PGCE - Current Students Thread

I'm having a bit of a problem right now and my mentor is ill so I feel bad emailing her about it :/ we were doing division/grouping this week in my Y2 class. I was teaching division on a number line which most of the children have understood pretty well. However, we have children who were absent or didn't fully understand (about 6-7 in total, maybe more) last week. I'd like to help them some more but we were meant to move onto word problems before now. Would you move some of your children on but not others? Would you spend more time on the first topic? There are children who are flying through these questions and I'm worried about boring them. Plus we have to move onto time soon...

Thanks for that.

I know where you're coming from - I felt like that until I'd been using them for several months at school (for the first couple of weeks of my job, my iPad stayed firmly in my desk drawer during lessons because I was a bit scared of it - I only recently got my first smartphone and I barely ever know where it is or if it's charged, so I'm not exactly a technophile!).

I think the problems/distractions that can come from iPads in the classroom are largely down to their novelty. My pupils have now had their iPads for over a year (except the Y7s, but they're young enough to just do as they're told anyway!) and the disruption has reduced drastically. I don't have problems with them at all in Y8 and 9, and in Y10 and 11 it's a small number of pupils, particularly bottom set, and a few of the lazy boys in my top set. It's a constant battle with those pupils, but they are pupils with whom some kind of battle is inevitable - if it wasn't iPads, it would be phones, or paper aeroplanes, or constant talking, I think the iPads are actually less disruptive to the rest of the class than some of the other ways they could misbehave!

I am an old-fashioned teacher too. I teach MFL and I expect pupils to take detailed notes in lessons. I teach grammar. I make pupils write paragraphs and essays. Many of my Y9 pupils are now on their 2nd exercise book of the year, because I work them pretty hard. Yet I also use iPads in at least 50% of lessons.

The main thing I use is Showbie, where I upload worksheets, powerpoint slides, writing frames, etc. Usually, pupils still complete work in their books, but they have access to all of the resources from the year on their iPads. It makes such a difference to the quality of their work (particularly homework) that they can go back to the powerpoint from a previous lesson if they can't remember something.

It's great for giving a choice of task/differentiation, because I don't have to mess about with different worksheets and having things wasted. I taught a lesson recently on freedom of speech and the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and gave pupils a selection of cartoons to look at on their iPads, and choose one or two sources to analyse. Pupils could work at their own pace and some did 1 source, some did 3 or 4, because they had access to all of the sources.

I put helpsheets for C-grade and A-grade on there, so pupils can choose to play it safe or push themselves (or a bit of both, depending on the task).

I put vocabulary lists of key learning for whole modules on there, then set 10 words per week as homework. Because I am an old-fashioned teacher, and make my pupils do regular spelling tests, with retests in their own time if they have failed to revise properly.

Pupils can practise the vocabulary on an app called Memrise, which they love, but which basically just involves them doing multiple choice questions to practise their vocab recognition and then builds up to practising the spelling of the words. Sometimes I do the tests the old-fashioned way, on pieces of paper which they swap and mark. Other times, I do them on an app called Socrative - the tests mark themselves and I get sent a spreadsheet of their results so I can see which questions each pupil got wrong as well as their overall score.

I think they are hassle at the start, but once you get into a good routine and pupils are used to the expectations for using them appropriately it gets better.

I don't think they're necessary or that every school needs them, but if you're in a school which does use them, you need to be able to use them effectively (particularly as you probably will have basically no photocopying budget in such a school so have to get used to avoiding worksheets!).

I had a similar idea in the end, my current plan is this:

Rearrange groups so that absent/less confident children are sat on bottom table
Higher ability groups have word problems to solve (moved on)
Middle ability group also have word problems to solve (slightly easier ones)
I will sit on bottom table talking them through it and hopefully move them onto word problems

I have a further day where the highers are creating their own problems so if the lowers aren't caught up by then I have an extra lesson to get them doing word problems. Does that sound ok? I like the idea of having a selection of activities, I might do that!

Sounds like a tough choice! It will depend on your time commitments, previous experience etc. Personally, I wouldn't like to have started off at 50%. I'm teaching maybe 60% now and finding it very difficult. Then again, I'm only 21 and this is (obviously) my first career. You probably have the benefit of having worked very hard at something before.

I know that I could not have taken the salaried route. It would have killed me. It's not so much that the days are long, but they are hard, especially with behaviour management and lesson observations. It takes so much out of you.

If you are in secondary, I'd be worried about the focus on exam results (especially in a 'good' school) and extensive marking.

Sometimes PGCE can be really boring, but I have needed the time out of class to recover (!) and to reflect on my placement and my teaching style. The essays aren't too daunting either.

Thanks alabelle for your reply ... it is a tough choice! I have not taught in a school environment before but I am used to talking and presenting information to people of all ages. I am also used to planning and organising multiple small projects ..... but I obviously have no experience of the school environment, policies, processes, marking arrangements, lesson planning, professional training, expectations for extra curricular activities etc etc! Nor do I have an understanding of what is actually involved in undertaking the PGCE.

Have you completed or still doing the PGCE .... what was involved and how did you find it? If you are still doing it how does it fit in with your timetabled teaching or is it a completely separate animal? What level of support do you get from your school and/or training provider?
If you have time to jot some of your experiences down that would be really helpful.

Hi thanks for your reply. Yes the place is secondary and in science. My impression from the school is that there is a lot of marking but from what I gather that's normal across teaching. My biggest worry is whether I will get enough time to do the lesson planning, marking etc as well as the training and PGCE. How has it been for you ..... is the PGCE coursework hard or just another thing to do in a busy week? How much time do you have to devote to PGCE and how much lesson teaching do you do? How much lesson prep time do you also have to put in?

Does PGCE start from day one or after a while?

Sorry ... so many questions! At this point I know nothing! Look forward to your reply.

Somewhat differently to alabelle, I am doing a school based training route where you spend the entire course on placement. I had my own classes straight away and spent no time in uni preparing. I found the first half of term incredibly hard and was often down and in tears. I really struggled with self doubt and lack of confidence, but in some ways I think the school route was better for me as I was forced to teach straight away.


Things are better now and I am feeling more confident. I am looking for jobs and feeling positive. I have a really nice mentor and tutor - it was more my own demons that held me back, as the school is also good with relatively ok behaviour. Overall for me the schools direct style route was better as I had to just teach and face my fears and self doubt. You also have more teaching experience and are more prepared for NQT I guess. The downside is that I don't have any time off for uni and I have felt quite lonely at the placement as I am on my own a lot with no other trainees. It is an hour and a half bus ride away which has been really hard.


I think with PGCE it is a lot down to luck depending on your school and mentor etc, no matter which route you choose. If I had a horrible mentor I would have dropped out in the first half of last term because I was very down and stressed and didn't believe in myself. I think everyone feels like this at some point but things get better with time and confidence.

Hi thanks for your reply. Yes the place is secondary and in science. My impression from the school is that there is a lot of marking but from what I gather that's normal across teaching. My biggest worry is whether I will get enough time to do the lesson planning, marking etc as well as the training and PGCE. How has it been for you ..... is the PGCE coursework hard or just another thing to do in a busy week? How much time do you have to devote to PGCE and how much lesson teaching do you do? How much lesson prep time do you also have to put in?

Does PGCE start from day one or after a while?

Sorry ... so many questions! At this point I know nothing! Look forward to your reply.

That's really interesting to read. I initially got a place on a school training course but it fell through in May so I ended up at a university. So I wanted to do what you did! It sounds like I am reaching that point you were at in your first term - self doubt, problems on placement etc. I suppose the benefit of facing that early is that you push past it early! Whereas now I should be looking for jobs but I don't believe in myself enough to apply yet and I'm not sure my school/uni do either.

Sometimes the other trainees are an advantage - and sometimes they're a disadvantage. I've found that when I talk about the problems I'm having on placement, everyone else is either unable or unwilling to share similar experiences. It sometimes feels like we're all competing with each other which is silly but also kind of true when you are all competing for jobs. I agree with the luck thing. I don't think you can predict what your schools/mentors will be like or even if your course will be good.

It takes a little little longer for some people to get there. I used to feel sick with fear sometimes before I went into teach in the first half of term and now I don't feel like that so much. I feel the same as you about jobs - I don't think I'm teaching well enough at the moment to deliver a lesson that's up to interview standards , and am worried I won't be ready for my NQT.

I think it's such a shame that people drop out or fail their PGCE because they have bad schools/Unis/mentors when they probably would have gone on to be good teachers. It's really bad that schools take on trainees and then don't/can't support them.

It takes a little little longer for some people to get there. I used to feel sick with fear sometimes before I went into teach in the first half of term and now I don't feel like that so much. I feel the same as you about jobs - I don't think I'm teaching well enough at the moment to deliver a lesson that's up to interview standards , and am worried I won't be ready for my NQT.

I think it's such a shame that people drop out or fail their PGCE because they have bad schools/Unis/mentors when they probably would have gone on to be good teachers. It's really bad that schools take on trainees and then don't/can't support them.

I don't feel confident having done teaching hours; I don't actually feel like I belong anywhere. I regret doing it in the first place as I can't even get work done as I don't have enough teaching experience to reflect on. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to finish the course.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I understand completely! During my placements I feel I missed out with my friends, split up with my boyfriend and always was stressed.

I used to feel anxious starting the placement and often had nightmares about it as I was worried about everything; the classes, paperwork and hours needed.

Strangely enough I had a horrible placement in my 3rd year where I fell out with my mentor and dropped QTS. I feel a lot better now and turns out to have been a good decision.

I have the opposite problem; I started my placement late (no fault of my own)so I've barely had any experience and might not even get enough teaching hours to complete the course. Ironically before I started I was worried I'd be swamped down with work! I'm going to drop out after half term if my hours don't get sorted; I was having doubts but thought I'd stick it out but considering I might not even pass I don't think its worth it. What you doing now if you don't mind me asking? I'd still like to work in education but I don't think I want to be a teacher anymore.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Have you spoken to your University. It is theirs along with the school's obligation to ensure you get the hours and support you should get. You should not be penalised for this. This is out of your control and completely unfair on you!

Its not the university itself. I'm doing FE and I'm with a partnership college (I do both my classes and placement there). I spoke to my tutors and I was just fobbed off; one even told me I should stay because even if I don't pass "it might help build my confidence" I can complete the remaining hours in September however I won't be paid for them or be able to get any student loan/benefits as I don't have children; as I'm 30 and have bills to pay this isn't financially viable for me (I wouldn't trust them to get me those hours anyway!).

Posted from TSR Mobile

Oh that is a pain! I don't know what to suggest. I really hope it works out. I think some times these organisations forget that we are people and have other committments.
I had that when when I dropped out of my placement. It was considered to be on a medical grounds and someone said to me: "It is fine. It won't count as a fail, you can just repeat it in the Summer Holidays". First thing I was thinking was "but I am busy in the holidays. I need to work!"