such consequencies.

           Activity 1.5.3:

Hold reflective/feedback sessions to consolidate understanding of teacher professionalism

Identify several professional traits you found interesting which you will focus on in your professional practices and give reasons.

• Communication skills

TOPIC 1.6:

Development of Professional Teaching Portfolio

Day of visit: TUESDAY

Date of visit: 9TH JULY 2024

Activity 1.6.1

SRJ Task: Discussion and review of personal teaching philosophy with tutors, mentors and STS partner.

Record your reviewed personal teaching philosophy statement taking a clue from the discussions you have had with your STS partner and mentor on beliefs and values in teaching and learning.

The nature of knowledge should be relative. Each student is different, and their education should fit their needs. Education should help the child grow both mentally and emotionally. Students should be given the right to think on their own. They do not need a teacher who will take their free will away.

Students should not have to conform to something in which they do not believe. They should have their own thought processes. The best philosophical approach toward a child’s education is progressivism.

Progressivism allows the child to be a free-thinking individual. My teaching method will let the students become critical thinkers who can use their knowledge in the “outside world”. To accomplish this …show more content…

The area of curricula that I have chosen is English-Language Arts. This subject area is important because it teaches students to think critically and accomplish problem solving tasks. The reading and writing of literature will help them think and interpret on a higher educational level.

Instead of being a strict teacher, I will be a facilitator. My classroom will be one of control, and not one with a strict code of order. I feel that if a teacher orders students around they will be given less respect. If you keep them in line without being too controlling, they will be more effective listeners. I

will create a type of democracy in which everyone will have a voice in their educational curriculum.

Students should be allowed to have some sort of input into the type of education they are receiving.

If they do not like something you are doing, you should take the time and listen to their ideas. I will not act like I am more intelligent than they are. I believe that teachers should operate on the same level and receive as much as they give.

Identify the similarities and differences between your Year One and reviewed personal teaching philosophy statements and give reasons for the differences.

Similarities

• Both contain a certain goals that I will exhibit in the course of teaching such as applying of inclusivity, equality and equity.
• Both contain gender equality and creating of conducive environment

.Differences

• In my year one teaching philosophy, it was teacher centered but on the review, I prefer to apply learner centered.
• Using TLMs in my teaching process was not in my year one philosophy but on the review, teaching with an appropriate TLMs make lessons understandable.

          Activity 1.6.2

Development of a template for professional teaching portfolio (consider inclusivity and diversity)

Record what you shared with your STS partner and mentor regarding the importance of developing a template for professional teaching portfolio.

1. Templates will help simplify the creation of my documents for the portfolio
2. Templates help to increase the efficiency of the work of my portfolio.    When developing the portfolio, templates can ease my workload and me feel less stressed.
3. Templates will enhance my focus leading to the easy accomplishment of my portfolio.
4. When developing the portfolio, templates help in saving time and money.

Activity 1.6.3

Collection, compilation and filing of artefacts, such as pictures, videos, audio tapes, reports from small scale classroom enquiry (4 Learners), reviewed personal teaching philosophy, entries in the SRJ etc.

Record all the artefacts collected from the school for the compilation of your professional teaching portfolio

1.   Student reflective journal (SRJ)

2.   Pictures of the activities in the SRJ

3  . My personal teaching philosophy

4  . Data collection and a report of my STS(Graph Book)

The various checklist of my reflective journal