This term has shown me that even when teaching entirely remotely, building and sustaining a positive learning environment online is absolutely achievable. With some adaptations, it’s possible to hold anything from a respectful classroom discussion to a lively group activity. Having to deal with slow internet connections or technical malfunctions from time to time (usually mine, rather than the children’s, to be fair), has really helped me to learn about how to navigate unexpected problems that any classroom situation might turn up! These experiences have completely changed my outlook about what is possible in primary teaching and will definitely help me to address similar challenges now that we are returning to school buildings.

As this suggests, there have been more opportunities on this placement to innovate with lessons than usual. For example, I have been using research-based principles to formulate, trial and improve my own memory-aiding activities for students, and delivering these online. Teaching remotely also highlights the need for clarity during a lesson, and my ability to anticipate potential misconceptions that might arise has improved as a result. This has helped me to think more widely about potential barriers to learning a particular topic and ensure that they are addressed.

Lockdown meant that the arrangements for my placement changed a few days before we were due to begin. While this created some disruption, I have gained a lot of satisfaction from being able to adapt and throw myself 100% into online teaching, having never done it before. As my mentor was also relatively new to remote teaching, we approached this collaboratively to overcome any challenges and treat the situation as an opportunity to develop our practice. For example, the removed geographical considerations made allocating time to problem solve or discuss next steps a simpler process. If handled well, I think that learning to teach remotely can increase the distribution of pedagogical knowledge, rather than hinder it.

There is no question that I have gained a huge amount from this placement and that it has changed my ideas about what it means to be a teacher. I understand much more about how to approach a sequence of lessons, encourage student input, and monitor student well-being. Covering those issues online meant seeing them in different, but positive, ways. The different quality of engagement we have had with pupils remotely has made me more keenly aware of the impact that every single choice I make can have on their personal and educational development. My own sense of the kind of teacher I want to be has grown as a result, and I feel more prepared to meet the demands of the job going forward.