I have found that the combination of psychology and education has been useful in understanding the way that school students think and behave in my practicum placement this semester. The information gained from psychology has enabled me to think more in-depth about the reasons why students may behave the way they do, instead of making assumptions. I believe that this level of critical thinking will enable me to form a better bond with students as a teacher.

In a recent psychology assignment, we examined the idea of perception of mental illness and how this affects the social acceptance of people in this situation. This type of information is useful when dealing with students that have a mild form of mental illness such as Downs Syndrome, which I have come across on practicum.

There are many different approaches to teaching, and from participating in netball coaching, tutoring and practicum teaching, I have developed a style that suits me. Many teachers have experienced the adage that we often learn most by teaching. This expresses the idea that teaching cannot be the same every year. This idea has been consolidated in an assignment for EPT107, "A teacher should recognize when a situation calls for different teaching strategies in order to target specific needs of individuals" that is the key to diversification within the classroom."

Assessment is an important part of teaching. Assessments can be guided to extend students' abilities, as well as to find how they are going academically. By using formative and summative assessments appropriately, students can let their true abilities be known.

It is important to have a philosophy on the 'how to teach' approach. My philosophy on discipline, for example, is to always be consitent. Consistency is an essential part of maintaining good behaviour, as many children miss out on this in other areas of their lives. A system that has worked for me on prac. has been to have a list of names written somewhere visible, and bad behaviour gets a cross indicating a lost lunchtime, but good behaviour earns a tick and cancels out the bad. This way, the students get to earn their rewards, and also to make up for their bad behaviour.