Professional Identities and Practice Styles - Personal Statement Example

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES AND PRACTICE STYLES Professional Identities and Practice Styles of the of the Institution] Professional Identities and Practice Styles My aim in this paper is to summarize the factors I consider have been significant to my development as a teacher. From these I hope to identify my professional personality within teaching and outline the development of my style. To aid me with this task I have chosen to examine a critical incident which happened whilst I was teaching. This incident caused me to examine my ability and development as a teacher and as a result helped shape my professional identity and practice style to what it is today. "Our approach to teaching is a highly complex process, which requires us to understand the theories of learning, our ideological view of our role as a teacher, our particular learning context, our subject, the environment and the background and expectations of our students." (Armitage et al 1999, p76) For the past 15 years I have been a Physical Training Instructor and therefore involved heavily in the practice of teaching. My pupils have been both military and civilian and I have taught many subjects, both theoretically and practically. I feel confident teaching and felt that I had come across most of the likely situations a teacher experiences both in and out of the classroom. I had always empathised well with my pupils and could encourage the unmotivated. I placed motivation, enthusiasm and professionalism high on my agenda had lots of experience in both fields and was happy to switch between coaching and teaching if and when the need arose. I was given the enviable task of instructing 10 adolescent boys at HMS Raleigh. These young lads who were between thirteen and fifteen had been identified by the Police due to their involvement in petty crime. I introduced myself to the group and explained what I required from them. I emphasised the importance of commitment from them if they were to get the maximum from the two weeks. I quickly appreciated as I tried to march them round the base that they enjoyed rebelling against the discipline of their military environment. The programme had been organised for them to collect their equipment for the two weeks and then play football. I instigated a quick programme change and the students were marched to the Assault Course. I demonstrated every obstacle and then they were given the opportunity to go over it in slow time. As I had good technique and was physically strong all the obstacles looked easy to surmount. Some of the boys were over weight and most were not physically strong and due to this they all were surprised that they found difficulty with nearly every obstacle. They had all gone around the course once and lots needed to be physically dragged or pushed. The stronger members of the group were still very confident of their own ability and still showed an arrogance of the environment they had been invited to attend. I issued a challenge that the fittest three of them could race me and I would give them a 30-second start on me. If they could beat me them I would jump in the river, but if I won they would have to do the same. They readily accepted the challenge and were rejoicing at their imminent victory. I easily won and made a conscious effort not to gloat. After all the students jumped in I dived in and explained that being cold and wet was a part being a Commando. I reflect on this teaching period and appreciate that certain individuals would deem the lesson harsh, but it did achieve the desired effect. By the completion of the lesson I had gained their respect through physical prowess and they were now responsive to my teaching. After this lesson I realised I had the necessary skills to control what could have been a difficult situation. It was apparent from speaking to the teachers, after the first days activities had finished, that they felt they had little control over the students and also little incentive to actively seek control. After reflecting on their comments I appreciated that these teachers had made every effort to enthuse these uncooperative students. Unfortunately the teachers did not have an inspiring subject like the Assault Course to captivate these individuals. This critical incident gave me incentive to pursue a career in teaching or in the rehabilitation of offenders when I leave the Corps. Practice Style and Professionalism. Clearly I have developed as a teacher and I would like to think that my development has been due to my ability to use reflective practice in order to constantly access my effectiveness. If I had been faced with the same situation I have described 15 years ago I would have reacted differently. I class myself as a good teacher, I ensure no two periods are the same because I am conscious of what I am trying to achieve. I actively seek feedback both from the students and through my own reflective practises. "If you want to be an excellent teacher, you should constantly monitor and evaluate your own performance. Only by doing this can you tell whether you are being really effective." (Wellington 2000, p 34) I place motivation and enthusiasm high on my agenda. Clearly I must be interested in the subject I am teaching and I must also be able to encourage and motivate my students in order to generate the desire to learn. "Motivation is an extremely complex and dynamic quality that is in a state constant change. Students will be motivated by different rewards and many factors outside of their control."(Hardy et al 2001 p 59) Communication skills are essential in leading, managing and working with others. I consider the way a teacher communicates is probably the most important factor in how a pupil learns. Without good communication the understanding of a lesson is unclear. The ability to pass on ideas, experiences and feelings are fundamental in the facilitation of learning. Communication is not just the transmitting and receiving of information, but more an exchange of information. Until you have shared information with another person, you haven't communicated it. And until they have understood it like you have understood it, you haven't shared it. Communication is the process of creating shared understanding. The more effective you are at communicating, the more likely you are to achieve what you want. Effective communication allows you to use all the other skills that you have to the full. The ability to motivate, delegate, organise, solve problems and obtain information, all rely on your ability to communicate with others. Throughout this assignment I will explain the different categories of communication, the communication process and my professional role. I use interpersonal communication frequently while I'm coaching. I like to use a method of instruction, which is called learning by discovery. An example would be to sail along in a dinghy and get a student to lift up the centre plate (keel). Next I would get them to explain the physical action which happened to the boat and then let them try to explain why this happened. This form of communication is difficult, because in order for the pupil to impart his new found knowledge they will need to select their words carefully and explain the evolution logically. The majority of pupils enjoy this form of instruction as they acquire the answers themselves and there is a feeling of understanding. Fifty percent of our communication is non-verbal. It is thought that the majority of people take seven seconds to form an opinion of someone they have been introduced, but never met before. We base our opinions on such factors as eye contact, because your eyes tell your audience what you are interested in. During my professional practise I have always endeavoured to maintain eye contact. I always scan the whole audience, I try to focus on a set of eyes for just a few seconds and then move on. A constant effort is made not to hold contact for to long as this can intimidate a student. Many teachers forget, they are performing in front of the class. You speak more with your eyes than with your voice. Your eyes tell the audience that you are taking notice of them, that you are confident to speak to them that you know what you are saying and that you believe what you are saying. In order to relax a class and show confidence while instructing an occasional smile is a good teaching point. There are many principles that ensure an audience stay focused to your instruction. I can remember a critical incident, where a science teacher called Mr Hart, stood in front of his desk and rattled his coins every thirty seconds or so. This gesture became so distracting, that when he stopped to write on the board I was waiting for him to start again. For the last 21 years I have been instructed in some harsh weather conditions. During the majority of my ski courses were in Norway and during my sailing courses I've experienced some inclement weather. Some instructors have been over dressed, with hats or hoods that obscure their vision. These instructors showed signs of poor motivation and immediately I drew the conclusion that their priority was to stay warm and not to impart their knowledge. It is evident from my own instruction that body language transmits signals of interest and attitude. I feel non-verbal communication during teaching has been extremely expressive. Instructors who stand too far from a class or have their hands in the pockets give an impression of a lack of enthusiasm. On reflecting on my own professional practise, I realise my best result were always achieved when I demonstrated positive body language. I consider that enthusiasm is contagious, when an instructor posses it, there is opportunity for the students to catch it. Communication does not always require a transmitter and receiver. Intrapersonal communication happens within ourselves, inside our own head and we have thousands of those thought processes everyday. We constantly evaluate conversations we are engaged in. We subconsciously listen to people and draw conclusions based on opinions and beliefs we have grown up with. I remember a critical incident with my first troop when two young recruits had been fighting in the accommodation. One was quite thick set with tattoos and the other was a slightly smaller fresh-faced individual. After some questioning I found myself believing the non-tattooed individual. It was later apparent that the recruit I believed had actually lied, but I had formed an opinion of the tattooed guy as someone had who probably did fight and based my judgement on this. On reflection this was a naive way to make this decision, but I learnt a valuable lesson which is not to make a decision based on how I perceive a person. Everyday I use intrapersonal communication to make some of my biggest decisions. I feel the main weakness of this process is the lack of interaction of a second party to debate an issue, and therefore leads to a one sided decision. We hear a particular set of words, but how we interpret and understand then will depend on more than words. The tone of voice, the accent, accompanying gestures or facial expressions will all influence our understanding. Superficial features such as dress, colour of skin and other physical characteristics will also affect how we understand and respond. Group communication is beneficial in many ways. It gives individuals the opportunity to express their ideas, feelings and views with you. This process benefits everyone as individuals can be informed about how they are doing as a group. Also it gives everyone in the group a chance to give feedback and to resolve any areas of misunderstanding by asking questions. One of the real benefits of group discussion is that it allows you to publicly praise the work of the team or an individual. The adverse effects of this form of communication are that the more dominant personalities can override the conversation and impress their opinions on the introvert members. My conclusion is that a group discussion is an excellent way of communicating, but to maximise its potential, one person needs to control the debate. This person should ideally have the authority or professional ability to listen and move the discussion on if it becomes confrontational or unable to make progress in a particular area. Due to the constant improvements in technology mass media communication is a common facility. Computers and the Internet is undoubtedly the most efficient method of disseminating information in modern times. Providing you have the technical knowledge to access it, there is probably a web site for any topic you wish to imagine. The main problem with the Internet is the sheer volume of information and the time spent accessing the material you require. My conclusion is that the Internet is an excellent tool for acquiring knowledge in various specific subjects and the technical methods of acquiring this information are within the grasp of the majority of people. When we communicate, with a person or group they will be hearing or listening. There is however, a distinct difference between the two. Hearing is a passive activity and listening is an active one. When we listen we exert control over what we hear and we are actively listening. For example you can hear someone talking at a party, even when the music is much louder than their voice. During communication there can be different types of noises or interference, which can stifle your conversation. Physical noise such as a fire alarm going off, or a police siren will detract from even the best instruction. Semantic noise can be verbal or non-verbal; it is usually caused by how people interpret language, depending on their prior experience and cultural backgrounds. A non-verbal semantic noise could be when someone rolls their eyes when you make a suggestion. A teacher with mannerisms or a monotone can be a semantic noise. What was also apparent was that few of the teachers at the college had tried to empathise with the pupils and actually determine what types of system they were going to employ in order to establish hierarchical control over the students. I was only able to establish myself by drawing upon the numerous lessons I have learnt form past experiences and recognise the need to demonstrate natural leadership and gain the students respect through physical ability and my own motivation. This was my way of establishing order within the group and therefore discipline. Clearly within the RM this is not an issue and because we take it for granted it came as a real shock to me that colleges could function without strictly enforced rules and regulations. My initial reaction has also been to accept that not all teachers expect discipline to be the initial foundation for learning. I have also accepted that to be an effective teacher you do not have to overpower or dominate your students. This in turn has allowed me to employ practices that allow greater student participation. "The function of the teacher of adults is thus wider than just that of demonstrator, lecturer or presenter of information. Rather, the teacher constructs a sequence of learning activities for the student participants to engage in."(Rogers. 1986 p 225) Clearly I have changed over the last 15 years developing from an inexperienced instructor, who followed the RM instructional hand book to the letter into a more rounded and professional teacher, willing to bring my students needs and desires into the teaching equation. My attendance at a civilian advanced presentation course in London also assisted me in developing a more relaxed attitude. I lectured twice and after each session I viewed the video playback and received constructive criticism form the other students. I found that less aggressive posture and a more relaxed form of questioning created a more conducive atmosphere to learning and better communication. "Traditionally, their main role was to teach, i.e. to impart knowledge to their students via lectures and similar face to face activities. Now, it is becoming increasingly widely recognized that the main role is to help their students to learn, something that requires a fairly radical change in how they work." (Wellington 2000, p78) To my mind to be an effective communicator you must be able to use eye contact, your facial expressions and body language to their maximum potential. Your conversation should be logical and without any preconceived conceptions of the audience you are engaged with. To communicate well you need to be a good listener and reply with well structured questions or advice. Bibliography Armitage A, Bryant R, Dunhill R, Hammersley M, Hayes D, Hudson A and Lawes S. 1999 Teaching and Training in Post Compulsory Education. Buckingham, Open University Press. Wellington H. 2000 How to Become an Excellent Tertiary-level Teacher. Seven golden rules for university and college lecturers." In Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 24. No. 3. p. 311 - 321. Hardy L, Shariff A, Jones G, & Allsopp A. 2001 A Revue of the Psychological Aspects of Royal Marine Recruit Training. Institute of Naval Medicine Report. Rogers. (1986) Teaching Adults (III). Buckingham. Biddles Ltd Ashcroft, Kate, James, David, and (1999) Creative Professional: Learning to Teach 14-19 Year Olds Routledgefalmer ISBN: 0203172590 Anne Brockbank and Ian McGill (1998) Facilitating reflective learning in higher education SRHE/Open University Press. Stephen D. Brookfield (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Read More