Week Two

It may only be the end of week two but it feels as though I've been on this course for three months already. I think this is down to the vast amount of information and tasks we've been given.

So, what have I done this week? Monday we delivered our lesson plans. Ours went quite well (no thanks to the internet disappearing, thus ruining the effects my lovely links would've had). Then we were given our first assignment task. It involves planning a bunch of lessons, delivering two of them and then writing an assignment about them. However, it has to be in conjunction with our placement school - based on what classes they let me teach, and what the pupils already know. So, while I have ideas floating around, I can't put pen to paper until I've been in school.

School is on Monday! Eek. A lot of this week has been preparing for that. Yet I still feel completely unprepared. We've been given a list of important things to find out, such as the name and contact details of our school mentor; a stack of things to ensure the school gets; and about 4 million things to observe; whilst maintaining a reflective journal and our Standards checklist. Of course, it's only an observation week. I'm quite pleased that the pressure isn't on me to do any teaching. I feel there's so much I don't know. But, I don't want to be sitting at the back of the class either- I think I'd be more of a distraction if I did. So, my plan is, get the administrative stuff sorted, and then relax and just enjoy the week.

Yesterday we met the people from other subjects going to our school. There are four of us, I'm the only one with the English department. I also bought a bike yesterday. Apparently there are a lot of roadworks around the school so I think a bike is the best option. Plus, I'll get fit and it's cheaper than the bus. I think I'll do a practice ride this afternoon.

We've also been asked to create a Novel Box. The idea is you fill a box with objects relevant to the text that will be the class reader, without actually revealing the text. This box will be the students' first introduction to the class reader. The plan is to get them interested in the text before they start reading it. It's quite exciting. We're presenting to our fellow PGCE-ers, so I can't reveal it yet in case any of them are reading this. But, there will be a blog about the Novel Box (with pictures).

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy my day-off, probably by planning what to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll go shopping too. Get some school & bike suitable clothing.

Politics

The general advice we've been given with regards to politics in schools/within education is to be aware of the issues, but to not get involved.


I see the reasoning behind this: we're at the very bottom of the ladder; we're just training, we should remember that we still have our whole careers ahead of us and to focus on that, during this year. We can make our political statements/allegiances known once we've secured a job.

Now, I imagine it's fairly easy to avoid getting embroiled in staff room politics. A nice smile and polite comment about not wishing to get involved. However, being aware of the broader issues (and hearing snide comments about Michael Gove -almost daily- from the faculty in University) makes it very difficult not to form an opinion/ keep that opinion to myself; especially when I see articles such as this from the Independent   and the regular "brainwaves" of Mr. Gove.

While I'll try to keep my mouth shut, politically, in the staff room; I'm interested to see what will happen when the subject of Gove/ the coalition's handling of education comes up.

Week One

I have survived the first week!

My fears of the university’s expectations vs. my expectations were allayed within 30 seconds of the first lecture. The course director started the class by stating that the university has high standards and expectations of all of us, and expects us to have high expectations of ourselves. This was music to my ears.

This has been less of an ‘introductory week’ and more of a ‘chuck you in head first’ week. It’s brilliant though. Our Professional Development lectures instruct us on the legal ins and outs of the profession; the value and purpose of teachers’ unions; the M level aspect of the course, among other things. The main tutor for these is a technology whizz kid; and also highly entertaining. He manages to convey the messages – at times serious- without scaring/boring/patronising the room. (Saying that, I’ve already noticed the numbers falling: there are fewer and fewer people each lecture).

We’ve also had a fair few subject classes too. The individual workload began from day one, and I think we’re all learning that leaving it, even one night, is going to be such a stupid idea. We’ve got a chunk of reading to do (handouts and online documents ranging from 10-243 pages!); we’ve had small individual tasks and larger group tasks to complete.

On Monday we’ll be delivering (in groups) our first KS3 lesson; although it is to our class pretending to be y9s. I’m quite proud of our lesson plan: I think it’s flexible enough not to fall to pieces in the event of a hiccup.

Quite a bit of this week has been reflective/evaluative work. We’ve all been discussing where we think our strengths and weaknesses are, what we think makes a good teacher, what kind of teacher we want to be, and trying to bond as a group. We’ve also been hearing about the necessary outlook for a teacher: cynicism = bad; sense of humour and bit of sarcasm = good.

There are some lovely people on the course (of course, I don’t know all of them yet). Within English, there are 13 trainees of a range of ages and backgrounds; and taking different routes into teaching. Some, like me, are doing a PGCE, others are doing Schools Direct. There’s not a lot of socialising as a group outside of class (admittedly, there’s not a lot of time outside of class), although it is quite difficult as the majority of the group commute into the city. It’s only the end of week one though.

We’ve already been told our first placement school. Mine’s about a 40 minute walk from my house. I’ve been researching the bus routes. Might have a practice run before I start there: I don’t want to be late on my first day. From its website, the school looks fantastic (of course that is the purpose of a website); however, it has been supported by word of mouth from mature students on the course. I’m really looking forward to starting there. I have an induction/observation week there in October.

From the start, I’ve designated Saturday as my day off from the course. Today is the first Saturday since the course started proper, and I’m finding it difficult not to do some reading, or a knowledge audit. However, at the same time, I know if I don’t take the day off, by the middle of the week I’ll regret it.  I know the workload’s set to increase. The family visited today (including the small child). The child has wrecked my room! There are cups and scraps of paper everywhere now. How a small thing can cause so much mess is beyond me. At least tidying up will take up some time.

After seeing a vague, semi-complete timetable; I did begin to worry – a lot –about my time management. But I’m pleased to say that I have begun to establish some kind of routine, especially in the evenings.

Tips:

My two tips for week one are:

1.       Establish a routine as soon as possible.

It’s helping me to stay on task, instead of drifting off to watch something, or tidy, or indulge in general procrastination. And,

2.       Smile.

A nice smile and a hello has helped me loads this week. It’s helped me meet people on the course (studying a range of subjects); it’s helped to break the ice in general; it’s helped me relax. I think being open (which a smile suggests) really helps to break the barrier when you’re in a new situation.

Next stop: week two. It’s going to be fun!

Farewell, life as I know it.

On Friday I registered. From the letter I’d received I was expecting to register in the morning and then spend the afternoon getting an introduction to the PGCE course. Instead it was just a lot of paperwork, and all over by 12.

It wasn’t a complete let down though. I did meet some people on the PGCE course. I’ve met two other students training in PGCE English, and one in Maths. Unfortunately, the English trainees are commuting to university/placements. I do hope to find someone on the English branch of the course that lives in the city. Still it’s nice to finally meet other people on the course. I'm looking forward to getting to know them.

I’ve signed up to all three Unions (thank you responders to the last blog post. Your info put my mind at ease). I now have more free wall calendars and student planners than you can shake a stick at.

I also received a timetable for the next three weeks. In a word: busy.

We’re getting the introduction to the course on Monday morning and after that it’s Go! Go! Go! Almost every day is 9-5 and a mix of subject specific learning and general methods/teaching practice/ theory. They call it “Foundation in Professional Studies” or ‘FiPS’. That’s for the next fortnight. The third week is on placement. Just observing, I think. I cannot wait to get started. I’ve got my lunch boxes ready. I’ve sussed the bus timetables/routes. I’ve registered with Specsavers (a doctor’s surgery will be during this week), and I’m planning anything and everything for Saturdays (the non-PGCE day). I’m excited and nervous at the same time.

I’m trying not to let my experiences with the university’s administration department to date affect my attitude towards the course. I am hoping for a well-organised, highly professional course that will live up to the standards I place on myself. And by that I mean, I always ask the very best of myself – especially during this course- I’d be a fool to waste the opportunity that I’ve worked hard to gain- and I put pressure on myself to do well. I want the PGCE to have that same expectation. I am not/have no intentions of walking into a school with this attitude (although, I hope the mentor I’m assigned is thorough): I understand that I’ll be an alien to the pupils at my placements, but I do want the best from my university. I don’t think I’m asking too much really, although a part of me is preparing myself for disappointment.

Anyway, that’s thinking ahead. I guess I’ll have to review that aspect of the course when I’ve finished. Monday it all begins, and I cannot wait! I am so excited to be learning again, to be busy again, and to be able to go in to schools and observe and then teach. This year is going to be a rollercoaster. I am ready.

This blog shall also revert to its original purpose of documenting the PGCE (and beyond) process. I hope to post at least once a week, on a Saturday. Keep an eye open.

Query Blog: Unions

Friday is registration day. The day when I’ll finally get to meet other people on the course and my tutors. There will also be Trade Union representatives present on Friday. Now, this has got me wondering about Teachers’ Unions.

I’m the first to admit that I’m absolutely hopeless when it comes to jargon, especially regarding legal or financial issues. This is obviously something that I need to work on. With this in mind, the more I think about joining a union, the more I become confused and intimidated by my lack of knowledge.

Currently I’m trying to understand a teaching union in the same terms as a Student Union. My SU defended the rights of the student, offered incentives to the students, offered advice to the student. This is what I’m hoping for from a Teachers’ Union.

However, my knowledge of the market is shamefully thin. I’ve heard of NUT and NASUWT. Comparing the two from their websites, I have a favourite.  I guess the point of this post is to fish for a bit of advice. Aside from the two mentioned, are there other Unions of merit? What should I expect from being a member of a Union?  Should I even join a Union?

These are kinds of questions buzzing around my head this weekend. What would you suggest?

PGCE Prep.

Apologies for the lack of blog posts: I’ve been moving house. Here I am all installed in my new home. I've called it The Attic. It’s almost perfect (as I type I’m waiting for someone to come and fix the shower). I’m in a great area, surrounded by bistros and parkland; yet conveniently on a street with bus routes at either end. Aside from the neighbour’s yappy dog, it’s fairly quiet too. The other people in the building seem friendly. I am making Jane Eyre comparisons left, right and centre though because my room’s an attic conversion, and a chip in the wall paper tells me that the walls are painted red. Please don’t let me go mad. Overall though, I can see this being a nice little base for the PGCE year.

Arriving two weeks before the course starts has given me the luxury of time (I’m sure I'll appreciate it as a luxury once the course begins anyway). I’ve been exploring: mostly it’s unashamed tourism, but also I’ve been finding my feet; and realising that while the half hour walk to uni is nice on a sunny day, in winter I’m getting the bus.

I’ve also been thinking about what kind of teacher I want to be; and what do I want to gain most from the observations I’ll be taking on my placements (before actually being let loose with a class on my placements). I’m excited about seeing the different approaches and their impacts.  I’ve been pondering what kind of assignments I’ll be asked to write – to be honest, getting to grips with educational theory is something I’m really looking forward to doing, so I’m hoping they’re theory based – and which aspects of education appeal to me most. At the moment they’re just wild thoughts, grounded slightly by what I read online and in books. I suppose I’ll have to wait until the course really gets going before I can begin to solidify my ideas.

Until then, I’m reading Trevor Wright’s How to Be a Brilliant English Teacher. It’s a cracking read, serious without being condescending or dull; just the right amount of humour, actually. I love how Wright uses examples from his experience to ground and illustrate his arguments; and how he introduces a method that can so easily be adapted into a lesson plan for another text. This book offers so much potential. I also enjoy how accessible I’m finding it, even though I have barely any knowledge of how to be a teacher. I think this is because Wright doesn’t try to intimidate the reader with professional terminology. It’s a great starting point but, at the same time, structured so that it will be easy to dip back in to sections for ideas or suggested techniques.

I’m also taking this time to thoroughly prepare myself for the course:

•  I’ve organised The Attic so I have a working zone and living zone.

•  I’m building a file of recipes so I can stay healthy this year.

• I’m arranging my social life. I know it’s going to virtually disappear between 17^th September and July; however, some commitments cannot be ignored, so right now I’m trying to keep them to Saturdays. I’ve already decided, based on everyone’s advice, that Saturday will be my day away from the PGCE. I will take day-trips out of the city on sunny days, and bake/watch films/general reading on rainy days.

•  I’ve organised my desk. I even have a printer!

• I’m reading books not related to the PGCE while I have the time.
  
  
•  I’ve budgeted.
  

• And, next week, I’ll start practising the QTS skills tests.

 I think I’m about ready. Only one week until registration. Just a bit more waiting…