PGCE - Current Students Thread
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Original post by Ratchit99
Thanks! Waiting to find out what ive got to teach! Its on friday so eeep!
Here's my interview advice (I was always told I came across very well at interview, despite losing out to internal candidates several times):
•
Don't be afraid to contact the school and ask for extra info about the class. Obviously don't keep pestering, but asking once looks proactive rather than needy.
•
Plan lots of shortish activities for your lesson but don't go overboard with ambitious activities the pupils might not be used to. Play it safe but not too boring.
•
Plan activities that can be cut easily from your lesson if you run out of time (or ways to extend if you find yourself with extra time).
•
Signal this clearly in your lesson plan - I put activities I would cut if short on time in grey print. At the bottom, I made a note of what I would do if it was a full lesson instead of just 20 minutes. Several schools commented that they really liked t
•
Structure your lesson carefully - the most important thing they want to see is pupils making progress, so you introduce something new, check they get it, then get them to apply it in a different way.
•
Smile and make a good first impression.I always smile a lot anyway because it's hope I cope when I'm stressed! But I've seen some really miserable looking people at interviews...
•
Prepare for common interview questions and be prepared to talk at length and give examples.
•
Don't worry about written tasks - these have never been mentioned to me in interiew feedback, I think if you're the right person for the job and they like you, they're less fussed about your ability to analyse data or plan interventions, especially when you're an NQT - they can teach you that stuff.
Original post by myrtille
Here's my interview advice (I was always told I came across very well at interview, despite losing out to internal candidates several times):
•
Don't be afraid to contact the school and ask for extra info about the class. Obviously don't keep pestering, but asking once looks proactive rather than needy.
•
Plan lots of shortish activities for your lesson but don't go overboard with ambitious activities the pupils might not be used to. Play it safe but not too boring.
•
Plan activities that can be cut easily from your lesson if you run out of time (or ways to extend if you find yourself with extra time).
•
Signal this clearly in your lesson plan - I put activities I would cut if short on time in grey print. At the bottom, I made a note of what I would do if it was a full lesson instead of just 20 minutes. Several schools commented that they really liked t
•
Structure your lesson carefully - the most important thing they want to see is pupils making progress, so you introduce something new, check they get it, then get them to apply it in a different way.
•
Smile and make a good first impression.I always smile a lot anyway because it's hope I cope when I'm stressed! But I've seen some really miserable looking people at interviews...
•
Prepare for common interview questions and be prepared to talk at length and give examples.
•
Don't worry about written tasks - these have never been mentioned to me in interiew feedback, I think if you're the right person for the job and they like you, they're less fussed about your ability to analyse data or plan interventions, especially when you're an NQT - they can teach you that stuff.
Thanks for all of that, thats amazing
I guess its only the start of the job season so if nothing else this is good practice!
Original post by Ratchit99
Still, just under 2 weeks left till xmas hols guys! Ive just been invited to an interview for an nqt position in september. Slightly kacking myself!!
Wow! Good luck!
My class were horrendous today. They're year 5 and seem to have discovered kissing over the weekend
How on earth are you supposed to deal with someone bellowing 'SHE KISSED JOE WITH TONGUE' across your classroom?!!!!And also- 10 years old! WTF!
Original post by peony flowers
Wow! Good luck!
My class were horrendous today. They're year 5 and seem to have discovered kissing over the weekend How on earth are you supposed to deal with someone bellowing 'SHE KISSED JOE WITH TONGUE' across your classroom?!!!!
And also- 10 years old! WTF!
My class were horrendous today. They're year 5 and seem to have discovered kissing over the weekend
How on earth are you supposed to deal with someone bellowing 'SHE KISSED JOE WITH TONGUE' across your classroom?!!!!And also- 10 years old! WTF!
This youth...
Had an interesting day on primary placement today, which I have to do as part of my secondary PGCE, to see where they have come up from. It's amazing how much they change. I was initially a little bit worried that I was going to have a crisis and regret going into secondary if I liked primary so much, because I love my year 7s so thought I may like the younger ones. However I'm really relieved to say that I really hated it and can't imagine working in primary at all. It is a bit relief! The last thing I wanted was to have major doubts over my chosen age range.
Having big problems preparing for my uni observation. I am supposed to shade in areas of the eight teaching standards that I feel I have done and to what level, but my mentor is not in school and I have no-one else to fill it in with, meaning I'm doing it on my own. It is really hard to reflect on my progress because I don't feel I've made any, yet I can't highlight nothing because I'll be in big trouble. So I'm just trying to be honest on it without getting myself into trouble. It's really difficult assessing yourself!
Having big problems preparing for my uni observation. I am supposed to shade in areas of the eight teaching standards that I feel I have done and to what level, but my mentor is not in school and I have no-one else to fill it in with, meaning I'm doing it on my own. It is really hard to reflect on my progress because I don't feel I've made any, yet I can't highlight nothing because I'll be in big trouble. So I'm just trying to be honest on it without getting myself into trouble. It's really difficult assessing yourself!
Original post by peony flowers
Wow! Good luck!
My class were horrendous today. They're year 5 and seem to have discovered kissing over the weekend How on earth are you supposed to deal with someone bellowing 'SHE KISSED JOE WITH TONGUE' across your classroom?!!!!
And also- 10 years old! WTF!
My class were horrendous today. They're year 5 and seem to have discovered kissing over the weekend
How on earth are you supposed to deal with someone bellowing 'SHE KISSED JOE WITH TONGUE' across your classroom?!!!!And also- 10 years old! WTF!
Haha, post of the day!
Original post by Airfairy
Having big problems preparing for my uni observation. I am supposed to shade in areas of the eight teaching standards that I feel I have done and to what level, but my mentor is not in school and I have no-one else to fill it in with, meaning I'm doing it on my own. It is really hard to reflect on my progress because I don't feel I've made any, yet I can't highlight nothing because I'll be in big trouble. So I'm just trying to be honest on it without getting myself into trouble. It's really difficult assessing yourself!
Having big problems preparing for my uni observation. I am supposed to shade in areas of the eight teaching standards that I feel I have done and to what level, but my mentor is not in school and I have no-one else to fill it in with, meaning I'm doing it on my own. It is really hard to reflect on my progress because I don't feel I've made any, yet I can't highlight nothing because I'll be in big trouble. So I'm just trying to be honest on it without getting myself into trouble. It's really difficult assessing yourself!
Put most things as "Satisfactory/Requires Improvement" because that's where you probably should be during your PGCE (especially 1st placement). You're not going to be Outstanding at this stage (certainly not in many areas) and anyone who thinks they are is probably an idiot.
Pick the things you think you're best at and put them as "Good".
You shouldn't really have "Inadaquates" - if you did, you would have been raised as a cause for concern by now.
I bet you have made progress, it's just hard to see because it's so easy in this job to feel overwhelmed and like you're getting nowhere most of the time. It's only when I look back at lessons that I spent hours planning during my PGCE (and realise they're a bit rubbish) that I can see how far I've come.
Original post by myrtille
Put most things as "Satisfactory/Requires Improvement" because that's where you probably should be during your PGCE (especially 1st placement). You're not going to be Outstanding at this stage (certainly not in many areas) and anyone who thinks they are is probably an idiot.
Pick the things you think you're best at and put them as "Good".
You shouldn't really have "Inadaquates" - if you did, you would have been raised as a cause for concern by now.
I bet you have made progress, it's just hard to see because it's so easy in this job to feel overwhelmed and like you're getting nowhere most of the time. It's only when I look back at lessons that I spent hours planning during my PGCE (and realise they're a bit rubbish) that I can see how far I've come.
Pick the things you think you're best at and put them as "Good".
You shouldn't really have "Inadaquates" - if you did, you would have been raised as a cause for concern by now.
I bet you have made progress, it's just hard to see because it's so easy in this job to feel overwhelmed and like you're getting nowhere most of the time. It's only when I look back at lessons that I spent hours planning during my PGCE (and realise they're a bit rubbish) that I can see how far I've come.
We don't have the whole inadequate/satisfactory thing. It's either not on the chart (which would be inadequate), minimum (which is what we should be), good or high. So basically we are expected to fulfill all minimum criteria (which I don't personally feel I have)...so it's a bit awkward haha.
Thanks though
Original post by Airfairy
We don't have the whole inadequate/satisfactory thing. It's either not on the chart (which would be inadequate), minimum (which is what we should be), good or high. So basically we are expected to fulfill all minimum criteria (which I don't personally feel I have)...so it's a bit awkward haha.
Thanks though
Thanks though
We have a TS grid which we fill with evidence (or at least, we reference where it is in out file). So perhaps you could think about what evidence you have of each standard? For example, you might have a lesson observation where your mentor praised your subject knowledge or your use of assessment. The more pieces of evidence you can think of for each standard, the more you have achieved it.
Might just be a start anyway. We have to fill ours out on our own too.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by jeffercake
We have a TS grid which we fill with evidence (or at least, we reference where it is in out file). So perhaps you could think about what evidence you have of each standard? For example, you might have a lesson observation where your mentor praised your subject knowledge or your use of assessment. The more pieces of evidence you can think of for each standard, the more you have achieved it.
Might just be a start anyway. We have to fill ours out on our own too.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Might just be a start anyway. We have to fill ours out on our own too.
Posted from TSR Mobile
We also have the grid with evidence, which makes things a lot easier. We can use evidence from uni (notes in lectures with reflections, uni based tasks in school) or school-based evidence such as lesson observations. It becomes a lot easier when you have concrete evidence in front of you.
---
On a different note, has anyone else struggled with deciding if they're well enough for school? I'm feeling pretty ill right now and don't know if going into school tomorrow is a good idea or not
. 48 hours off is the last thing I need though, we only have 6 days beyond the minimum planned and I don't want to lose 1/3 of those in one go. But I also don't want to pass on whatever's wrong with me either!
Original post by alabelle
On a different note, has anyone else struggled with deciding if they're well enough for school? I'm feeling pretty ill right now and don't know if going into school tomorrow is a good idea or not. 48 hours off is the last thing I need though, we only have 6 days beyond the minimum planned and I don't want to lose 1/3 of those in one go. But I also don't want to pass on whatever's wrong with me either!
On a different note, has anyone else struggled with deciding if they're well enough for school? I'm feeling pretty ill right now and don't know if going into school tomorrow is a good idea or not
. 48 hours off is the last thing I need though, we only have 6 days beyond the minimum planned and I don't want to lose 1/3 of those in one go. But I also don't want to pass on whatever's wrong with me either!http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/MjAxMy0zZmUxZGY4YjZkNjE5Njlm.png
Original post by alabelle
So, so true! We have to contact three different institutions if we're ill (though tomorrow I think it's two), we have to fill out and hand in a form, then attend a back-to-uni meeting. Even if it's just 48 hours. I understand why they do it this way, it's just an intimidating process!
When you are actually doing the job, setting work you aren't going to be there for is extremely annoying and often quite hard. You have to consider your covering colleagues and what you are inflicting on them. There are some subjects which everyone hates covering in our school. Drama is always an excuse for boys to roll around on the drama studio floor fighting, because the absent teacher always leaves some practical 'improvisation' for them to do. I'm fine with that, as an English teacher, although I usually tell them it's a written exercise instead, but the maths department just can't hack it as it's all so alien to them. Art is lovely and peaceful, but the best one is music, which is a dozen dedicated sensitive souls bashing away at silent keyboards under headphones for an hour. Bliss.
Original post by Carnationlilyrose
When you are actually doing the job, setting work you aren't going to be there for is extremely annoying and often quite hard. You have to consider your covering colleagues and what you are inflicting on them. There are some subjects which everyone hates covering in our school. Drama is always an excuse for boys to roll around on the drama studio floor fighting, because the absent teacher always leaves some practical 'improvisation' for them to do. I'm fine with that, as an English teacher, although I usually tell them it's a written exercise instead, but the maths department just can't hack it as it's all so alien to them. Art is lovely and peaceful, but the best one is music, which is a dozen dedicated sensitive souls bashing away at silent keyboards under headphones for an hour. Bliss.
Slightly horrified you are still covering lessons over five years after the Rarely Cover regulations were introduced!
We have to cover when we are freed from other lessons (for example, because pupils are on a trip or in an exam). I assumed this was normal as it's time I would otherwise be teaching my own class.
Today I covered Year 8 bottom set science, which was better than I expected it to be...
Today I covered Year 8 bottom set science, which was better than I expected it to be...
Original post by Mr M
Slightly horrified you are still covering lessons over five years after the Rarely Cover regulations were introduced!
Private school. It's a very hot potato at the moment. One of my friends has just done her third consecutive cover in three days. We are all on our knees. We're not even paid more than state schools anymore.
Original post by myrtille
We have to cover when we are freed from other lessons (for example, because pupils are on a trip or in an exam). I assumed this was normal as it's time I would otherwise be teaching my own class.
Today I covered Year 8 bottom set science, which was better than I expected it to be...
Today I covered Year 8 bottom set science, which was better than I expected it to be...
No it's not normal (unless you are not in the state sector) and means your school is in breach of statutory guidance. Where are your unions?!
53.7 of this document.
Original post by Mr M
No it's not normal (unless you are not in the state sector) and means your school is in breach of statutory guidance. Where are your unions?!
53.7 of this document.
53.7 of this document.
Wish our staff wasn't so supine and comatose.
final assessment review tomorrow! 
So apparently for my job interview on friday i have to teach an hour long lesson on Binary conversion to denary to y7s ....joy
Hahaha, love it.
Original post by alabelle
So, so true! We have to contact three different institutions if we're ill (though tomorrow I think it's two), we have to fill out and hand in a form, then attend a back-to-uni meeting. Even if it's just 48 hours. I understand why they do it this way, it's just an intimidating process!
Wow, that is mental. I've had a lot of absence this placement, totalling seven days sadly. And I'm due an operation which will be 5-10 days off my next placement so I'm definitely going to have to add it on.
I've not found it hard to be off sick...yet. For some of the days I wasn't teaching yet so it was just a case of phoning my mentor. For the rest of the days my mentor was also off so I just texted her so I didn't disturb her, and they seemed to forget I was even due to teach her classes at school. Dunno, it's not been very clear who I am actually supposed to contact
. My mentor has been off for a couple of weeks now, and other teachers are setting her cover work for her. Is that normal? Does it get to a certain point where you aren't expected to set cover work anymore?
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