PGDE Student needs some help and advice with class

peanuthead

Hi there

So I'm doing the PGDE, loving it actually, but finding a class of mine very difficult to deal with.

Okay, they are a tough class, but behave well for me two of the times in the week I do see them, the problem is that third and final class.....

....FRIDAY LAST CLASS OF THE DAY!!! :(

I'm tired, they're tired and up until now I have been trying to keep them busy with lots of work and to be fair they have been trying their best to behave but yesterday it all just came to a head. They were giddy, and I got annoyed.

I'm sitting here with a bunch of report forms and I really don't want to fill them out because during week we have such good classes, its just those god dammed friday afternoons.

Now being a DIPPER I can't just give them a library class, but it is going to have to be laid back, relaxed.

I have been given the topic of Fictional Studies to cover with them.
Up until now I was doing just that, after christmas the idea was to introduce a novel or story, and the suggestion was to do that on Fridays.

Do you think that's a good idea?
Just reading on a Friday (It's a book they like, I asked them to choose one from our library) and then a bit of work on the book on Monday?

Or could I be doing something more creative with them on Fridays?
And what could that be?
Should I ask my co-op teacher to let me cover a different part of the course on Fridays?

Also, I have two foreign nationals in my class and my supervisor told me that I have to integrate them into the class somehow. They have no english.

Any help or suggestions?

thanks for reading the post!!

beno-23

hey i did the dip last year and having a class last thing on a friday is a complete balls....even when ur properly teaching and not doing dip!!! is it english you are teaching? why not do some sort of quiz,role play,drama,debate or class discussion where they can actually talk but just make sure you have rules for things like this where they are not allowed to speak out of turn etc. you could take a theme from whatever you are doing with them during the week and get them to come up wit something based on this. for examle i teach irish but on a friday last year i use to have 'fun friday' but it would only happen if they were good during the week and got all the work done.

for exmple...i had been doing about the weather in irish with them all week then got them into pairs and they came up wit little news weather bulliteins(dunno how to spell that word) where they made posters wit maps and different weather on it in irish then one read out the weather and the other pointed it out...i let them have a bit of freedom and they could bring in whatever props they wanted(within reason) and they got a chance to do it at the top of the class...some of them were very funny...i dunno its just an idea that i came up wit and seemed to work for me. i also used to do tape work with them on a friday.a little bit of revision at start of lesson, the main activity, some sort of wordsearch or crossword and then a little recap at end.

i feel sorry for u really because if ur supervisor comes last thing on a friday...thats pure lousy...they should know not to come to classes last thing on a friday...but if u need help with anything...give me a shout...i know how ur feeling!!!:)

peanuthead

beno-23 wrote: »

hey i did the dip last year and having a class last thing on a friday is a complete balls....even when ur properly teaching and not doing dip!!! is it english you are teaching? why not do some sort of quiz,role play,drama,debate or class discussion where they can actually talk but just make sure you have rules for things like this where they are not allowed to speak out of turn etc. you could take a theme from whatever you are doing with them during the week and get them to come up wit something based on this. for examle i teach irish but on a friday last year i use to have 'fun friday' but it would only happen if they were good during the week and got all the work done.

for exmple...i had been doing about the weather in irish with them all week then got them into pairs and they came up wit little news weather bulliteins(dunno how to spell that word) where they made posters wit maps and different weather on it in irish then one read out the weather and the other pointed it out...i let them have a bit of freedom and they could bring in whatever props they wanted(within reason) and they got a chance to do it at the top of the class...some of them were very funny...i dunno its just an idea that i came up wit and seemed to work for me. i also used to do tape work with them on a friday.a little bit of revision at start of lesson, the main activity, some sort of wordsearch or crossword and then a little recap at end.

i feel sorry for u really because if ur supervisor comes last thing on a friday...thats pure lousy...they should know not to come to classes last thing on a friday...but if u need help with anything...give me a shout...i know how ur feeling!!!:)

Thanks a lot fot the advice.

My supervisor has actually said that she won't come last class on Friday if she can help it. But it does have to be said that if she did I'm sure the kids would try their best knowing she was there (they think she's supervising them)

Well Luckily I will see them tomorrow and then never again until Jan so I can have a break to think about it!!

Thanks!
P