To be a teacher is to be a lifelong learner, and as such it is my constant endeavor to grow in understanding of new resources and techniques/ technologies centered towards students’ academic, social, and emotional development particularly as a music and drama teacher. To do this involves not only implementing effective communications with applicable members of staff but involves taking the initiative and involving oneself in appropriate professional development seminars, courses or resource finding measures. My reasons for such a belief is due to the fact that technologies in the 21st century have developed greatly over recent decades, and it is such technological advancements that young learners will be expected to engage in depending on their selected vocation and subsequent skill development. Additionally, before I began my teaching journey, I failed to see the benefits of using technology to enhance academic development, student engagement and social development. However, through my recent placement experiences I have seen how using digital methods of music composition are beneficial. Websites such as BandLab, Soundscape or Google Chrome Music Lab captivate young leaners and enhance their eagerness to engage with music composition and assist with communication as students discuss creative and alternative ideas with their peers. Due to realizing the benefits of digital music composition I engaged with many resources to expand my digital skills such as researching how to use then practicing my digital compositional skills using GarageBand and BandLab. Whilst there is still a long journey ahead with much to learn I am confident I can meet the challenge.

I believe to truly cater for academic social and emotional development, differentiation is key. Whilst high expectations and academic growth are important to me, the means of achieving it is by ensuring appropriate differentiation to enhance confidence and engagement using a strength-based approach with consideration of student’s strengths, areas for improvement and recognition of how group-work assists learning (Hattie, 2012). There are many instances where I have used differentiation to ensure whole-class engagement in various activities. An example pertains to a year 7 music class where the class was composing an Indigenous Aboriginal percussive piece, and they had the option to use any means of creating sound within their environment including sticks and rocks or use digital composition. Students were also provided the options to write their answers, discuss their answers or draw their answers for various writing tasks in both music and drama lessons and in terms of drama, young learners in classes from grade 6-8 had their choice character depending on level of complexity and also had their own choice of which dramatic element to incorporate into selected group performances and which expressive skills should require extra attention.

 In addition to differentiation, students need to feel safe in a holistic sense to grow and safely develop. Not only is my focus on maintaining students’ physical sense of safety but their general well-being. It is through well-being strategies such as developing a positive relationship with students, building student confidence, and developing social relationships through peer collaborative and cooperative activities that students will thrive in my space as their needs are catered for in a warm, kind, and energetic manner (Allen et al., 2022).  Indeed, whilst differentiation is of vast importance to me, I never forget that it is a matter of the heart, that a teacher must have a positive relationship with students and truly care about their well-being, that for all the work a teacher may undertake to improve student academic growth a students smile, and laughter is truly a thing of beauty to behold. However, one cannot also forget about the physical requirements of student safety which is of high importance in music and drama classes. This is because within music there is the concern of safe handling of instruments but additionally, appropriate use of any means of creating sound which may range from body percussion to using unconventional means such as rocks. In every instance which involved safety concerns all rules were clearly communicated ensuring each student comprehended behavioural expectations and the consequences of breaching this trust, particularly applicable to the music classes studying Indigenous Aboriginal music. In terms of drama, whilst it is true that educators encourage students to take risks, there can be no risk to student safety. In any instances where students were engaging in mock fight scenes applicable to such theatre styles like Melodrama, there was a clear rule communicated verbally and in written form for years 6-8 stating that students are not to touch one another or engage with any inappropriate use of props, both the rule and consequences were made explicitly clear and any questions regarding this rule were to be communicated to me directly. My ideal environment for the classroom is where their ideas and opinions soar, where they are engaged with social collaborative and cooperative activities where their own opinions will be heard as was encouraged in all of my classes from my first placement unit. Students should also recognize and value the contributions of others through the provision of feedback and effective group support. Lastly, critical and creative thinking is of high importance to students’ success, not just academically and to reduce teacher reliance and dependence but is of vital importance for their future, particularly relating to their ability to problem solve to enhance future job prospects. An example of this was when using the direct teaching strategy, within my last placement I inherently created a classroom where students were unable to problem-solve and were solely reliant on me. Upon realising my mistake, I engaged the class with a group task specifically focussing on how they may solve their own problems pertaining to the specific topic, many appropriate answers were provided and whilst some still were more comfortable relying on the assistance of the teacher, others enhanced their social collaborative skills and frequently asked their peers or engaged in researching their concerns. 

I would like to conclude by stating the goals in which I have provided for myself to ascertain for future growth. I have provided myself with the goal to forgo my own rigid sense of rights and wrongs and to develop a more flexible approach to learning. This challenge to learn flexibility, accept personal mistakes as learning curves rather than a sense of failure is how I know I can best support my own students, as I grow in understanding about my own strengths and areas for improvement, I know I can provide the best support for young learners. Lastly, I intend to develop my knowledge in certain areas with not just digital composition, but areas specifically relating to extreme student behavioural concerns for students with disability and without.