Key post 3

Reflection 

I have discovered that working with children is a lot harder than I had originally expected, although because of how much i've learnt with planning and teaching workshops I think that I have exceeded my own personal expectations with teaching and learning. Planning the workshops and going into schools were really unfamiliar tasks for me because it's not a task that I have completed before this unit. I found it difficult to begin with because I thought that I would have been more confident with going into schools and teaching the children. (LO2)
I learnt how to deal with children in difficult circumstances, and how to think outside the box with planning and teaching because all situations need to be covered and thought about. I have discovered that not every child is the same and they all have specific learning needs so it was an eye opener to adapt and perform these learning styles with the children. I have also learnt how to create a standard workshop in a small space of time with limited materials and experience. It has informed my practice by making me think about the decisions I make with my work, and how I could peruse an idea with thinking outside the box with materials and ideas. I think that this unit has made me into a more creative and resourceful practitioner, which will help me in my practice. (LO1)
Within all of the group sessions that we did, I think that my contribution was adequate and consistent because I attended all sessions and took everything in, and I also made creative suggestions and was always involved within the planning and teaching. I think that if the groups were smaller, I would have contributed more and would have put more effort into making the workshops work but because there were so many of us in the groups we all needed some input, so we all had an equal amount. I think that I could have improved on being more of a leader, I wish I had that opportunity to lead and be the person who organizes how the work is done. I want to be in control more of my work and be the organizer because I think that I thrive more in that environment rather than be told what to do, I could also incorporate this into my practice by organizing exhibitions and workshops. (LO4)
I think that if we had more time to develop and research, I think that we could have made better decisions about certain workshops, and others could have had more input into the work, although I think our ideas were fully formed and I think that it was a strong idea for the time frame given. We followed the brief correctly for both workshops and I think that we exceeded our own expectations considering the time limit and limited materials etc. (LO3)
I learnt more than expected because when I stated this unit I was naive in thinking that I already knew a lot about teaching and developing ideas. I think that it's helped me a lot to consider certain things within my own practice and also that I should probably be a bit more open minded about subjects and learn new things. Although I think that my confidence has improved drastically within the time frame of this unit, I still think that it is a thing to improve for myself and I should get an idea and go through with it with confidence and knowing i'll do well. I will put this into practice with my own work in the third year and will hopefully be a more confident person. (LO2)
The key motivations within the unit for me were using our creative input to deliver a knowledgeable workshop from where the children could learn certain skills that would make them think creatively about the decisions that they were making. This has influenced my future ambitions by making me want to teach people how to think creatively about a situation or theme, I think that this element of this unit will carry on through my development of my practice. (LO1)