...Early Career Teachers - Tips for ECTs

So, you've qualified as a teacher and are about to commence your first post as an ECT? 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. They shared their experiences and their 'top tips' for success as newly qualified teachers.

This post sets out a summary of their advice for successful completion of the induction phase of your journey to full QTS.

...Literacy Websites

This is a collection of English and literacy online resources.  It is compiled for teachers with a mild focus on the primary age phases and on early reading and language development.

Click HERE to access the collections, and use Ctrl+F or the 'Search...' box in the sidebar to locate relevant resources.

(To report outdated links and incorrect categories, or to suggest new content, please 'Contact me...')

...'To Do' Lists

To do lists don't work. I certainly don't recall ever getting everything on a to do list actually done.  This is because they don't help us to be more productive, or more efficient in what we do and when we do it.  Instead they serve to stoke anxiety levels by reminding us of how many things we haven't done.  In fact, I'm going to refer to them as haven't done lists from now on.

But they're not what this post it about.  Several years ago I stopped using to do lists for good, in favour of a new way of organising my time, which was as quick, and more effective.  And here it is...

...Research in Teacher Education [RiTE]

Since 2011 the Sir John Cass School of Education and Communities at the University of East London has been producing the RiTE journal - Research in Teacher Education.  This brief post aims to introduce RiTE, provide some background to the publication, and describe some of its successes.  Please read, share... and consider contributing your work to the publication! 

...Podcasting for Learning (PfL)

Last night I headed to Hackney Community College, to attend the TechCity TeachMeet. The remit was 'share your A-Z Tech Toolkit that has worked for you in 2013, & what tech you plan to use in 2014.' I decided to renew my interest in using audio and podcasting by sharing my initial, tentative use of Soundcloud as a learning tool. I shall mention a number of ways in which podcasting can support learning, and at the end of this blog I'll share my 5 intended actions for the new year. 

...Critical Incidents

This post discusses David Tripp's approaches to the analysis of incidents, and how the practice he describes can help teachers to develop their professional judgement. I'll start off by describing what we mean by critical incidents, and why they matter. I'll then share my understanding of Tripp's main strategies for effectively analysing our experiences. Hopefully I will help you to understand and employ the approaches, to broaden your professional awareness of the complex and sometimes emotionally charged events which occur in your school.

First of all, let's determine what a critical incident is not. Imagine you are undertaking a cold January playground duty, shuffling from foot to frozen foot. You hear a sudden shout from behind the emergency exit, and the head teacher falls headfirst into the playground. She slides a good 12 feet across the ice forming beneath the leaking water fountain, before bowling over a group of children from class 3b... 'What a critical incident!' you cry. Except it's not. Not by Tripp's definition, at least...

...Demo Lessons

I have written this post with pre-service trainee teachers in mind... Naturally, a key consideration for you during your training is likely to be one of securing a job (and a salary) by the end of it. However, as one might expect, many head teachers are reluctant to recruit new staff without first seeing them teach.

And rightly so. Recruitment itself takes time and money. And the stakes are high for school leaders for whom the quality of teaching is usually a prime concern.

Also, teaching is a complex, dynamic profession. It requires intelligent, flexible, responsive individuals to make effective use of a range of strategies for ensuring that the pupils in their classes make progress. By observing you teach a lesson, and witnessing your practical abilities, a potential employer is in a much stronger position to confidently make you a job offer.