PGCE - Current Students Thread

Thanks, I like the notebook idea.That way, I can easily I remember all the feedback I have been given.

I know it's a big topic to open up - but does anyone feel (going into secondary) that primary would have been better suited for them?

Not saying it's 'easier' but for me at least a) subject knowledge isn't the strongest and I feel I have double the work learning stuff and planning, creating resources at the same time b) I've been in both environments and lower school children usually stop misbehaving at the most with a shout (though that's not even needed) but not for me specifically though with other teachers i've seen some have an attitude and try to humiliate the teacher - with some, if they hold a grudge that's it the teacher has had it.

I have heard though that once you get QTS you can teach primary or any other subject for that matter - this is true right?

That's my first lesson done and dusted. Now to go plan a load more.

Taught my first solo lessons today...

it didn't go bad, but it also didn't go well...

I feel so out of my depth right now. I know it will get easier and I can't expect to be good when I've never taught anything before, but, I just feel so stressed and upset.

I'm really struggling to plan lessons and for a particular lesson, there is nothing on TES :/

So I'm into my 3rd week of placement.

In the 2 weeks before half term we were observing lessons and getting used to the school. Since coming back I now have 2 classes that I have responsibility for and I'm really starting to feel the pressure. I know that 5 hours teaching a week is nothing compared to NQT etc. but I'm finding it really tough. My planning is slow because i am constantly striving for perfection whilst struggling with resources.

I've also suffered from anxiety in the past and am relying more and more on beta blockers in the more difficult classes I observe in which is worrying me. But I'm not really sure what to do about it :/ or whether I should tell anyone or just get on with it...

So I'm into my 3rd week of placement.

In the 2 weeks before half term we were observing lessons and getting used to the school. Since coming back I now have 2 classes that I have responsibility for and I'm really starting to feel the pressure. I know that 5 hours teaching a week is nothing compared to NQT etc. but I'm finding it really tough. My planning is slow because i am constantly striving for perfection whilst struggling with resources.

I've also suffered from anxiety in the past and am relying more and more on beta blockers in the more difficult classes I observe in which is worrying me. But I'm not really sure what to do about it :/ or whether I should tell anyone or just get on with it...

Had another awful lesson today . In fact, I've never had a good lesson. To be honest I'm feeling so negative about the whole thing now that I don't even care when I come out of a bad lesson. I'm used to it by now . Hmm.


Hey. I totally know how you feel. I have 7 hours a week (well will do when it builds up to it in a week or two), and it feels pathetic moaning about it considering it's such a small fraction of a real teaching timetable, but I guess it's all relative.

I suffer from anxiety and depression and I am always wondering whether I should tell someone, but then I think, why? I don't really know what anyone would do about it apart from probably judge me or something (I don't care what people say, mental health is still stigmatised). I declared it on my occupational health but never told uni or school. I have weekly counselling sessions with the NHS which were only available in the daytime, so my mentor has let me go on a morning I don't have lessons, but gladly she's never asked what it's for, which I'm grateful about. I've never taken beta blockers. I have benzodiazepines but they are pretty extreme and also addictive so I can't take them often. Do you find the beta blockers help?

My differentiation sucks. I asked another teacher in my department as she's teaching the same content to another group of year 7 students and she said she'd struggle to differentiate too.

*grumbles*

It's so hard working within the limits of a piece of software - there's only so much I can show the brilliant students without excluding the others or making it so that the smart ones have additional work. Surely additional work isn't a good thing and they're smart enough to realise that doing well = more work? And leveled worksheets won't work as if they steam ahead with the content, they'll have to go back to it when the others catch up anyway so that'll just lead to boredom

How about setting separate tasks from the off? You could give an intro to the concepts then set tasks, then ask a group to stay with you to talk for longer and set them a different but related task. This could be a chance to explain more in depth concepts to your "haps" or a chance to go over something which a group needs more support on.

Consider getting the pupils to self assess which task they need to do as well. After a little practice they are pretty good at it! Obviously some guidance is needed, especially at first or if you have a pupil with confidence issues. Use the ends of lessons at first to reflect on their choices.

Then the final part of your lesson can involve sharing ideas about what they learnt or something related to the overall concept that they should all have learnt.

Try not to think of it as a linear journey of learning 1, 2, 3, 4 with some pupils "further ahead". Think of it as you are teaching a topic and all pupils have different prior knowledge/skills so each of them is going to have a different outcome by the end of the topic.

Xxx

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Yayy, my first observation went well!

I m in KS1, and I had my first teacher observation today, while I was working with a group. They are the lowest ability group in the class, and I really felt down afterwards because I thought I did badly, and then started work with a literacy group, which seemed to be going downhill rapidly. However, we had to stop for break, and continue afterwards. They worked much better, and my observation feedback was good.

It is so true that this course is up and down all the time. Sometimes during/after a session I think to myself "what am I doing, I am so bad at this", but then you have to good experience and your whole mood changes. I have surprised myself this week, because even if I have struggled at certain points during the day, I am still looking forward to the next day, to see if I can improve. I guess at the moment I am enjoying the challenge, and hopefully that won't change!

Does anybody else find it hard sometimes to get a group to listen to you at the start of a session, or to work quietly without calling for your attention all the time? My teacher said I managed behaviour well today, but I was with a smaller group than usual, which helped. I know it should eventually start coming together, but I feel like this is my biggest issue at the moment.

Does anybody else find it hard sometimes to get a group to listen to you at the start of a session, or to work quietly without calling for your attention all the time? My teacher said I managed behaviour well today, but I was with a smaller group than usual, which helped. I know it should eventually start coming together, but I feel like this is my biggest issue at the moment.

Hey.
I am aware this probably isn't the right thread to post in but I have a primary pgce interview next week and I just wondered if anybody would like to give me any advice about interviews and personal experience you may have encountered!
Good luck to all those trainee teachers BTW, I am sure you are doing an amazing job!! Xxx

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I m in KS1, and I had my first teacher observation today, while I was working with a group. They are the lowest ability group in the class, and I really felt down afterwards because I thought I did badly, and then started work with a literacy group, which seemed to be going downhill rapidly. However, we had to stop for break, and continue afterwards. They worked much better, and my observation feedback was good.

It is so true that this course is up and down all the time. Sometimes during/after a session I think to myself "what am I doing, I am so bad at this", but then you have to good experience and your whole mood changes. I have surprised myself this week, because even if I have struggled at certain points during the day, I am still looking forward to the next day, to see if I can improve. I guess at the moment I am enjoying the challenge, and hopefully that won't change!

Does anybody else find it hard sometimes to get a group to listen to you at the start of a session, or to work quietly without calling for your attention all the time? My teacher said I managed behaviour well today, but I was with a smaller group than usual, which helped. I know it should eventually start coming together, but I feel like this is my biggest issue at the moment.

I do too. My teacher has told me that I need to assert my authority at the beginning of every lesson. I clap for attention and most of them stop, then I ask them to put everything they are holding down and to turn round and face the board. I'm experimenting with praising the ones who are sitting really nicely instead of the ones talking, but most of the gabby ones just keep going unless I call them out tbh!

I've also found that they fiddle with jotters and worksheets and things when they are in front of them. So I've started putting the whole group's jotters in a bundle on their desks instead, that helps.

It's really difficult. My teacher told me to stop talking as soon I see them holding a pencil or jotter, but it's so stop start. Plus, I feel like a bitch

I am totally exhausted too. I am really struggling with differentiation, because of the range of abilities in my class. Some can barely read or write () but others are really, really good. It's so frustrating, because our lecturers are so against ability grouping, and I don't want to be marked down for doing that, but... there's really nothing else I can do!

Thank you for your advice. My issue is that I'm skills based so my pupils do need to go through 4 and 5 to get to 6. It's incredibly frustrating. All I can think of doing is going off syllabus with some of them. They're already pushing at the ceiling of the module.

Had a good lesson in the end though. My differentiation was awful at the top end as I expected but with feedback I have a bit of hope for next week's lesson. There's apparently no way to avoid going over the stuff more than once so I'll use your advice about small groups staying to learn a bit more and then letting them get on with it when I teach the others later.

I've also gone from supporting a new unit to a year 9 class to teaching the whole thing. I think I'm worried about higher years

So next week I'm teaching 3 classes, doing a pupil pursuit, sitting in on an English class or two and I'm becoming a form tutor.

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