The Student Room Group
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

PGCE - Current Students Thread

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Airfairy
To go off what our uni have drilled into us, we've been told to absolutely follow the 3 part structure. Others may have been told differently though :dontknow: .

I did a mock 20 min lesson at uni the other day and they made us do it in 3 parts, despite the feeling that you don't have much time.


It worked for my first interview (They said my lesson was brilliant) so I'll just follow the same format again...hopefully I'll get this job >.<
Original post by Samus2
As an experienced teacher, I hope you don't mind me asking this.. (if anyone else has any input please feel free)

With interview lessons, should I follow the same 3 part structure that I'm currently using in my PGCE?

I did it for my first interview lesson but because it was only half an hour, I felt like I didn't have enough time for my main task :/

I've got another interview next week with a half hour lesson again (on something where I have a major subject knowledge gap!) and I'm unsure whether or not to go for a starter/main/plenary...
I very much suggest you do it by the book. Not because I think it's better or worse, but because it's expected.
Hey guys,
Can i ask how other people are doing in their observations for placement 2?
Ive been getting high 3's and low 2's so far but im really worried that i should be doing better than that by now. My mentor etc are all being really supportive and positive but im worried that theyre just trying to make sure i dont get disheartened. I just feel like im stuck at this plateau and im not going to improve and pass at the end lf the course :/
Original post by Ratchit99
Hey guys,
Can i ask how other people are doing in their observations for placement 2?
Ive been getting high 3's and low 2's so far but im really worried that i should be doing better than that by now. My mentor etc are all being really supportive and positive but im worried that theyre just trying to make sure i dont get disheartened. I just feel like im stuck at this plateau and im not going to improve and pass at the end lf the course :/


At the end of my first placement, I got all minimums with one on track - My first placement school seemed quite harsh compared to other schools though. However, the point of the year is to show progress so hopefully my next report from my second placement will show progress!

Original post by Carnationlilyrose
I very much suggest you do it by the book. Not because I think it's better or worse, but because it's expected.


That's what I was thinking, thank you.
Original post by Airfairy
I dunno who to talk to for advice. I might talk to my uni tutor about it, that's what they are there for after all. We shall see!



I haven't actually googled about teaching with it at all. Good idea with the IBS thing too. I will look into it. I'm trying to avoid telling my school about it. I've been off because of this op but they don't know what for. I don't know them to think I'm a special case. I don't want them to do anything that wouldn't be allowed once I got a job... :/ I guess I'm just stubborn.

I will have a google now. Who knows. Thanks.


Sorry to hear you are unwell. My mentor has IBS and has been teaching for 10 years. I'm sure it can be done with a supportive school.
Original post by Ratchit99
Hey guys,
Can i ask how other people are doing in their observations for placement 2?
Ive been getting high 3's and low 2's so far but im really worried that i should be doing better than that by now. My mentor etc are all being really supportive and positive but im worried that theyre just trying to make sure i dont get disheartened. I just feel like im stuck at this plateau and im not going to improve and pass at the end lf the course :/


I got a grade of 'unacceptable' - the lowest possible. My uni are supportive and have set up some additional help for me but I am disheartened and did cry when my mentor told me! This is such a tough course and I had no idea I was doing so badly.
Original post by alabelle
I got a grade of 'unacceptable' - the lowest possible. My uni are supportive and have set up some additional help for me but I am disheartened and did cry when my mentor told me! This is such a tough course and I had no idea I was doing so badly.

Awww, that sucks, im glad the uni are supportive though. They dont want you to fail so its good that theyre being helpful. I hope all goes ok with the course *hugs*
Original post by Samus2
As an experienced teacher, I hope you don't mind me asking this.. (if anyone else has any input please feel free)

With interview lessons, should I follow the same 3 part structure that I'm currently using in my PGCE?

I did it for my first interview lesson but because it was only half an hour, I felt like I didn't have enough time for my main task :/

I've got another interview next week with a half hour lesson again (on something where I have a major subject knowledge gap!) and I'm unsure whether or not to go for a starter/main/plenary...


I would definitely say to make sure you have some kind of starter and some way of checking/showing that pupils have learned something. I don't think that necessarily has to be 3 parts because how you structure the middle of your lesson will vary and you may have different parts to that.

The difference in an interview lesson is that whereas normally (depending on the group) you might do quite a long starter to settle them, you need to make it really quick to avoid eating into the rest of the lesson too much.

If you're going to cut something, I'd cut down on the starter more than the plenary, as observers will want to see that pupils have learned something/made progress and the plenary should show that they have met the lesson objective.

I think it's good to do something simple for the starter but something which ensures all pupils have some shared basic knowledge which you then build on through the lesson. I found a simple worksheet quite good for this as it means pupils can look back at it later for support during other tasks.

In my last interview I had to teach a 20 minute lesson on booking a hotel room in French - here's now I broke it down (I know it's not your subject area, but it might give some ideas for structure):

•

Worksheet of key vocab (eg: double room, single room, for 5 people, for 4 people, with a shower, etc.) to match to pictures - 3 minute timer, then go through answers to check understanding.

•

Using this knowledge to make sentences - I threw a ball to pupils who had to form a sentence in French, and snowballed it to longer sentences (I would like a double room --> I would like a double room with a shower --> I would like a double room with a shower and a balcony for 3 nights, etc.) So this was whole class practice, and AfL - random questioning, not hands up.

•

Pupils worked in pairs to do a dialogue using the vocab (sentence starters on board, they filled gaps using vocab from sheet, so were supported to do this in quite a short time frame).

•

Plenary - I put a list of "I can" statements (related to the lesson objectives) on the board one by one, pupils used hand gestures (5 fingers = v confident, 1 finger = don't get it) to how how well they had learned that objective. By breaking the objectives into tiny chunks, you can show that all pupils have made progress (because even if they didn't get some of the objectives, they got the easiest bits).



I wouldn't normally do that kind of plenary - I find them a bit cringey. When I do plenaries they're more likely to involve pupils actually doing stuff (answering questions on mini-whiteboards, doing a vocabulary game boys vs. girls) which shows their knowledge. But I think it works well in an interview/observation context because it's quick and ticks a box.

I'd recommend using timers to keep control of the pace of the lesson more - these are good www.a6training.co.uk/resources/Countdown_Timers_For_PowerPoint.ppt You can copy and paste them into your own powerpoint which is handy.

Also, if you're worried about not getting through a meaty main activity, talk about it in your lesson plan. For interviews, I always included a "In a full length lesson, I would..." section, to show that even if I screw up the timings because 20 minutes is ridiculous, I do actually know how to teach...
Original post by Airfairy
I dunno who to talk to for advice. I might talk to my uni tutor about it, that's what they are there for after all. We shall see!



I haven't actually googled about teaching with it at all. Good idea with the IBS thing too. I will look into it. I'm trying to avoid telling my school about it. I've been off because of this op but they don't know what for. I don't know them to think I'm a special case. I don't want them to do anything that wouldn't be allowed once I got a job... :/ I guess I'm just stubborn.

I will have a google now. Who knows. Thanks.


If it helps I have ibs and am in third year of full time teaching. I have also suffered with my bladder in the past. Pm me if you want to ask me anything and if I can help I will.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Ratchit99
Awww, that sucks, im glad the uni are supportive though. They dont want you to fail so its good that theyre being helpful. I hope all goes ok with the course *hugs*


Thank you. I've heard this is a low point in the course so I hope we all feel a little better soon. Don't think anyone is just getting along without any problems so am not alone. :smile:
Original post by alabelle
I got a grade of 'unacceptable' - the lowest possible. My uni are supportive and have set up some additional help for me but I am disheartened and did cry when my mentor told me! This is such a tough course and I had no idea I was doing so badly.


Sorry to hear that. It does feel like we can work SO hard and then have nothing to show for it at times. What grade do you need to pass the course? I don't know if this is different for all unis.
Original post by myrtille
I would definitely say to make sure you have some kind of starter and some way of checking/showing that pupils have learned something. I don't think that necessarily has to be 3 parts because how you structure the middle of your lesson will vary and you may have different parts to that.

The difference in an interview lesson is that whereas normally (depending on the group) you might do quite a long starter to settle them, you need to make it really quick to avoid eating into the rest of the lesson too much.

If you're going to cut something, I'd cut down on the starter more than the plenary, as observers will want to see that pupils have learned something/made progress and the plenary should show that they have met the lesson objective.

I think it's good to do something simple for the starter but something which ensures all pupils have some shared basic knowledge which you then build on through the lesson. I found a simple worksheet quite good for this as it means pupils can look back at it later for support during other tasks.

In my last interview I had to teach a 20 minute lesson on booking a hotel room in French - here's now I broke it down (I know it's not your subject area, but it might give some ideas for structure):

•

Worksheet of key vocab (eg: double room, single room, for 5 people, for 4 people, with a shower, etc.) to match to pictures - 3 minute timer, then go through answers to check understanding.

•

Using this knowledge to make sentences - I threw a ball to pupils who had to form a sentence in French, and snowballed it to longer sentences (I would like a double room --> I would like a double room with a shower --> I would like a double room with a shower and a balcony for 3 nights, etc.) So this was whole class practice, and AfL - random questioning, not hands up.

•

Pupils worked in pairs to do a dialogue using the vocab (sentence starters on board, they filled gaps using vocab from sheet, so were supported to do this in quite a short time frame).

•

Plenary - I put a list of "I can" statements (related to the lesson objectives) on the board one by one, pupils used hand gestures (5 fingers = v confident, 1 finger = don't get it) to how how well they had learned that objective. By breaking the objectives into tiny chunks, you can show that all pupils have made progress (because even if they didn't get some of the objectives, they got the easiest bits).



I wouldn't normally do that kind of plenary - I find them a bit cringey. When I do plenaries they're more likely to involve pupils actually doing stuff (answering questions on mini-whiteboards, doing a vocabulary game boys vs. girls) which shows their knowledge. But I think it works well in an interview/observation context because it's quick and ticks a box.

I'd recommend using timers to keep control of the pace of the lesson more - these are good www.a6training.co.uk/resources/Countdown_Timers_For_PowerPoint.ppt You can copy and paste them into your own powerpoint which is handy.

Also, if you're worried about not getting through a meaty main activity, talk about it in your lesson plan. For interviews, I always included a "In a full length lesson, I would..." section, to show that even if I screw up the timings because 20 minutes is ridiculous, I do actually know how to teach...


This was incredibly helpful! I really like the idea of having a worksheet as the starter activity - I think I'll print one out with my key words and LO on it for pupils to refer back to.

Thank you!
I am applying for a teaching job... it takes quite a long time to do everything! I would be happy to even just gain the interview experience. I do like the school though. :biggrin:
The minute I finished my first placement, I felt myself getting a little ill, and incredibly tired. That evening I slept for eleven hours and woek up with a sore throat - so I thought no big deal, it's just my body catching up with me now I have a little breathing space. As it turns out, it got a lot worse and I was bed-ridden on Wednesday, and probably should have been for most of the week. I managed to drag myself into university when needed, but always came out feeling worse. Friday and Saturday were particularly bad, and I was unable to do much at all.

This would all be well and good if I didn't have a master's level essay (1 of only 2 all year due in on Wednesday! Thankfully I have made a good start on it, but now I'll be working right up until the wire!

I guess it could have been worse and happened on placement, but definitely not enjoying my time right now...
Original post by Airfairy
Sorry to hear that. It does feel like we can work SO hard and then have nothing to show for it at times. What grade do you need to pass the course? I don't know if this is different for all unis.


I think we need to get 'acceptable' or 'good' by the end of our final placement.
I find it weird that people are still being forced to do a plenary at the end of the lesson! My uni did not recommend the three part lesson, nor comment on it anywhere in our assessment criteria; in lectures they recommended mini plenaries checking understanding throughout. I know Ofsted can't make judgements about teaching style any more other, as long as learning is shown. I guess he main issue with interviews is that you have to do SOMETHING at the end to show that there was learning.

Original post by Airfairy
.


It's probably also worth seeing if your union has any advice. I'm pretty sure I read an article about what schools should be doing to support teachers with overactive bladders in ATLs magazine.

Xxx

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Airfairy
Sorry to hear that. It does feel like we can work SO hard and then have nothing to show for it at times. What grade do you need to pass the course? I don't know if this is different for all unis.


At mine there are three passes: excellent, good and standards met.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by tory88
The minute I finished my first placement, I felt myself getting a little ill, and incredibly tired. That evening I slept for eleven hours and woek up with a sore throat - so I thought no big deal, it's just my body catching up with me now I have a little breathing space. As it turns out, it got a lot worse and I was bed-ridden on Wednesday, and probably should have been for most of the week. I managed to drag myself into university when needed, but always came out feeling worse. Friday and Saturday were particularly bad, and I was unable to do much at all.

This would all be well and good if I didn't have a master's level essay (1 of only 2 all year due in on Wednesday! Thankfully I have made a good start on it, but now I'll be working right up until the wire!

I guess it could have been worse and happened on placement, but definitely not enjoying my time right now...


Sorry to hear you've been unwell! It always seems to come at the worst time - essay or placement. But yes, like you said, I think it is better now than on placement.

Hope you progress well and you're not feeling too bad now.


Original post by alabelle
I think we need to get 'acceptable' or 'good' by the end of our final placement.

I see. Sounds similar to ours.

Original post by kpwxx
I find it weird that people are still being forced to do a plenary at the end of the lesson! My uni did not recommend the three part lesson, nor comment on it anywhere in our assessment criteria; in lectures they recommended mini plenaries checking understanding throughout. I know Ofsted can't make judgements about teaching style any more other, as long as learning is shown. I guess he main issue with interviews is that you have to do SOMETHING at the end to show that there was learning.



It's probably also worth seeing if your union has any advice. I'm pretty sure I read an article about what schools should be doing to support teachers with overactive bladders in ATLs magazine.

Xxx

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thanks for this - I didn't really think about the union. I will contact them. That would have been an interesting article. Might have a search to see if I can find it.

Original post by gemmam
At mine there are three passes: excellent, good and standards met.

Posted from TSR Mobile

That sounds pretty much identical to mine, yeah.
Original post by alabelle
My school told me this was to do with Safeguarding. They have to know it wasn't because you were in prison or something. Be honest about where you were.


Yes, that or you might have been fired and don't want to say.

They just feel that if there is a gap then it something you must be trying to cover up and keep quiet.

So I agree with Alabelle, just tell the truth. I am not sure you need to say the subject area or anything. If I were you I would just say 'I started a course at a different University that I didn't feel suited me. Then I started a new course which did'.
Maybe don't put it on your CV as you would feel the need to give information. When they ask, say that. If they also ask why you didn't put it on your CV, say that you didn't think this information was relevent to applying for this position.
Original post by Carnationlilyrose
I'm not an expert on that, I must confess, but having walked away from a career which was making me so unhappy I was nearly ill, with no future plans at all, I can only say it was the thing which saved me from a lot of misery.



I agree 100% with this! ^^^^

I was similar, I always wanted to teach PE. I lost my confidence and was given a 'fail' in a placement even though I passed as they wanted me to repeat in order to get my confidence back more for my 4th year of the QTS.

I was basically given a choice take a year out/ graduare later and continue or drop QTS. My tutor said in her email something that I think will always stay with me: "This my seem like the worst possible news in the world but I promise that this time next year you will think it is the best thing ever... you know what she was absolutely right!!

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you