Spoon feeding lessons

[CandOdad]

I am currently on PGCE. Every school I have been in most PPA lessons are just spoon feeding. For example I just observed a lesson of year six reading local landmarks from the board and this was "geography" they then went through a list and line by line wrote in answers as a class.

How is this education?

[BathshebaDarkstone]

That's depressing.

[CandOdad]

"Golden time" drives me nuts too. It's POETS hour but for kids.

[Feenie]

Seen your type before.

He'll be a shit head in about 5 years.

[Pippidoeswhatshewants]

I have nothing against golden time at all.

Isn't PPA time usually with some kind of cover teacher?

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

I thought PPA was time for Prepeation Planning and Administration so time that teachers have off contact time to be able to well prepare and plan lessons and do admin tasks like Mark work, research, plan school trips and tours etc. So not actual lessons!


Golden time has some very valuable quality time for children and tbh teachers.

Are you sure your doing your PGCE or are you just a pissed off dad who has a vendetta against schools and teachers!

[mrz]

I hate Golden Time! And holding activities that have no value other than keeping kids quiet.

[Hulababy]

PPA at my school isn't just babysitting and spoon feeding I assure you. I teach a lot of the PPA lessons at my infant school. I teach them computing in those sessions, and I teach it properly! It is fully planned (by me) and prepared for, I cover the whole curriculum plus some. The children are engaged and challenged, and I ensure differentiation, plus take note of my Pupil Premium children plus the other target groups we have.

[user789653241]

My child lives for golden time! They are allowed to bring in stuff from home.(Non electrical, nothing that needs battery.) So, he brings in his lego or kinex creations and play(or show off.) Or he sometimes share creation on scratch with his friends. If I ask him what he likes best in school, he would definitely say golden time.

[IoraRua]

Golden time is very valuable. I can use it to model appropriate social skills, sharing and generally check up on their oral language and social skills. It's no holding activity.

I would be interested in seeing your teaching in a few years, OP....

[ProfessorBranestawm]

It's POETS hour but for kids.

What does that mean?

[mrz]

why should that take place in an over crowded, relatively short teaching and learning week?

[mrz]

P Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday

[fuzzpig]

Oh :o thank you!

[IoraRua]

Because in some schools, it's one of the only times kids have to play together in a safe environment. Certainly the case in my school.

And as I said, language and emotional development, play skills, sharing and imaginative play are all very important. For me (when teaching younger ones, not any more) it linked well into the Irish Aistear play curriculum.
If any parent or uppity student came in to me criticising Golden Time, I am quite happy to stand by it.

[mrz]

They don't have break times?

[OrangeSquashTallGlass]

Can you explain what it is about golden time you don't like?

Tbh the fact that it 'drives you mad' makes me think that you don't understand it.

[IoraRua]

Yes, those would count as some of the other times mrz. Except a teacher will probably not be available to model proper play for them - much lower pupil teacher ratio when in class (and no mopping up cut knees), so I can do that then.

[mrz]

I think it's depressing that a behaviour management system is being touted as a valuable learning experience

[mrz]

Fortunately im not an uppity student but an uppity early years teacher

[RoosterCogburn]

How many schools have you been in?

In our school PPA is covered by three amazing teachers and it certainly isn't 'spoon feeding'
In fact, the great thing is they were all employed because they have different strengths to out class teachers meaning that our pupils get to work with adults with a really wide range of expertise.