Bad classroom observations.

Hi Everyone,

I am currently undertaking classroom observations as part of my conditional offer to start a PGCE secondary course.

I have sat through 5 days so far and already I am beginning to wonder whether I am cut out for life in a secondary school.

The school I am in is all-boys and doesn't have the best of reputations, but even so, what I have seen has shocked me.

The teachers (who are very experienced and seem great) struggle to get control of their classrooms, get their points across and are generally fighting fires all lesson. Every lesson is the same.

Swearing, scuffles and throwing insults at one another are the only things that the pupils seem interested in. It's an oxymoron really, as individuals they seem ok, but as a group they really hard work.

All of these kids all have very similar backgrounds to myself and prior to sitting in a classroom I believed that we would be relatable, that's not the case now. I think they wouldn't care

Reply 1

kevin_o

...has anyone else been in a situation similar to this? If so, any advice would be appreciated.

Reply 2

Europhile

If you think behaviour is a problem wait until you get overwhelmed with all the paperwork and bureaucratic crap.

Reply 3

greenbeans123

Hi Kevin

I'm afraid behaviour (along with workload and pointless paperwork as someone said above) is inescapable in schools. I'm currently in the last few weeks of my final placement and I must admit I still find it really difficult to manage.

That said, remember every school is different. Some have atrocious behaviour and the teachers can't cope. Others, behaviour incidents are few and far between. Most lie somewhere between these extremes. Is there any chance to observe in another school? You might find the atmosphere is quite different.

I worked in a very 'rough' school for a year (and had a chair thrown at me!) and compared to that my placements are like paradise!

Reply 4

Airfairy

Behaviour issues exist everywhere but it is important to remember that not all schools are as bad as each other. My first placement was in a very challenging school where they needed cctv in every classroom. I hated every minute of it. I was so close to dropping out numerous times. My second placement is in a much better school and whilst there is behaviour issues, they are mostly low level and the kids are more likeable so I can reason with them more. I love my current school.

So you never know where you'll get placed. Over the pgce you will start to understand the type of school for you and it's all part of the experience. Don't let this observation put you off. Try to get some days in a contrasting school?

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Reply 5

Pixsoul

Behaviour is an issue at every school to some extent. My final placement was at a school in special measures which was notified would be shut down while I was still there. During my first lesson, which was a year 10 class, a girl arrived 20 minutes late and decided to throw a chair at a boy in the class when he made a snarky comment about her lateness.

I won't pretend that it's easy, but you'll develop strategies to manage challenging behaviour. What works for one class, won't necessarily work for another.

If you can get experience in other schools it could help. Speak to the teachers at the schools you are at; find out what works for them, what doesn't. What works for them might not suit your style, but it can help to give you ideas and help you develop your own strategies.

One of the most important things is making sure you are consistent and fair.