PGCE - Current Students Thread
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Original post by Airfairy
Has anyone been off from their placement yet? I'm panicking a bit really. I was off for two days near the start, now I'm off today. Also I need a small operation which will mean I'm off for a week. I have no date for this yet but I've been told it will be this year - so probably during my placement!
I just feel really bad about it all. But with regards to the operation, I've been waiting for it for three years now, so there's no way in hell I'm not having it done now.
Also, with regards to references for jobs...I take you ask a uni tutor, and a school mentor? I'm worried about references because it says in our handbook that attendance is mentioned in references. Are references for school jobs like any other ones - they are only looked at once you've accepted the position?
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I just feel really bad about it all. But with regards to the operation, I've been waiting for it for three years now, so there's no way in hell I'm not having it done now.
Also, with regards to references for jobs...I take you ask a uni tutor, and a school mentor? I'm worried about references because it says in our handbook that attendance is mentioned in references. Are references for school jobs like any other ones - they are only looked at once you've accepted the position?
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Schools are highly likely to take up your references before offering you a job, possibly even before interview.
However, I wouldn't worry overly about the absence. In total you'll have 8 days off in a term. While that is reasonably high most of it is due to an operation which no-one can look badly on you for and then three days off sick in a term is not unusual at all. I don't know a PGCE colleague who didn't get sick at some point during the year. Schools are breeding grounds for bugs and viruses. It will happen, and you can't really do much about it. As long as you aren't missing days willy nilly just for minor things you will be fine. I also don't think they put % attendance on the reference, just a general comment, which is likely to be that you have good attendance if you only miss these three days off sick... you may miss more next year as well! Like I said, everyone gets ill.
And yes, you ask your uni tutor (some unis direct you to write the head of school down and it's all done through them) and one of the teachers/mentors from one of your placements.
Also, regarding the week for the operation, it may be that the uni will make some arrangement with the school for you to 'cover' the week you miss, in order to meet minimum day requirements for the course. They often work in a bit of time for this throughout the year... maybe study days, certain uni days, etc. Make sure you let your uni tutor know about it so they can prepare, and tell them the date once you know. They should be accommodating, they have a duty to make allowances for health reasons (plus if they're nice people they will understand anyway!).
xxx
Original post by myblueheaven339
My advice would be to get used to a certain amount of feeling behind, as you will never be able to do everything you want to do as a teacher.
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Thanks. I know this is the case and I'm definitely working on it! After some sleep and reflection I'm feeling a lot more positive about everything. :-)
I'm just trying not to let this take over my life. Is anyone else finding that it's hard to think about ANYTHING else?! Haha.
Im exactly the same, im either doing my prep for school or im sat thinking about the prep i need to do for school, quite depressing!!
On the plus side, i have a school trip to IBM tomorrow afternoon which should be a nice change
On the plus side, i have a school trip to IBM tomorrow afternoon which should be a nice change
Original post by Red Lightning
I just had a really bad lesson ;(
It's a horrible feeling, isn't it?
I hope today was better.I have learnt much more from my bad lessons than my good ones, I have to admit. It's definitely a baptism of fire.
Does anyone keep dreaming about the lessons they are planning to teach the next morning?
I cannot even sleep properly
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I cannot even sleep properly
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Original post by brown shuga
Does anyone keep dreaming about the lessons they are planning to teach the next morning?
I cannot even sleep properly
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I cannot even sleep properly
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Me!! Glad I'm not the only one. Lol!
Almost cried after my lesson today. My mentor said it was fine and that they've just forgotten something so I'm going to go back over that with them. I think I forget that year 7s need spoonfeeding and that they forget everything from one lesson to the next.
So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
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So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
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Original post by brown shuga
Does anyone keep dreaming about the lessons they are planning to teach the next morning?
I cannot even sleep properly
I cannot even sleep properly
OMG yes. And in the shower too
Original post by ParadoxSocks
Almost cried after my lesson today. My mentor said it was fine and that they've just forgotten something so I'm going to go back over that with them. I think I forget that year 7s need spoonfeeding and that they forget everything from one lesson to the next.
So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
You poor thing. Tomorrow will be better.
What was your lesson? Can you make flashcards to move into place on the board? Or the same thing on a Smartboard? I do that because I have such a range of abilities. I get the kids who are struggling to physically move the flashcard into the right place, and the kids who get it to explain back to the class.
Am I the only one that doesn't seem to have had a good lesson yet? !
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Original post by peony flowers
It's a horrible feeling, isn't it? I hope today was better.
I have learnt much more from my bad lessons than my good ones, I have to admit. It's definitely a baptism of fire.
I hope today was better.I have learnt much more from my bad lessons than my good ones, I have to admit. It's definitely a baptism of fire.
It is a baptism of fire I'm afraid
The amount of feedbacks I have to reflect on is overwhelming. Is it possible to act on all the feedback given?Original post by peony flowers
OMG yes. And in the shower too
You poor thing. Tomorrow will be better.
What was your lesson? Can you make flashcards to move into place on the board? Or the same thing on a Smartboard? I do that because I have such a range of abilities. I get the kids who are struggling to physically move the flashcard into the right place, and the kids who get it to explain back to the class.
You poor thing. Tomorrow will be better.
What was your lesson? Can you make flashcards to move into place on the board? Or the same thing on a Smartboard? I do that because I have such a range of abilities. I get the kids who are struggling to physically move the flashcard into the right place, and the kids who get it to explain back to the class.
That was my plan. I need to get them to understand the differences between formula and functions in excel and then make sure that they can use both.
They can chant it to me if I ask but they struggle to then take that information and use it in their spreadsheets. I'll make up a couple of cheatsheets for the formulas and functions to structure enough for them to complete their current spreadsheets to their targeted levels.
And my top end pupils want me to spoofeed them everything and I'm trying to convince them that it's a) okay to make mistakes while trying to learn things and b) okay to use Google to find out how to do something because that isn't cheating.
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Original post by ParadoxSocks
That was my plan. I need to get them to understand the differences between formula and functions in excel and then make sure that they can use both.
They can chant it to me if I ask but they struggle to then take that information and use it in their spreadsheets. I'll make up a couple of cheatsheets for the formulas and functions to structure enough for them to complete their current spreadsheets to their targeted levels.
And my top end pupils want me to spoofeed them everything and I'm trying to convince them that it's a) okay to make mistakes while trying to learn things and b) okay to use Google to find out how to do something because that isn't cheating.
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They can chant it to me if I ask but they struggle to then take that information and use it in their spreadsheets. I'll make up a couple of cheatsheets for the formulas and functions to structure enough for them to complete their current spreadsheets to their targeted levels.
And my top end pupils want me to spoofeed them everything and I'm trying to convince them that it's a) okay to make mistakes while trying to learn things and b) okay to use Google to find out how to do something because that isn't cheating.
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Ive been getting my guys to do lots of worksheets where they repeat tasks to consolidate the knowledge but ive also been doing lots of quizes for starters and plenarys and they seem to be responding well!
I do have a few that are still struggling with the basic concept of formula but some are charging on and are totally ready for functions now so im having to offer a real mix of solutions!
Original post by Ratchit99
Ive been getting my guys to do lots of worksheets where they repeat tasks to consolidate the knowledge but ive also been doing lots of quizes for starters and plenarys and they seem to be responding well!
I do have a few that are still struggling with the basic concept of formula but some are charging on and are totally ready for functions now so im having to offer a real mix of solutions!
I do have a few that are still struggling with the basic concept of formula but some are charging on and are totally ready for functions now so im having to offer a real mix of solutions!
I have everything from people struggling with formula to those who are working on graphs, conditional formatting and macros. I had a death glare from a pupil earlier because I hadn't given her enough guidance with conditional formatting beyond "Google conditional formatting and use it to..." but I was still trying to get my formula pupils moving. It's the massive gap in pupils that's messing things up for me.
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Original post by ParadoxSocks
I have everything from people struggling with formula to those who are working on graphs, conditional formatting and macros. I had a death glare from a pupil earlier because I hadn't given her enough guidance with conditional formatting beyond "Google conditional formatting and use it to..." but I was still trying to get my formula pupils moving. It's the massive gap in pupils that's messing things up for me.
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Yeah, i think thats exactly what im having issues with. Im so worried about screwing up their progress and them falling behind! I think I'm more anxious about that side if things than anything else!!
Original post by ParadoxSocks
Almost cried after my lesson today. My mentor said it was fine and that they've just forgotten something so I'm going to go back over that with them. I think I forget that year 7s need spoonfeeding and that they forget everything from one lesson to the next.
So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
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So now I need to go back over that content to catch the ones that are stuck back up with everyone else while avoiding dragging everyone else back to their level. I can't even ask those who need help to sit with me because nobody will admit they're stuck so I have to take the whole class back over it.
And I lost two of my friends from the course and I'm absolutely gutted about it
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Awwww!
Such a big aww cos I know exactly how you feel! Don't worry about it, I see it as hey can it get any worse? Nope, so onwards and upwards and we're only learning so cut yourself some slack.
My mentor did say some of them will lie or copy their friends just to 'impress' you or not look silly in front of the class (he said that's only yr 7s usually though) and that you'll need to go around while you've set them a task and ask them "so how did you get that answer?"
Have a little markbook with all their names and tick off if you think they've met a certain LO!
As teachers we need to be super people too apparently :|
I'm about to finish binary with my lot gonna start the wonderful world of spreadsheets soon.. must refresh my knowledge on it first though :|
(edited 9 years ago)
Find out that my next placement is 2 hours 15 mins away from home or an hour from my boat if I first complete a 35 minute walk down unlit country lanes.
I'm really really not happy at all. My friend dropped out and had a perfect placement so going to go and attempt to swap to there.
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I'm really really not happy at all. My friend dropped out and had a perfect placement so going to go and attempt to swap to there.
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Original post by Sam89
Awwww!
Such a big aww cos I know exactly how you feel! Don't worry about it, I see it as hey can it get any worse? Nope, so onwards and upwards and we're only learning so cut yourself some slack.
My mentor did say some of them will lie or copy their friends just to 'impress' you or not look silly in front of the class (he said that's only yr 7s usually though) and that you'll need to go around while you've set them a task and ask them "so how did you get that answer?"
Have a little markbook with all their names and tick off if you think they've met a certain LO!
As teachers we need to be super people too apparently :|
I'm about to finish binary with my lot gonna start the wonderful world of spreadsheets soon.. must refresh my knowledge on it first though :|
Such a big aww cos I know exactly how you feel! Don't worry about it, I see it as hey can it get any worse? Nope, so onwards and upwards and we're only learning so cut yourself some slack.
My mentor did say some of them will lie or copy their friends just to 'impress' you or not look silly in front of the class (he said that's only yr 7s usually though) and that you'll need to go around while you've set them a task and ask them "so how did you get that answer?"
Have a little markbook with all their names and tick off if you think they've met a certain LO!
As teachers we need to be super people too apparently :|
I'm about to finish binary with my lot gonna start the wonderful world of spreadsheets soon.. must refresh my knowledge on it first though :|
My lesson today was brilliant. I called them up in small groups for each task and a lot of them made 1 or 2 whole levels of progress so I'm really happy with it. I think splitting into smaller classes is the easiest way to do it. There's quite a bit of repetition but they can just drop in and listen as they need to and get on with their work when they know what they're doing.
And my second class went really well except for one pupil who kept trying to tell me the computer was playing up when they were in fact just not doing anything at all. It freaks them out when I press ctrl + z to see what they last wrote so they just need to know I can check up on everything.
Original post by ParadoxSocks
Find out that my next placement is 2 hours 15 mins away from home or an hour from my boat if I first complete a 35 minute walk down unlit country lanes.
I'm really really not happy at all. My friend dropped out and had a perfect placement so going to go and attempt to swap to there.
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I'm really really not happy at all. My friend dropped out and had a perfect placement so going to go and attempt to swap to there.
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I think that 2 hours 15 is an unreasonable amount of time to expect someone to commute to placement. I think we have a limit of 90 mins at my uni, but most are within an hour. I think it would be totally reasonable for you to complain about this and make a case to switch placement.
Find out my next placement soon, and I am SO nervous about it. I don't know how the placement thing works, but I'm assuming that everyone in my R.E. group will basically just be switched around, or maybe new schools are thrown into the mix, I dunno. I just know that some of my friends have been in schools with zero support this time, and I just hope I don't get placed there because I think I really need the support of a mentor to keep me going!
I mean, I haven't been placed in the best of schools this time, but I sure have had amazing support, and I'm just worried about not getting that next time
I mean, I haven't been placed in the best of schools this time, but I sure have had amazing support, and I'm just worried about not getting that next time
With hindsight, what questions would you ask a potential PGCE provider to determine if the programme was suited to you?
I have an interview on wed and am wondering if I should prepare a couple of questions for them.... I read a lot about lack of support on placements so thinking of a question related to that..... What else? It's an early years course x
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I have an interview on wed and am wondering if I should prepare a couple of questions for them.... I read a lot about lack of support on placements so thinking of a question related to that..... What else? It's an early years course x
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