Teaching

[Jon MW]

... but I was told by a teacher a few years ago the best thing she learned was not to smile for the first 3 weeks.

If they get to think you're a cow and get used to doing what you tell them straight away, you can loosen up and relax a bit more with time.

If they think they can push you at all in the first few days, you'll always be fighting them.

Sounds good to me, but then, I've always been a git.

I heard this theory as well - fundamentally I think it might be a sound one.

But I always smiled, and I always got on with my pupils, and they never misbehaved.

I failed the PGCE on classroom management - the feedback I got was that I wasn't making them behave, they were only behaving because they liked me.

(Also another reason for me not to give any advice, as I didn't actually pass the course)

[Longy]

... but I was told by a teacher a few years ago the best thing she learned was not to smile for the first 3 weeks.

If they get to think you're a cow and get used to doing what you tell them straight away, you can loosen up and relax a bit more with time.

If they think they can push you at all in the first few days, you'll always be fighting them.

Sounds good to me, but then, I've always been a git.

I heard this theory as well - fundamentally I think it might be a sound one.

But I always smiled, and I always got on with my pupils, and they never misbehaved.

I failed the PGCE on classroom management - the feedback I got was that I wasn't making them behave, they were only behaving because they liked me.
(Also another reason for me not to give any advice, as I didn't actually pass the course)

Wow that is pretty disgusting imo, as long as the kids behave and learn, the teacher is doing their job imo.

There are many different teaching styles that are effective, from scaring the life out of them. To gaining a general respect from your pupils through basically being a likeable person.

The one thing you do have to do is get the class to respect you and your authority. Consistency is absolutely key here, kids like boundaries of what they can and can't do.

I would advise going in with a pretty strict attitude and once you have got them where you want them. Then you can ease up and let your natural personality come through into your teaching. I learnt this the hard way, where I was too soft in my first few weeks in my first school and it was a hell of an effort to bring them back in line.

[PocketLady]

...

GL for the course, I did a Uni centred PGCE course (but even when you do that 2/3 of it is in school like your one).

To be honest I think the government pushing for this type of course is because it is cheaper and easier to run than the Uni centred one - so hopefully you get the same level of back up as the other type.

I taught maths so I don't think there's too much overlap with your course - but all the best for the rest of the year.

Yeah the fees are only £1200 a year for us, whereas all the uni's tend to charge the maximum £3000.  I'm not sure what the uni based PGCE course is like, but it seems like we get an awful lot of support on this one.  I generally think uni's quite often just tell you what you need to know, and then it's up to you to do the work and make sure you keep up.  The impression I got yesterday is that they are going to drag us kicking and screaming through this course and make sure as many of us as possible pass it (obviously in a nice way).  Before yesterday I thought that maybe this type of course wouldn't be as good as a "normal" PGCE.  You know how it is, they bring in all these vocational qualfications and try and to claim that they are as good as normal academic qualfications, but employers still don't see them as being as good as traditional qualifications.  But with this course I really get the impression that it is going to be as good as, if not better than a normal course.  I certainly hope so anyway! 

And obviously the huge advantage is the long holidays, perfect for poker if you ask me....

My image of this course is just an image, I don't know anybody that's done one (that's my disclaimer).

On my PGCE we spent a bit of time learning some teaching theory, then a bit of time applying it to teaching some small groups who had difficulty with particular problems. Then the last 2 terms were teaching at 2 different schools. My impression of the school based one was that you were more 'thrown in at the deep end'.

But what you've suggested about the support you're getting makes me think that might not be entirely accurate.

Both ways fundamentally involve a lot of teaching so I don't see the final result being judged any differently.

Yes I shouldn't imagine it's too different.  We have a lecture on Monday mornings, and then Thursday evenings for subject specific knowledge, and then 3 days a week in school which is gradually built up to 5 days a week by the final term.  I think it's the law that you have to do 120 days in school so it probably works out roughly the same.  Although I will come out with a PGCE it's slightly different because the uni based courses it's a Postgraduate Certifcate in Education, but I'll get a Professional Certificate in Education, or something like that.  Still get the same opportunity to do work at Master's level, but I'll see how it goes...

[PocketLady]

... but I was told by a teacher a few years ago the best thing she learned was not to smile for the first 3 weeks.

If they get to think you're a cow and get used to doing what you tell them straight away, you can loosen up and relax a bit more with time.

If they think they can push you at all in the first few days, you'll always be fighting them.

Sounds good to me, but then, I've always been a git.

I heard this theory as well - fundamentally I think it might be a sound one.

But I always smiled, and I always got on with my pupils, and they never misbehaved.

I failed the PGCE on classroom management - the feedback I got was that I wasn't making them behave, they were only behaving because they liked me.
(Also another reason for me not to give any advice, as I didn't actually pass the course)

Wow that is pretty disgusting imo, as long as the kids behave and learn, the teacher is doing their job imo.

There are many different teaching styles that are effective, from scaring the life out of them. To gaining a general respect from your pupils through basically being a likeable person.

The one thing you do have to do is get the class to respect you and your authority. Consistency is absolutely key here, kids like boundaries of what they can and can't do.

I would advise going in with a pretty strict attitude and once you have got them where you want them. Then you can ease up and let your natural personality come through into your teaching. I learnt this the hard way, where I was too soft in my first few weeks in my first school and it was a hell of an effort to bring them back in line.

The teacher I would most like to be like was my history teacher that I had in the last year of my GCSEs.  Until that point I had been predicted a C in history.  I hated it, my other teacher was horrible, really strict and no sense of humour.  I got into a lot of trouble that year and got suspended for other reasons, but when I came back we had a new history teacher who was a complete breath of fresh air.  She was great, and actually made learning that boring syllabus fun.  The first lesson she told us we would have a test the next week to see how much we knew, and I went home and revised so hard for that test just because I wanted to impress her.  But even though she was fun, you knew that you couldn't mess her about, right from the get go.  I ended up getting an A in my history GCSE and it was all because of her, she made me WANT to learn, which was something completely new for me. 

The good thing is that we are not going to be introduced as "trainee teachers" or "student teachers".  Although kids are pretty astute and will probably pick up on it eventually, we are introduced as teachers straight away which will probably help a bit with classroom management.  It's somehow finding the balance between being fun and being respected.  I'm sure I'll work it out as I go along, I hope so anyway!



Thanks to everyone for the nice messages.  I'm sooo excited!  Bad thing is I've got to go to bed in like 2 hours which is ridiculous.  I think this transition from getting up at 4pm and going to bed at 6am to getting up at 6am is going to be my first big obstacle...

[Graham C]

GL PL, hope it all works out for you

[Snatiramas]

Good for you........finding a way through this life appears to get harder and harder and to have found a path that makes you want to get up and do is a great discovery

I wish you every success..........funnily enough I always wanted to become a teacher or a writer......not sure how I ended up selling graphics tablets....ho hum

[Laxie]

Delighted to hear it's worked out for you and all the best for the future! 

[PocketLady]

Well I'm about a week and a half into the course now and it's going great!  The school I'm at is absolutely amazing, I literally couldn't have asked for a better place to train.  On my first day me and the other two trainees who are at my school were met by the Assistant Head, who also happens to be an ex-Olympic Athlete (PE teacher funnily enough!) and an OBE and the nicest woman in the world.  She introduced me to my mentor who is the Head of Music and also happens to be bloody brilliant and is obviously an excellent teacher. 

So far it's mainly been observing lessons and getting involved with group activites, but my mentor told me today that I can start teaching as soon as I feel I'm ready.  To start off with I will probably teach sections of lessons gradually building up to teaching full lessons with supervision, and then eventually I'll be left on my own!  There's only one A Level Music student in the sixth form so I've already done some 1 to 1 teaching him.

After experiencing it for a week (and yes, nothing has gone wrong yet) I'm positive that this is what I am supposed to be doing.  In every job I've ever done until now after two days at it I'm sat there day in day out watching the clock until it's time to go home.  Everyday so far I've been shocked when the last bell goes and it's home time, and today I was even a little dissappointed!  I'm sure the disappointment will wear off after a few weeks and I'll be happy to go home, but it's just so nice to be doing something I seem to really love. 

Over the last year or so I've oftened wondered why I even bothered doing a degree, or A Levels, but I remember why I did it now.  It was so that when I'm a grown up I won't wake up every morning thinking "Oh ffs, work again", and I think I've actually got there.   

The only downside is the immense amount of paperwork I have to do as a trainee.  Most of it is done online now which is a blessing, but it just seems like enourmous amounts of waffling for the sake of waffling.  But other than that, I can't fault anything at all.  The thing I like most about it is that everyone, the teachers at school, the lecturers, are all obviously so passionate about what they do, and that's such a great atmosphere to be part of. 

Roll on tomorrow! 

[ChipRich]

Just seen this

All the best, gl!

[mondatoo]

Just seen this

All the best, gl!

+1

[The-Crow]

lets put this back up the top again

[Amatay]

Congrats with teaching thing PockerLady. I was a lecturer in a college for 6 yrs before turning to the darkside and playing poker for a living and being a teacher is deffo a very rewarding job at times plus the holidays are lush :-) glglglglgl

[bolt pp]

I was a lecturer in a college for 6 yrs

wtf

you look about 16 in your picture

[Longy]

I was a lecturer in a college for 6 yrs

wtf

you look about 16 in your picture

While in reality he looks about 35, lol.