...Teacher Training - Top Tips

If you are planning on training to become a teacher, then this post will help!

I invited some ex-students - recently qualified teachers - to take part in a panel discussion for undergraduate students planning to commence their teacher training in the Autumn term. They talked about their experiences and their successes as qualified teachers. Crucially, they shared their advice for students embarking on teacher training.

This post sets out a summary of their 'top 'tips' for successful completion of initial teacher training. They might surprise you!

Tip 1 by Allan Get Organized

"Organization is absolutely massive, and it's still something I'm getting better at. Organizing your time is a skill you tend to develop the more you work at it. Time can really slip through your fingers on the PGCE. The year goes so quickly. So you need to make sure you have that plan for each day and for each week, to make sure that what needs to be done actually gets done..."

Tip 2 by Alex Get Organized

"My top tip is about organization. I arrive at school to start work at 7:00 o'clock, and I don't leave 'til 6, when the caretaker usually chucks me out. It's a really really long day. Between 7am and 8:45, when the children arrive, I am usually working flat out getting prepared for the day. After school I have to ensure all marking is done... If I'm not organized it makes life very difficult."

Tip 3 by Maggie Get Organized

"Get organized, especially when you have teaching practice. If you're not well-prepared then the day can fall apart very quickly. I didn't realize quite what sort of lifestyle change it was going to be; it's a way of life that you have to adopt."

Tip 4 by Ben Get Organized

"If you're not organized it's easy to get overwhelmed, just looking at all the work and assignments you have to complete. I had not done any academic writing for a while and lacked confidence. It was very challenging for me... I had to get organized by starting assignments straight away."

***

Alex and Allan said they underestimated the amount of work that had to be completed, and overestimated the amount of time they had to complete it in. It's true. During the teacher training year (and a typical school week) there's precious little spare time. Which is why every moment of every day needs to be organized to ensure everything gets done, and nothing gets missed. 

See ...To Do Lists for a downloadable Weekly Work Planner, to help you organize your time.

Maggie considered how crucial maintaining organization was, particularly when it comes to planning lessons and teaching. You may have the experience and the confidence to stand up in front of a class of pupils, but if what you do once you're there isn't well-enough prepared then your lesson can fall apart. 

Have a look at ...Demo Lessons for an idea of all the factors that have to be considered when planning lessons.

Ben focused on the academic demands of training to teach - the postgraduate assignments. They're a feature of all postgraduate teacher training, as they put the 'PG' in the PGCE. The best advice is to get started on them straight away. As soon as you know when a deadline is, plan backwards from it to ensure you have more than enough time to complete the work.

The post ...Managing Pressure includes a section on prioritizing tasks, by their importance and urgency. The key is to address important tasks (e.g. your assignment) before they become urgent (i.e. the day before the deadline).

Further Reading - More Tips & Advice!

For more advice from students who know, search The Student Room and similar sites and communities. Here's a post specifically seeking PGCE Survival Advice. 

UCAS (University and College Admissions Service) is the place to go to apply for your teacher training. It also hosts advice Preparing for Teacher Training.

Sage Publishing has a blog with advice for undertaking teacher training: Tips for starting a PGCE course.

And, finally... the UK government's own teacher training website - Get Into Teaching - provides a range of support, guides and events to help people onto a training course. 

I hope you found something useful here. Good luck!

DJA