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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Strugging NQT

148 replies

januarysunsetfire · 04/01/2014 22:13

Hi.

I've just had a message from the NQT in our department indicating they are hugely struggling with the workload: primarily marking but also planning and genera organisation.

Everything they are struggling with is pretty much the professional standards, and to be honest I don't know what to suggest!

Any advice? :)

OP posts:
Philoslothy · 05/01/2014 20:51

But - anyway - the fact is, he is with us now, he is not coping, and it's me who has to support him, despite saying all along he wouldn't cope - you can see I am still bitter about this!

I do feel for you in this scenario, it is very frustrating when you think the wrong person is in the job and you are using your own time trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole.

partystress · 05/01/2014 20:57

[Jumping on the irrelevant pedantry hijack bandwagon here]... I'm with DressingDown - surely the phrase is short for

Neither one of these scenarios...

So should take the singular I would have thought. Whether you pronounce it knee-ther or n-eye-ther, however, I wouldn't dare to judge!

almapudden · 05/01/2014 21:10

Actually, 'neither' is singular and requires a singular verb. "neither...is...", is the correct form. But it really doesn't matter that much!

With regard to the OP's situation, I think this chap needs serious support with his time management - and if he's unable to improve with the support that the OP is offering, then it may be that he isn't cut out for teaching.

I'm guilty of creating over-elaborate resources at times, and I have a big pile of Y8 books to mark next week because I forgot to collect them in at the end of last term: but those are my problems, which I am capable of solving on my own, without creating extra work for other members of staff.

EVERYONE gets overwhelmed at times, but competent teachers sort things out themselves!

Philoslothy · 05/01/2014 21:36

I'm guilty of creating over-elaborate resources at times, and I have a big pile of Y8 books to mark next week because I forgot to collect them in at the end of last term: but those are my problems, which I am capable of solving on my own, without creating extra work for other members of staff.

I totally agree.

blueemerald · 05/01/2014 22:34

During my PGCE one of the "plan-crazy-lessons-don't-let-the-kids-down" tips we were given that I did take on board and really enjoy was teaching a few lessons without PowerPoint. They were often inventive, creative and the students loved the novelty of it all. I despise sitting through one PP during professional development; imagine sitting through 5-7 a day! Even if they are headache inducing brightly coloured.

Maybe a suggestion for him?

FunkyBoldRibena · 05/01/2014 22:54

I hate PowerPoint and have never used it in a lesson - apart from one management training session. I once had a tutor shriek at me when she couldn't make a session and I offered to deliver it and she forwarded the PowerPoint to me and I said, thanks that helps me to know what you were going to cover but I'm going to put it in a different order, and she said 'ooh you can just switch the slides around' and I said 'I'm not using your slides, I don't do PowerPoint.

Cue face like thunder.

Philoslothy · 05/01/2014 22:58

I think PP has its place, sometimes I just use it as a way of getting the learning objectives on the board or tasks without having to waste time writing it out or turn around.

Sometimes I use it to create my own page of a textbook, to pose questions, display who is going in which group , display homework tasks.

AntoinetteCosway · 05/01/2014 22:59

I never use it either. Or at least, not since my PGCE a decade ago!

notnowImreading · 06/01/2014 07:53

Good luck this morning OP. Hope the tradItional start of term sleepless night wasn't too bad.

MagratGarlik · 06/01/2014 08:33

Hi - sorry to butt in. I saw this in active convos. Just wondering, it might be an idea for OP to ask for the thread to be pulled? It seems to contain lots of info identifying both OP and the NQT, which will be google-able. Might not reflect well on either?

(Sorry, if that is out of order, but it was just the first thought that struck me when I saw lots of identifying info).

Orangeanddemons · 06/01/2014 18:34

PowerPoint is learning death IMO.

I only ever use it for lesson objectives or exemplar answers.
All the rest the kids learn themselves.

I thought teacher led power point lessons were Ofsted death

Philoslothy · 06/01/2014 18:53

I suppose with all things it depends how it is used, I use PP most lessons but my lessons are not totally teacher led. Often I use it as a trigger for them to do something.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 06/01/2014 19:00

How did it go today op?

OldRoan · 06/01/2014 22:00

Could you set him a target of teaching 1 lesson a day without any electrical equipment (obviously assuming he has access to a normal white/chalkboard).

I suppose a really drastic (underhand, unfair?) thing to do would be to have his ICT access removed for a day (with warning). It is not impossible that he would come in one day and find the ICT network (genuinely) down and have to teach off-the-cuff, technology free lessons. Could you present it to him that way, and say "to help you understand that such a situation is a challenge, but not impossible, I want you to try teaching a lesson without ICT."

MagratGarlik · 07/01/2014 08:40

Actually a bit Shock at the suggestion of getting his IT access blocked for a day! Surely this is not considered a professional way to deal with adult colleagues?

Snargaluff · 07/01/2014 08:45

He's not a student, he's an nqt. If he wants to use technology surely that's his professional choice

DalmationDots · 07/01/2014 09:35

Yes, I think cutting off the IT is very unfair. His reliance is on powerpoint which is an issue. That is an issue because of the way he is using powerpoint and IT generally, rather than the fact he is using it.
In this day and age it seems mad to be saying IT is the issue, he needs suggesting how to change his powerpoints (shorter? less on the screen? more instructions/questions/interaction rather than lecture style?) otherwise he is just playing a guessing game as to where he is going wrong.
There is a lot of wonderful IT resources out there that can really enhance teaching, it sounds like he needs guiding more. I would be fairly appalled if a school was using no IT when it is such a vital and big part of the world.

Sounds like the fundamental issue is him doing a FE PGCE and hence being a bit overwhelmed in a secondary environment when he has been taught basically how to lecture. And disorganisation isn't helping this.

OldRoan · 07/01/2014 12:51

I did say it was drastic and underhand. I also didn't mean it to be taken100% seriously, I hoped that was obvious. Apologies, since it clearly wasn't.

The point I was trying to make stands, though. Technology is great when used correctly, and I'm not saying he should never be allowed near a computer again, but he could easily find himself turning up one day to find the network is down. If he can't teach without ICT then that is going to cause massive problems for him, and he needs to start thinking about that.

Setting him a target for development isn't treating him like a student. NQTs still get targets.

MagratGarlik · 07/01/2014 13:13

Nobody would object to seeing development targets - this is a normal part of performance management for any role.

However, deliberately deceiving someone and/or deliberately handicapping them without their consent is not unprofessional and is not treating a colleague as an adult.

He should be given clear development targets and pointers as to how to achieve these. He should also be told what he is doing well, no matter how small, as this helps prevent a negative spiral of, "I can't get anything right, so why bother" type of thinking.

He should then provide evidence of what he has done to address his targets. Being dishonest with him will not build a relationship of trust and mutual respect, which are essential for any training relationship to be successful.

MagratGarlik · 07/01/2014 13:14

*is not professional

Development target: must proof read posts Grin

fedup21 · 07/01/2014 16:21

OP, why is it that if you do an FE PGCE, you don't need to pass your NQT year, I don't understand?

Original poster
januarysunsetfire · 07/01/2014 18:44

I don't know fedup sorry - it's just the information I have from my senior management team :)

There have been other issues but I'd better not go into them; I am conscious the thread contains lots of identifying information and I did want to ask on here rather than TES as there seemed less chance of being identified.

Thank you for the ideas.

OP posts:
bubblesmonkey · 07/01/2014 19:05

It does sound like he's struggling a bit too much. I'm on a school direct course teaching 11 hours a week, lots of marking, planning, form time, parents evenings etc and it's really not that bad. Busy, yes, and I work hard, but after half time my timetable will be going up to 16 hours, so I will be doing more than him without being a qualified teacher!
I think teaching is a very hard job and if you don't really enjoy it, you will procrastinate and let the marking build up. I think the softly softly approach needs to be ditched in favour of 'get this marking done by x date or I will take y official steps to express concern about your abilities'. Whatever you do, don't take the marking off him, he'll never learn.

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