Practice Placement

This document discusses the experience of a practice placement in education, specifically in a primary school. It covers the school profile, class profile, layout, strategies for supporting learners with special needs, MAP and IEP, weekly evaluation, and the benefits of the placement for future career as an LSE.

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Practice placement
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Course
Date

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The School Profile:
Am undertaking my practice placement at St Ignatius College Siggiewi Primary school,
Malta. The school has a total population of xxxxx inclusive of the children with and without
special needs and the teaching staff. The senior management consists of xxxxx who is the head
of school, assisted by xxxxxx. Furthermore, xxxx chairs the board of committee. The total
number of educators in the school is sixty-seven consisting of forty-five LSE and twenty-two
teachers. Some of the policies of the school include xxxxxx.
The Class Profile and LSEs File
My practice placement class has a population of xxxxx and I am in a year group xxxxxx. The
classes are divided into subgroups. Each subgroup has diverse roles to carry on during the daily
activities. Furthermore, team leaders appointed by the senior management lead the subgroups.
The class layout is in a horseshoe structure. Tables in the horseshoe layout are in the form of a
three-sided square shape. The layout is appropriate because the class involves lots of
communication activities and board work. In addition, the layout is advantageous because
learners and teachers are able to communicate with each other effectively and there is also a
space in the middle and around the horseshoe for teachers to monitor the progress of learners.
Furthermore, with horseshoe layout, teachers are able to care for learners with a “statement of
needs” in the class that are ten in total. The leaners faces some challenges such as isolation from
other learners and lack of support from parents. The strategies for supporting these learners in
class includes the provision of oral support to learners in categories of reading disabilities,
providing the learners with frequent progress support, giving immediate feedback , making
activities short and concise, using multi-sensory strategies, limiting distractions and breaking
down instructions into smaller manageable tasks. Whole-Class Approaches to Inclusive
Education includes providing the learners with visual timetables (pinned on the class notice

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board), providing learners with class rules and their disciplinary actions and preparing lesson
plans and schemes of work to determine learning outcomes at beginning of the class.
The MAP & IEP
A MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) is a graphic organizer highlighting ideas,
knowledge and skills that a student must get in a lesson. Some questions found on the MAP
include; what information will I receive from my child’s school? What is RTI score?
Individualized education program (IEP) is a map that lays out the program of special education
instruction, supports, and services that kids need to succeed in school. Some IEP goals include
assisting the learners to learn basic skills such as social skills and supporting slow learners. The
goals are SMART because each goal is specific in naming subject areas such as the skills and
targets (specific). Furthermore, the progress of a child can be measured by screening,
curriculum-based measurements and standardized tests (measurable). The goals also states what
children must do to achieve them (achievable) and includes when students will achieve the
(realistic). The goals also states how the goals will be monitored (time-bound). The main
difference between MAP and IEP is that, MAP only measure the academic progress of a child
while IEP shows how some academic programs support a child to succeed.
Weekly evaluation
The practice placement was full of practice as I was able to learn new things from my
colleagues. During the practice placement, I also observed that being honest about mistakes and
imperfections is a way of forming strong connections with others. Therefore, during my practice
placement, I formed a strong relationship with others that indeed was helpful in the creation of
the best learning environment.

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I was able to attain my set aims during the period of practice placement. Firstly, I
applied pedagogical knowledge and skills in class. Furthermore, I designed and evaluated my
teaching methods to determine the key areas that required improvement. Lastly, I practiced
modern teaching techniques and industry practices that enabled me to have more capabilities of
working as LSE.
The experience I gained from practice placement will be of benefit in my future role as
an LSE because it will assist me to gain crucial personal attributes, skills and knowledge that are
desired by employers. Furthermore, the experience will also offer an opportunity to apply
knowledge of a specific subject in life.
As an LSE supporting the learners with diverse needs in the classrooms, I will support
the learners by providing them with the resources and academic assistance required.
Furthermore, creating a strong relationship and providing immediate feedback to the learner's
concerns will also be a way of developing a conducive learning environment.
Conclusion
Practice placement is a positive experience as I have learned diverse skills that will be
helpful in my future career. Some of the skills I learned in the placement include communication
skills, time management skills and social skills as I had an opportunity of interacting with the
staffs and learners.

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