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PGCE - Current Students Thread

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I'm most looking forwards to getting into my placement schools and having support and guidance on how I'm doing and how to improve my teaching. Last year I did quite a lot of cover work in my subject, but without any mentoring or supervision I have no idea what my strengths and weaknesses are.

I'm also looking forwards to meeting other people in the same boat and sharing ideas and resources. Already, my preliminary observation has given me loads of ideas.

I'm most scared of getting to grips with the technology. Although I've spent a total of 15 weeks covering lessons in my subject, I was never given access to computers, interactive whiteboards, etc. If I get a school which is really big on technology (there are a few around where pupils use iPads, etc.) I'll be totally out of my depth.

I'm also nervous about the written work, as it seems to be a totally different style to what I'm used to. My preliminary assignment guidelines say I can use charts and diagrams, which is totally alien to me from my undergraduate degree. It also feels weird to write about my own observations and experiences - I'm used to having several footnotes per page, refering to the various sources I've used, so not having these makes me feel like I'm just making stuff up. I have no idea if I'm doing it right!
Reply 1561
My term doesn't start until 1st October, and placements don't start until next year!

I'm currently in the middle of my 2 weeks observation period which we have to do before term starts and am loving it :-)

I can't wait for the course to start!
Original post by Becca
What things are you guys most looking forward to about the PGCE?
And any fears?


I'm really looking forward to actually going on my first placement. That starts at the beginning of November, so we don't know our schools yet. I just want to know now! :biggrin:

Funnily enough, one of my fears is actually doing my first lesson on placement; having got onto the PGCE straight from my undergrad degree, the biggest group of children I've 'taught' has been a group of 6 :eek: Still, I'm learning so much each day in uni so hopefully I'll be prepared for it when it comes!
Original post by Keziah

I'm also nervous about the written work, as it seems to be a totally different style to what I'm used to. My preliminary assignment guidelines say I can use charts and diagrams, which is totally alien to me from my undergraduate degree. It also feels weird to write about my own observations and experiences - I'm used to having several footnotes per page, refering to the various sources I've used, so not having these makes me feel like I'm just making stuff up. I have no idea if I'm doing it right!


There tends to be a mixture of written work.

Lesson plans and ideas.
Factual/subject based written work/activities.
Reflective essays and reports [first person and a focus on own findings].
Essays that are academic in style, including MA level essays, for which you will have lots of references as well as some personal research. :smile:
Original post by clairemellisa
I'm really looking forward to actually going on my first placement. That starts at the beginning of November, so we don't know our schools yet. I just want to know now! :biggrin:

Funnily enough, one of my fears is actually doing my first lesson on placement; having got onto the PGCE straight from my undergrad degree, the biggest group of children I've 'taught' has been a group of 6 :eek: Still, I'm learning so much each day in uni so hopefully I'll be prepared for it when it comes!


You'll have observed enough by then and been eased in with doing starters and plenaries- I doubt anyone would just throw you into an hour's lesson just like that! Granted, you will still have to do the full lesson at some point. But I found it to be MUCH easier to do the whole lesson rather than trying to fit in episodes- you can have more flexibility with timing etc that way. And the students have more of an idea of your authority because you aren't 'giving them back' for half of the lesson!
Original post by noodles!
You'll have observed enough by then and been eased in with doing starters and plenaries- I doubt anyone would just throw you into an hour's lesson just like that!


I agree that you will feel ready by the time it comes around. But, on my course, we did just do a full hour - no starters or plenaries. Prior to that lesson, I'd worked with groups and observed [and I'd obviously done loads of things at university] but I hadn't taught the class at all. :redface:

The first lesson will always be nerve racking, but that is to be expected. You'll soon slip into a routine and it will feel natural.
Original post by affinity89
There tends to be a mixture of written work.

Lesson plans and ideas.
Factual/subject based written work/activities.
Reflective essays and reports [first person and a focus on own findings].
Essays that are academic in style, including MA level essays, for which you will have lots of references as well as some personal research. :smile:


Ah OK, thanks for the info. :smile:

The tasks I've been given to do before the course starts include a 'reflective summary' on the way my subject is taught in primary and secondary, and a report about an individual pupil I chose to observe for a lesson.
Original post by Keziah
Ah OK, thanks for the info. :smile:

The tasks I've been given to do before the course starts include a 'reflective summary' on the way my subject is taught in primary and secondary, and a report about an individual pupil I chose to observe for a lesson.


In which case, I am sure you are doing it right if you are writing it in a personal, reflective style. Don't worry about references etc. :biggrin:
Original post by noodles!
You'll have observed enough by then and been eased in with doing starters and plenaries- I doubt anyone would just throw you into an hour's lesson just like that! Granted, you will still have to do the full lesson at some point. But I found it to be MUCH easier to do the whole lesson rather than trying to fit in episodes- you can have more flexibility with timing etc that way. And the students have more of an idea of your authority because you aren't 'giving them back' for half of the lesson!


Original post by affinity89
I agree that you will feel ready by the time it comes around. But, on my course, we did just do a full hour - no starters or plenaries. Prior to that lesson, I'd worked with groups and observed [and I'd obviously done loads of things at university] but I hadn't taught the class at all. :redface:

The first lesson will always be nerve racking, but that is to be expected. You'll soon slip into a routine and it will feel natural.


Thanks both!! :smile: despite the different experiences you both had, i feel fairly reassured.
Original post by clairemellisa
Thanks both!! :smile: despite the different experiences you both had, i feel fairly reassured.


I don't know how long affinity89's course was uni-based before school placements started but by this time last year I had already been in school for a week, and not this week but the week after would have been when I was doing my first bits of teaching, so there weren't lots of sessions before we went in. So that's probably why it was recommended that they let us do bits before whole lessons!

When I started my second placement I was crystal clear that I just wanted to observe a class once and then I wanted to get straight into whole lessons despite being given the option not to.
Original post by Jimmy Mullen
Well first uni-based week and I am already snowed under! :smile:


What do you do at uni on a PGCE? Are there just normal lectures to attend? Are there essays and things to write?
At uni on a pgce (at fearthe unkown) at my uni we do "proffesional studies" or "curriculum studies" depending which day it is. Proffesional studies is more general teachng like teaching and learning theories and we only get 14 sessions over the whole year. Curriculum studies on the other hand is more fun, important, extnsive etc. It has literally everything else we need to know. We just did "what is RE" as an intro and then RE specific learning theories.

I adore my curriculum studies sessions at uni.

We just did a week at uni, now ive just started y first week at school (no teaching at all) then next week at uni then our first week teaching after that!
Original post by Feartheunknown
What do you do at uni on a PGCE? Are there just normal lectures to attend? Are there essays and things to write?


On my course [primary] our university days were made up of:

- Lectures on core issues and professional issues. Eg, teaching and the law, the use of the outdoors, EAL, SEN, etc.
- Lectures on core subjects [English, maths and science].
- Workshops on core subjects [three hours, per week, per subject - English, maths and science].
- Workshops/classes for all the foundation subjects [PE, ICT, RE, DT, art, history, geography, music and MFL].
- MA-level lectures and seminars for the MA modules on the course.


The work for our course was:

- Workbooks with tasks and readings for English, maths and science.
- Specific tasks for foundation subjects. Eg, we had to plan lessons and team-teach for geography, create items using different techniques and materials in art, do group presentations in history etc.
- Essays. One at an undergrad level [reflective] and two 5,000 word MA level essays.



Then you had all the placement based things, including all your planning and assessment files, reflective reports on your lessons etc. :smile:
Had my induction day today. It made me really want to get stuck in and start - I can't believe I don't start my placement until November 5th, it seems like ages away! :tongue:

I also didn't realise I have P.E every Friday! Actual, proper P.E :biggrin:
Original post by AwesomelyPsycho
Had my induction day today. It made me really want to get stuck in and start - I can't believe I don't start my placement until November 5th, it seems like ages away! :tongue:

I also didn't realise I have P.E every Friday! Actual, proper P.E :biggrin:


Enjoy PE! :tongue: In all seriousness though, it can be quite good fun. We had 2 hour long PE sessions on a Monday afternoon [after four hours of science and an hour of CIS (core issues and skills)] and it was usually pretty fun, if a little knackering. Some of the sessions were far more active than the PE lessons I'd had back at school! :redface:
Hey everyone!!

I'm only two weeks in but already need to ask for help!! I've got to hand in my proposal for my level 7 assignment on Wednesday and I'm really struggling. I didn't have to do a dissertation for my degree so I've never had to come up with my own research question before, or the rationale behind it. The module is 'understanding the child as a learner' so it has to be something related to that. I was thinking of researching how creative learning can be used effectively in primary schools, do you think this is too broad? I think it probably is, just not sure how to narrow it down.

I don't really know what I'm asking, I guess I'm just wondering how you guys would go about finding a research question? I've got lots of books out of the library but I just don't know what i'm looking for!

Feeling pretty stressed in general after today! We had an hour and a half lecture on everything that was expected of us on placement which was quite overwhelming! Tomorrow I have an independent study day, so I'm hoping I have some time to get my head around things. Hope you're all doing ok so far! xxx
They definitely throw you right in! We have had a lot of work set so far (maths and literacy audits, 2 assignments book reviews and other bits and pieces), but so far I think I'm keeping on top of things. We start full time table tomorrow. after our 2 week induction, so I'm quite excited to start that :smile: We start at our first placemet schools on the 15th October ad start teaching on the 22nd! We are gong to be teaching 2 out of the 4 days we ar at school each week for the first 4 weeks and then we will be teaching 3/5. I don't think was expecting to be teaching so much so early on! I am so happy with the school I have been given, it looks amazing :smile:
Original post by affinity89
On my course [primary] our university days were made up of:

- Lectures on core issues and professional issues. Eg, teaching and the law, the use of the outdoors, EAL, SEN, etc.
- Lectures on core subjects [English, maths and science].
- Workshops on core subjects [three hours, per week, per subject - English, maths and science].
- Workshops/classes for all the foundation subjects [PE, ICT, RE, DT, art, history, geography, music and MFL].
- MA-level lectures and seminars for the MA modules on the course.


The work for our course was:

- Workbooks with tasks and readings for English, maths and science.
- Specific tasks for foundation subjects. Eg, we had to plan lessons and team-teach for geography, create items using different techniques and materials in art, do group presentations in history etc.
- Essays. One at an undergrad level [reflective] and two 5,000 word MA level essays.



Then you had all the placement based things, including all your planning and assessment files, reflective reports on your lessons etc. :smile:


Thanks, that was really kind of you to reply with all that detail!! I just wanted to know as I'll need to be applying in a year but still haven't really made up my mind as to who to teach; Secondary school(A-Level preferably) or to continue studying in order to teach (lecture) at university.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 1578
Original post by Sarang_assa
Hey everyone!!

I'm only two weeks in but already need to ask for help!! I've got to hand in my proposal for my level 7 assignment on Wednesday and I'm really struggling. I didn't have to do a dissertation for my degree so I've never had to come up with my own research question before, or the rationale behind it. The module is 'understanding the child as a learner' so it has to be something related to that. I was thinking of researching how creative learning can be used effectively in primary schools, do you think this is too broad? I think it probably is, just not sure how to narrow it down.

I don't really know what I'm asking, I guess I'm just wondering how you guys would go about finding a research question? I've got lots of books out of the library but I just don't know what i'm looking for!

Feeling pretty stressed in general after today! We had an hour and a half lecture on everything that was expected of us on placement which was quite overwhelming! Tomorrow I have an independent study day, so I'm hoping I have some time to get my head around things. Hope you're all doing ok so far! xxx


Our uni's been really helpful with this stuff! One idea they gave us for m level writing was to put all your ideas references etc. on to cards then try to arrange them into a kind of sructure you like try and keep a main theme and link all your ideas together clearly! hope this helps, it helped me tonnes!
Original post by xxmijxx
Our uni's been really helpful with this stuff! One idea they gave us for m level writing was to put all your ideas references etc. on to cards then try to arrange them into a kind of sructure you like try and keep a main theme and link all your ideas together clearly! hope this helps, it helped me tonnes!


Thank you! That's really helpful. I had my first ever seminar today and it was really good. There were only 12 of us, never had such a small group for us. Because we didnt do a dissertation we just had tutorials of about 30.

I've decided I definitely want to do how talk in the classroom can facilitate learning, but not sure what I'm going to focus on yet, going to do some reading around it first. Our tutor is great though, she's so funny.

I've got Science, English and R.E. workshops tommorow. It'll be interesting to see what they're like!

ooh and I did a dummy run to my school yesterday. Its a 15 minute walk, a 10 minute bus ride, and a 5 minute walk, so not too bad! Not sure if I'll change my mind when I have lots of heavy bags and its raining mind! It looks like it's in a really nice area though so fingers crossed!

How's everyone else doing so far?

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