Tutorial reflection
For the purpose of this reflection, I will use the Gibbs’ reflective cycle to discuss my experience engaging with course content, focusing on tutorials.
Description
Following our first workshops and micro teaching, I attended a formative assessment tutorial with my tutor to discuss my blog and approach to the unit so far.
Feelings – As with my first attendance on the course, I was anxious about this meeting. Not due to fear of the work but a fear of not really knowing how to engage as a student myself and to switch roles form my usual role. I also was unaware of the importance of it.
Evaluation – due to my apprehension and ignorance of this, I didn’t prepare adequately. I wrote my blogs the night before and didn’t prepare a list of questions for my tutor. My tutor was extremely personable and engaging and I immediately felt I was wasting the opportunity to learn from them. The formative assessment of my work was relatively positive and there was a suggestion that I wasn’t as behind as I thought. It became glaringly obviously that I was showing traits of bad student behaviour which in itself, became a massive learning.
Analysis – the tutorial immediately enabled me to analyse my own behaviour as a student – and a realisation that I was actually resembling traits of some of my bad students I have taught over the years! I was ill prepared, late, apologising for being behind. Which looking back, now all seem like a defence mechanic. I feel like I could have used the opportunity more and spent the time being more curious re the course a perhaps prompted for further feedback. But since the tutorial, I have felt much more inspired by the learning and believed in my own abilities more.
Conclusion/action – to conclude, this midway point formative assessment felt like a light switch coming on. A realisation that I was an able PgCerts student and need to stop hiding behind the defence of “I’m too busy.” Since the tutorial, I have re-read the unit brief several times and spent more time on the workshops reading and have enjoyed some of the blog writing. It has become a pivotal point in the unit and course for me and I intend to engage more in the course content as it is my belief that there is some knowledge bubbling away inside me and I may be able to succeed on this course in the future a lot more then I realised.