GTP interview next week, any tips?

[ninah]

I applied for a pgce primary course last year and was unsuccessful. I work in early years at present - the feedback was taht I had insufficient experience of the primary age range. Which is fair.
I have an interview now for an early years (3-7) gtp, which would be perfect for me, even better than the other. I really want it, but my confidence is flagging. Any tips from teachers, trainees?
I've sat in on a KS1 lesson and am studing the app forms, curriculum etc. I have a summary of the white paper. My head feels like a cement mixer of edu facts.
Oh and we have to simulate a 10 minute lesson.

Oooh well done you!

I have successfully applied for GTP this year but my place is for secondary so prob rather different.

I had to write a list of my strentghs and weaknesses in relation to the curriculum I would be teaching; also had short interview mostly about my subject tbh (MFL so not very relevant to you); also a group task on issues in education.

I too had mugged up on latest initiatives (lots of stuff on English Bacc and Gove's white paper of course).

I also have a place for PGCE primary - that was not dissimilar, group task discussing current issues, we also had a test of maths/eng and science skills. and we had to talk about how an object would inspire our lessons - I was given a mobile phone and talked about cyber bullying, technology, creativity (design your owen magical mobile phone) etc.

10-min lesson - need to keep it simple, maybe a maths or literacy starter. Look up ideas online?

clary congratulations! are you going for the gtp then?
I had a pgce interview last year and was over confident and poorly prepared. This time I am vice versa, bag of nerves and head rattling with info.
I've prepared a literacy session, and will plan some sample spin off activities.
I've got a summary of the white paper, will check news also in the week
The question I always dread is 'what makes a good lesson.' For some reason it just makes my brain empty. It's like asking what makes good sex, you strip it down to the mechanics and the answer sounds really lame - you just know not that I'll go down that raod on the day, hopefully

10 minute lesson for what age?

the age range of the training course is 3-7
I have planned for a reception class with some possible extensions for early ks1
and catered for the possibility of being joined in the session by bright nursery children

Well GTP hopefully, at least I think so...makes more financial sense in bothlong and short term.

Yes I also had to write a side of A4 about what makes a good lesson - talked about structure (starter, main, assessment, plenary) also PLTS, also addressing different learning styles (VAK), also spread of ability ie making it sthg weakest could achieve while also offering extension for stronger learners...

From experience of interviewing KS1 teachers (am governor of infant school) I would say you need to make sure your sample lesson is lively and engaging - good ones I have seen have involved children in individual whiteboard use or used big props like a giant dice or a big picture. Tho these all involved actual children!

What makes a good lesson? One where all children make good or better progress. The rest are details =)
I'd mention using continuous assessment to inform your planning to get the pitch of the lesson right as well.

'brought nursery children'

Or old nursery children?

Not sure about your language. I wouldn't talk about bright. High attaining maybe.

What have you planned.

clary thanks, know v little of formal lesson structure and this I need to look at, have only taught 3-4s to date, though seen lots of reception lesson as we are in a mixed unit. what is plts?
sassy I love your point about continuous assessment! it's such an unreal situation, as the audience will be adults ...
change I wouldn't say bright in the interview! thanks for the alternative - bit brain numbed last night. I have planned a session on story telling (CLL language for thinking) using Ed Vere's Mr Big and a stuffed gorilla and then encouraging the 'children' to create a verbal story for one of their number. I have also suggested some follow up activities - writing, psrn etc
it certainly makes you appreciate what teachers go through.

Ninah- no way will you do that in 10 mins. You won't even read the story and you can't assume that children know it.

Do you have actual children- you used the word simulate?

it is a simulated lesson to a group of adults
not sure if interviewers or other interviewees
haven't time it yet
I agree a real life lesson to children would have a diff time span, this is more like a presentation

Ninah, it sounds like a ticking boxes excercise a bit. Like when I am being observed =) it's a matter of making sure you show the progress and what you are doing to accelerate the progress.

If you do any pre assessment, ie ask a question, thumbs up / down to show confidence, make sure you do somethign about those with thumbs down and also differentiate for the confident ones in the lesson. Progress can be show in a variety of forms, from being not so confident at the start to being confident later, doing an activity with support, then doing it withouth the support etc.
I'd put in vak as well to show that you are catering to different learnign styles (visual, audio, kinastethic)

PLTS - Personal Learning and Thinking Skills, eg team worker, reflective learner, creative thinker, errr can't remember the rest but the students are asked to refer to them every lesson and think which ones they will use.

This may just be in secondary tho. Still worth mentioning.

well I am getting some great advice, thank you
I realise how little I know which is a bit daunting. I know I am going to be up against some people who are v accomplished, and that's before training!
it takes four minutes just to read the story! Am thinking of hotseating for the remaining 6, what I was doing before was trying to show I can do everything
sassy obs is a pita, I get observed with the ey group and because I am there full time I have had four in the last week.

A thought, could you do role on the object as a form of pre assessment. Show them the front of the book (if I remember correctly and it shows Mr Big being really sad). Ask them to talk to their partner, what do they think they know about him? They jot things down on post its and place on Mr Big or a photo of him.

Then halfway through you could do the same (different colour post its). Do we know something else about him now? Is there anything that we thought we knew that we've changed our minds about?

Then do the same thing again at the end. How did Mr Big change throughout the story? How did the way people saw him change?

I like it sassy
but I'm thinking that would be too advanced for reception?
I like the idea of looking at what do we know before and how that changes
going to hammer it out a bit more at work tomorrow
really appreciate the input
tbh it has made me question whether I am up to this on a regular basis

You could be right, I'm very much ks2 so find it hard to adjust down sometimes =)
You could maybe do a simplified version, with you scribing for them.

Have you decided what the learning objective or outcome should be from the activity and the success criteria?

lol as eyfs/nursery I find it hard to count much beyond 10
Having discussed it at work I have decided to simplify it by summarising book and then hot seating a character in it, with some suggested questions as prompts
my plans will describe some suitable follow up activities that challenge the range of students inc sen and g&t
the objective is 'Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences'/'Begin to use talk to pretend imaginary situations'/ and for nursery 'use talk to connenct ideas ...
I find it very hard to get my head round KS1 planning as I am so used to EYFS, but I will propose some KS1 outcomes as end of unit objectives for g&t
fwiw we tried something like you suggested today with eyfs and they went off in a completely diff direction, were fascinated that he is so big he cracked the floor -
this is the age group I'm used to, when you do a listening exercise and they say they can hear sharks, fairgrounds etc - amazing but planning goes up in the air at any moment!