The following is a critical reflection I wrote whilst on placement rounds.

Critical Reflection 2

It was critical to ensure suppose from principal and colleagues where

necessary was implemented as well as taking time to ensure the problem
was dealt with.

Description:
An incident between two particular students arose during both first and second lunch where one
student was acting in an almost physical and aggressive way towards other students. This student
was throwing equipment that was being used in the sandpit around the other children with the
possible intention of hitting one of the students. After second lunch, the same student instigated a
game that did not include another student who was then left hurt and feeling targeted because she
felt as though she was being ostracised by her peers .
Interpretation:
This event was critical to my development as a teacher as I was able to observed how a series of
playground issues affected the classroom environment, impacting on their own and their peer's
learning. What was interesting about the situation was the clear difference between the individuals
and their peers whose learning had been disrupted due to this incident. The individual involved in
the issue displayed actions that broke several school rules such as we treat others fairly and a lack
of social skills as they only focused on themselves. Discussion with the classroom teacher led to
the understanding that some children often lack that resilience when dealing with issues that
involved others and often do not consider others or feelings beside their own. This highlights how
there is an importance of teaching resilience and making sure students develop those social skills
as life will only become more difficult for them as they move into senior schooling.
Outcome:
What I learnt from this incident was the need for my role as a teacher to understand what would be
the best point of action. As the student took it upon herself to become aggravated and have an
outburst, there was a need for the principal to come in and support the lead teacher. The main
priority was ensuring that all children in the class were safe and to keep children away from any
possible physical harm. There would also be need for parents to be informed about their children
and what has occurred as this is important that they have a sense of what their child is involved in.
This made me realise the important of implementing behaviour management strategies and
knowing how to react in a certain situation. Think behaviour sheets were also introduced as this
allowed teachers to get an idea of what occurred on the playground before lunch finished and to
understand how each student involved felt about what had happened.

After this incident, I was able to take time to reflect on the importance of developing the skills
and strategies of behaviour management as they are key in creating a safe and inclusive
learning environment for all the students in our classrooms. There was a key understanding
that stuck with my teaching philosophy that as teachers we are always looking at what the best
interest is for our students and through this incident I was able to see how a child whose
behaviour reflected aggravation could have a negative effect on students who were willing to
actively participate in their learning (Standard 4.2, 4.3, 4.4)