h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Assuming I pass the course, anyway.

Of course you'll pass. Don't be silly.

Yep!

What Hyp said! *hic*



lil xx

We're approaching the time of year when teaching starts to happen.

Yes I know. Fortunately I won't be in a school for a few weeks yet, and to start with it's just once a week.

How will the students learn from you if you only teach once a week>

That's not quite the point. We'll be getting used to the school and observing lessons. They might get us to do some teaching, but the placement proper starts in November.

Okay, now I understand.

Bagpuss is the student here too. He'll be closely supervised, probably the normal teacher or another member of staff will stay in the room and observe, then give constructive feedback later on. Also university tutors will visit and do the same.

Even if this year is passed there's still another year - what used to be called a probationary year - when the status moves from student teacher to newly qualified teacher (NQT). Sometimes people don't pass that straight away, or need extra time.

Got it!

Interesting. Teacher training is quite a lot different in the US. Or at least it used to be. I keep forgetting that I haven't been in school in 40 years.

It all depends over here. Not all PGCE courses are the same (Trinity has more college time than most), and there are other options, such as SCITT, which stands for School-Centred Initial Teacher Training and pretty much does what it says on the tin.

I still have occasional nightmares about my own teacher training sessions 40 years ago.

I'm figuring that it can't be much worse than having to explain to people that we'd run out of the free Daily Mail DVD when I worked at WHSmiths.

Good point!

Oh you don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
Till the day I die, till the day I die.

Three unions to be accurate - they all give free membership to trainees. They were round the college this week giving out freebies, so I have three diaries, three wallcharts, five pens, some sticky labels, a computer disc and a bunch of booklets and leaflets.

Was the Temperance Union one of them?

(Just kidding. )

I'm not sure if they'd be allowed on campus - they're very much antithetical to university life.

Well put!

Yes, we had all the unions in this week too. I managed to sneak some freebies myself too! The highlighters were voted as the most useful.

As part of their professional development we're sending them all off here: http://www.teachingexhibitions.co.uk/Exhibitions/TES_Teaching_Exhibition/TES_Education/2010/ where the freebie potential is quite high as well.