imapexplorer

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Cycling through the bluebells singing with @wheeltaylor was such a happy day. #cycling #southdowns #miniadventure #singing #mtb #getoutside #thisgirlcan #loveherwild #sun #nature #evening #adventure (at South Downs National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BihCnL2Bf48/?igshid=12uqz3hnks9xu

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Week 7

Placement begins! I have been lucky enough to be placed in a centre first off. I think for myself it will help me before heading to a school environment as it is a situation I have been in before. This week I have jumped back into centre life as although it is a different place, many of the jobs are similar. Everyone is very nice and have made me feel at home, and I have been able to observe different people on different activities each day to gain an understanding of how different people present themselves.

I particularly enjoyed the day down the mine as the person I was with was a fountain of knowledge and I could understand why the children respected him so much. It was a very busy day with 15 minibuses turning up and we were probably number 13. This lead to a change of plan and pace as the boat had a large queue by the time we arrived. Instead we went to another chamber, and had lunch first, with just 5 candles lit slowly reducing down to a single flame. This helped the children to focus, and become more at ease in the dark.  

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Week 6

One more week until placement begins! I have mixed emotions surrounding this as I am quite excited to finally get started on things but everything seems to be very important and I am not quite sure I have got my head around it yet. Teaching seems to be not only about being a good teacher but also about being on top of organisation of work, and being extremely well versed in form filling – something I’m sure I will improve upon in this year.

However, this week has also been extremely busy not allowing much time to think about any worries that I may have concerning the next few months. The thing I am most proud about was kayaking. I can safely say that Kayaking is the sport I feel most uncertain about, and therefore lack confidence in. To be in a boat that I felt quite small in and have to help teach key stage 4 was a huge step for me, and to end the day by completing the rapids section without capsizing not once, but four times was exhilarating!

The week ended walking up Moel Hebog scrambling which was useful however the rain definitely depleted some peoples’ enthusiasm.

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Week 5

In my opinion Friday was a great success, as a group we managed to run the canoeing and climbing sessions without too many issues. It has made me excited to go on placement, which is coming up very quickly (only 1 week left to go!). It helped me feel more confident in writing lesson plans, and I am a little less stressed about the teaching that we will be doing if that was an example to go by. I have spent some time reviewing the day, and by being on climbing for both sessions I was able to adapt the second session with what worked well and what didn’t quite go to plan. I feel like the second session ran more smoothly, perhaps because of the adaptations but more likely to do with the fact that the others had already worked with the group canoeing in the morning and had a better prediction of their abilities.

I think this has taught me that knowing your class is one of the most important things as a teacher, as knowledge of their abilities and the level of challenge needed to engage them can then make lesson planning simpler but also more effective.

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Week 4

This week has felt very long, starting at Ysgol Friars where we were observing lessons. I was lucky enough to start in a very experienced teacher’s classroom but also was able to watch classes with a range of pupil abilities. It helped me to understand how to use everyday Welsh in the classroom, as the teachers had a range of Welsh language speaking ability too.

We had a bit more free time this week as well, which means that I have been able to get a good start on my essay, but equally had time for some fun; mountain walking, climbing, and MTB. Although being Wales, it obviously rained the whole time. I went back to Coed Y Brenin and went around Temtiwr and Cyflym Coch which was great fun and I was happy to complete a couple of things that I can do sometimes and not others.

Welsh felt a lot better for me this week, the pace of the lesson was a lot slower and I felt like I understood a bit more. However, it’s obviously going to be an ongoing process, as languages can’t be learned overnight! I feel a bit more on top of organisation now.

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Week 3

What next? That seemed to be the theme of this week. Starting at Glan Llyn meeting other people on the course with some added map reading and canoeing thrown in for good measure, and ending with a night navigation exercise, a bivvy and a trip up the Afon Ddu.

Personally my highlight was the navigation ending in the bivvy. I enjoyed the night nav practice and I feel more confident in it than I realised. Beforehand I’ll admit I was worried that I would completely mess up and take us in the wrong direction – not what you want when you are tired already! However everything went smoothly until reaching the camping area, when we quickly realised what looked like a nice wooded area on the map was in fact a rocky boulder field with lots of dead trees. Not what you want trying to set up a bivvy and two hammocks, we quickly managed to find a spot that seemed suitable and that was flat enough before falling asleep.

The whole experience has managed to make me want to explore the small adventures a lot more, as it was very simple to plan yet had effective outcomes and was fun!

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Week 2

The main thing I think I have learnt this week is that this will be an extremely busy year; therefore I need to work on my levels of organisation and time management. It has still been an informative week, starting with lectures about the curriculum, specifically the new one for Wales.

Monday afternoon involved going to the University climbing wall. I felt comfortable here due to being a place that I think I understand, however it showed me how I can easily involve Welsh and English within my lessons without feeling like it is an afterthought. Welsh is something that I definitely need to work upon as the hour on Wednesday felt like I was stuck in a hurricane of misunderstanding.

Mining was the best thing this week. I have never tried anything like it before in such a foreign environment. Going on the boat, using the cow’s tails and climbing the waterfall; I totally understand the awe and excitement that children get from participating. As outdoor facilitators I think that we sometimes fall into a routine, and forget that the children may not have done this before. I will have to remember these feelings and allow them to happen.

Crib Goch

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Week 1

Wednesday was a whole day of new experiences: new people, a new place and a lot of new information. I felt a little overwhelmed by all of the information being given to us, as it all seemed significant.

Thursday involved a similar overload of knowledge, alongside trying to understand which bits of information were essential currently and which were slightly less important to remember. However I feel a lot more comfortable now in what the year will entail.

On Friday I felt more relaxed possibly due to the planned afternoon activities, although the day started with an onslaught of new information relating to general university life. The paddle boarding in the afternoon was fun, firstly as I haven’t really done it before but also due to being in a beautiful location. I was thrilled to attempt all the challenges without falling off. I was worried about the climbing set ups as I have not done it in many places before, but I was pleased with the amount I managed to remember and again, it has put me more at ease with my own skill levels. I am now excited for what the rest of the year will bring to me.

The view from Union Rock