1. Getting Ahead of the Game
A prospective trainee will:
Carefully consider the different types of courses available as initial teacher training (ITT).
Read a couple of books or articles from the recommended reading list.
Gain work experience in a school prior to starting ITT in September.
If you have not already decided on your route into teaching, there are several different routes available to you, which are generally split into two camps: university-led training and school-led training. To find the best option for you, try to discuss the possible routes with current trainees. Before you complete your application for either route you could ask the university, training provider or local school if you could be put in contact with some of their current students. Speaking to them directly about their experiences and the positives and negatives that they have encountered will enable you to make a more informed decision. Have a list of questions ready, for example:
Why did you choose to undertake the particular training route that you are on?
When did you start your first placement? Some start in September, others later, so have you seen any benefits in the timing you encountered?
What support was in place to prepare you for writing at masterâs level?
You will have hopefully completed some work experience in a school setting prior to starting your ITT. Securing a place on an ITT programme should not prevent you from continuing to gain further work experience. Gaining insights from a wider variety of classes â for example, from across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 â will give you an idea of the subject knowledge you will need to develop during your ITT year, as well as the different skills required to teach various age ranges.
You should also try to observe lessons from outside your subject area. You could do this by asking to follow a student around for the day, which will give you an insight into a range of different lessons as well as the studentâs experience of them. Check with the school though, as you may be limited in terms of what you are allowed to do if you do not have a current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly CRB) check.
One of the things that most training providers would expect is for any trainee teacher to have gone into a school for at least five days. I think thatâs important for two reasons: firstly because it gives that person a clear understanding that this is something they actually want to do, so it reinforces their commitment to teaching and, secondly, just from those five days, the trainee teacher reorients themselves to what itâs like being in a school. It allows them to begin to see the similarities to and differences from their own education. Otherwise the only model they go in with is their own teachers, for good or for ill.
I would also hope that they would already have a working understanding of whatâs going on in education now. They would be up to date with some of the debates and arguments that are taking place among teachers and policy makers, and aware of some of the Government policy thatâs coming in and start to form their own informed opinions.
Trainee teachers should take advantage of any subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course offered. You may think that you know your subject because youâve just done your degree, but what youâre not thinking about is how that knowledge might need to be translated into something accessible for pupils. Even if you have a PhD in a subject a short SKE course can really help.
Finally, one thing you mustnât be misled by is the idea that a thriving trainee is the one who always answers questions and appears incredibly confident. My experience is that this does not always reflect reality and some trainees can be overconfident. You shouldnât be intimidated by those peers on your course. Everyone has a range of prior experiences which can be drawn upon and everyone on the course has been selected because the admissions tutors could identify their potential. As such, make sure you have your own voice and donât feel you have to demonstrate you know as much as someone else who may just have a lot to say.
Dr Simon Thompson, Head of Education, University of Sussex
You should also try to gain work experience in more than one school in order to have a more rounded experience. Only working in one school narrows your understanding of how schools work and your sense of what to expect when you are on placement. The more schools you gain experience in, the better prepared you will be for your ITT year. You will be more aware of the variations between schools and better understand what to expect if you are placed in a school which requires particularly strong behaviour management or one where you will need to stretch the most able as a priority. You will also develop a more rounded idea of the type of school that you might eventually want to work in when you are looking for your first teaching post.
While you are observing lessons, ask teachers to talk to you about the planning behind them. This will give you a better idea of what will be expected of you when you start planning your own lessons. Focus your observations on lesson structure and behaviour management. An awareness of these aspects will enable you to progress successfully during your ITT year. Look at the advice in Chapter 15: Observing Others for more ways to get the most out of these experiences.
Teaching is a profession which has a love of acronyms. Being familiar with these before you start your course will help you to understand conversations between teachers without feeling like you are listening to a foreign language. These acronyms will become part of your vocabulary but it can feel daunting when youâre not aware of what half of these even stand for! We will refer to various acronyms throughout the book, so we have included a list of some common ones in the front of the book.
When I was completing my PGCE at the University of Chichester I was asked to speak to some applicants while they were being interviewed for places on the next yearâs course. The potential students were able to ask questions not ...
