advice needed for interview/group activity - BA primary education with QTS

[schneebly]

Hi everyone

I should hear in the next few days if I have an interview for this course at Edge Hill University and I was just wondering if anyone can help me with any advice on preparation or what to expect? I have been reading the TES faithfully of course and have posted a similar question on their forum but no-one has been forthcoming so far.

Thanks.

just to say that I will be off on the school run soon so may not reply for a bit but very grateful for any input!

quick bump before I go out!

If I remeber rightly (and it was back in '98), at the uni interviews they just asked you a bit about what experience you had already had, what your personal interests were, why you wanted to teach (this age in particular), where else you had applied, why you chose that particular uni.

The only group thingys I had to do were discusions about an imagined senario - how would you deal with this type thing.

Don't forget, however well experienced you are, you're not a teacher yet, they don't expect you to know all the answers yet. That's what you hope to learn when you're there!

wriggle - thank you very much, very helpful. I am just reeeeally nervous because I really want to get in and it is my only viable option this year.

anyone else?

,.

What phase are you looking at?
What subject is likely to be yout specialism?

I will be doing ks1 and 2 and my specialism will be pshe and citizenship because that is the given option for the part time students.

Not sure what you are asking for - are you able to be more precise about what you need help with? Happy to help, btw, but I need a bit more to go on.

You could try posting this in the teachers' staffroom here - look un der education threads.

sorry slouchy I think I am just unsure what to expect with regards to questions they will ask and what the group activity might involve. Good idea about teachers' staffroom! Thank you.

can't find staffroom [stupid emoticon]

The Edge Hill website for PGCE has a section on interview preparation, although I didn't apply there in the end.

I was once asked what I would do if I wasn't accepted. I replied I would turn up in October, set up camp in the students union, wait for the first person to drop out, and take their place.

THink they just realised it would be a whole lot easier to give in and accept me !

lol @ wriggle...

We had a group discussion for ours, I can't remember details as it was some time ago but I think it involved looking at an 'issue' or a topic for discussion and then discussing it in a group. The trick is to make sure you say smoething but not to take over and talk all the time,also the best trick is to listen to what others have to say and show you are by agreeing or disagreeing with them and if you can try to include everyone. There will almost certainly be someone who isn't talking so look for them and try to draw them into the discussion sensitively , don't put them on the spot but say you agree/disagree and ask them directly if they do, then if they're determined not to speak they can just say yes or no but try to get tem to talk more. What you talk about in these discussions is less important than how you respond to others, a good teacher will be aware of everyone, listen and respond to what pepole say and try to include them all. that's what they're looking for.
(I think.) I'm a teacher not a tutor so if I'm wrong please correct me. Good luck.

clutter, that does sound about right....

We had group work at the mandatory selection day for the OT course I applied for.
It wasn't a discussion, but we had a choice of a few events we could plan...
and I am pretty sure that that sort of thing was what they were looking out for...