‘Successful Teaching Placement’ by Jane Medwell

As promised, here is a review of Jane Medwell’s ‘Successful Teaching Placement: Primary and Early Years’. This is the 2nd edition of the book which I bought on eBay. It was listed as ‘New’ and it definitely hadn’t been used before. The books discuses how to prepare for your teaching placements and make the most out of school-based experience. There is plenty of advice and suggestions to help trainees to:

• Gather and analyse key information about the school and class
• Observe, plan and evaluate lessons
• Gradually widen your role within the school
• Deal with key assessment experiences, including target setting, levelling work and record keeping
• Understand the role of your mentor and manage your personal assessment
• Cope with challenges such as working with others, behaviour and child protection issues
• Review progress and maximise the benefits of your placement moving forward

I read this book whilst on the bus to and from work and I got through it quite quickly. I missed a few sections which aren’t relevant right now but I can honestly say that I have learnt a lot and I feel a lot more prepared. This book tells you everything you need to and want to know about placement without feeling like an idiot! You’re not expected to know everything on the first day but this books tells you how to prepare and what is expected of you, your mentor, your placement and the school.

There are a number of handy links to help with professional development and a variety of practical tasks to undertake whilst on placement. There are also a few examples of forms (planning, assessment, out of school, observation, etc) which will definitely come in handy.

This book is fantastic and I would highly recommend it. The writing style is easy to understand and it is clear. There is no confusing, professional jargon to put readers off. Everything you need to know about having a successful teaching placement has been crammed into 149 pages – after reading it I think and hope that you and I will!

Rachel

Behaviour Management

One of the most challenging aspects of being a teacher is behaviour management. This also happens to be one of my weaknesses and is something I need to control once I become a trainee teacher. I tend to go for the calm approach when I am faced with bad behaviour, when I should be raising my voice and showing my disapproval. In my head, the scenario is different. I raise my voice, give a speech on how disappointed I am and the child responds in a positive way. Unfortunately, the good old-fashioned telling off is rubbing off on today’s generation of children. They are so used to being shouted and screamed at by their parents at home, that when they are being told off in school it has little to no effect. Today I had to tell a child off (I work as a teaching assistant) who persistently ignored my instructions for him to move places and when punishment was mentioned, he replied with ‘So what?‘.

Throughout my education, I always had respect for my teachers, even the ones I didn’t like very much. I knew it was wrong to answer back or argue with a teacher, yet I have witnessed such events in the school where I work and it shocks me. Children don’t have the same respect for adults as they used to. This is something that I really want to work on as a trainee teacher. It is important to develop a behaviour management plan or strategy that will work for both the teacher and class, creating a positive learning environment. Another thing that concerns me is manners! There are not as many ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’s anymore and some children want, want, want… then get, get, get. Is it silly to think that all children should be taught, maybe once a week, how to use manners? Even if it was for 15 minutes, I think it would make a big difference and could help improve relationships within the classroom.

I have a lot of ideas of what I expect from a class and I musn’t be afraid to show my assertiveness. We must remember that no school and no class is the same. On a teaching placement, you might be given a horrible class with no respect and no manners… or you might be given a class full of angels who hang on to your every word. Either way, tailor your behaviour management plan or strategies so that they are specific and relevant to all children in that class.

Here are some links to websites which I have found useful:
http://headguruteacher.com/2013/01/06/behaviour-management-a-bill-rogers-top-10/
http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2010/feb/09/pupil-behaviour-management-tips
http://www.huntingenglish.com/2013/12/10/top-ten-tips-behaviour-management/

Hopefully when I start my teaching placements, I will be able to reflect upon and share with you how my behaviour management progresses. In a way I am glad I’ve been able to experience bad behaviour; it will be less of a shock if I come across it as a trainee teacher and I will be able to deal with the situation as professionally as possible. Undoubtedly, there will be a few people on the course who haven’t seen a badly behaved child, or at least had to deal with one!

Rachel

“Which route into teaching is right for me?”

This questions has often been asked by those who are thinking about teaching once they have finished their undergraduate degree. It can be quite a tricky decision because there are a few different routes into teaching.

SCITT
A SCITT is short for school-centered initial teacher training. The SCITT programme is what I will be doing in September. It is different to a PGCE because rather than spending the majority of the year in university, you are on placement in schools for most of the time. Taught lessons about teaching theory, practice, knowledge and understanding take place in small centres and you are taught by experienced, practising teachers. I prefer the SCITT programme; I feel as though I have a better understanding of what it’s like to be a teacher because I will be on long-term placements for most of the year. As a trainee teacher, you need as much hands on experience as you can to build you up for your first year as a qualified teacher. Many, not all, SCITT programmes award you a PGCE validated by a higher education institution. My course awards a PGCE through one of the local universities. If you are interested in the SCITT programme, please check course websites to see whether they award a PGCE. In simple terms, this means that you will attend a graduation ceremony. If you prefer spending more time training in the classroom, putting theory into practice and gaining confidence through increased contact with the school environment, then a SCITT programme is a good option for you!

PGCE
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses are available at universities and colleges throughout the UK. A PGCE includes academic tuition through lectures, seminars and tutorials and teaching experience includes two placements in local schools. Although several routes exist, a PGCE is the most popular way into teaching. You will undoubtedly be juggling academic assignment deadlines with full-time lesson planning and teaching! If you prefer a good balance between university life and the school environment, then this is an ideal option.

Are there any other routes?
There are two other routes into teaching (there might be more, like research in schools). These include School Direct and Teach First. School Direct is employment-based training for exceptional graduates with at least three years experience. When I say ‘exceptional’, they usually want the best of the best because the programme will pay you a bursary of up to £20,000 to help with costs. They also offer scholarships of £25,000. So… they aren’t going to waste money on graduates with no experience and average qualifications. Teach First is a charity which offers a two-year programme and is another employment-based route. Trainees are given intensive training from day one, full teaching responsibilities (again, from day one) and a nice salary. If you are interested in either of these routes, do your research and do a lot. I have heard that these programmes can be very stressful; they are more intense than a PGCE or SCITT programme and you are expected to be the finished article from the start.

I hope this advice helps and please remember to do your research! Before I applied for teacher training, I made a Word document and looked through all the course providers I found the most ‘appealing’ on UCAS. I wrote down all the course requirements, important information, course structures, etc and based my decisions on this. I applied for various PGCE and SCITT programmes and had interviews for both. It helps to look on forums too, including The Student Room (www.thestudentroom.co.uk). Be careful not to read too much into other peoples opinions though! Remember, this is your choice and only you can decide which route is right for you.

Rachel

The journey so far…

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to my blog! I created this blog as a means of sharing my journey with others as I become a primary school teacher. I’m Rachel, a twenty-four year old postgraduate with ambitions of sharing my passion for teaching with others and enabling children to become better thinkers and learners.

It has taken me two years to get onto a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and I will begin my journey in September. I have mentally prepared myself for the trials and tribulations that come with such a demanding course but I know how rewarding teaching is. No two days are the same and the face a child makes when they have achieved something speaks volumes.

What’s the journey so far? I did a three year degree in Fine Art, and to put it bluntly, I did not enjoy the course. There was a lot of negativity surrounding the attitude of the tutors, the course structure wasn’t planned very well and there was a general lack of enthusiasm from almost everyone. I knew after the first year that it wasn’t the course for me, but at the time quitting wasn’t really an option and I stuck it out to the very end. Although it was an emotionally painful experience, I graduated and I was proud of myself… but I knew that university life should have meant something more. Once I graduated I have a few menial jobs before I decided to volunteer in a primary school. Instantly I knew that this is what I should have done at university – teaching.

Since then I have worked in different primary schools and on a playscheme during the school holidays and my experiences have differed from place to place. I have seen how challenging it is, working in a school and with children, but I have seen how the children look up to their teachers as their main source of inspiration and guidance. I took the plunge and applied for teacher training last year and got 3 interviews but I wasn’t successful. After these interviews, I had enough time to mull things over and I realised I needed more time and more experience. I’m glad I did this because the job I have now has enabled me to prepare for the demands of a PGCE. I applied again in December 2013 and this year round I had 1 interview… and I was successful! I had an interview at the same place last year and it really helped to keep in touch and express my interest in applying for the course again. I passed the professional skills tests (English first time, Maths second time), which all trainee teachers must undertake before they start a teacher training course, and I knew then that the new path of my journey had begun. I will try and explain more about these tests in a later post, for anybody who is yet to take them and may not be feeling too confident about taking them.

My blog aims to share with you my daily, weekly and monthly experiences leading up to and during my PGCE year. Hopefully it will be of some use to people who are thinking about teaching! I will try to review books I have bought, discuss CPD courses I have attended, etc… hopefully to give people a better understanding of what it’s like to become and be a trainee teacher. Throughout my blog I would like personal details, names of universities, schools, etc to remain anonymous… – the reasons for, I am sure you will understand!

Well, that’s enough from me for today. If you would like to know more, please leave a comment on any of my posts and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Enjoy!

Rachel