PGCE teaching first lessons

[Geographytrainee]

I'm just starting teaching on my PGCE course. I've taught one class so far and I thought that I did a terrible job, although my mentor said that I had done well, can anyone tell me that it gets better?!

It really does!!

Honestly Helly?
I really want to be good at this! 😀

Definitely. My first lesson was dreadful. By the end I was getting grade one across the board. I now teach extremely challenging teenagers and make a pretty good job of it.

I did a demonstration in my first lesson and my hands were shaking so much the kids commented on it. It gets better!

My first two years were shit

Honestly? Ask your colleagues who the ‘firm but fair’ teachers are in school and go and see them teach as many lessons as possible! Note body language, choice of language etc. It will be well worth your time.

Good advice from Yoko. Observe, observe, observe. You'll never get the chance again.

If you think it was rubbish, you're waaaaaay further ahead than I was when I taught my first lesson as a PGCE student. If you are able already to be reflective, then that is a good thing. And, yes, it eventually gets a lot easier. Never easy, and you sound like you'll always think of ways you could improve, but definitely easiER.

Fantastic! Thank you!
I look at my mentor teach and it looks so effortless (I know that it isn't) and she has such a rapport with the pupils and I want to be as good as she is.
I'm teaching again tomorrow and am already feeling nervous and excited! 😀

You'll have some shit lessons, and some great ones. And both are equally important, as long as you're looking back at then and identifying exactly what worked well...or didnt!

Everyone is shit when they start! That ‘effortless’ look has been won through years of hard work.

Getting through your first lesson in one piece is doing well, wanting to go back and do it again is brilliant. Make sure that instead of thinking ‘that was rubbish’ you identify where it went wrong so you can try something different next time.

And don’t just focus on the bad bits. What went well? Did the kids come in nicely? Do an activity well? Put their hand up to answer questions? Those are the things you want to keep doing. Congratulate the kids on their orderly entry, thank them for putting their hands up (or remind them if they don’t). Think how you could reuse the activity, or why the explanation worked.

You will get better if you do that :)

Can I just say I think it's so important that you don't put pressure on yourself to be a 'perfect' teacher when you first start out, or ever actually tbh!

I will always remember one of my mentors on my PGCE - she was lovely, the kids loved and respected her, she had them eating out of her hand, she was so calm, so organized and just a great teacher. She was everything i wanted to be. What i didn't take into account was that she had been teaching for ten years. When it came to me having my first teaching post, I was trying so hard to do all the things that she would do, that I completely burnt out and had to leave my post after half a term, argh! Luckily I found another school where I had a great colleague, I took things easier on myself and found my way.

I still never managed to be quite as organized as my mentor, but I do think along the way I have sometimes managed the 'effortless' thing. Bear in mind though that it is all a facade!

Thank you everyone. My 2nd lesson today went much better! 😀. I can't say how great it felt when it was going well! 😀
Looking forward to the next one now.

Go and observe people that are nqts and rqts not just the best teachers that have been doing it for years so you can see where you should expect to be ish in a year and then another. Sometimes seeing someone who is so experienced can be daunting and that takes time to get there

It’s like driving. When you’re learning you’re thinking about changing gear and following the signs and steering and braking. After you’ve been driving a while you don’t focus like that on moving the car safely, you focus on trying to get to the right place!

That ‘effortless’ look has been won through years of hard work.
This. So so much.

One of my colleagues put it well to a trainee. It's lile driving. You take your driving lessons and pass your test but you really learn to drive once you've got your licence and you're alone in your car.

Keep listening and learning OP and you'll be great. Remember to have a break over half term.

CauliflowerSqueeze
Cross post
Brilliant analogy.

I’m finding this thread really helpful as just starting out on my PGCE so it’s nice to know things will come naturally after a while!

I did my first teaching today but not a formal lesson so not much feedback. It was only to six sixth formers on punctuation but I’d like to know how I can improve.

I need to stop the jitters and just do it!

It really is like driving isn't it? Fantastic analogy. I will definitely go and observe some nqt lessons, thanks for the advice.