What's Teaching Practice actually like?

pm123

For the Dip in secondary teaching, can anyone give a detailed account of what the actual teaching practice itself is like - what years are you usually given to teach? How much freedom do you have? Do you follow exactly what the teacher tells you to teach? It must be very hard to be thrown in at the deep end and be expected to be respected by a class of 30 teenagers... I can imagine it's very difficult. For Gaeilge, English or Music, say, what kind of format does the TP take in terms of what you would be teaching, etc.? How does TP differ from actual teaching as a 'real' teacher when you're qualified? Any info on this topic would be great - thanks!

Millem

pm123 wrote: »

For the Dip in secondary teaching, can anyone give a detailed account of what the actual teaching practice itself is like - what years are you usually given to teach? How much freedom do you have? Do you follow exactly what the teacher tells you to teach? It must be very hard to be thrown in at the deep end and be expected to be respected by a class of 30 teenagers... I can imagine it's very difficult. For Gaeilge, English or Music, say, what kind of format does the TP take in terms of what you would be teaching, etc.? How does TP differ from actual teaching as a 'real' teacher when you're qualified? Any info on this topic would be great - thanks!

I can't really tell you anything about the Dip as I did a B.Ed but I remember I head of education's advice was "don't smile to Christmas"! Which imho is great advice as you can always ease back on your discipline but it's very hard to regain it! The biggest mistake teachers make with regards to discipline is they try and "be cool" and try and befriend the students. Seriously the kids have no respect for those teachers and run rings around them! Also follow all the schools policy and "be nice" to your master teacher! The master teacher gives feedback on you and may even need to fill out forms about you, follow any advice they give you. The last thing they want is 'a know it all' coming in telling them they are wrong (even though they have been teaching 25 years!) Getting on well in the school counts for a lot if a job ever comes up in the future. Every year I get students in on TP my biggest gripe with their colleges are they are expected to do very unrealistic things in their lessons that there is no way you could possibly do if you had to do 22 hours teaching every week! E.g lesson plans being 17 pages long and not being allowed to use the book although students have paid €35 for it are top of my list of gripes! My advice is pick your school very very carefully. At the end of the day you want the best grade you can get having major discipline problems (that exist in the school already) is one hassle you want to avoid! Oh and if anyone tells you that the students will suddenly be angels when your supervisor arrives they are wrong!! They will just be themselves!

drvantramp

Usually the junior cycle i.e. 1st year/2nd year (not 3rd as exam year), but it can also be transition and 5th year - depending on school.
If you wish to teach the older years - ASK for it. It would be an advantage IMO.
Try and teach your 2 subjects if possible - gives good variety and you see the differences in approach.

You have freedom per se in classroom but your TP file will show what you PLAN for every class and should follow the syllabus(available online).
There may also be a school dept plan , e.g. what areas expect to be covered by Xmas, etc. there may be a common test across class groups in same year, etc.
No teacher will tell you what to do, but there will be a dept head or senior teacher who will guide. Again do not be afraid to ASK. Try and have one mentor/idea bouncer but you must learn your own way too.

TP is real teaching except only a few classes involved so not overwhelmed.

Do nothing now - enjoy your summer, you will be busy for next year.
If you want to do something get the syllabus JC and LC online and read and have a feel for it. Maybe look over some textbooks you will be using.

**Listen to initial lectures content carefully - it is not rocket science but some miss the key messages.

In summary, focus on your planning when you start the year and build good habits and from there on, think every class not about what you will be doing but what your students will be doing to learn the subject/topic etc.

Respect generally breeds respect...

best of luck

Powerhouse

Millem wrote: »

The biggest mistake teachers make with regards to discipline is they try and "be cool" and try and befriend the students. Seriously the kids have no respect for those teachers and run rings around them!

This is the most important single piece of advice a trainee teacher could get in my experience. It is a pity it is not otherwise but students will wipe the floor with you if you show any deviation from rules/formality.

There can be a temptation during teaching practice to be the teaching version of 'Fr Trendy' (for anyone old enough to get the reference!) and in the right school with limited numbers of classes during the Dip it might just work. But with a full timetable with classes coming on top of each other and difficult students emerging it is a recipe for huge stress and disrespect if you don't have your 'game face' on at all times. It is a good habit to develop.

spurious

TP people are often shielded from some classes which might be um, more 'challenging'.

pm123

Great insight so far, thanks guys

Millem

One thing students love to do is try and find you on Facebook. If you have one change your profile pick to something that is not a photograph and make your Facebook private. My students are always telling me that they can't find me on Facebook (to their disappointment). The truth is I don't have Facebook. Our dip student last year had a profile pic of themselves with no top on and smoking! Needless to say the kids had a field day! Also NEVER tell them anything about your personal life, Anything said can be twisted and come back to bite you! Sorry for sounding like such a grouch, teaching will be the easy part once there is good discipline in the class. On the positive side students usually love DIP teachers because they are so enthusiastic. Have you picked your school yet?

Powerhouse

The whole social media business is tricky alright. The first things student do when confronted with a computer is google all the teachers' names. If there is a 'hilarious' picture of a teacher four-sheets-to-the-wind in their student days or out socialising (and some younger people tend not to be able to do this with privacy and discretion anymore because of social media) it'll be quickly found and is not a good idea.

It might also not be beyond a prospective Principal to seek out such material ahead of a potential interview either. It is an area which is going to have repercussions for increasing numbers of new teachers in the coming times.

pm123

If I was a full time teacher, I would definitely not have Facebook or any other social networking profile.

bdoo

We have common schemes of work for all classes in my subject so that each class is at the same stage by mid term etc and so that common tests can be given so it would be important to get a list of topics from your cooperating teacher.

as many times as i have told tp teachers not to try to be cool they never listen. You have to keep a professional distance for your own sake.

Do not be afraid to be authoritative with students and dont shy away from confrontation - you need it but do it wisely.

dont be afraid to ask for advice from established teachers. and most of all dont share stories about how fantastic you are and how you have absolutely no problems and how all the kids love you.

have Facebook by all means. just keep people you dont know out of it.

pm123

I have this awful fear of confronting a student, and giving out/disciplining, and the thought of them answering back at the same level, and leaving the teacher speechless, and having them walk all over you. It must be brilliant to be a 'scary' teacher and have the students in the palm of your hand, so they know where the line is. I had a couple of those teachers in secondary school, and I was physically petrified walking into their classroom; now I know that's not 100% healthy for a student to be scared, but not one of the students EVER stepped out of line and the teacher was a super teacher, so that worked for them. I'd kill to be like that. Good teacher and a good disciplinarian.

bdoo

pm123 wrote: »

I have this awful fear of confronting a student, and giving out/disciplining, and the thought of them answering back at the same level, and leaving the teacher speechless, and having them walk all over you. It must be brilliant to be a 'scary' teacher and have the students in the palm of your hand, so they know where the line is. I had a couple of those teachers in secondary school, and I was physically petrified walking into their classroom; now I know that's not 100% healthy for a student to be scared, but not one of the students EVER stepped out of line and the teacher was a super teacher, so that worked for them. I'd kill to be like that. Good teacher and a good disciplinarian.

It takes practice. Dont attack a kid with general stuff like "you're late" say something like "class started x mins ago where were you?"

they may have a valid excuse so you look like a dick when they produce a note from miss Murphy! if you take the second approach you're protecting yourself from the dreaded smart answer.

if they can't explain the 5 mins they're in trouble. takes practice but works and they learn that they will be challenged for everything and some decide its not worth the hassle.

moorele

This is a great thread with some really excellent advice. I dunno if mods would consider stickying it?

Pegasus Galactica

pm123 wrote: »

For the Dip in secondary teaching, can anyone give a detailed account of what the actual teaching practice itself is like - what years are you usually given to teach? How much freedom do you have? Do you follow exactly what the teacher tells you to teach? It must be very hard to be thrown in at the deep end and be expected to be respected by a class of 30 teenagers... I can imagine it's very difficult. For Gaeilge, English or Music, say, what kind of format does the TP take in terms of what you would be teaching, etc.? How does TP differ from actual teaching as a 'real' teacher when you're qualified? Any info on this topic would be great - thanks!

you have to teach along with what the other teacher is teaching but making your lesson plans more detailed than what is expected. Well when your a real teacher you don't have to focus so much on teaching plans and evaluations ect, you teach the Sibelius and your judged on results on how well your pupils do, not how well planned out your lessons are. Good luck with TP, one piece of advise "don't let the children find out your first name you will be tortured."

frogcheese

Yeah TP is a lot harder than people think, a friend of mine is a teacher and actually teaching is easier than her TP at uni....

pm123

Yeah very interesting feedback so far keep 'em coming! Thanks for the advice and info so far

lestat21

Do what the primary school teachers do and change your facebook name to irish or come up with an alias theyll never find you!!!

Also i was thrown into the more challenging classes while on the dip... be prepared for anyting and whatever you do dont spend the night before your first day writing absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary lesson plans!! Get into the swing of teaching first!! Much more important!!!

seavill

Pegasus Galactica wrote: »

one piece of advise "don't let the children find out your first name you will be tortured."

I think this is a bit silly tbh. With things like this, if you make a big deal out of it, it will create more fun for them and a bigger deal for them to find out.
It will take any half intelligent student about 10 minutes to find out if they really put their mind to it. They will simply ask another teacher who will tell as they may not realise you are keeping it a secret. You will have it written on a book of yours or someone will know you.
If they ask tell them and leave it at that. If they keep referring to your first name just ignore them and only respond to Mr.X. If it persists speak to whoever it is quietly after class and tell them if they keep at it you will have to bring it to the principal.
If you make a big deal out of it it creates more fun for them.

Also on the facebook issue, I think people are making too much of an issue of this. You do not need to change your name or picture (unless it is something it shouldn't be). Make it fully private and if they try add you just ignore the requests. If they mention it in school then afterwards, which they will, just reply I'm not allowed accept you as we cannot have students as friends I will get in trouble with the principal. Kids accept this and just move on. Its not a big deal after the 1st week anyway.

Thinking back on both things I have just written the main bit of advice would be not to react to things and make them into any sort of a big deal. Kids are only looking for things to take the piss out of you about or anything that may cause a distraction in class. Ignore them and move on, it gets boring if there is no reaction

mockingjay

I think the first thing to do is get a copy of the staff handbook & the schools Code of Discipline, and read it carefully. This will give you an idea of the day to day running of the school you are in, as they are all different, but more importantly the discipline procedures for any incidents you may encounter. It will make you aware of what is punishable and what isn't, as the students try everything with a new teacher - you need to develop a good discipline system within the classroom & the staff handbook will in most cases outline this. It will just save you struggling from the outset, as some permanent teachers see PGDEs as a hassle & don't give them much time. Good Luck, it's really not as bad as people think!

UnLuckyAgain

Best advice I could give you is: be prepared for anything and be prepared to TRY anything!

I thought I had set ideas about teaching methods/classroom control etc but quickly learned I would have to adapt to each individual class! Your Teaching Practice really is the best place to experiment!

Good luck.

evolving_doors

Have a look at this time management video for new teachers, it's all about keeping track. Basically get a clipboard.. thought it was hillarious until I noticed a couple of experienced teachers who kept a record of everything and followed up everything, their students knew that they couldn;t get away with anything but basically let lose on other teachers...

He speeks mad fast but gets a lot in..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuhGwaZiNIk

queensinead

Get a list of all students' names from the office, glance at it as you are teaching and address students by name.

Avoid sarcasm, or a sneering tone to students who really annoy you. Keep a calm, positive adult tone at all times.

Isolate trouble early. Pick your moment. If a student is acting up while another student is reading or speaking, pause everything and speak calmly and clearly to the trouble maker instructing him clearly and quietly to stop, then say to the student who was reading "I'm sorry, Sarah, you were interrupted there...please continue.."

This shows your respect for other students' right to have a quiet learning environment.

Behave as you want your class to behave. Be courteous and respectful to your students and listen to their concerns. Keep your voice calm and low. Never shout. Don't take things personally or get offended. Keep your sense of humour

You are the adult, the teacher. They expect you to give directions, to act with authority, to take charge, to impose sanctions as well as give praise.

Build a relationship with the kids--but an appropriate professional one. Show that you like them and are interested in what they say.

Stand in the centre of the room, breathe deeply and relax your shoulders. Kids can pick up your tension. Make eye contact with them as you speak and as you give directions. Speak slowly.

Don't let a few students dominate the class. Say "I'll deal with that in a moment" or "Can we discuss this after class?" in a quiet, firm voice.

There are many teaching styles. You don't have to be like the scary teachers you had in school, to be a success.

chippers

Pegasus Galactica wrote: »

one piece of advise "don't let the children find out your first name you will be tortured."

I don't think this makes a difference. I teach in a school where all of the teachers are called by their first name. It was strange to be called by my first name at first but after that it was completely normal.

chippers

queensinead wrote: »

Behave as you want your class to behave. Be courteous and respectful to your students and listen to their concerns. Keep your voice calm and low. Never shout. Don't take things personally or get offended. Keep your sense of humour

A good shout at the start of a lesson can often wake up the kids and get them focussed. I find that it can have beneficial results. It depends on the group of course. Shouting at 6th Years wont get you very far whereas it'll get messing second years in gear. When shouting is over used it loses it's effects however used from time to time can be beneficial.

Powerhouse

chippers wrote: »

I don't think this makes a difference. I teach in a school where all of the teachers are called by their first name. It was strange to be called by my first name at first but after that it was completely normal.

I think this is missing the point. Of course it makes no difference if calling teachers by the first names is the accepted convention in the school. It's when it is not and a teacher is singled out for different treatment in such a way that it undermines them it might constitute a problem.

Powerhouse

Another tip I would give someone starting out is to start lessons quickly which can prevent messing developing and minds wandering. In practice this means (for example) that you are not fluting around on the computer trying to locate the material you need when the class is already in their seats waiting to be occupied by something.

Of course this comes back to class planning. Inspectors like to have objectives made clear at the beginning of a class, and I think for a teacher it is good practice to have the objectives clear in your own head at the very least.