PGCE
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PGCE
i've got an interview for one. a week on wednesday on the 12th. Am just starting to prepare for it now. Not sure what it involves till i get a letter from them - scary. So glad they offered me an interview though i've been impatiently waiting for ages. I'm quite excited though - just to hope i get through the interview now!
Well done on getting one. My interview is on wednesday! I'm so completely unprepared! I know its 2 days away yet but i have a christmas concert to play in tonight and tomorrow which only cuts down the time i have to prepare myself! I'm also quite excited though. And so glad its before christmas, rather than in january in the middle of my exams!
I have to do a literacy test, a presentation of an aspect of maths i enjoy (which is representing data), and the interview.
I've kinda spent a long time writing my presentation and no time learning it or preparing for any other parts of the interview. So need to get up to speed quickly on current issues - a friend got rejected from the same place because she hadnt done this.
Good luck with yours and your preparing - ~Lucy
I have to do a literacy test, a presentation of an aspect of maths i enjoy (which is representing data), and the interview.
I've kinda spent a long time writing my presentation and no time learning it or preparing for any other parts of the interview. So need to get up to speed quickly on current issues - a friend got rejected from the same place because she hadnt done this.
Good luck with yours and your preparing - ~Lucy
My interview went..... well i'm not too sure actually.
My presentation went fine - i was confident and had no nerves. I did it mostly without notes too, and managed to get past the word i always get stuck and stutter on. I was really so happy with how this bit went
The subject knowledge questions went horribly wrong. She asked me about a topic i did a moduleon last year - but my mind blanked and i couldnt remember it. As soon as she told me the answer i remembered of course and it all came flooding back. Was disapointed in that bit.
The interview itself was a mixture. I wasnt nervous at all and was confident again (unexpected), but although i talked sufficiently and answered all the questions, the questions were hard - on things i hadnt really thought about. Trying to think on the spot quickly i didnt seem to say the points she was looking for in any of the questions. I did badly in this bit too.
All that resulted in me leaving much more nervous than i was when i entered, and with absolutely no idea what the outcome could be. Overall it didnt go well at all. But it was my first ever interview and presentation ever, and i was so happy at how amazingly well my presentation went that i don't really care if they reject me cos of the rubbish every thing else.. Am thinking of a second choice to put down though. (just in case)
Lucy
My presentation went fine - i was confident and had no nerves. I did it mostly without notes too, and managed to get past the word i always get stuck and stutter on. I was really so happy with how this bit went
The subject knowledge questions went horribly wrong. She asked me about a topic i did a moduleon last year - but my mind blanked and i couldnt remember it. As soon as she told me the answer i remembered of course and it all came flooding back. Was disapointed in that bit.
The interview itself was a mixture. I wasnt nervous at all and was confident again (unexpected), but although i talked sufficiently and answered all the questions, the questions were hard - on things i hadnt really thought about. Trying to think on the spot quickly i didnt seem to say the points she was looking for in any of the questions. I did badly in this bit too.
All that resulted in me leaving much more nervous than i was when i entered, and with absolutely no idea what the outcome could be. Overall it didnt go well at all. But it was my first ever interview and presentation ever, and i was so happy at how amazingly well my presentation went that i don't really care if they reject me cos of the rubbish every thing else..
Am thinking of a second choice to put down though. (just in case)Lucy
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gherkin001
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Lithium_joe
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Congratulations.
Now here's my advice.
I am knee deep in ankle biters myself on a PGCE of my own and I am finding that my dyspraxia is making life already quite difficult organisationally.
So let me impart some observations that may help you down the line.
*Be super- hyper organised as best as you can be.*
This means getting planning done ahead of time. keeping records up to date and filed. Have 'to do' lists so you remember to have all the resources ready for the children and pre-sorted if needs be. Having an overview of your placements is crucial since reflecting on your practice is half the battle and if you are swamped then you may feel too overwhelmed to reflect.
If writing is difficult for you (I was pulled up for writing 'slowly') then use computers to your advantage most schools will have an interactive whiteboard so get used to creating powerpoint presentations (i.e start playing about now so you can find all the cool animations and perfect the art of time objects and new slides to appear.
Now is the time to get reading. Have a working knowledge of educational theory will stand you in VERY good stead for writing essays and assignments but knowing *where* to look and will help you achieve the professional reflection that will mark you down as a good student teacher since it WILL feed into how you teach in the classroom.
I can ply you with my readings lists if it is useful and suggest some books you may like to track down. This time between now and the PGCE starting is golden and not to be wasted because, trust me, once it starts free time is a fiction and if your not on placement then you're studying and having a clue what your doing ahead of time will assist you absolutely.
I'll repeat my congratulations because well done PGCE's are fiercely competitive and we are both united by the fact that our respective universities saw within us the potential to be good teachers otherwise they would not have taken us and this is a thought to take some comfort in.
However, this is merely the first hurdle and I do sincerely advise that you use the time you have now to advance your position come next September as meanigfully and thoroughly as you can. Get some experience in a classroom if possible and by the way start researching activities and 'things you can do' becasue you will learn how to craft an objective and to teach the rudiments of the curriculum but having a bank of activites that you can use will be staggeringly useful.
Likewise. when I say 'get reading' find your local library's children's department and start going through the picture books and age-relevant novels. Thematic teaching is in vogue and lessons are often interrelated around a central theme. If you are told to go and teach literacy based around a seaside theme, for instance - can you think which book you might use? If not then look to expand your knowledge of accessible children's literature that you can use to get a teaching point across. For instance 'Tom and Lucy go to the Seaside' by Shirely Hughes is quite good but maybe you can find something better.
Read children's books for things like theme, structure, vocabulary and audience because when you have to extract, say, time connectives (before, after, first, then, next, finally) in the books are there examples of where they are used to structure the story? If they are then you can use that book to model how you write in a sense of beginning, middle and end as well as being thematic about the seaside. This is the kind of knowledge you can build up now ahead of the PGCE and it will be worth it.
Well done, once again.
LJ.
Now here's my advice.
I am knee deep in ankle biters myself on a PGCE of my own and I am finding that my dyspraxia is making life already quite difficult organisationally.
So let me impart some observations that may help you down the line.
*Be super- hyper organised as best as you can be.*
This means getting planning done ahead of time. keeping records up to date and filed. Have 'to do' lists so you remember to have all the resources ready for the children and pre-sorted if needs be. Having an overview of your placements is crucial since reflecting on your practice is half the battle and if you are swamped then you may feel too overwhelmed to reflect.
If writing is difficult for you (I was pulled up for writing 'slowly') then use computers to your advantage most schools will have an interactive whiteboard so get used to creating powerpoint presentations (i.e start playing about now so you can find all the cool animations and perfect the art of time objects and new slides to appear.
Now is the time to get reading. Have a working knowledge of educational theory will stand you in VERY good stead for writing essays and assignments but knowing *where* to look and will help you achieve the professional reflection that will mark you down as a good student teacher since it WILL feed into how you teach in the classroom.
I can ply you with my readings lists if it is useful and suggest some books you may like to track down. This time between now and the PGCE starting is golden and not to be wasted because, trust me, once it starts free time is a fiction and if your not on placement then you're studying and having a clue what your doing ahead of time will assist you absolutely.
I'll repeat my congratulations because well done PGCE's are fiercely competitive and we are both united by the fact that our respective universities saw within us the potential to be good teachers otherwise they would not have taken us and this is a thought to take some comfort in.
However, this is merely the first hurdle and I do sincerely advise that you use the time you have now to advance your position come next September as meanigfully and thoroughly as you can. Get some experience in a classroom if possible and by the way start researching activities and 'things you can do' becasue you will learn how to craft an objective and to teach the rudiments of the curriculum but having a bank of activites that you can use will be staggeringly useful.
Likewise. when I say 'get reading' find your local library's children's department and start going through the picture books and age-relevant novels. Thematic teaching is in vogue and lessons are often interrelated around a central theme. If you are told to go and teach literacy based around a seaside theme, for instance - can you think which book you might use? If not then look to expand your knowledge of accessible children's literature that you can use to get a teaching point across. For instance 'Tom and Lucy go to the Seaside' by Shirely Hughes is quite good but maybe you can find something better.
Read children's books for things like theme, structure, vocabulary and audience because when you have to extract, say, time connectives (before, after, first, then, next, finally) in the books are there examples of where they are used to structure the story? If they are then you can use that book to model how you write in a sense of beginning, middle and end as well as being thematic about the seaside. This is the kind of knowledge you can build up now ahead of the PGCE and it will be worth it.
Well done, once again.
LJ.
Thanks for that Lj. organisation and writing on the board are going to be things i will find difficult i think in the pgce. however since i'm in for doing secondary maths writing on a whiteboard is probably at times still quicker than using it due to the nature of maths.
right now. i need to start revising for my january exams. but after that i do plan to start preparing for the pgce. even now. at degree level. there are some areas of maths that i simply "didnt get" at gcse/alevel. and due to only choosing areas of maths i enjoy during my degree i havent seen them again. so some revision of gcse/alevel matierial would be good for me i think.
also some reading. i have access to a library that has some education books. but if theres anything particularly usefull to read that you;ve found of, then if you could poss message me the title, i can look it up.
if i can possibly get some experience in between now and september. i will. because i dont think anything could prepare me more for the pgce than observing teachers teach.
its going to be a hard year. so i'm glad i have secured a place early on, and hope to use the spare time i have to prepare myself in what ways i can.
Lucy
right now. i need to start revising for my january exams. but after that i do plan to start preparing for the pgce. even now. at degree level. there are some areas of maths that i simply "didnt get" at gcse/alevel. and due to only choosing areas of maths i enjoy during my degree i havent seen them again. so some revision of gcse/alevel matierial would be good for me i think.
also some reading. i have access to a library that has some education books. but if theres anything particularly usefull to read that you;ve found of, then if you could poss message me the title, i can look it up.
if i can possibly get some experience in between now and september. i will. because i dont think anything could prepare me more for the pgce than observing teachers teach.
its going to be a hard year. so i'm glad i have secured a place early on, and hope to use the spare time i have to prepare myself in what ways i can.
Lucyhi Lucy
I am glad that your interview was a success and congratulations on gaining your place on your place on the PGCE.
I am absolutely petrified about my interview on thursday, I have prepared my presentation it had to be on a favourite place of mine so i have done it on my home, got some smart clothes. my main concern is getting through the literacy and writing assesments, because I use my Laptop for most written things now, I feel a bit sceared to contact the university and tell them I will need a laptop for these things because i think it might jepodise my future career as a teacher. I have told them on the application form that I have Dyslexia and Dyspraxia hope this will make them a little bit more understanding.
Emma
I am glad that your interview was a success and congratulations on gaining your place on your place on the PGCE.
I am absolutely petrified about my interview on thursday, I have prepared my presentation it had to be on a favourite place of mine so i have done it on my home, got some smart clothes. my main concern is getting through the literacy and writing assesments, because I use my Laptop for most written things now, I feel a bit sceared to contact the university and tell them I will need a laptop for these things because i think it might jepodise my future career as a teacher. I have told them on the application form that I have Dyslexia and Dyspraxia hope this will make them a little bit more understanding.
Emma
Hi emma. Good luck for your interview. yeah i had to do a presentation too. (on representing data). my interview went rubishly (my mind just kept going blank), but the interviewer said she liked my presentation style. which made up for it i think.
its good to practise your presentation in front of someone. the presentation is usefull to see what you'll be like in the classroom (even though i think thats completely different), so be confident.
yeah i had a literacy test too. for us iwe sat in a room. got a piece of paper each with the question "what makes an effective [insert subject here] teacher". we had 20 minutes to do it. doing maths, i'm not used to writing words anyway, so what with writing by hand, trying to make it make sense, and the paper having no lines on it mine wasn't fantastic. everyone else seemed to have written nearlytwo sides and mine was like jst over half a side. but ah well. try not to be too petrified about it, or ring the uni and see what they say.
i hope your interview goes well on thurs, and that your preparation is going well. let us know how it goes. Lucy
its good to practise your presentation in front of someone. the presentation is usefull to see what you'll be like in the classroom (even though i think thats completely different), so be confident.
yeah i had a literacy test too. for us iwe sat in a room. got a piece of paper each with the question "what makes an effective [insert subject here] teacher". we had 20 minutes to do it. doing maths, i'm not used to writing words anyway, so what with writing by hand, trying to make it make sense, and the paper having no lines on it mine wasn't fantastic. everyone else seemed to have written nearlytwo sides and mine was like jst over half a side. but ah well. try not to be too petrified about it, or ring the uni and see what they say.
i hope your interview goes well on thurs, and that your preparation is going well. let us know how it goes. Lucy
Hi
its done although i feel relieved I also feel a little dissapointed dont really know why. The interview went ok i think, all they did was nod and say ok just agreeing not giving much away.
written tasks were ok i had to write about how i percieve a good secondary geography teacher not too bad thanks for a hint Lucy. was quite well prepared. and had to write about the recommendation for a school for a friend child was prety random but think ok. also write a swot analysis relating to teaching.
The group observation task was watching a video and talking about it as a group.
but for now I will assume i didnt get a place cos wont find out till new year and it will be a suprise if i do that way i wont be to dissapointed if i dont.
Lucy thank for your help.
Emma
its done although i feel relieved I also feel a little dissapointed dont really know why. The interview went ok i think, all they did was nod and say ok just agreeing not giving much away.
written tasks were ok i had to write about how i percieve a good secondary geography teacher not too bad thanks for a hint Lucy. was quite well prepared. and had to write about the recommendation for a school for a friend child was prety random but think ok. also write a swot analysis relating to teaching.
The group observation task was watching a video and talking about it as a group.
but for now I will assume i didnt get a place cos wont find out till new year and it will be a suprise if i do that way i wont be to dissapointed if i dont.
Lucy thank for your help.
Emma