PGCE - Current Students Thread

Original post by pgce2013

Then it is doable, I was of the impression primary was much easier but I'm wrong.

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It's really about the individual. I teach early years, and find older children harder- can't even imagine trying secondary!!! But that's the kind of person I am. I don't did teaching early years "easy" but I feel it flows more and is more fun! But some other teachers would find it much harder to move down here as the time spent perfecting the environment is so high and you have to be so personalised to the individual child. It's about the teacher's strengths.

Xxx

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Reply 2885

myrtille

15

In many secondary schools, lessons are 50 minutes, so pupils have 30 lessons per week.

As an NQT, I teach 24 lessons, but next year I'll have 27. Aargh!

It is the case that some lessons can be reused, but it doesn't happen as much as I'd like.

I have 2 Year 7 classes, and I do reuse lessons for them (just swapping things around a bit depending on how the last lesson went as one group is starting to pull ahead of the other a bit...), but in the other year groups this isn't possible because my classes are setted.

In Y8, I teach Set 1 and Set 4. In Y9 I teach beginners Spanish, bottom set French, and a bit of top set French. In Y10 I teach top set GCSE and bottom set Foundation Certificate, so the gap is huge and I can hardly ever reuse anything even where groups are doing the same topics.

Reply 2886

I've only really been doing 6-8 lessons a week on my first placement (secondary) but feel like I could do a bit more. It's quite a challenging school so every class takes a lot out of me in terms of controlling behaviour and delivering teaching. I've never been too behind in work though, always have my lessons planned usually a couple of days in advance.

I know lots of people on my course who have been teaching about 12-15 lessons though so it does vary.

2 weeks to go anyway! Crazy to think this first placement is nearly over. I've grown to really love my school and the staff but stand by the fact that I wouldn't want to work there - it's too challenging and demanding.

Congratulations to everyone who is nearly at half term, half way through!

Reply 2887

Also in terms of job applications should I be worried that nothing has come up where I live yet? A few on my course have started applying and have had interviews but they're prepared to travel a bit. Should I hold fire or start applying for jobs on the outskirts of where I live if they come up?

Reply 2888

sunfowers01

16

Original post by myrtille

In many secondary schools, lessons are 50 minutes, so pupils have 30 lessons per week.

As an NQT, I teach 24 lessons, but next year I'll have 27. Aargh!

It is the case that some lessons can be reused, but it doesn't happen as much as I'd like.

I have 2 Year 7 classes, and I do reuse lessons for them (just swapping things around a bit depending on how the last lesson went as one group is starting to pull ahead of the other a bit...), but in the other year groups this isn't possible because my classes are setted.

In Y8, I teach Set 1 and Set 4. In Y9 I teach beginners Spanish, bottom set French, and a bit of top set French. In Y10 I teach top set GCSE and bottom set Foundation Certificate, so the gap is huge and I can hardly ever reuse anything even where groups are doing the same topics.

Hi

I'd imagine you've experienced some of the things I'm currently having difficulty with. How do you keep a bottom set interested?

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Reply 2889

pgce2013

8

Original post by Steveluis10

Also in terms of job applications should I be worried that nothing has come up where I live yet? A few on my course have started applying and have had interviews but they're prepared to travel a bit. Should I hold fire or start applying for jobs on the outskirts of where I live if they come up?

It just depends on your subject and if you can manage the travel. I'm holding fire yet as but will start applying soon. I've been told more will come up later but at the moment nothing is suitable. You may have to travel if you want the right school.

I'm willing to relocate but I want a school that fits with me so I can give it my all and enjoy my NQT.

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Reply 2890

I can manage to travel but not too far for the NQT year.

I just don't see the point in applying to the few positions that are a bit inconvenient now when schools much closer might come up in a few weeks time.

Reply 2891

myrtille

15

Original post by sunfowers01

Hi

I'd imagine you've experienced some of the things I'm currently having difficulty with. How do you keep a bottom set interested?

I would say with my bottom set Year 8 group I focus more on enforcing discipline than on keeping them interested, and this is the case with other teachers in my school too as the whole Year 8 cohort is very badly behaved (I've heard the word "feral" used to describe them on many occasions...).

At the start of the lesson I just focus on behaviour. Lining them up outside until they are behaving appropriately to come into the classroom (one class spent about 5 minutes standing in the rain yesterday - their choice as if they'd been silent they could have come in!), sending them back out and lining up again if necessary. Issuing warnings and detentions for those who repeatedy talk when I'm talking.

For the rest of the lesson, I'd say the key is to try and have a settle/stir/settle/stir pattern of activities. So you do something calming to quiet them down, then do something a bit more fun, then something else calming.

Settling starter ideas - crosswords/wordsearches/cryptograms/spot the odd one out. You can make free puzzles really easily using this site: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/free-puzzlemaker/?CFID=3953511&CFTOKEN=35384518
I also do true/false with pictures quite a bit - for example, I've just been doing clothing and colours with my Y8s, so on my powerpoint I put a load of pictures, labelled with "a pink skirt", "black shoes", "a blue jacket" etc. and they had to compare them to the pictures and check that the item vocab and the colour were correct.
Anagrams to revise basic vocab from the previous lesson.
Put the sentence in order (full words, but jumble them up - with bottom set I normally keep the capital letters and full stops to give them a clue!)

Stirrers
For getting them more involved and doing a bit of speaking/listening, I short vocab games. Stuff like slapboard (1 boy and 1 girl up at the board, pictures on the board, I say the French word and they race to hit it), noughts and crosses (pictures in squares, they have to say the correct word/phrase to claim the square for their team) or give/keep the points (English phrase on the board, they have to translate it then decide whether to give/keep the points - I then reveal points which may be positive or negative).

The difficulty is then getting them to do other activities sensibly as they can't progress by just remembering basic items of vocabulary!

Reading activities need to be scaffolded to help them pick out key information. So often I'll give them a text and first ask them to identify and underline all the times in the text, or all the sports, or all the days of the week. Then when they come to answering questions about it, they have already found most of the answers.

For writing activities, word mats are really helpful. I often present them like flowcharts with arrows so it becomes like an equation to follow - a time phrase from this box, a verb from this box, a place from this box, a connective from this box, an adjective from this box... etc. (On Mondays --> I play football--> at school --> because it's fun). It's about making it achievable for them as they simply don't have the memory capacity to cope with just writing stuff.

One activity I like to do to prepare for writing is to put them into pairs/threes and give them a word mat and a mini-whiteboard. Then I put a sentence on the board which they need to translate (using the word mat) and the team which holds up the most complete answer at the end of 1 minute gets a point. They enjoy this and get quite competitive, but it also means they know what to do when I then ask them to write sentences of their own using the same word mat.

I've got some resources (for French and Spanish) on TES (same username) so feel free to have a look and see if there's anything you could adapt for teaching English (but I know some of the approaches are different).

Reply 2892

Interrobang

Original post by Steveluis10

I can manage to travel but not too far for the NQT year.

I just don't see the point in applying to the few positions that are a bit inconvenient now when schools much closer might come up in a few weeks time.

Teachers have until the Easter hold to hand in their notice, so after that the only people who will be able to apply for jobs starting in September will be trainees or ones without permanent jobs already. Many teachers won't have handed in notice yet

Reply 2893

kpwxx

Original post by Steveluis10

Also in terms of job applications should I be worried that nothing has come up where I live yet? A few on my course have started applying and have had interviews but they're prepared to travel a bit. Should I hold fire or start applying for jobs on the outskirts of where I live if they come up?

Don't worry. I know everyone says jobs come up early and it can be worrying when you hear that someone else on your course has applied for or even got a job... it sends you in to a bit of a panic! But jobs will continue to become available all the way through until the summer and even just before September.

These are the dates which notice must be given by:
· to leave at 31 December, give notice by no later than 31 October;
· to leave at 30 April, give notice by no later than 28 February;
· to leave at 31 August, give notice by no later than 31 May.

So you have a good while yet for September jobs! And remember overall that many excellent new teachers start off doing supply work. There is nothing wrong with this. So even if you didn't get a job (which is certainly not indicated at this point) you still have a way to develop, get money and gain experience.

xxx

Reply 2894

SuperSam_Fantastiche

16

I didn't start applying for jobs until March. A lot of others didn't until may half term! Don't panic, the right school will find you :smile:

Reply 2895

Thanks folks; I try not to compare myself to others but it's really hard at times!

Been full of cold for days, had to take the day off on Friday (first day of school I've missed) because when I woke up I felt so awful I could barely move! Still not 100% but definitely going in tomorrow; thankfully I'm not teaching tomorrow so hopefully I'll be fine by Tuesday.

Going to break the news to my classes at the end of this week that next week will be their last lesson with me. Will be interesting to see their reactions!

Reply 2896

Angel8907

Original post by Kidders

Now into my 3rd month of the secondary PGCE course and i can honestly say i have never looked forward to Xmas quite as much as i currently am! This has been the hardest few months i have ever experienced. Such a massive amount of work to be done all the time. Lesson plans still taking me hours and I'm never more than a day ahead of myself! Assignment due in 2 weeks and not even beyond the introduction. Getting home at 5pm every night due to the distance of my placement school and leaving at 7:20am every morning. Weekends written off and relationship with my partner suffering!

Anyone else feel this way too?

Also a little reminder to all those wanting to apply for next year; this is CERTAINLY not an option for you if you're doing it just to put off finding a job! HUGE step up from undergrad degree!! (i think the MA students are a little better prepared)

Rant over. :colondollar:

I know exactly how you are feeling and I am currently only in my final year of my undergrad. I have a family and household to juggle, as I'm sure many other people have other responsibilities and must find it difficult to find that balance when studying.

I have an interview for secondary PE PGCE and I am really anxious! Even though this is what I have wanted and worked so hard for, I am really worried I won't be able to juggle! Ahhhhh!

Just think, you have already done one full term and it's February already! Keep persevering, it will all be worth it in the end, PLUS you are not alone!

Reply 2897

sunfowers01

16

Is anyone around to talk to? Could really do with someone to talk to right now.

Reply 2898

kpwxx

Original post by sunfowers01

Is anyone around to talk to? Could really do with someone to talk to right now.

I am currently panicking manically over planning for tomorrow as I am being observed by my head!!! Eeek! But if it's a longer term thing I am free to PM tomorrow evening lots, talk through whatever you need to. If you want to, PM me.

xxx

Reply 2899