Cranford Review 2021

CPD
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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As a former Cranford student I wanted to
give back to my community and what better
way than to convey my knowledge to the
community where nearly all my teenage years
were spent.
With the pandemic surrounding us, I am
certain that this year has been vastly
different. Students wearing their masks made
it increasingly difficult to identify specific
students which may have resulted in more
efforts in managing behaviour. Furthermore,
we were restricted with many activities due
to COVID-19 rules and therefore we had to
be very innovative with our teaching. As a
trainee I would try out many different methods
to motivate and encourage students to work
to the best of their abilities.
Personally, one of the perks of going into lockdown was the ability to
create engaging lessons online. Although the first few weeks of remote
learning were difficult, as soon as both teachers and students settled
into the new format of teaching, this ironed out the initial impediments
challenges to teaching and learning. Furthermore, I realised that
providing students with these fun activities online and promoting
competition lead to students being motivated. In fact many students
produced more pieces of work virtually than in real-life. That is when
I made the biggest discovery as a trainee teacher that engaging and
competitive lessons lead to students having a very positive attitude to
learning.
When returning to school post-lockdown, I promoted a lot of competition
between pupils and this led to high levels of student engagement.
Furthermore, being involved in the marking of the Year 11 GCSE papers
allowed me to evaluate where pupils have misconceptions in mathematics.
This allowed me anticipate and clarify these misconceptions during my
final term of teaching this academic year.
I look forward to going into the next academic year at Cranford and I
hope to continue developing my skills as a teacher.
Aminul Islam (Mathematics Trainee)
Training this year at Cranford has been one of the most illuminating
experiences. I have learned so much from my department,
mentor and the students. It has been extremely rewarding
being able to train to teach in such a supportive environment.
Despite teaching being mildly uprooted this year with the virtual
learning; the whole teaching community rallied together and made
transitions as smooth as they could have been for staff and students.
I very much look forward to contributing more to the school and
continuing to develop my knowledge and skills in the coming year.
Veronica Chow (English trainee)
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