Question re teaching practice (PDE)

halfmoon123

I'm starting next week the PDE, and just wondering with regard to teaching practice: do we follow guidelines of our supervising teachers for their classes we're teaching - how rigid is this format? Can we introduce our own 'ideas' (i.e. if I want my class to have a grammar notebook or vocab notebook for a language, etc.) where we want to? Do we have to stick to the class teacher's methods/format of teaching? I find it a bit confusing that the students should have the supervising 'regular' teacher for a few classes while the PDE student observes, and then the student teacher takes over for the rest of the year - can the student teacher change the seating plan... Do the students adopt to the introduction of something new if it wasn't introduced originally by the first resident teacher than hands the class over to the student teacher...? Does the student teacher set exam papers at Christmas and Summer...? I'm doing my Dip in UCD, so bear in mind I'll be teaching every day, and one of my subjects is a core subject so I'll be teaching presumably a first or second year class every single morning... So there will be a lot of routine hopefully. I'm just a little confused as to how liberal the whole process is for PDE students whilst teaching...? Do we constantly have to be thinking about our supervising teacher and what they will think if I do this or that... etc. etc.?

whiteandlight

Most of those you need to discuss with your Cooperating teacher.

In general (may not apply to you!!):

Seating plans and classroom management etc you can change yourself within reason
Subject policy e.g. vocab notebooks etc should be discussed with your cooperating teacher.
How you teach the class is generally your responsibility though you should pay attention to the subject department methods and discuss any radical changes
Exam papers will depend on your cooperating teacher

joebloggs32

Different rules in different schools. Each to their own. Sit down and have a chat with the teacher and let them know what you need or would like to do.

halfmoon123

I'm not talking about anything over the top or drastic, and don't want to change anything at all, but I just want to be comfortable and confident in my own teaching style and abilities.

seavill

I would say becasue you are taking them for the full year a lot of things will be done your way (over time) If you were only coming in for a block of 6 weeks I may have slightly different advice

The first thing I would say is observation is vital and if you can observe a few people all the better. Most people coming in on TP see no point in this but speaking from experience you can learn a huge amount in this short period of time

Secondly go in with your eyes open. I had a student on TP 2 years ago who had no experience but came in knowing everything it took him until he was really in the sh1t before he realised help is a good thing.

In relation to doing things the other teacher's way. I would say some of the small things like seating plan, and start and end of class routine etc. go with what the other teacher is doing for the first while anyway. They have years of experience and doing things that way is done for a reason. They have probably learned the hard way which is best. Over time after a few month or so you may feel a slightly different seating plan is better then work away but at first go with experience, things may be done a certain way for a reason.

Vocab copies etc. I teach Woodwork so don't really know anything to do with them however I would imagine from just observing in my schools that this would be a department decision particulary with core subjects, i.e. every teacher teaching that subject does things the same way. But the previous poster is correct this is something you really have to ask your co-op teacher about.

In terms of your own "new ideas" I would say the best advice here is don't go rushing into anything. Give yourself a couple of weeks to get them into your way of doing things, once you have them settled, they know how you work and you know how they work then I don't see why anyone would have any issues with something new, but again i would seek advice in the staffroom. I am thinking of doing X next week, how do you thing that would go. Again past experience is a great thing, it may be something that would work great with one class and be terrible with another and only expierence will tell that, so you may end up digging yourself a massive hole that is usually impossible to get out of without thinking it fully through.

With exams I would say that class exams/chapter exams would be set by you but I would say based on any school I have been in Christmas and Summer exams may be common across all teachers again so this may be out of your control

I would say that you do not have to be constantly thinking of your cooperating teacher however don't go out there thinking that you know everything and that you are on your own (I don't mean any offence in what I just said just no other way of putting it)
You are not expected to know everything you are not expected to be able to deal with everything, I have written here in my last school I had good control of a very difficult group, teaching about 5 years. I had the teacher there 27 years and another there about 12 coming to me asking for advice. the reverse was true also, the amount I learned from these other teachers was amazing, once you are open to talking to others and working as a team. This was not TP this was 5 years past qualified.

The main thing would be that everything you asked is everything you need to talk to your teacher about. Don't be afraid to do so. If they are difficult to talk to find someone else friendly on the staff, maybe someone only there a year to get advice from as they were in the same boat last year.

Don't go in as the expert
Ask for advice and help as much as you can
Asking for help with ideas or discipline is not a sign of weakness
Kids can also sense when someone is acting alone and can use that so be past of the team and the main thing is try and learn from everyone you meet it's amazing what you will pick up if you go into everything with your eyes and ears open