Reflective Practitioner Personal Statement

I am an outstanding reflective practitioner focussed on developing children into enthusiastic learners through creative learning opportunities that engage and progress all children.
I first became interested in primary teaching through working with my son who has autism. He struggled to maintain attention which led me to seek creative ways of engaging him i¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬n learning activities. I developed an interest in how children learn and subsequently gained a First Class BA Hons degree at the University of Chichester in Early Childhood studies.
My degree covered the policy, practice and theory of early childhood which has given me a fundamental understanding of how children develop, emotionally, socially and educationally. Modules included Special Educational Needs, working with families and learning outside the classroom. Following this, I decided to pursue teaching and undertook a PGCE at Brighton University. I chose to specialise in 3-7yrs as this is an age group that I find particularly rewarding to work with and believe that these years can fundamentally influence a child’s attitude to future learning.
During my PGCE I completed 3 placements in KS1 (two in Early Years and one in Year 1); I also observed teaching
In my placements I have used WALT and WILFs and find that sharing learning objectives helps them to understand expectations and success criteria. It also allows them to begin to take responsibility for their own learning. Following a university lecture by Shirley Clarke, I have developed a particular interest in AfL and have worked hard to develop a range of strategies for assessment, which I use constantly in my practice. This enables me to adapt teaching to ensure all children are challenged at their personal level of