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PGCE - Current Students Thread

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Original post by JoannaMilano
Thanks :smile: I didn't get the job, but it's put me at ease for future interviews now I know what to expect. I got some great feedback too. I'd definitely agree they cared more about the relationships with the children. They seemed surprised that my lesson had so much actual learning content in it!


Haha, it was obviously a really good lesson then! Hopefully the feedback will help you get the next job you go for - but as I've said so many times to so many people, jobs are currently something that don't need to be worried about. There will be plenty of them to come, and the only reason I have one already for September is because it is my main placement school and they wanted me and I wanted them! If they hadn't had a job going, I would still be jobless!
Hi guys,
Does anyone here have any contacts with any primary schools in SE London area/1.5 hours travel from Eltham/Bexleyheath SE London? I'm a referred PGCE student following a horrific final school experience last year (they kicked me off at the end of week 7 of teaching, when placement finished at end of week 8), and I'm desperately looking for a school. Over initial and final school placements I've never received an observation lower than 'Good', I just had a terrible experience alongside going through my first breakup as well as family issues which alongside my dissatisfaction with the school (that the university had already had complaints about, prior) led to me just imploding.
I am desperate for a school and am just trying to think of anything that might help so figured I'd post here in case anyone could help, I'm despairing right now. If anyone has any contacts they/I could get in touch with to set up a meeting to discuss a potential placement it would mean the world.

Thanks, Sam.
(edited 8 years ago)
Hey guys, I'm hoping someone will be able to give me a little bit of advice...

Basically, I have 4 weeks left of my placement after the Easter Holidays before I move on to do my enrichment which Is a further 3 weeks. At the moment though I am absolutely hating my placement here. I don't feel in control of any of my classes and I dread nearly every single lesson. Even with lessons that do go really well, I still never feel any satisfaction or motivation. I'm completely drained and really want to quit. The amount of times I have finished at the end of the day, sat in my car and just cried for 15 minutes is ridiculous. I really enjoyed my last placement and enjoyed teaching there, but now I'm just really not sure if I want to carry on with teaching and I don't know if I'm going to bother to apply for any posts in September. The only thing keeping me going at the moment is my bursary.

My question is... should I just leave the course now and try and pursue a different career or should I try and stick my placement out even though I don't think this is the career path for me?
Original post by TomJ123
Hey guys, I'm hoping someone will be able to give me a little bit of advice...

Basically, I have 4 weeks left of my placement after the Easter Holidays before I move on to do my enrichment which Is a further 3 weeks. At the moment though I am absolutely hating my placement here. I don't feel in control of any of my classes and I dread nearly every single lesson. Even with lessons that do go really well, I still never feel any satisfaction or motivation. I'm completely drained and really want to quit. The amount of times I have finished at the end of the day, sat in my car and just cried for 15 minutes is ridiculous. I really enjoyed my last placement and enjoyed teaching there, but now I'm just really not sure if I want to carry on with teaching and I don't know if I'm going to bother to apply for any posts in September. The only thing keeping me going at the moment is my bursary.

My question is... should I just leave the course now and try and pursue a different career or should I try and stick my placement out even though I don't think this is the career path for me?

Stick it out to get the qualification but don't apply for jobs yet, if ever. Miserable as teaching is when you don't enjoy it, you can stick it out for two months if you know you're never going to do it again, and a completed qualification looks far better to other employers than an unfinished one. Don't give them the impression you will quit easily.
Original post by TomJ123
Hey guys, I'm hoping someone will be able to give me a little bit of advice...

Basically, I have 4 weeks left of my placement after the Easter Holidays before I move on to do my enrichment which Is a further 3 weeks. At the moment though I am absolutely hating my placement here. I don't feel in control of any of my classes and I dread nearly every single lesson. Even with lessons that do go really well, I still never feel any satisfaction or motivation. I'm completely drained and really want to quit. The amount of times I have finished at the end of the day, sat in my car and just cried for 15 minutes is ridiculous. I really enjoyed my last placement and enjoyed teaching there, but now I'm just really not sure if I want to carry on with teaching and I don't know if I'm going to bother to apply for any posts in September. The only thing keeping me going at the moment is my bursary.

My question is... should I just leave the course now and try and pursue a different career or should I try and stick my placement out even though I don't think this is the career path for me?


Agree with carnationlilyrose, but also: if you really enjoyed your last placement, what is it that has changed? Is it because of the extra amount of work that you have to do, since the course gets greater? Or is it something to do with the difference between the schools, or the classes?

I just finished my middle placement, and as much as I continued to enjoy what I was doing, and coped with the greater workload, I didn't enjoy it as much as my first placement because of the differences between the schools I was in. I know now what sort of school I want to work in because of the different environments I have experienced.

Just saying, it's worth thinking about the cause. Teaching may still be for you, but it might be dependent on where you work. There's nothing wrong with that...
I'm having difficulties on my second (and unfortunately final) placement and I have recently been put on 'cause for concern'. I don't know what to do anymore and I seriously consider quitting the course. My first school seemed happy with my teaching and I felt a lot more confident when I was there. I am observed all the time and two of the five teachers I am working with seem to be very critical and I feel like I just can't get anything right anymore. I know that I make mistakes and I'm here to learn but the feedback I have been given has really affected my confidence and I constantly feel stressed out. I'm really unhappy but my family and friends encourage me to stay on the course because I enjoyed my first placement. Does anyone know whether it might be possible to change placement schools at this stage? I might feel completely different about things if I was still at my old school and it would be a shame if I left teaching or if I failed the course because I was having such a hard time at my second placement school.
I'm sorry to hear you're going through a tough time. Is there anyone at your training provider that you could talk to about this? Only your training provider would be able to tell you if moving schools is possible. Have you been given any targets to work on to help you address their concerns? If not, perhaps you could talk to one of the less critical teachers to identify small steps you could take?
Original post by traineeteacher_
I'm having difficulties on my second (and unfortunately final) placement and I have recently been put on 'cause for concern'. I don't know what to do anymore and I seriously consider quitting the course. My first school seemed happy with my teaching and I felt a lot more confident when I was there. I am observed all the time and two of the five teachers I am working with seem to be very critical and I feel like I just can't get anything right anymore. I know that I make mistakes and I'm here to learn but the feedback I have been given has really affected my confidence and I constantly feel stressed out. I'm really unhappy but my family and friends encourage me to stay on the course because I enjoyed my first placement. Does anyone know whether it might be possible to change placement schools at this stage? I might feel completely different about things if I was still at my old school and it would be a shame if I left teaching or if I failed the course because I was having such a hard time at my second placement school.


My advice would be to stay in the course and:

1- Take command of the feedback you get. Don't accept everything. If they give too much feedback, or too negative feedback, answer very politely but decisively, to provide one piece of advice only so that you can improve on that for the next lessons. Sort of "aham, well, I would like to have one target for the next lessons, what should it be?". This way you take control of it and reduce the chances of not meeting expectations.

2- Always remember you are there temporarily. This is not your school, those are not your classrooms. Start caring less about it. This will help at regaining your confidence.

3- Do it for yourself. Don't let two jerks ruin your life.

Seriously, don't quit. I would only recommend quitting if you very clearly realise that you dislike teaching.
Original post by Pierson
I'm sorry to hear you're going through a tough time. Is there anyone at your training provider that you could talk to about this? Only your training provider would be able to tell you if moving schools is possible. Have you been given any targets to work on to help you address their concerns? If not, perhaps you could talk to one of the less critical teachers to identify small steps you could take?


I have spoken to the training provider but they are supporting the school's decision. I have been given targets though they are fairly general, such as giving 'clearer explanations'. I am trying very hard to address all the development points they've asked me to address but based on the feedback I've been given, I don't feel very hopeful that I will pass this placement. Even on the occasions when I managed to meet all my targets, I didn't get much positive feedback and they decided to focus on other negative aspects instead. I am aware that I need to focus on the areas of development to become a better teacher and I know that I've got a lot to learn but the way I've been given feedback by certain teachers has really affected my confidence and I sometimes make silly mistakes that I never used to make because I feel so nervous/stressed out. Thank you, I will try to speak to some of the less critical teachers and see what advice they can give me.
Original post by abel.suisse
My advice would be to stay in the course and:

1- Take command of the feedback you get. Don't accept everything. If they give too much feedback, or too negative feedback, answer very politely but decisively, to provide one piece of advice only so that you can improve on that for the next lessons. Sort of "aham, well, I would like to have one target for the next lessons, what should it be?". This way you take control of it and reduce the chances of not meeting expectations.

2- Always remember you are there temporarily. This is not your school, those are not your classrooms. Start caring less about it. This will help at regaining your confidence.

3- Do it for yourself. Don't let two jerks ruin your life.

Seriously, don't quit. I would only recommend quitting if you very clearly realise that you dislike teaching.


Thank you!

That makes sense, I will have to see what I can do. I don't think my mentor would accept it if I asked for just one target though as he is very strict.

It's difficult not to care because I feel like they can stop me from passing the course. Also I do like the classes I am teaching and I find it very upsetting if I am told that I'm failing them.

I know that I need to learn but I could really do with more support from the school. I've had class teachers taking over the lesson although I didn't seem to have done anything major wrong. I wasn't told why they chose to do it and it really undermined my confidence and I feel like the classes know that I'm not really in charge of them. The same happens if kids don't turn up for detentions, all I can do is to remind them to turn up the following day but there are no consequences if they don't. Of course I will mention it to them again but no one follows up on it if I tell them.

I think I might still enjoy teaching if I was in a different environment. I actually do enjoy teaching some of my classes because I like the kids and even some of the teachers. Still I absolutely dread going back after the holidays because I'm worried that some of the people at the school might want me to fail and they are the ones who can make the decision. I don't think I can pass unless something major changes and I just don't know what to do anymore.
I completely understand how hopeless things can feel when all you're getting from the people who should be supporting you is negativity. Try to power through this placement for yourself if you can. Look at all the things you are doing right and be proud of the things you are achieving in spite of the adversity. You are clearly taking your development as a teacher very seriously and, perhaps, by asking the less critical teachers for advice, the others will finally begin to recognise this. After all, teachers talk. Try politely asking one of them to help you turn those general targets into ones that are more specific and measurable. For 'clearer explanations', they obviously should have suggested to you something specific that you could do to improve this, such as displaying instructions on the board.

I hope your situation improves soon. You are by no means alone in experiencing problems like this and people do get through it.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Pierson
I completely understand how hopeless things can feel when all you're getting from the people who should be supporting you is negativity. Try to power through this placement for yourself if you can. Look at all the things you are doing right and be proud of the things you are achieving in spite of the adversity. You are clearly taking your development as a teacher very seriously and, perhaps, by asking the less critical teachers for advice, the others will finally begin to recognise this. After all, teachers talk. Try politely asking one of them to help you turn those general targets into ones that are more specific and measurable. For 'clearer explanations', they obviously should have suggested to you something specific that you could do to improve this, such as displaying instructions on the board.

I hope your situation improves soon. You are by no means alone in experiencing problems like this and people do get through it.


Thank you! I will definitely try to ask the less critical/ more approachable teachers for advice. Hopefully I can get clearer targets that I can work towards. One teacher has already given me some helpful advice and i recently got very positive feedback from him but I'm not sure if my mentor knows. Of course I try to use the same strategies in my other lessons but the teachers at my school don't always agree with each other. Either way, I will try to talk to the more approachable teachers and hopefully I can get through this somehow.
I have found myself in a similar situation. For some reason some teachers seem to give a lot of criticism as feedback rather than helpful advice or constructive criticism. Often it's the teacher trying to show that they are in charge and throw their weight around a bit.

I've had some difficulties with a teacher than never observed me but continued to tell everyone that I wasn't improving. On the rare occasion that I was observed (she only showed up for university observations) she would rip my lesson apart even though I got good feedback from my uni.

My advice is to persevere as the majority of the course is over. We have one term left and everyone seems happier in the summer anyway! Don't let a bad school / tutor / teacher get you down. If I would've let my mentor bother me I would have left before Christmas. I stuck with it because I love the job and the thought of leaving her behind at the end of the course is what kept me going!!!! :yes:

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Original post by traineeteacher_
Thank you! I will definitely try to ask the less critical/ more approachable teachers for advice. Hopefully I can get clearer targets that I can work towards. One teacher has already given me some helpful advice and i recently got very positive feedback from him but I'm not sure if my mentor knows. Of course I try to use the same strategies in my other lessons but the teachers at my school don't always agree with each other. Either way, I will try to talk to the more approachable teachers and hopefully I can get through this somehow.


Definitely take hold of the situation and ask for more focussed guidance. Fix one or two problems at a time and ask for very specific useful advice or at least the information to tell you where to find that help.

As an NQT I still receive frequent targets but I always make sure that it's something that's clearly achievable in a yes/no kinda way. My last one was that I could focus on questioning a little further so we set targets for bouncing questions around the room, reading a book and observing another teacher. My questioning is now one of my strongest skills now. So get them to tell you what you need to improve, and what they would recommend to get that stronger. Observing other teachers is an absolute must!
Hi everyone,

I'm not a frequent visitor/poster to this site/thread, but I posted here a few months ago, and everyone was so kind and helpful. I am struggling again at the moment, so thought I would drop in to see if anyone can give me any advice.

For those of you that will remember, I was really struggling with anxiety a few months ago due to the course and my auntie passing away from cancer. I managed to power through and am still on the course, and am absolutely determined to finish as my completion date is June 10th, so I am so close!

BUT I am still having a real problem with lesson planning. I don't know if it's an anxiety thing, or just complete lack of self-confidence, but I just really struggle to plan lessons. I have been sat in front of my work every day since Sunday, and all I have achieved is marking two sets of books, and almost planning my Year 9 lessons for the week. I still need to plan my Year 7, 8 and 10 lessons for next week, and there's so much uni stuff that I haven't done as well, I'm now completely panicking. If I'd been out having fun, I wouldn't feel so bad, but it's the fact that I have sat in front of it all week and not achieved anything that I just feel awful.

Does anyone have any tips for lesson planning? Anything that particularly works for you? Anywhere that you find is a great source for inspiration / ideas for activities? And any tips for being able to focus I guess, as that must obviously be a problem for me! I am an English trainee, so if there's anything English specific anyone can offer as well that would be particularly helpful :smile:
Original post by LittleRed
Does anyone have any tips for lesson planning? Anything that particularly works for you? Anywhere that you find is a great source for inspiration / ideas for activities? And any tips for being able to focus I guess, as that must obviously be a problem for me! I am an English trainee, so if there's anything English specific anyone can offer as well that would be particularly helpful :smile:


Wow, you are so close to finishing, I don't finish until July 8th! I'm so pleased you pushed through the hard times, and I hope that you feel like it is worth it, at least in some ways.

When I plan lessons, I always start with the end. By the end of the lesson, what will they be able to do? What will be the evidence for this? Since I'm primary, there are plenty of subjects which means a range of outcomes, but for my English lessons, it might be a plan for something, or a piece of writing, or some evidence that shows an understanding of a SPAG concept. To help with this, it can be useful to use something like Target Tracker, if your school uses something like this(?). I am fortunate that both my placement schools use Target Tracker, so I am familiar enough to use it in this way - I take an "I can" statement that links to the topic we are doing, and have that as my learning objective.

Next, I think about where my children are at already - what can they do? What do they struggle with? By mapping where they are, and where I want them to be, it means I have a path for them to follow, which I have to fill in with my lesson plan. I would think that your classes are ability grouped, so you should have a bit of an easier time in terms of differentiation, because there won't be such a broad range of abilities in your classes (from what I understand). Once I have those two things, I then consider the ways in which I can teach the learning objective. I always try to have something interesting and practical or visual for students, but I appreciate that in secondary English that might not be as straightforward.

By starting with the learning objective, and understanding how far I need to guide my students, I generally end up with a good lesson plan that works. It doesn't take me too long now, although it took me longer at the start. It gets easier, especially when you know the students. Good luck!
Original post by LittleRed
Hi everyone,

I'm not a frequent visitor/poster to this site/thread, but I posted here a few months ago, and everyone was so kind and helpful. I am struggling again at the moment, so thought I would drop in to see if anyone can give me any advice.

For those of you that will remember, I was really struggling with anxiety a few months ago due to the course and my auntie passing away from cancer. I managed to power through and am still on the course, and am absolutely determined to finish as my completion date is June 10th, so I am so close!

BUT I am still having a real problem with lesson planning. I don't know if it's an anxiety thing, or just complete lack of self-confidence, but I just really struggle to plan lessons. I have been sat in front of my work every day since Sunday, and all I have achieved is marking two sets of books, and almost planning my Year 9 lessons for the week. I still need to plan my Year 7, 8 and 10 lessons for next week, and there's so much uni stuff that I haven't done as well, I'm now completely panicking. If I'd been out having fun, I wouldn't feel so bad, but it's the fact that I have sat in front of it all week and not achieved anything that I just feel awful.

Does anyone have any tips for lesson planning? Anything that particularly works for you? Anywhere that you find is a great source for inspiration / ideas for activities? And any tips for being able to focus I guess, as that must obviously be a problem for me! I am an English trainee, so if there's anything English specific anyone can offer as well that would be particularly helpful :smile:


Bean brain gives very good advice. Always think "What do I want them to get out of this lesson?" and go from there.

This may involve thinking "What do I want them to get out of this half term/block of lessons?" And breaking that in to a few objectives. Obviously the speed/objectives might shift as you move through but it helps with coming up with the objective if you're not sure and give you an overview.

If you have a supportive mentor I'd definitely ask them for how they do it. They may have some very helpful practical tips.

For things like starters and plenaries you might like to make a list of things to do e.g. specific short games or tasks, and then just pick one for each lesson and apply it to the content you're doing. This can save a lot of time - you don't have to reinvent the wheel every lesson, if something works well with that class then use it again :smile:

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Original post by LittleRed
Hi everyone,

I'm not a frequent visitor/poster to this site/thread, but I posted here a few months ago, and everyone was so kind and helpful. I am struggling again at the moment, so thought I would drop in to see if anyone can give me any advice.

For those of you that will remember, I was really struggling with anxiety a few months ago due to the course and my auntie passing away from cancer. I managed to power through and am still on the course, and am absolutely determined to finish as my completion date is June 10th, so I am so close!

BUT I am still having a real problem with lesson planning. I don't know if it's an anxiety thing, or just complete lack of self-confidence, but I just really struggle to plan lessons. I have been sat in front of my work every day since Sunday, and all I have achieved is marking two sets of books, and almost planning my Year 9 lessons for the week. I still need to plan my Year 7, 8 and 10 lessons for next week, and there's so much uni stuff that I haven't done as well, I'm now completely panicking. If I'd been out having fun, I wouldn't feel so bad, but it's the fact that I have sat in front of it all week and not achieved anything that I just feel awful.

Does anyone have any tips for lesson planning? Anything that particularly works for you? Anywhere that you find is a great source for inspiration / ideas for activities? And any tips for being able to focus I guess, as that must obviously be a problem for me! I am an English trainee, so if there's anything English specific anyone can offer as well that would be particularly helpful :smile:


Hey. I am not a secondary trainee so cannot offer advice specific to your situation but as someone who is GAD diagnosed and who is currently undertaking CBT, I can completely relate to your feelings of anxiety and feeling of total loss!

Why don't you ask your mentor for some help with planning and explain that you need some more guidance with this? Or is there another trainee from your course you could plan with to bounce ideas from? Could you perhaps join a group on Facebook? I know there is one for Primary and teachers sometimes post with queries when they are blank for ideas, I am sure you maybe able to get some inspiration from there. Could you look at previous planning at your school for some ideas?

Also, with the anxiety, I would have some time away from lesson planning which is probably not what you want to read, but it will give you some time to clear your head. You will find you go back to it with a clearer mind and may be able to focus a little better. When you get in one of those states sometimes it is best to just stand up and walk away and come an hour or so later. Go for a walk, listen to music, phone a friend. Whatever it is that can clam you down.

Keep going! We don't have left long now. :smile:
Hello all, I'm starting my school direct primary in September and I am just starting to look at getting things like folders in ready to start. For the teaching standards, I've seen some people say a folder for each one and other have it all in one folder. Obviously it will vary according to provider, but what would the general advice be for this? One folder per standard, or one big folder to put it all in? Also, as I'm primary, am I right in thinking that I'll also need one folder per subject to put plans etc. in as part of my evidence?
Thanks :smile:
Original post by shannonbeth
Hello all, I'm starting my school direct primary in September and I am just starting to look at getting things like folders in ready to start. For the teaching standards, I've seen some people say a folder for each one and other have it all in one folder. Obviously it will vary according to provider, but what would the general advice be for this? One folder per standard, or one big folder to put it all in? Also, as I'm primary, am I right in thinking that I'll also need one folder per subject to put plans etc. in as part of my evidence?


Wait until you get to uni, no point getting things now. Providers are so different that you'll never guess what you need.

For example, we do our standards all online. One table that lists evidence for each standards and where you can find it. We do not have a physical folder solely for standards, nevermind one each.

For first placement I had a lever arch and a ringbinder. For second placement I have two lever arches and a ringbinder. For lecture notes i had five ringbinders (Maths, English, Professional Studies, Science, Other Subjects). So that's 7 ringbinders and 3 lever arches.

I'm primary and no way you'd ever need a separate folder for each subject's lesson plans. All my lesson plans from first placement are in one lever arch and it's perhaps half full at most. You'll only teach each foundation subject once or twice per week after all.
(edited 8 years ago)

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