PGCE - QTS tests (LIT, NUM & IT)

[Lithium_joe]

All to do tomorrow. Wish me luck....

[becky1986]

good luck

(and thankyou for posting you just reminded me i need to book mine lol)

[david456]

good luck

[Lithium_joe]

Well it was a small matter of minor disasters.

I passed the English (which consisted of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and contextual questions) but faield maths and IT.

For some pretty stupid reasons.

The maths has a mental maths section which gives you 23 seconds to deduce the asnwers. too often I got the answer after 25 seconds. *sigh*

Then there was the issue of colour. white text entry boxes on pale blue are to someone who is colour blind, invisible. Which makes writing the answer down in a timely manner rather hard.

IT was a complete disaster: I was doing well and progressing rapidly, the message came up - 'close down applications and quit" so I closed down the applications and quit... out of the exam. and it was impossible to log back in. I'm not allowed to restart a test nor can i retake on the same day and I am unlikely to get another chance until February. However, you can't book that far ahead yet.

So 1/3 a success but what a disappointing day.

[eoakley]

I am currantly trying to pass the tests to ensure that I get my QTS in June/ July
I have now had 6 attempts at the literacy test and slowly losing all motivation I had, I am very tempted to write to some chief executive of teacher training and tell them how these tests are discriminating against dyslexic and dyspraxic people I keep failing by between 2-5 marks which is quite annoying on the spelling and punctuation sections.

The ICT test is an impossibility in the time I dont think this is testing my ICT skill at all its just testing my ability to read and interpret instructions which takes me so much time the TDA don't yet have a test with 50% extra time.

I managed to pass the numeracy test on the 3rd attempt after I was given the mental arithmatic onscreen.

[Lithium_joe]

I passed them all in the end. so keep trying. (failed the PGCE ultimately though . )

[cpr02]

Good luck

[eoakley]

Thanks, I am on cause for concern at the moment this goes to a risk of failure in may If I am still causing concern I am there as my last school was an independant school, the mentor just exopected me to be able to do everything that a teacher can do, and didn't appreciate my dyslexia and dyspraxia, but I am now at placement 2 my mentor there seems lovely and supportive and doen't rush through anything, its also a state school similar to the one I went too so think I am going to get on a lot better, just wish I could get these test out of the way then it would be one less thing I need to worry about.

[Lithium_joe]

Sounds very similar. I had a cause for concern warning too. In the end my coping strategies failed. I wish yuo luck in averting the same fate.

It seemed to me that understanding tolerance and support for dyspraxia / dyslexia ends the moment you set foot off the university campus.

[eoakley]

I think it definatly does, teachers are all for differentiation and inclusion in their lessons for their students, but when it comes to give a member of staff a bit more support. they considor you to be a burdon who is taking up too much of their valuable time.
but hopefully my new school has more of a clue they have a wider diversity of students and many more who have special needs, my mentor sometimes made me wonder if he really had an understanding of what dyspraxia was. But at the moment I think the key to success is going to be maintaining my determination and trying to gain confidence in what I am teaching, or a least learning to pretend to be confident.

[eoakley]

Hi all
I thought I would up date you all on my current situation, I have now with drawn from my PGCE placement I have the potential to be a good teacher but need more time My tutor visited me on the 26 of march and told me that she don't think I can pass in 6 weeks I agree. so I have decided to call the placement a day and keep the other modules and gain some masters credits at the end of the couse in june instead of failing it all. I still want to be a geography but am currently seeking alturnative route in to it, like a gtp or becoming a LSA for a bit then redoing the PGCE in a couple of years once I have develped my confidence and look at bit older then the kids will respect me a little more.

Emma