Jonathan Gordon

In my current role I am responsible for the teaching and learning of Primary 6, as well as leading a wide range of developments across the school as PT. In class I ensure that high quality teaching and learning is at the heart of my practice, placing great value on pupil voice, whilst ensuring that all learners needs are well catered for. I believe one of my greatest strengths as a practitioner is my determination to get it right for every child. In my present setting I have a high number of learners, who have been identified with dyslexia. I fully engaged with the Dyslexia Champions course and have gone through the Dyslexia Pathway with a number of different learners. I have also assisted colleagues in this process as well as gathering and reviewing evidence on whether or not to make an identification. During Dyslexia Awareness Week I led a whole school assembly to increase pupil understanding of dyslexia and the myths associated with it. Moreover, I successfully completed the Level 2 Autism Awareness Course (NESCOL) to uplevel my own knowledge and 3/9 understanding. Through the course I gained a much wider insight as to the challenges ASD learners face but also a broad range of support strategies. This year my class is collaborating with P3 to share learning across the school, as part of Autism Awareness week. Differentiation is one of my greatest strengths as a practitioner, as I have a firm understanding that each child is unique. As part of my practice I routinely write, review and refine Individual Education Plans, ensuring that each plan is child-centred. To make sure this is reality I regularly engage with the pupils to set Smart targets as well as through the support of parents. In my role as PT I have led a wide range of initiatives as part of Loirston's SQUIP. One of my proudest achievements is being the lead teacher of the Extra-Curricular Clubs in school, where we presently have 14 different activities. This requires a lot of planning and logistical expertise but is incredibly rewarding. 46% of learners currently attend a club and through Leuven Assessments and SHINE Data, we can see a significant improvement which is partly linked to the increase in pupil opportunities. As a result of this initiative Loirston were Finalists in the Sport Aberdeen, Sport Initiative Award, which recognised the journey the school has been on. Another highlight of my remit has been leading the introduction and embedding of Metaskills throughout the school. To do this I have actively engaged and asked for support from Skills Development Scotland, as well as liaising with other schools to determine best practice. Recently I organised an extremely successful World of Work Week, where I organised a very wide range of speakers to communicate with pupils of all ages about their day jobs. Pupils greatly enjoyed the week and gained a strong understanding of what Metaskills are and the value, which they have in the present and future.

I thoroughly enjoyed my role at Laurencekirk Primary working with pupils from all across the school. Working with classes of varying age groups and ability levels allowed me to showcase how adaptable I am as a teacher. I also enjoyed the breadth of curricular areas, which I was given the opportunity to teach such as Learning for Sustainability, The UNCRC, PE, French and Spanish.

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Airyhall Primary doing NCCT and SFL. For NCCT I led learning across a wide variety of year groups, which required a great deal of flexibility. I really enjoyed the experience and challenge of adapting my teaching to different year groups. Most significantly I planned and delivered online French lessons, which actively engaged learners across the whole of the school. In SFL I engaged with several ASN learners in numeracy and literacy. I became very familiar with programmes such as ReadWriteInc and ReadingWise and enjoyed working with children on them. It was inspiring to have the time to work with smaller groups and build strong relationships, as well as supporting improvements in attainment.

Following two years working for Aberdeenshire Council at New Machar Primary School, I decided to explore a new challenge to work in an international setting. This was an immensely rewarding and challenging experience but really boosted my confidence as a practitioner. All of the pupils in my class had Turkish as their first language but thanks to total immersion in English, I experienced the joy of seeing them all become much more effective communicators, as the year progressed. Initially communication was occasionally of challenge, however through adapting my practice and method of delivery, I noticed a wonderful improvement. I know this will stand me in good stead for the future when I teach EAL pupils. I was also an excellent team player and helped to organise a basketball and football club in my time at the school. I am always willing to provide extra-curricular activities for pupils and enjoy doing so. Furthermore I became more confident with my use of technology by planning and delivering lessons on an online platform during the pandemic.

During my time at New Machar School, I provided a quality education to classes of Primary 6 and P4/5 pupils. I ensured that all teaching and learning was interlinked with Curriculum for Excellence and respected Aberdeenshire Council and School policy. Through providing enriching learning experiences for all pupils, I planned effectively with my stage partner and other colleagues. Effective differentiation of work was an element of practice I improved as my time at the school progressed. As a result of making progress in this area, I noticed an improvement in pupil attainment and was able to spend more quality teaching time with all learners. Additionally I formed an excellent rapport with the class PSA's, ensuring that their time in class was used effectively. I enjoyed planning lessons which motivated the children, particularly through the use of digital technologies, such as SWAY. Through every lesson I aimed to ensure all pupils possess a solid understanding of the objectives of the task and can link their learning to an everyday situation. In addition, I engaged with the school's Tracking and Monitoring system, fully appreciating it's importance for documenting a child's progress. A child's health and wellbeing is most certainly an essential part of everyday school life. I showed empathy towards pupils when difficulties arose and sought assistance when I felt unsure of best practice for resolving problems. I completed Child Protection training to further my understanding of key issues and followed my school's system for recording incidents. I have a great passion for tennis and set up an after school club to provide pupils of all ages with taster sessions. These were successful and I am still keen to encourage as many children as possible to take up the sport. I also ran a lunch time club to prepare for the nationwide Euro Quiz competition with a group of Primary 6 pupils, which further enhanced my planning and organisation skills.