Trainee in my class

[PuckeredAhole]

So a trainee on block A training will be in about 6 or 7 of my classes this week.

Will she just be expected to observe or can I get her to help out a bit? Have never had a PGCEer in my classroom before. I've been teaching for nearly 10 years and still feel I have nothing to teach anyone!

If she is a trainee, she'll have to do some teaching and plan all of the lessons that she has with you-you will observe them and give feedback. For the first week, trainee will watch you, then will have to gradually start planning more and more lessons.

Are they on a proper placement with an eye to taking over your class or is it just a bit of school experience?

Probably let them observe the first lesson, then have a chat with them after about whether they'd wander and help next time, or if you can sit them next to a nice kid who needs support etc. Just observing the whole time would get pretty dull.

If you've been teaching nearly a decade, you'll have loads to teach them. It's amazing how much stuff you just do automatically and take for granted that they have to painstakingly learn. Routines, questioning, and especially behaviour management.

At the beginning, she will be observing you. She should help with the students individually or in small groups, mirroring what you do.

She would be expected to take parts of lessons, moving on to doing the full planning, delivery and assessment, even before Christmas. This is while juggling university tasks and little research projects.

You need to know from your HOD or Professional Tutor what you are expected to do. There will be feedback forms to fill in, and the student should tell you what she wants you to focus on for each lesson.

Thanks. I'm not the HOD or her school mentor so I hope paperwork will be minimal for me.

The trainee hadn't found a school until we stepped in so she's 4 weeks behind. According to her timetable for 2 weeks she's only timetabled to be in my KS4 classes and my HOD doesn't want her teaching any KS4. Sounds a long time to just be observing all day. I did Teach First and I was thrown in with 17 hours a week on my own.

How long is she in your school for?

Until dec 15th I think. Why?

If she's with you for the second half term, she should be responsible for 1 - 3 classes - planning, teaching, assessing. You can sit back and relax make notes of everything she had missed and fill out obs forms. You become the classroom assistant, engaging with small groups.

The specifics depends on the university, of course. Bit it will definitely not be all observation. She should do some observation, in your subject and in others, as well as being involved in pastoral care.

Your HoD shouldn’t have agreed to the placement (or at least not those classes) if s/he didn’t want the trainee to teach them - it’s a teaching placement so whilst the trainee wouldn’t be teaching a full lesson straight away they should expect to build up to teaching the classes. Maybe go back to your HoD and see if the trainee can be moved to more suitable classes or the HoD might need to have a chat with the trainee’s school mentor about teaching expectations. You can’t have a trainee who is learning to teach not being allowed to teach the class they are placed in.

I suspect, more likely, that the HOD is being economical with the truth.

But couldn't she observe the KS4 and then take on the KS3 classes. Or is it the point that she is getting to know the classes from watching me before she "takes over"? If the latter is the case, then surely she should only observe KS3 from the start if the HoD has no intention of.letting the trainee teach any KS4?!

Only you/your HOD can answer those questions.

But she will need substantial experience of both key stages.

What are your concerns?

Teaching training is largely an apprentice system. Until Teach First, this was how everyone did it.

I will have a PGCE student for the first time as well!
I know the trainee will observe first and then we'll slowly switch roles. Will I have to help with planning? I am not the mentor.

There'll be a very tight schedule of requirements and hours teaching for each week provided by the trainee's college.

You will need to help with planning as you know the class

I literally don't know how I'm going to fit her in to my already hectic 3 days. How do you cope on top of everything else???

If I'm expected to plan with her, can I ask for extra time to do this each week?

Mentors get extra time. Our student is very nice and eager, but I don't know how to fit somebody else's planning in, either.

I've got a pgce student in at the minute too. She's just in one of my y8 classes, but has a y10 class with someone else and another couple of KS3 classes.

She's been in 2 weeks now and has started teaching one class but is still observing the rest. She'll take over my class next week (but one lesson clashes, so I'll have one lesson a week to cover bits she's missed/undo any misconceptions that arise). The y10 class will be the last one she takes over and she'll probably only teach them for a couple of lessons, or do a few starters/plenaries.

Lessons she's not teaching, she acts as a TA, helping kids who need it, handing out resources, etc. When she takes over a class the teacher does the TA job.

Mentors get extra time.

Ha ha ha! In none of the 6 schools I have worked at, did Mentors get extra time. Sadly.

OP, this trainee really deserves to have a placement that meets the needs for her PGCE and that she is paying for (I know you don't get money for it directly but the school does) and therefore, she will need to teach across two key stages for her PGCE asa minimum. She will therefore, at some point need to plan, teach and review/assess and KS4 lesson.

In your first weekly meeting with them, ask them about what paperwork needs completing, what assignments they have, etc. Try and read up yourself, what you need to do as a Mentor (lots online) and hopefully, will be less stressful for the both of you. Good luck!

Mentors don't get extra time at my school because they get the benefit of not having to teach the class. I tried to get marking done while I was sat at the back of the class (being a TA and intervening with the kids every lesson wouldn't help the student learn to manage a class themselves).