What to expect on your first Teaching Practicum
I completed my very first teaching placement a couple of weeks ago for my Master of Teaching (Primary) degree. The lead up to my prac was quite daunting due the the current pandemic.
Before the Prac
My experience was a little different to some. I had just finished my undergraduate degree (a bachelor of music) in April 2020. I then began my Masters degree the following month in May. Due to COVID, I began my teaching degree in an online format. It was very strange. And as I had started in the second trimester of the year, I had my first teaching prac up straight away! Boy I did not feel prepared at all!! I hadn’t even been to uni face to face yet, but I was expected to teach 30 kids for 4 weeks!? It was a crazy quick timeline.
I soon found out I’d be teaching a year 4 class for 4 weeks. I did everything I could to prepare, research, find out what to expect…yet I found there wasn’t too much out there. This is why I am writing this now. Hopefully it will help someone.
What to prepare
Lesson plans! This is something that I was very nervous about. They take so long to do, how am I supposed to write up to 10 lesson plans in one week and 40 plans for the whole prac!? Don’t stress. It’s not as crazy as you think. I was very lucky to have a really supportive mentor. She shared with me the stage’s unit plans and resources. From there I created simple plans. I found that with context of a class and students, these were really easy to do. But don’t worry. You don’t need to have anything planned before the prac. First, you will plan what lessons you will teach with your teacher. You will be fine :)
Most important Takeaways
Behaviour management: I am quite matured so ‘yelling like or ‘raising my voice’ at the kids just wouldn’t be me. Yet I still had to find a way to gain their respect and attention. With lots of experimenting I found the following worked for me (you will try to work out what works for you personally).
- Ringing a bell
- Clapping
- Waiting until all students are quiet. Looking at them all until they look back at you.
During my prac, it really showed me that teaching is what I am supposed to do. I absolutely loved it and wished I could’ve kept going (despite lack of pay haha). So just be yourself and enjoy it! Don’t stress, the kids will love you.
Clothing
I was so unsure of what to wear on my prac. Should I be smart/casual/fancy? I wore lots of skirts with a black top and dresses. Make sure they are long and appropriate to wear with kids. Here is a photo of what I wore on my first and last day of my prac. I bought lots of my clothes from Esther&Co and Showpo.
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