PGCE - Current Students Thread

Original post by Ratchit99

Ill second this and say you're not a proper teacher until your uni tutor shows up the the pgce conference your at and during the chat to them you burst into tears because you're that miserable and have to do the rest of the sessions with lovely red puffy eyes...doh

Or a variation thereof.

Reply 5442

lantan

7

Original post by Ratchit99

Ill second this and say you're not a proper teacher until your uni tutor shows up the the pgce conference your at and during the chat to them you burst into tears because you're that miserable and have to do the rest of the sessions with lovely red puffy eyes...doh

I once had to call my tutor´s mobile because my mentor at school was bullying me. So don´t stress about it ' these things happen. :smile:

Reply 5443

clara_oswald

11

I finally caved and sent emails to my referees asking if they got my reference request :s-smilie:

getting a bit stressed not hearing anything about my PGCE application and not knowing what I'll be doing in September. I also need to tell work soon if I'll be needing to cut my hours back :redface:

It's really annoying that they've had my reference requests (assuming they even received them) since January and I still don't have my references so my application hasn't progressed :confused:

Reply 5444

Ugh on a major downer today. I decided ages ago I didn't want to go into teaching but thought I'd carry on with the pgce regardless. Now I'm questioning that. Every day I go into school and hate it I wonder what's the point. I will be surprif I last till June.

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Reply 5445

sunfowers01

16

Original post by Airfairy

Ugh on a major downer today. I decided ages ago I didn't want to go into teaching but thought I'd carry on with the pgce regardless. Now I'm questioning that. Every day I go into school and hate it I wonder what's the point. I will be surprif I last till June.

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Hugs. Message me if you want to talk.

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Reply 5446

Samus2

17

Original post by Airfairy

Ugh on a major downer today. I decided ages ago I didn't want to go into teaching but thought I'd carry on with the pgce regardless. Now I'm questioning that. Every day I go into school and hate it I wonder what's the point. I will be surprif I last till June.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I know it sucks, but, it's realistically just 3 months left... and 3 weeks of those are holidays. There are also bank holidays coming up!
Paying back the bursary
Having to explain to employers why you left so near the end

The PGCE is a momentous challenge, and just completing it shows insane commitment and perseverance.

Reply 5447

Original post by Samus2

I know it sucks, but, it's realistically just 3 months left... and 3 weeks of those are holidays. There are also bank holidays coming up!
Paying back the bursary
Having to explain to employers why you left so near the end

The PGCE is a momentous challenge, and just completing it shows insane commitment and perseverance.

I don't get a bursary but yeah the employer thing is probably the only reason I'm still here! Hopefully it will go fast. I'm dreading the term after easter. Once that's done it's pretty much the home stretch!

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Reply 5448

gemmam

17

Original post by Samus2

I know it sucks, but, it's realistically just 3 months left... and 3 weeks of those are holidays. There are also bank holidays coming up!
Paying back the bursary
Having to explain to employers why you left so near the end

The PGCE is a momentous challenge, and just completing it shows insane commitment and perseverance.

I don't know if its different because I was doing FE but you don't pay the bursary back. It gets stopped and you get the remainder if/when you go back to it in the future. You pay the student grant and loan though (unless you drop out/suspend due to medical reasons then you're entitled to it for 60 days after).

Original post by Airfairy

I don't get a bursary but yeah the employer thing is probably the only reason I'm still here! Hopefully it will go fast. I'm dreading the term after easter. Once that's done it's pretty much the home stretch!

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That's one of the reasons why I wanted to try and stick it out. Fortunately as I was doing FE I was able to get PTLLS with the modules I've completed so I can just put on my CV I did that as a stand alone qualification and not mention the PGCE. Stick it out; I think the summer term would probably go quickly.

-----

I've sent off my transcript to Wolverhampton and hopefully I'll hear back soon about possibly transferring. There's also a local charity that do alternative education who are looking for volunteers so I'm going to see about starting there.

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(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5449

ParadoxSocks

22

This week has felt so much better. I feel like I'm settling well into school life again and I've bounced back from the not so great lessons that happened this week (including two that took down our VLE!)

Next week I really need to work on behaviour management though. They're not awful but low level stuff probably just needs ironing out a bit more.

What do you find works best with each of the years? I'm guessing that your KS3 strategies aren't like your KS5 ones?

eta: just found out I've passed my second essay at masters level. That's 60 masters credits sorted now. Just my research essay to do now and then I'm academically free :biggrin:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5450

tory88

Original post by ParadoxSocks

This week has felt so much better. I feel like I'm settling well into school life again and I've bounced back from the not so great lessons that happened this week (including two that took down our VLE!)

Next week I really need to work on behaviour management though. They're not awful but low level stuff probably just needs ironing out a bit more.

What do you find works best with each of the years? I'm guessing that your KS3 strategies aren't like your KS5 ones?

eta: just found out I've passed my second essay at masters level. That's 60 masters credits sorted now. Just my research essay to do now and then I'm academically free :biggrin:

Congratulations - I think most of us would agree that getting essays out of the way is a major source of enjoyment on the PGCE.

I tend to find that younger classes respond really well to praise and verbal warnings, whilst that has little effect on KS4 and some year 9 classes. With them, it's more about having very clear consequences and warning about them ("if I have to speak to you again we'll be having a discussion after school" for example). All the cliches about consistency are what really matters. Changing tones of voice really works for me, too. For particularly unruly classes I find it works to make an example of the fireproof to step out of line, for example if working with laptops make it clear that they must be on task or the activity stops and the first person you catch give them the most mind-numbing work possible and keep them behind at the end of the lesson. I also find that it's much better to speak with older pupils one on one after the lesson has ended: less chance of conflict and more chance of actually getting through to them.

Once they're in the sixth form, I feel they need to take responsibility for their learning. So one again it's about making the consequences clear and then following through when the line is crossed. Here, though, I find that removing them from the room for a few minutes and having a one on one discussion pointing out where they went wrong trend to do the trick. If not, make it clear that if they don't want to be there they don't have to, and if they disrupt others then you won't want them there anyway.

Reply 5451

Has anyone done any teaching with small groups? I'm due to teach two year 11 girls on Monday, working up to five on Tuesday but I'm really freaking out about it. It is supposed to be for revision but I'm finding it harder to do lesson plans and stuff because it doesn't seem like things will take as long and I think it will be pretty awkward.

I'm also really nervous about my subject knowledge because it's the first time I'm teaching gcse and I have read the spec and exam structure, etc, but am still pretty unsure.

Any advice for revision with small groups?

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Reply 5452

kpwxx

20

Original post by Airfairy

Has anyone done any teaching with small groups? I'm due to teach two year 11 girls on Monday, working up to five on Tuesday but I'm really freaking out about it. It is supposed to be for revision but I'm finding it harder to do lesson plans and stuff because it doesn't seem like things will take as long and I think it will be pretty awkward.

I'm also really nervous about my subject knowledge because it's the first time I'm teaching gcse and I have read the spec and exam structure, etc, but am still pretty unsure.

Any advice for revision with small groups?

Posted from TSR Mobile

I did some interventions with a group of two and worked with small groups lots in primary and early years. I love it! You can be so much more personalised and actually meet the needs of the individual.

I would start off by doing some sort of assessment. Not necessarily getting them to do a test but asking them about their confidence in different areas, getting them to explain a few concepts or answer a couple of questions. Just so you can decide which the key areas you need to cover. Although if you only have two sessions altogether maybe you won't have time for this in which case look at their data if you can to decide.

Don't worry about running out of things to do, just have a list of activities in front of you for different concepts and if they seem secure on one you can move on to the next, even asking them which they'd like to cover. Give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions, put some exam style questions in there to check they got it but I'd keep the main activity as fun as possible... A little game to refresh their memories or something. Get them to explain things to others.

It's fun, so don't panic. It's amazing when you see the progress they've made laid out so clearly :smile:

Xxx

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Reply 5453

I'm really upset to the point of tears at the moment. I am in absolute agony with tooth ache that has built up over the weekend. I will ring the dentist ASAP tomorrow morning, but I am just feeling so down about it because I was absent from school last Monday and Tuesday, so I am very conscious of my absence! I have only been on placement for three weeks. I will go into tomorrow, even though the pain is so bad I'm crying, but I will have to leave if I get an appointment because I cannot wait until a time that is after school.

I hope they understand...

Original post by kpwxx

I did some interventions with a group of two and worked with small groups lots in primary and early years. I love it! You can be so much more personalised and actually meet the needs of the individual.

I would start off by doing some sort of assessment. Not necessarily getting them to do a test but asking them about their confidence in different areas, getting them to explain a few concepts or answer a couple of questions. Just so you can decide which the key areas you need to cover. Although if you only have two sessions altogether maybe you won't have time for this in which case look at their data if you can to decide.

Don't worry about running out of things to do, just have a list of activities in front of you for different concepts and if they seem secure on one you can move on to the next, even asking them which they'd like to cover. Give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions, put some exam style questions in there to check they got it but I'd keep the main activity as fun as possible... A little game to refresh their memories or something. Get them to explain things to others.

It's fun, so don't panic. It's amazing when you see the progress they've made laid out so clearly :smile:

Xxx

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thanks for much for this. As usual - brilliant advice!

Reply 5454

tory88

Original post by Airfairy

Has anyone done any teaching with small groups? I'm due to teach two year 11 girls on Monday, working up to five on Tuesday but I'm really freaking out about it. It is supposed to be for revision but I'm finding it harder to do lesson plans and stuff because it doesn't seem like things will take as long and I think it will be pretty awkward.

I'm also really nervous about my subject knowledge because it's the first time I'm teaching gcse and I have read the spec and exam structure, etc, but am still pretty unsure.

Any advice for revision with small groups?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Personally, I wouldn't treat it as a lesson. Instead, I'd run it as a pupil-led session. Gather a bunch of past papers and ask them what they're finding most difficult. If it's an essay question, plan it as a 'class' through lots of questioning, then get them to write an answer independently and peer assess. If it's calculation-based, go through an example on the board (once again with lots of questioning) and then give them something that requires similar work and set them that. If they're particularly weak, let them work in a pair/talk it through with you.

Reply 5455

ParadoxSocks

22

Original post by tory88

Congratulations - I think most of us would agree that getting essays out of the way is a major source of enjoyment on the PGCE.

I tend to find that younger classes respond really well to praise and verbal warnings, whilst that has little effect on KS4 and some year 9 classes. With them, it's more about having very clear consequences and warning about them ("if I have to speak to you again we'll be having a discussion after school" for example). All the cliches about consistency are what really matters. Changing tones of voice really works for me, too. For particularly unruly classes I find it works to make an example of the fireproof to step out of line, for example if working with laptops make it clear that they must be on task or the activity stops and the first person you catch give them the most mind-numbing work possible and keep them behind at the end of the lesson. I also find that it's much better to speak with older pupils one on one after the lesson has ended: less chance of conflict and more chance of actually getting through to them.

Once they're in the sixth form, I feel they need to take responsibility for their learning. So one again it's about making the consequences clear and then following through when the line is crossed. Here, though, I find that removing them from the room for a few minutes and having a one on one discussion pointing out where they went wrong trend to do the trick. If not, make it clear that if they don't want to be there they don't have to, and if they disrupt others then you won't want them there anyway.

Thanks for this. It's really helpful. I'm teaching a group of year 7s for the first time tomorrow and I am absolutely terrified. It's with an assistant head teacher that I really get on with and his teaching is amazing and it's just going to be the absolute worst if it goes wrong :redface:

Reply 5456

Samus2

17

Does anyone else feel so strange when they consider how far they've come since September? My first placement was hell because it took me 3/4 hours to plan and resource one lesson... I've just finished my planning/resourcing for my 5 lessons tomorrow and it took me just over two hours.

It's really small things like this which make me so motivated to finish this course.

Reply 5457

Carnationlilyrose