WOMAN: We started off with this task by looking at toys.
So we all had a play with some kids' toys.
We had two groups - the girls' and the boys'.
And we looked at the differences between the types of play
and the types of roles that boys' and girls' toys create.
What were some of the differences that we saw
when we were just analysing toys?
Can anyone remember some of the gender roles
that were being formed in girls' toys?
GIRL: Mothering or, like, nursing.
And what about personality traits?
What kind of personality traits were coming through the most for girls?
-GIRL 2: Caring. -Caring. Yeah.
Hi. My name is Sevi Redwood.
I'm a graduate teacher of Charles Darwin University.
I just completed my postgraduate in education.
My main subject areas include psychology, child studies,
PLP, which is the personal learning plan, and Greek language.
During the course of my practicum at Darwin High School,
the most rewarding experience for me
was actually engaging with my peers to improve on my own practice.
The most consistent form that I would use for this
was, obviously, my own critical thinking
about my own behaviour
and then taking the time after each lesson
to actually discuss what happened in that lesson
and what I felt and what didn't go as planned
and what I could have done better.
Having open discussions with my mentors
and then going back after that
and actually keeping a diary or a journal
helped me to actually write down what was going on,
think about it, but actually put it down in writing
and then make a plan for how I could improve or target that behaviour.
The other thing it allowed me to do
was to actually go back and track back
and remember what I had actually done or where I started
and to see where I was now and from where I had begun.
For me, without the peer collaboration
I don't think really much learning can happen.
I mean, you can learn on your own,
but you need that feedback
and you also need the positive reinforcement from your mentors
to say, "You are on the right track."
That's always a good feeling
because that's probably the biggest fear of every pre-service teacher -
knowing, "Am I doing this right?"
The written feedback was also useful.
What I did with my mentor teachers
was I would write a lesson plan
for a majority of the lessons that I was going to teach
and I would leave a section at the bottom of each lesson plan
that said 'Feedback' or 'Comments' from my mentors
and then I'd be able to look back.
And because she was able to evaluate the feedback then and there
and write it down
I was able to really look at
the practical elements of my teaching style,
not just a broad comment on what your performance was like.
That enabled me to actually target areas that I needed to improve on
and also areas that I was actually doing well in
and make them my strong points.
I think that my actual observation process
was probably even more valuable than the teaching process
because it got me thinking about what's really happening
when the teacher's up the front of the classroom -
"What are the kids actually doing?
"How do we maintain their engagement?
"How do we make sure that the messages are getting across?"
The observation process for me during my practical
was very important.
I suppose I've always been the type of learner
that learns through modelling
and for me, being able to model teachers that perform really well
is a great way for me to learn.
So, obviously, I took on board
ideas and processes that my mentors were using
and reflected on how I could use them in my own teaching style.
Across the different types of classes
I taught over the duration of my prac here
every single class was different and had different learning needs
and the strategies used for each class were so different
and it was very interesting
to see that you don't teach with a specific style,
you teach to suit the students.
I think that's what taught me the most
and I think that's what's going to help me the most
when I go out and teach in the real world -
that I'll be able to adapt to my class,
not that they'll adapt to me.
I think the most important message I can give any pre-service teacher
is not to be afraid to ask for help,
not to be afraid to acknowledge your weaknesses
and to actually ask your mentor for feedback.