[NannyD]

what time do u guys start and finish?

[marcusfox]

I was often in school at 07:30 as registration was 08:30 and some days we had before school staff and departmental meetings, but on the odd day without meetings, mostly 8ish.

Some days I was in school until 7, but most days I went home between 4 and 6, depending on what meetings we had.

[NannyD]

(Original post by marcusfox)
I was often in school at 07:30 as registration was 08:30 and some days we had before school staff and departmental meetings, but on the odd day without meetings, mostly 8ish.

Some days I was in school until 7, but most days I went home between 4 and 6, depending on what meetings we had.

Seems tough. Is it the same for sixth form also?

[oxymoronic]

I got to school around 7.45am each day (like the other person said, it depends when your meetings are as if you have a staff meeting at 8.15 then you'll need to be in earlier to get things done) and then went home at about 5pm. It depended on what work I had to do and how that fitted into meetings/using school facilities like photocopiers or doing things in the classroom like wall displays. Then when I got home I normally had a bit of "me time" from say, 5.30 till 7pm then did school stuff from say, 7pm until about 10.30.

[marcusfox]

(Original post by NannyD)
Seems tough. Is it the same for sixth form also?

You will do two placements for secondary, but one must include a school with KS5, so the other one probably won't.

You will have lessons teaching sixth form throughout the day as part of your normal load, but whether or not the school has a sixth form is irrelevant as you will be a teacher of the school and expected to arrive and join in with all the other teachers.

If you are teaching purely at a sixth form college - and you won't be for a secondary PGCE - you may only have to turn up for the lessons, but again, at a secondary you will be assigned to a form and you will need to be there at the start of the day to receive bulletins and register the form group.

[Suzanathema]

6 threads? Really? You could have asked all your questions in one and got the same answers!


On topic though, I arrive at school relatively late at 8 and then stay until about 6. I do that because I'm dreadful in the mornings - meetings start at 8.15 and lessons at 8.30, so I stay later and get all my morning stuff arranged the day before. When I get home I make some food, walk the dog, then work from about 8-11 on planning and marking and so on.

[Hana_87]

8-6 most days, as well as working weekends and some evenings. Roll on NQT year....when it just gets worse!

[balloon_parade]

Depends on your school! I go in for around 8am and usually leave around 5pm, I would love to stay later but they tend to lock up at 6 so I may as well go home and do my work there. I'd say it's like having a full time job and a half!

[*Darcie*]

In school 8-5.30 most days. Obviously lots of evening/weekend work at home too.

[myrtille]

This thread on the TES forums is interesting - shows just how much the workload varies between different people/courses.

http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/572705.aspx

Some people say they leave school at 4pm, not that long after the kids, because they use their free periods in schools carefully to get as much done as possible. Others seem to be working all the time.

I get the impression that 8 (or earlier, depending on the school timetable) til 5 would be pretty standard, but you may have other work to do after you get home in the evening.

[marcusfox]

(Original post by Keziah)
This thread on the TES forums is interesting - shows just how much the workload varies between different people/courses.

http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/572705.aspx

Some people say they leave school at 4pm, not that long after the kids, because they use their free periods in schools carefully to get as much done as possible. Others seem to be working all the time.

I get the impression that 8 (or earlier, depending on the school timetable) til 5 would be pretty standard, but you may have other work to do after you get home in the evening.

LOL, do lesson planning in free periods?

Haha, I wish, my 'mentor' made me observe lessons during my free periods, all my lesson planning was done at home, and I couldn't just write Starter - activity one, Main - activities two and three, Plenary - activity four as people in other schools were doing, she wanted to see every lesson planned to five minutes detail, OFSTED style, a week in advance of the lesson.

[myrtille]

(Original post by marcusfox)
LOL, do lesson planning in free periods?

Haha, I wish, my 'mentor' made me observe lessons during my free periods, all my lesson planning was done at home, and I couldn't just write Starter - activity one, Main - activities two and three, Plenary - activity four as people in other schools were doing, she wanted to see every lesson planned to five minutes detail, OFSTED style, a week in advance of the lesson.

That seems to be the scary thing - everyone's mentors and university tutors have different expectations of how much evidence you need to show.

The PGCE students from Nottingham University that I knew at a school last term seemed to spend a fair bit of time in the department workroom planning and marking, but I know they did lots of work at home too.

I'll just have to wait and see what they're like at Leicester when I start my course, and hope for the best!

[NB_ide]

These threads completely put me off a PGCE and teaching.

[marcusfox]

(Original post by Keziah)
That seems to be the scary thing - everyone's mentors and university tutors have different expectations of how much evidence you need to show.

The PGCE students from Nottingham University that I knew at a school last term seemed to spend a fair bit of time in the department workroom planning and marking, but I know they did lots of work at home too.

I'll just have to wait and see what they're like at Leicester when I start my course, and hope for the best!

Yep, I'd look at their lesson plans that they had had approved by their mentor and used in class, then as a test I borrowed one that was broadly:

Starter: Wordsearch showing different words (gases that they had to know) - 10 minutes

Main: Students watch teacher demonstration of glowing splint in oxygen, and burning splint in CO2. Practical session where students create and ignite hydrogen gas from magnesium metal in hydrocloric acid, captured in a boiling tube, plus cleanup - 40 minutes

Plenary: Students fill in worksheet about the behaviour of the gases they learned - 10 minutes

Took me five minutes to type that. I tried using it as it had already been approved for use in another school, but I was told never to bring a plan like that again. For my lesson, it took me a great deal longer.

[dobbs]

(Original post by marcusfox)
LOL, do lesson planning in free periods?

Haha, I wish, my 'mentor' made me observe lessons during my free periods, all my lesson planning was done at home, and I couldn't just write Starter - activity one, Main - activities two and three, Plenary - activity four as people in other schools were doing, she wanted to see every lesson planned to five minutes detail, OFSTED style, a week in advance of the lesson.

(Original post by Keziah)
That seems to be the scary thing - everyone's mentors and university tutors have different expectations of how much evidence you need to show.

In my experience I appreciated the mentor who demanded more from me than those who didn't seem to care.

Mentor A: "I'll be in the office next door, I'll observe you only when I have to." - then at the end of the placement "Oh my, why did you do that? You didn't do this right, etc etc" - well if she'd been in the lessons she would've picked up on that.

Mentor B: "I want your lessons to be planned a week in advance and in each weekly meeting I'll glance through them to make sure they look OK. I'll be at the back of all your lessons until we're happy, then I'll still mostly be around or just next door. I'm going to do written observations of random lessons, I'll let you know on the day, so be prepared."

Mentor B was far more useful for me, yes I had a lot more pressure to begin with but getting into the swing of being planned one week in advance eventually meant a lot less pressure on me. Those last minute things that come up wouldn't be a problem as I knew everything for the next day was already prepared

Obviously there are different types - observing through all your free's isn't great, but yeah - don't always think that a highly demanding mentor is a bad thing

[fizzywizzy525]

(Original post by marcusfox)
Yep, I'd look at their lesson plans that they had had approved by their mentor and used in class, then as a test I borrowed one that was broadly:

Starter: Wordsearch showing different words (gases that they had to know) - 10 minutes

Main: Students watch teacher demonstration of glowing splint in oxygen, and burning splint in CO2. Practical session where students create and ignite hydrogen gas from magnesium metal in hydrocloric acid, captured in a boiling tube, plus cleanup - 40 minutes

Plenary: Students fill in worksheet about the behaviour of the gases they learned - 10 minutes

Took me five minutes to type that. I tried using it as it had already been approved for use in another school, but I was told never to bring a plan like that again. For my lesson, it took me a great deal longer.

Hi- I've got a place on a PGCE starting September. I was just wondering if you could post an example of something that *was* acceptable as a lesson plan? Everyone talks a lot about planning lessons, and I'm curious as to what they are supposed to be like.
This goes for anyone else on this thread who isn't too busy to share

[marcusfox]

(Original post by fizzywizzy525)
Hi- I've got a place on a PGCE starting September. I was just wondering if you could post an example of something that *was* acceptable as a lesson plan? Everyone talks a lot about planning lessons, and I'm curious as to what they are supposed to be like.
This goes for anyone else on this thread who isn't too busy to share

Your university will have its on proforma and requirements. This is what you would need for Nottingham...

You will need to write for every lesson:

Your name, Class name, Date of Lesson, and which lesson in the day (1-5). Lessons 4+5 are harder to manage.
Details of the class, how many boys, how many girls, how many SEN.
Section of the NC it refers to.
Learning objectives! You must also write these on a separate board at start of lesson, or you will fail the lesson.
Areas addressed in above objectives: (pick from knowledge/understanding/application/analysis/synthesis/evaluation/skills/attitudes/differentiated learning objectives)
Student teacher objectives (one or two areas you personally want to achieve in the lesson and how you will achieve it)

Complete a checklist if any of these are appropriate to your lesson (most will be):
How to start the lesson
Subject content notes prepared
Inclusion of all pupils
Continuity and progression
IEPs (if any student has an Indivdual Learning Plan - SEN often does)
Differentiation strategies
Management strategies
What pupils will record
Resources
How to summarize the lesson
Safety Organization
Risk Assessment (maybe you won't need for maths, haha, but when you are creating showers of molten copper, you need one)
Formative assessment strategies
Homework
PSMSC - Personal, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (OFSTED terminology)
Citizenship
Key Skills

Detailed Lesson Plan:

(I had to have quite accurate timings - see attachment)

After lesson, write evaluation: (about a paragraph of each)

Personal Response
Check against Learning Objectives
Check against Teacher Objectives
Targets for Development

I have attached my detailed lesson plan with timings and all the resources for this lesson, PowerPoints painstakingly created from scratch.

I have not attached the class details, checklist and evaluation as it is unique to you and the class you teach - plus mine had some stuff that could be considered confidential and personal.

Most of the time in planning is the time it takes to create all the resources.

EDIT - I can't upload the PPTs as they are too large for TSR to accept. Basically exciting (to a scientist anyway) and colourful with lots of animations so the students don't get bored.

[fizzywizzy525]

Thank you, that is really insightful and useful. Looks a good lesson

(Original post by marcusfox)
Your university will have its on proforma and requirements. This is what you would need for Nottingham...

You will need to write for every lesson:

Your name, Class name, Date of Lesson, and which lesson in the day (1-5). Lessons 4+5 are harder to manage.
Details of the class, how many boys, how many girls, how many SEN.
Section of the NC it refers to.
Learning objectives! You must also write these on a separate board at start of lesson, or you will fail the lesson.
Areas addressed in above objectives: (pick from knowledge/understanding/application/analysis/synthesis/evaluation/skills/attitudes/differentiated learning objectives)
Student teacher objectives (one or two areas you personally want to achieve in the lesson and how you will achieve it)

Complete a checklist if any of these are appropriate to your lesson (most will be):
How to start the lesson
Subject content notes prepared
Inclusion of all pupils
Continuity and progression
IEPs (if any student has an Indivdual Learning Plan - SEN often does)
Differentiation strategies
Management strategies
What pupils will record
Resources
How to summarize the lesson
Safety Organization
Risk Assessment (maybe you won't need for maths, haha, but when you are creating showers of molten copper, you need one)
Formative assessment strategies
Homework
PSMSC - Personal, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (OFSTED terminology)
Citizenship
Key Skills

Detailed Lesson Plan:

(I had to have quite accurate timings - see attachment)

After lesson, write evaluation: (about a paragraph of each)

Personal Response
Check against Learning Objectives
Check against Teacher Objectives
Targets for Development

I have attached my detailed lesson plan with timings and all the resources for this lesson, PowerPoints painstakingly created from scratch.

I have not attached the class details, checklist and evaluation as it is unique to you and the class you teach - plus mine had some stuff that could be considered confidential and personal.

Most of the time in planning is the time it takes to create all the resources.

EDIT - I can't upload the PPTs as they are too large for TSR to accept. Basically exciting (to a scientist anyway) and colourful with lots of animations so the students don't get bored.

[Netts]

You will start off on lesson plans that are 2-3 A4 sides long, reducing them as and when your mentor says you are ready. I get into school for around 7:30-7:45 and leave at about 5pm. I work through my dinner and manage to pack up at about 9-9:30pm. This is only whilst on placement. During lectures you work 9-4ish and the work outside of these hours is a darn sight easier! You need to remember that this is only for a year. I have heard stories about the NQT being a lot tougher, but I have yet to experience it myself. If you put in maximum effort during the pgce placements and push yourself to do more than the minimum requirements, the NQT year shouldn't be too much of a shock. I've just asked my mentor to push up my, already over-stretched, workload simply so the transition is easier. It's unpleasant to begin with, but makes you a better teacher for it. After the NQT year I've heard it eases up a little. My mentor has been teaching for 3 years now and has reached the point where she works in school 7:15-18:00 and doesn't ever take work home. I'm hoping I can get to that point too!!! :-)

[Kolya]

(Original post by marcusfox)
Your university will have its on proforma and requirements. This is what you would need for Nottingham...

You will need to write for every lesson:

Your name, Class name, Date of Lesson, and which lesson in the day (1-5). Lessons 4+5 are harder to manage.
Details of the class, how many boys, how many girls, how many SEN.
Section of the NC it refers to.
Learning objectives! You must also write these on a separate board at start of lesson, or you will fail the lesson.
Areas addressed in above objectives: (pick from knowledge/understanding/application/analysis/synthesis/evaluation/skills/attitudes/differentiated learning objectives)
Student teacher objectives (one or two areas you personally want to achieve in the lesson and how you will achieve it)

Complete a checklist if any of these are appropriate to your lesson (most will be):
How to start the lesson
Subject content notes prepared
Inclusion of all pupils
Continuity and progression
IEPs (if any student has an Indivdual Learning Plan - SEN often does)
Differentiation strategies
Management strategies
What pupils will record
Resources
How to summarize the lesson
Safety Organization
Risk Assessment (maybe you won't need for maths, haha, but when you are creating showers of molten copper, you need one)
Formative assessment strategies
Homework
PSMSC - Personal, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (OFSTED terminology)
Citizenship
Key Skills

Detailed Lesson Plan:

(I had to have quite accurate timings - see attachment)

After lesson, write evaluation: (about a paragraph of each)

Personal Response
Check against Learning Objectives
Check against Teacher Objectives
Targets for Development

I have attached my detailed lesson plan with timings and all the resources for this lesson, PowerPoints painstakingly created from scratch.

I have not attached the class details, checklist and evaluation as it is unique to you and the class you teach - plus mine had some stuff that could be considered confidential and personal.

Most of the time in planning is the time it takes to create all the resources.

EDIT - I can't upload the PPTs as they are too large for TSR to accept. Basically exciting (to a scientist anyway) and colourful with lots of animations so the students don't get bored.

Leaving you too tired to deliver good lessons? Perfect preparation is only part of the equation; you need to be able to deliver well. Do you find your lessons are better with the level of preparation that your mentor expects of you? Does it help or restrict you?

I teach Maths (at what is roughly A-level (Further) Maths level) and find that my lessons flow better if I've done an hour of prep for three hours of lessons. If I've done three hours prep then I'm slower and more sluggish when answering questions.

I find - at least in the case of my students - that they are more engaged in the material when I myself am feeling intense and energetic, rather than being a competent technocrat who's planned every five minutes of the lesson. They feel what it is to throw oneself into a topic or problem. I can't recreate that if everything I will say and write was merticulously prepared in advance.