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PGCE - Current Students Thread

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Good luck to the new cohort of PGCE students! It was an amazing year with both ups and downs.

My advice is:

-Keep going, even if you think you can't do it, you wouldn't be on the course if you couldn't!
-Don't take criticism to heart, it's only given to make you a better teacher, use it!
-Get the QTS skills tests out the way before Christmas, I had mine all done at the beginning of November and didn't look back!
-If something goes well, evidence it and build up a portfolio to show at interviews, photos, observations, positive comments from children/staff ect.
-Enjoy it! :biggrin:

Thanks!! im so excited... Roll on monday :-)

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9000

Reply 1501

jenren22

Original post by Sarang_assa

Thank you for the advice! I start on Monday and I'm so nervous, can't believe we're only at uni for 4 weeks before we start placement!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I think I was at uni for about 6-7 weeks before my first placement. To be honest though, you learn so much on placement I think it's great they're throwing you in there so early.

It's nerve wracking but the feeling after your first lesson whatever the outcome...just looking back now makes me realise how far I have come. Be prepared to learn so much in less than a year!

Reply 1502

nati_jade

We go on placement in our second week!! Talk about straight into it!!

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my MT15i

Reply 1503

noodles!

Original post by nati_jade

We go on placement in our second week!! Talk about straight into it!!

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my MT15i

That's a good thing! There's so much to experience that you can't be taught in a lecture. Plus you'll presumably have to observe for a while before you teach anyway (I did 2 weeks) so don't worry. You WILL get bored at some point of being talked at once you're doing the job anyway!

Reply 1504

nati_jade

Original post by noodles!

Haha yeah I don't mind at all, absolutely everyone has told me you learn more on the job anyway and the longer it takes to get into the school the longer I'll just be worrying about the placement. Plus it means you really get to see the children from almost the start of the year and watch them progress throughout. I'm so excited to get stuck in. Although I'll be careful to not take on too much too soon, my boyfriend did that and it ruined his first placement and nearly his career! :rolleyes:

Reply 1505

xxmijxx

Mondays almost upon us,and student loans have messed up my application hopefully not a sign of things to come eh... :/

Reply 1506

ponpon14

Not starting until the 17th! So still a week and a half, but then again we only have 3 1/2 full days of lectures (nothing on first day except half hour registration and a half day on thursday) before we go to our first placement and we still havent been told where they are!

Nice thing is that we have had meet ups with each other on the course, so its nice to know theres friendly people too!

Wish it would just begin already!!

Reply 1507

MKZebra

Have to say good luck to all the PGCE students. When my dad did his he was sooooo stressed. D:

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Wildfire

Reply 1508

myrtille

Starting my preliminary observation in primary today.

I really don't feel very sure about what to expect or what I should be doing there for eight whole days, so I'm hoping today I can mostly just observe and take notes to get my head round things a bit more.

I focused on brushing up my subject knowledge (read: relearning from scratch) in Spanish over the summer, then went on holiday for a week at the start of September, so am now feeling slightly unprepared...

Reply 1509

username208984

Registration and start today! Good luck everyone else :smile:

Reply 1510

clairemellisa

Just had my first day, so much information! Very exciting though :smile:

Reply 1511

username208984

I just read through my entire handbook and already feel stressed too, sigh. All the freebies off the Unions was great though, stress ball wooo

Reply 1512

ponpon14

Sounds good for everyone! We've been told so little (canterbury christ church) or what to expect so next week will all be a bit of a surprise!

Does anyone know to be smart or casual?

Reply 1513

Sarang_assa

Just got back from my first day at Derby, people were dressed pretty casual, lots of jeans, but no one looked like a slob, so middle ground maybe?

It was a really good day. I feel like we were told lots of stuff, but a lot of it was general, from student wellbeing and so on, so not necessarily relevant to teaching. Can't wait to get stuck in though! I missed out on the stress brain :frown:

got three wall planners and an awesome pencil case full of stuff from ATL though!

Reply 1514

Stray_talk

Original post by robo donkey

I just read through my entire handbook and already feel stressed too, sigh. All the freebies off the Unions was great though, stress ball wooo

Don't worry, you're bound to if you did that as its a lot of info to take in! Best thing I can say is try to remain calm even in those "ARGH!" moments because things always have a way of working out ok. Go with the flow and take it a step at a time :smile:

Reply 1515

xxmijxx

we had a lecture on teaching an learning and a bit of discussion really excited to get into it a bit more :smile:

Reply 1516

iloveyou_xx

Good luck to everyone starting their pgce! I'm just after a bit of advice from people who've already been through it. My boyfriend has just started his pgce at a uni about an hour and a half away from where I live and I'm a bit worried about the effect it's going to have on our relationship.

I want him to do well and I support him 100%. I understand it's going to be a really hard year for him, especially as he does get stressed quite easily. But he is also very organised and has been working as a teaching assistant previously so he's been able to get a lot of resources from his school.

I just want to know how to be able to support him, especially when I'll only be seeing him at weekends (when he doesn't have too much work). We've been together 3 years and we're planning on living together after his course ends so I really really want this to work for us. I'm just so scared he's not going to have time for me or that I'm going to make things worse. Can anyone advise me on things they did/their partners did that helped/made it worse?

Reply 1517

affinity89

Original post by iloveyou_xx

With good time management, he should be able to take a day off each week. Myself and most of my friends did. Use that day wisely - do nothing course related and enjoy yourselves! Other than that, try not to make him feel guilty if he is stressed or busy. I'm not suggesting you will, but if he is shattered after a day on placement or has lots of planning to do tomorrow, just give him the space to do it, without making him worry that he is mistreating you. The start should be okay - things tend to start off reasonably slowly - too, so make the most of that time to spend time together [ie, before placements]. :smile:

Reply 1518

*Darcie*

Original post by iloveyou_xx

My boyfriend and I did our PGCEs at the same time so although it was a testing time for our relationship, we also knew what each other was going through. I probably would have been less understanding if this wasn't the case. The reality is that your BF will have less time for you and your relationship so you will just have to be really understanding and savour the time you can spend together. It's only for around 10 months and it will fly by.

Reply 1519

Jimmy Mullen

Original post by Keziah

Same here - doing a primary observation this week (5 days only). 2 days to go. extremely bored with it. observed plenty of lessons, really dont need a full week. 2 days would have been plenty.

As a specialist in maths, watching the numeracy lessons is the most useful, especially year 6, but most the other subject lessons are no use to me. I am just trying to use up the time, even doing some marking for a teacher!