interview for PGCE looming - any hot topics in education i should look at?

[Constantlycooking]

I have an interview for a PGCE (Primary) in 2 days. Are there any burning issues I should be aware of? (hoping my brain has not turned to mush - i haven't had any kind of interview for - gulp - 16 years!)

PS any tips as to what to wear - it is at a college. i was thinking skirt and plain top.

BLP (building learning power) - it's about teaching children to learn about how they learn and managing distractions and things, but I'm not going to embarrass myself by pretending I actually use it as much as I'm meant to. Perhaps you could google it or something.

the great SATS debate?!!

I wouldn't worry too much about what you're wearing - but skirt sounds fine.

Do some reading on the Rose Report perhaps.

Going off the subject a bit... When does the course start? Sept? I'm thinking of applying, but didn't thought it was all done and dusted until this autumn, when the application process started again for Sept 10 intake.

At a group PGCE interview I was on recently (as an interviewer) the Uni staff made comments to the panels about what the interviewees were wearing - they were not impressed by the fleeces worn by some!

I'd make sure I had been onto the Standards site and I knew roughly the demands of the Nat Curr; I'd also make sure I'd read some of the recent articles in the TES about the SATs. I'd also prepare a couple of stock answers about why you want to teach, without sounding too waffley or unrealistic.

Was at the amount of candidates who just hadn't done any research. Don't try to cram but just be aware of the Big Issues.

Be enthusiastic; listen to others; practice a good handshake (sounds mental but it does make an impression); know when to stop talking....!

Good luck!

Hobnob - many courses now have staggered starts nowadays. I've got some trainees with me now who started in Jan.

Hobnob - the deadline for 2009 is June 30th, so I'm guessing it's the same for 2010 (June 2010 IYSWIM)

You need to apply with the GTTR, get some TT experience etc., and get a course booked.

I'm hoping to be accepted in 2009 but not sure I'll have everything sorted.

HTH

Thank you!

Spaced learning-see article in last Saturday`s Telegraph magazine Good luck

ime think about what you think is important in school. what would you improve? what would you spend money on in school if you had a budget?

have a think about SEN, EAL, parent/school relations, SATS, cross curricular projects, behaviour management and your views/ideas on them etc.

quite a lot of the questions were directed on what we felt about these issues.

also, have a think about some lesson ideas:
literacy: storyboards, drama, collective storyteling
maths: games with dice, arranging a numberline, ladybird pairs
science investigations: sorting materials into hoops, magnetic or non-magnetic, conditions for growing plants

and so on.

you'll probably have to present a lesson idea for a particular objective, sometimes it helps to have a few techniques in your head which can be applied to many different lesson objectives iykwim.

but also don't worry too much, you'll be fine!

Wow - thanks for all the suggestions. They look really helpful and i will spend some time googling .
hobnob- this is for a sept 09 start. if you look on the gttr website it is not too late to apply (I only applied in march), but the choice of courses will be limited as some will have filled up. Also I am applying for primary and needed recent experience of a state school.
I will let you know how it goes.
thanks again

Thank you everyone. I have now had the interview and been offered a place .
now to arrange (and finance) childcare...

Congrats! Well done

What did they ask you, out of interest?

And congratulations, of course!

Thanks itchy and hobnob.
Hobnob - I was asked series of questions that centred around teaching in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic situation and was asked for positives and negatives about this kind of environment. I think they were looking for a willingness to be part of a multicultural environment rather than trying to impose my ideas. Otherwise i was asked whether there were any current educational topics that I found interesting. Thanks to Mumsnet I was v well prepared. Luckily my interviewer was really nice and put me at my ease so it felt like an interesting chat rather than a grilling! Good luck with your application. Check the gttr website to see if there are still vacancies on the courses you want.

Where will you be going? Wondering whether the multi-cultural thing was a common theme or whether it was specific to a certain area IYSWIM?

curious because my friend had a similar question at a college in Birmingham but she was applying for EAL

I am in London Frannikin - I think the question is probably standard as I would have thought they want teachers who are at least aware of multicultural/multifaith issues.

Hiyya,

I was hoping if anyone can help me please?

I have an interview for PGCE Primary with EAL next week.

Does anyone no what type of questions they ask you? I really need to pass.

how can I prepare myslef?

salmaaa

salmaaa I recently had a PGCE interview and they asked me if there were any issues in education that I wanted to discuss and I talked about inclusion of children with SN.

They asked how my degree subjects were related to National Curriculum subjects.

As yours is also for EAL I would swot up on inclusion and how to make the classroom inclusive.

Have a look at the TES (Times Educational Supplement) forum website - they have a lot of discussions about interview questions.

Good Luck

No offence but if you don't already know the "burning" questions then I would be concerned at you being DC's teacher.

Message withdrawn

I don't expect saints but I expect them to be interested enough to do their own research!