Claire Field

1. Tell us a little about your current job. What do you enjoy most? I am currently a French teacher with responsibility for a tutor group and also ‘Most Able’ for the whole school. I love the close relationships that you can build with a tutor group and watching pupil’s emotional and social development. I also enjoy the challenge of introducing new technology into the classroom and its relationship with teaching and learning.

2. I see you have come some way from doing the MTeach. What would you say are the key things about the MTeach that have stayed with you? I think the main thing that has stuck with me is the constant reflection and how useful it is to inform future teaching. I initially felt uncomfortable doing the journal part of the Leading Learning module but actually got a lot from it and, although I don't write one, I do consider what I would include in one and find that it helps me understand my students further.

3. What did your dissertation / practice based enquiry (RPBE or PBE) explore? What did you find out and how did it influence you? I looked at the written work and attainment of a small Year 8 class. I conducted questionnaires about their learning with them and then introduced a series of measures to try to support the way they approached extended written tasks (their weakness) and exam-based tasks. It helped to show me that it was not only the content of my teaching that affected their attitude towards learning, but also more the language I used with them. It helped me become more patient with pupils and to look at the way they approached tasks.

4. How was the MTeach work different from School or other professional development courses (e.g. INSET)? It was more individualized than general courses and I love the freedom that we had to adapt out studies to certain aspects of our own teaching. It was flexible and directly informed my own teaching.

5. The MTeach is for teachers only, it often uses the sharing of participants classroom experiences/practice as a starting point, how did this work for you? I found it useful and found many of the situations very relatable. Often in academia we deal with theory from academics who are not currently in teaching, so it was useful to be able to hear the ideas of current practitioners.

6. What is your next career move? I'm currently on maternity leave but hope for a pastoral leadership role in the future, I am also investigating become a school governor at a local school.