PGCE - Current Students Thread
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My first lesson went ok. It didn't really last as long as I wanted it to, you can't always gauge how long it will take 6 year olds to complete a picture. Some of them finished after 10 minutes. A few things I learned though which I'll take forward to my next lesson.
Just keep learning and reflecting !
Just keep learning and reflecting !
Original post by balloon_parade
I passed my Numeracy TDA test today, it was SO much easier than the practice tests (of which I never passed any!) I couldn't believe it, I actually had time at the end of the mental arithmatic questions! I have literacy and ICT tomorrow, fingers crossed I will pass those too.
I passed my Numeracy TDA test today, it was SO much easier than the practice tests (of which I never passed any!) I couldn't believe it, I actually had time at the end of the mental arithmatic questions! I have literacy and ICT tomorrow, fingers crossed I will pass those too.
If you manage to fail the ICT test then I think you may be the first person EVER in history to do so. Seriously it's so incredibly easy!
Original post by dobbs
If you manage to fail the ICT test then I think you may be the first person EVER in history to do so. Seriously it's so incredibly easy!
I've booked all mine for the same afternoon, starting with ICT. I figured starting with the easiest would be the best for my morale lol.
Do you ever get to find out the actual scores for your skills tests? I'm intrigued lol.
Still planning a lesson... going to regret this in the morning. At the last hurdle now, trying to figure out how best to go about giving them this writing task (sadly it's not as simple as "write this" with my classes, you basically have to provide them with the language to piece together. Pointless but there we go).
Still planning a lesson... going to regret this in the morning. At the last hurdle now, trying to figure out how best to go about giving them this writing task (sadly it's not as simple as "write this" with my classes, you basically have to provide them with the language to piece together. Pointless but there we go).
Original post by dobbs
If you manage to fail the ICT test then I think you may be the first person EVER in history to do so. Seriously it's so incredibly easy!
Someone in my class failed today! They were looking for an email that ended up being in the 'junk mail' eek! Not looking forward to literacy. Hopefully ICT should be OK.
affinity89
..
We had our first drop out on Thursday of week 1! Everyone else seems quite keen, although we haven't had our first placement yet so we shall see. I hope nobody does because it's a good bunch.
Original post by balloon_parade
Someone in my class failed today! They were looking for an email that ended up being in the 'junk mail' eek! Not looking forward to literacy. Hopefully ICT should be OK.
We had our first drop out on Thursday of week 1! Everyone else seems quite keen, although we haven't had our first placement yet so we shall see. I hope nobody does because it's a good bunch.
We had our first drop out on Thursday of week 1! Everyone else seems quite keen, although we haven't had our first placement yet so we shall see. I hope nobody does because it's a good bunch.
Quite a lot of people dropped out before the course actually started, but I don't know if you can call that dropping out. We had an induction day in July and they scared most of us half to death and gave us loads of work to do over the summer - some people dropped out after that [I was nearly one of them!]. They managed to fill almost all of those places though - as a result, quite a few of my friends on the course didn't actually get accepted until September! It has all been a mad rush for them since.
Dismal Y7 lesson period 3, great Y8 lesson period 5... faith restored!
No drop outs as yet in history, although it's comparatively rare anyway - presumably due to the screening at interview/sheer volume of hoops to jump through we endured before starting! I'm sure we'll all go through patches where it's just not working out and giving in seems like an attractive prospect. But I know that I personally had to fight tooth and nail to get onto a PGCE this year; it'd have to be genuinely serious for me to consider throwing it all in.
No drop outs as yet in history, although it's comparatively rare anyway - presumably due to the screening at interview/sheer volume of hoops to jump through we endured before starting! I'm sure we'll all go through patches where it's just not working out and giving in seems like an attractive prospect. But I know that I personally had to fight tooth and nail to get onto a PGCE this year; it'd have to be genuinely serious for me to consider throwing it all in.
You don't find out how much you pass by, but you do find out how much you fail by with the skills tests
Original post by dobbs
Original post by dobbs
If you manage to fail the ICT test then I think you may be the first person EVER in history to do so. Seriously it's so incredibly easy!
A lot of my cohort found that the hardest one, and I really couldn't understand why- it was a case of following instructions, not computing proficiency!
Original post by Teao the Cat
A lot of my cohort found that the hardest one, and I really couldn't understand why- it was a case of following instructions, not computing proficiency!
When I did the mock online one, it became clear that the mock software you are working with is clearly different to things like Word and some of the shortcuts I always use obviously didn't work with it. But, I agree - the instructions are pretty clear and you have quite a lot of time for those tasks, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
As I mentioned, I've booked that one in first as my easy starter. Put the numeracy one last after getting 6 out of 12 on the mental part on my first attempt lol. In my defence, I was typing in the answers when it timed me out for a few of them, but I'll obviously have to practice and quicken up. Also, I failed to see the easy route to some of the answers. Eg, working out 22 as a percentage of 25. There I was trying to divide 22 by 25, to multiply it be 100. Only once I failed to answer it in time did I realise - 25x4=100 so 22x4 your percentage of 88. Duh!
I felt a bit more like a teacher in my lesson today! It still had its problems (namely behaviour) but for some reason I felt alright in there- I was oddly frightened about that lesson, wasn't even being formally observed and now I wish I had been because I probably could've got a standard or two. Might see if my mentor will fill in the form retrospectively for me- she already filled out the comments part, I just didn't give her the standards section. Too sneaky?
As for dropping out- not quite there yet. I keep thinking about how nice it would be to have a 9-5 job and not to bring work home. But then I think of how BORING the day would be and realise I actually quite like being in school. I don't think we've had anyone drop out yet- there are only around 30 of us so I think news would spread. Apparently the prime time for dropping out because it's not for you has already passed for us? I'm not sure but that's what we were told!
As for dropping out- not quite there yet. I keep thinking about how nice it would be to have a 9-5 job and not to bring work home. But then I think of how BORING the day would be and realise I actually quite like being in school. I don't think we've had anyone drop out yet- there are only around 30 of us so I think news would spread. Apparently the prime time for dropping out because it's not for you has already passed for us? I'm not sure but that's what we were told!
4.5 hours sleep = recipe for disasterous formal observation! I'm not even scared of that aspect of it, don't mind being watched and my course tutor is probably the loveliest person on the planet. But I'm just generally not confident of being able to get these kids to understand German verb endings. Even though they literally just have to copy the pattern from a verb they've done it with to some others. Then they have to interview us using questions on the board which they don't even have to formulate. And then write up the answers using more pre-conjugated verbs.
I have no faith.
Sorry there aren't any linguists in here are there? But essentially all they have to do is copy, it's kind of an exposure lesson so I was told it's best to have them copy and be exposed to it for a lesson before I get them to try and do it for themselves.
And then I have to do family members with year 7 in French. I have my trusty Simpsons-themed powerpoint, such a cliche. But if they're on board with me I think it should work.
Going for dinner with my coursemates tonight, can't wait
(just hope I don't fall asleep in my food)
I have no faith.
Sorry there aren't any linguists in here are there? But essentially all they have to do is copy, it's kind of an exposure lesson so I was told it's best to have them copy and be exposed to it for a lesson before I get them to try and do it for themselves.
And then I have to do family members with year 7 in French. I have my trusty Simpsons-themed powerpoint, such a cliche. But if they're on board with me I think it should work.
Going for dinner with my coursemates tonight, can't wait
(just hope I don't fall asleep in my food)Very sleepy today. My flatmates had friends around and they were making a racket until 2am. I didn't fancy wandering through in my dressing gown, with my hair sticking up, to ask them to keep the noise down lol.
I'm not teaching or anything today - good luck to those who are. I hope everything goes really well.
However, I am on a form of placement today. We got a 30 mile journey to start [and again to finish I suppose], to get to a school with a high porportion of EAL children. The school is so different to all the schools I have been in before - there are some 650 pupils! Hopefully, it will be an interesting day. I won't lie though - I wish the school were 25 miles closer and/or that it was the weekend already lol.
I'm not teaching or anything today - good luck to those who are. I hope everything goes really well.
However, I am on a form of placement today. We got a 30 mile journey to start [and again to finish I suppose], to get to a school with a high porportion of EAL children. The school is so different to all the schools I have been in before - there are some 650 pupils! Hopefully, it will be an interesting day. I won't lie though - I wish the school were 25 miles closer and/or that it was the weekend already lol.
Enjoy today affinity89. My placement is around 30 miles, not looking forward to the drive and the petrol costs. 
I passed all the TDA skills test, woohoo! Out the way. I can, er, relax? (haha, I wish!)
I passed all the TDA skills test, woohoo! Out the way. I can, er, relax? (haha, I wish!)
Original post by balloon_parade
Enjoy today affinity89. My placement is around 30 miles, not looking forward to the drive and the petrol costs.
I passed all the TDA skills test, woohoo! Out the way. I can, er, relax? (haha, I wish!)
I passed all the TDA skills test, woohoo! Out the way. I can, er, relax? (haha, I wish!)
Congrats! One less thing to think/worry about is always good in your training year!
Feeling rather relieved this afternoon... not only is it Friday but my observation actually went alright! The class were fairly well behaved, had to give three lads a telling off but I got some decent grades Only got 14 pieces of homework given in out of 23 so not impressed with that at all. All it was was to make a bar chart, not even much German! Silly children.
10 minutes til the bell goes, 15 minutes til I can safely leave for the bus once the kids have gone, then time for the pub!
Only got 14 pieces of homework given in out of 23 so not impressed with that at all. All it was was to make a bar chart, not even much German! Silly children.10 minutes til the bell goes, 15 minutes til I can safely leave for the bus once the kids have gone, then time for the pub!
Original post by affinity89
Very sleepy today. My flatmates had friends around and they were making a racket until 2am. I didn't fancy wandering through in my dressing gown, with my hair sticking up, to ask them to keep the noise down lol.
I'm not teaching or anything today - good luck to those who are. I hope everything goes really well.
However, I am on a form of placement today. We got a 30 mile journey to start [and again to finish I suppose], to get to a school with a high porportion of EAL children. The school is so different to all the schools I have been in before - there are some 650 pupils! Hopefully, it will be an interesting day. I won't lie though - I wish the school were 25 miles closer and/or that it was the weekend already lol.
I'm not teaching or anything today - good luck to those who are. I hope everything goes really well.
However, I am on a form of placement today. We got a 30 mile journey to start [and again to finish I suppose], to get to a school with a high porportion of EAL children. The school is so different to all the schools I have been in before - there are some 650 pupils! Hopefully, it will be an interesting day. I won't lie though - I wish the school were 25 miles closer and/or that it was the weekend already lol.
I'm quite interested in EAL as an MFL "teacher", would be interested to know what you think/saw etc
Obviously for me it's an issue as they're trying to learn a new language from English, which they need to translate into their own language, which is enough of a problem for them. It's tricky, I wouldn't be able to learn French in Germany very easily at all so they have my sympathy!Original post by noodles!
I'm quite interested in EAL as an MFL "teacher", would be interested to know what you think/saw etc Obviously for me it's an issue as they're trying to learn a new language from English, which they need to translate into their own language, which is enough of a problem for them. It's tricky, I wouldn't be able to learn French in Germany very easily at all so they have my sympathy!
Obviously for me it's an issue as they're trying to learn a new language from English, which they need to translate into their own language, which is enough of a problem for them. It's tricky, I wouldn't be able to learn French in Germany very easily at all so they have my sympathy!I worked and observed some EAL children between years 3-5. Quite a few of them had no English at all. The teachers were keen to use peer support/peer learning, and it seemed to work on a couple of occassions but not on others. As a result, we saw some children essentially excluded from the lesson as they didn't understand what was going on. I really felt for them. It must be so scary. I know I tense up in my MFL class - as the teacher talks at us in French, when I have no French at all [just the majority of the class lol] - so to be in the situation all the time must be awful.
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