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Nerves

Why do I get so nervous when being observed to do a lesson for my teacher training course?
I honestly don't know what happened, I got so nervous I forgot to set homework and show the students the resources during the demonstration. Anyone got any tips on how to switch off in the evenings or for a growth mindset or how to get to sleep easily when you're nervous. I would even be grateful if anyone could give me some confidence booster tips

Reply 1

Rachel_ysj

Official Rep

Original post by Graciegraphics21

Hi there!

I'm a third year primary education student in my final placement before graduating so I have had a fair few observations since beginning my degree haha 🙂 I totally understand why you feel nervous before observed lessons. It's actually good that you are nervous because it shows how much you care about your career path and succeeding. It does get much easier though as you become more comfortable in the classroom, with the routines and especially with the observer/mentor. I do get how you feel though, when I am teaching without the mentor in the room, I somehow feel more confident and in control of the classroom because I feel more in charge and that's totally normal!

I find that in the evenings, I like to just spend an hour max looking over my plans, making sure I have a printed plan to use in the lesson for if my mind goes blank, and just ensuring that I have all the resources at the ready either the nights before, or straight away in the morning. And then usually after a long day of school, I am exhausted enough to fall asleep the second I hit the pillow.

Confidence boosters- If you're worried about remembering everything, give yourself a tick list of things you need to do for the lesson to double check everything. I sometimes use this when I set children on a task and I just quickly check my notes before doing something else. Also, make a seating plan so that you are sure on all children's names and have one less thing to worry about. You can even use this to tick children's names when you have asked them a question so that you don't rely on the same children to answer questions.

Overall, just try your best to enjoy your experience! Your observer isn't there to try and limit your success, they should want you to succeed and help you to do so. Try and view the observation as a good opportunity to get some constructive feedback about your teaching techniques. Remember that you are a trainee- you are not expected to be the final product which is why the government gives trainees a minimum expected requirement for placement days because they believe that you need that time to develop and learn as much as you can.

And finally, ask questions if you are worried/unsure about anything! It sounds obvious but sometimes the mentors you have may not remember every detail to help you settle in especially if you have not had much experience in a classroom before so don't be afraid to ask even the most seemingly obvious questions!

Wishing you the best of luck in your training and upcoming observations!

Rachel- York St John Student Rep