Developing resilience to observations

[Lovetotravel123]

I’m a new teacher and currently doing my PGCE. Mostly I get good feedback but whenever I feel like a lesson doesn’t go well, especially if I am being observed, I go into a big black mental hole of ‘failure’. How do you learn to get over observations? I feel like it is impossible to tick all the boxes in every lesson, and surely other teachers don’t manage it either.

Just don’t take it personally and be too hadd on yourself!! You are in your PGCE year, there will always be something that you need to develop upon. Play it to your advantage and always ask for the observer to elaborate any points that you don’t understand.

My strategy is to see them as a chance to improve so i will actively ask to be seen with classes and activities that I don't feel I'm great at. It's more soul destroying to have them come to see something you think is great and find out that it's not. However, if you know something isn't working, it's better to have someone see it so that they can help.

That’s very sensible advice. Thank you

OP, you're a learner. Think about what you do to create a learning environment for the pupils in your classroom. You create the conditions for them to learn, you plan and sequence the learning carefully, you praise and celebrate when they achieve and you support them when they need help to get something. You would never want them to spiral or feel like a failure if something didn't go quite as they wanted.

That's exactly how your tutors and mentors want you to approach your own learning. You are learning a craft which comprises a complex skillset. Observations are an opportunity to celebrate what is working and seek support with anything that isn't quite there yet.

Lovely responses. Thank you