That's it...got all my standards signed off by my mentor.
For the course I'm on my mentor checks all my evidence and signs off when she has seen it, and then, providing I don't get externally moderated, the DRB never even see it! They just ask to see the booklet where my mentor has signed me off! Seems bizarre that no-one else will ever see all this paperwork, but whatever!
Also, the way it works for our course is that the external moderators will see any people who the mentors have had concerns about and another person within a small radius randomly - and theres no-one else near me. So, hopefully there should be no fear of external moderation.
Still waiting to hear about my asignment scores, but providing they were okay then I've all but got through the course. Phew.
Now I've started thinking about my new job. I've been in and seen the classroom which is lkely to be mine (the one I taught my interview lesson in) and chatted to people there. I know I'll be taching yr 5 English, Maths, Science and RE, and some Yr 7 English too. I would have liked to have taught History, but ho hum. The current NQT there says she's had a fantastic year there, and been really well supported, so that was nice to hear.
Next week I get to chat to the current teachers' of my future form and find out about the kids, then the week after I've got the kids for the transfer day. Exciting stuff!
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Nearly there.
Wow, never thought I'd get those standards signed off, but the majority of them are now, and I only have one teaching day left!
Next week I'm going to my new school to visit and discuss my new role, and then I'm going on a school trip with them to the Tutankhamun exhibition...for the 3 weeks following that I'm a spare wheel in my training school and will probably be given all kinds of horrible jobs to do. I already have to audit the science resources.
I have a transition day meeting my new pupils for the first time in July (3 weeks away! Arggh!) and a day to meet their previous teachers the week before that. Oh, and parents to meet too!
I was recently emailing another GTPer about to start and thought I'd share the advice I gave her:
Everyone told me to rest and relax before I started the course, but I'm glad I 'swotted' as by the time I got to about October I had no time at all to sit and watch teachers tv, or read books, but I could remember that I'd read about 'that aspect of child behaviour' in one of those books, which made it much easier.
Also, when the course starts, get your skills tests booked ASAP. By December you'll find you can no longer pick and choose slots as easily, and by Feb it gets really busy.
Practise the skills tests online on the TDA website. I never passed the maths one online but passed first time at the actual test (and thats my horror subject!)
Oh, and when you start gathering evidence, file it EVERY week, or even every night. I left it for 2 weeks once and it was a nightmare. Keep on top of it. I tend to spend a couple or more hours on a sunday getting my paperwork in order (cross referencing, filing, highlighting key phrases and writing the standard next to it, shuffling from one folder to another), but its worth it.
I've got to the point now that I can plan the entire week ahead (apart from tweaking maths and literacy) during the weeks PPA time but at first it tends to take an hour or two writing a single hours lesson!
Next week I'm going to my new school to visit and discuss my new role, and then I'm going on a school trip with them to the Tutankhamun exhibition...for the 3 weeks following that I'm a spare wheel in my training school and will probably be given all kinds of horrible jobs to do. I already have to audit the science resources.
I have a transition day meeting my new pupils for the first time in July (3 weeks away! Arggh!) and a day to meet their previous teachers the week before that. Oh, and parents to meet too!
I was recently emailing another GTPer about to start and thought I'd share the advice I gave her:
Everyone told me to rest and relax before I started the course, but I'm glad I 'swotted' as by the time I got to about October I had no time at all to sit and watch teachers tv, or read books, but I could remember that I'd read about 'that aspect of child behaviour' in one of those books, which made it much easier.
Also, when the course starts, get your skills tests booked ASAP. By December you'll find you can no longer pick and choose slots as easily, and by Feb it gets really busy.
Practise the skills tests online on the TDA website. I never passed the maths one online but passed first time at the actual test (and thats my horror subject!)
Oh, and when you start gathering evidence, file it EVERY week, or even every night. I left it for 2 weeks once and it was a nightmare. Keep on top of it. I tend to spend a couple or more hours on a sunday getting my paperwork in order (cross referencing, filing, highlighting key phrases and writing the standard next to it, shuffling from one folder to another), but its worth it.
I've got to the point now that I can plan the entire week ahead (apart from tweaking maths and literacy) during the weeks PPA time but at first it tends to take an hour or two writing a single hours lesson!
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Only a month to go.
Well, I only have 3 weeks teaching time, and a week or so after that to get my final evidence together. After much umming and ahhing my DRB have decided I need 5 pieces of evidence for each standard - two of which must be 'strong' pieces.
I now have about 5 lever arch files full of paperwork, one which is jam packed with the final evidence and I seem to be just shuffling pape from one position to the next in an endless circle!
Trying to think of questions I had before I started my course:
- hours at school - I get there at 8:10/8:15 (kids come in class from 8:45) and set up the morning stuff, photocopy and occasionally mark. I leave school sometime between 4pm (earliest) and 4:30pm on a normal night, and about 5pm on a staff meeting night.
- marking- I have only marked at home about twice (normal work), but have done assessment marking (SATs etc) at home. I mark the childrens morning work (Lit & Num) during assembly and lunch, and do the afternoons work after school.
- I often plan til 9pm, and paperwork normally takes me 3-4hrs on a sunday. I still have a life but you need a VERY understanding family as you will be working very hard.
Before this I worked full time, with a small child and did an OU degree - this is more work than that.
- Its great and I love it!
I now have about 5 lever arch files full of paperwork, one which is jam packed with the final evidence and I seem to be just shuffling pape from one position to the next in an endless circle!
Trying to think of questions I had before I started my course:
- hours at school - I get there at 8:10/8:15 (kids come in class from 8:45) and set up the morning stuff, photocopy and occasionally mark. I leave school sometime between 4pm (earliest) and 4:30pm on a normal night, and about 5pm on a staff meeting night.
- marking- I have only marked at home about twice (normal work), but have done assessment marking (SATs etc) at home. I mark the childrens morning work (Lit & Num) during assembly and lunch, and do the afternoons work after school.
- I often plan til 9pm, and paperwork normally takes me 3-4hrs on a sunday. I still have a life but you need a VERY understanding family as you will be working very hard.
Before this I worked full time, with a small child and did an OU degree - this is more work than that.
- Its great and I love it!
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