Advice for a new teacher?

Karpops

Hello all!

I am about to start the PDE in UCD this year, and I am required to teach 5 hours per week in a school. I'll be teaching English and CSPE. It's been five years since I was in secondary school myself (now I feel old) so just wondering does anyone have any advice? I'll be teaching from the first day school starts, without having actually sat very many lectures or tutorials on how to actually teach, so I'll be winging it for the first week or two. I'll likely have 1st/2nd years.

Thanks guys

seavill

Talk to the teachers in the school the week before hand at staff meetings, I presume you will be at those.

Blondini

1) Prepare , prepare , prepare - have a good plan of how you will keep all the students busy..

2) Project as much confidence as possible - even if you don't necessarily feel it!

3) Keep the cool

4) Read no. 2) again!

Seanchai

Karpops wrote: »

I am about to start the PDE in UCD this year, and I am required to teach 5 hours per week in a school. I'll be teaching English and CSPE.

This isn't what you want to hear but seriously, get a real second subject. I do not mean to be harsh at all, just genuinely helpful. This is the best thing you could do for yourself. I know because I was in your position. CSPE, like SPHE, is a joke subject. When we did the PGDE, we were told be self-interested parties how 'Society & Politics' was going to become a LC subject and how there would be jobs blah blah. There were plenty of people who wanted to believe that and everybody who hadn't got a second serious subject was doing the CSPE module. It was packed, and sad to see the desperation. Having so many people take the CSPE module, and raise their hopes about CSPE's future position on the syllabus, was a blatant money-making racket by UCD's School of Education. For my 2nd subject methodology I did another subject, which was determined essentially by the timetable requirement of the school I was in.

Start looking into qualifications like this which are designed to give people with degrees the opportunity to get the required 54 degree credits that they need to be registered with the Teaching Council as a qualified teacher of another subject. Ultimately, I had to go back and get 54 degree credits in a serious subject at night (30 credits per year) in order to record a second real subject with the TC. Had I faced this reality a year earlier I would have begun those 54 credits sooner than I did.

Best of luck.

khan86

CSPE is a joke? It's the only other subject at Junior Cert level that every student in the country is required to study apart from the core subjects of English, Irish and Maths (and there are even a few exemptions in Irish) Approx 55,000 students sat the exam this year, I know as I corrected over 300 of them. Being dismissive is not being "genuinely helpful". Unfortunately CSPE is treated like a mickey mouse subject in schools and is not top of the priority lists of management in terms of resources, teachers being qualified to teach it etc and unfortunately attitudes like yours don't help matters but I'm sure the DES and NCCA would disagree with you. Perhaps if teachers who are teaching it in schools were qualified and knew what they were doing a whole batch of action projects I corrected two weeks ago wouldn't have lost a ridiculous amount of marks because the teacher got them to write up a project on a topic covered on the SPHE syllabus and not the CSPE one. I too would advise the OP to consider adding another subject because with the Junior Cert reforms in 2014 the core subjects will be the only subjects in a school that are 'untouchable' on the timetable and CSPE will undoubtedly slide even further down the ladder.

Millem

khan86 wrote: »

CSPE is a joke? It's the only other subject at Junior Cert level that every student in the country is required to study apart from the core subjects of English, Irish and Maths (and there are even a few exemptions in Irish) Approx 55,000 students sat the exam this year, I know as I corrected over 300 of them. Being dismissive is not being "genuinely helpful". Unfortunately CSPE is treated like a mickey mouse subject in schools and is not top of the priority lists of management in terms of resources, teachers being qualified to teach it etc and unfortunately attitudes like yours don't help matters but I'm sure the DES and NCCA would disagree with you. Perhaps if teachers who are teaching it in schools were qualified and knew what they were doing a whole batch of action projects I corrected two weeks ago wouldn't have lost a ridiculous amount of marks because the teacher got them to write up a project on a topic covered on the SPHE syllabus and not the CSPE one. I too would advise the OP to consider adding another subject because with the Junior Cert reforms in 2014 the core subjects will be the only subjects in a school that are 'untouchable' on the timetable and CSPE will undoubtedly slide even further down the ladder.

I think what Seanchai means it is treated as a filler on teachers timetables regardless of their qualifications, which really leaves the OP with one subject rather than two. I can see where Seanchai is coming from in terms of employment as the OP would be more likely to gain hours with English and e.g. Geography and CSPE could also be added to bump up hours. In my school everyone from a German to a learning support teacher teaches cspe.

chippers

Millem wrote: »

I think what Seanchai means it is treated as a filler on teachers timetables regardless of their qualifications, which really leaves the OP with one subject rather than two. I can see where Seanchai is coming from in terms of employment as the OP would be more likely to gain hours with English and e.g. Geography and CSPE could also be added to bump up hours. In my school everyone from a German to a learning support teacher teaches cspe.

Do you consider Geography a filler subject?

khan86

Millem wrote: »

I think what Seanchai means it is treated as a filler on teachers timetables regardless of their qualifications, which really leaves the OP with one subject rather than two. I can see where Seanchai is coming from in terms of employment as the OP would be more likely to gain hours with English and e.g. Geography and CSPE could also be added to bump up hours. In my school everyone from a German to a learning support teacher teaches cspe.

Yes I understand that it is used as filler subject, that doesn't mean it is right and it shouldn't be dismissed as a joke subject. It still requires preparation, planning, teaching, and assessment like every other subject. I don't think there should be a hierarchy of subjects, education is supposed to be holistic and every subject teaches something valuable and provides students with various skills for the future. I'd be interested to know what the situation will be with teaching CSPE with the new teaching council registration process. Will teachers who did it in their hdip be the only ones who will be qualified to teach it and get paid by the department and will this put a stop to schools using it as a filler subject on the timetable?

Millem

chippers wrote: »

Millem wrote: »

I think what Seanchai means it is treated as a filler on teachers timetables regardless of their qualifications, which really leaves the OP with one subject rather than two. I can see where Seanchai is coming from in terms of employment as the OP would be more likely to gain hours with English and e.g. Geography and CSPE could also be added to bump up hours. In my school everyone from a German to a learning support teacher teaches cspe.

Do you consider Geography a filler subject?

No I don't in fact my principal said he really needs geography teachers as alot of our geography teachers are maths and geography and he needs them for maths. I just used it as an example as it gets a lot more hours on timetable and is a LC subject do therefore would be more likely to get a job

Millem

khan86 wrote: »

Millem wrote: »

I think what Seanchai means it is treated as a filler on teachers timetables regardless of their qualifications, which really leaves the OP with one subject rather than two. I can see where Seanchai is coming from in terms of employment as the OP would be more likely to gain hours with English and e.g. Geography and CSPE could also be added to bump up hours. In my school everyone from a German to a learning support teacher teaches cspe.

Yes I understand that it is used as filler subject, that doesn't mean it is right and it shouldn't be dismissed as a joke subject. It still requires preparation, planning, teaching, and assessment like every other subject. I don't think there should be a hierarchy of subjects, education is supposed to be holistic and every subject teaches something valuable and provides students with various skills for the future. I'd be interested to know what the situation will be with teaching CSPE with the new teaching council registration process. Will teachers who did it in their hdip be the only ones who will be qualified to teach it and get paid by the department and will this put a stop to schools using it as a filler subject on the timetable?

Khan86 I completely agree I teach SPHE which a lot of people consider a big joke and it's not an exam subject but still requires a lot of preparation in fact sometimes more than my main subject

rainbowtrout

khan86 wrote: »

Yes I understand that it is used as filler subject, that doesn't mean it is right and it shouldn't be dismissed as a joke subject. It still requires preparation, planning, teaching, and assessment like every other subject. I don't think there should be a hierarchy of subjects, education is supposed to be holistic and every subject teaches something valuable and provides students with various skills for the future. I'd be interested to know what the situation will be with teaching CSPE with the new teaching council registration process. Will teachers who did it in their hdip be the only ones who will be qualified to teach it and get paid by the department and will this put a stop to schools using it as a filler subject on the timetable?

That's fair enough, but it's examined at common level, and with no differentiation of higher and ordinary level then exams can't be designed for one particular cohort. Also because there is no follow on subject at LC level so students themselves don't care about it as they won't be doing it for LC.

If any other subject at JC level was completely scrapped at LC level you can be sure that interest in the subject would wane.

As for Teaching Council and CSPE. The TC are only there to ensure that those people working in schools are qualified and registered with them. Ideally they should only be teaching the subjects they are qualified in. In reality that doesn't happen in CSPE or many other subjects. It's up to the principal in the school to timetable teachers not the teaching council.

seavill

khan86 wrote: »

Will teachers who did it in their hdip be the only ones who will be qualified to teach it and get paid by the department and will this put a stop to schools using it as a filler subject on the timetable?

No it will be like every other subject in a school, ideally it will be taught by a teacher qualified in that subject but as with many other subjects when this cannot be fulfilled on the timetable anyone will be thrown in, and before you start going on about CSPE again this happens in every subject in many schools, for example all the moaning about non qualified maths teacher, I have had it happen where a maths teacher has had to take a woodwork and a tech graphics class as there is not enough qualified teachers to do it.

The reg. with the TC is to register teachers to be teachers not that they must stick to teaching only certain subjects

Seanchai

khan86 wrote: »

CSPE is a joke? It's the only other subject at Junior Cert level that every student in the country is required to study apart from the core subjects of English, Irish and Maths (and there are even a few exemptions in Irish) Approx 55,000 students sat the exam this year, I know as I corrected over 300 of them. Being dismissive is not being "genuinely helpful". Unfortunately CSPE is treated like a mickey mouse subject in schools and is not top of the priority lists of management in terms of resources, teachers being qualified to teach it etc and unfortunately attitudes like yours don't help matters but I'm sure the DES and NCCA would disagree with you. Perhaps if teachers who are teaching it in schools were qualified and knew what they were doing a whole batch of action projects I corrected two weeks ago wouldn't have lost a ridiculous amount of marks because the teacher got them to write up a project on a topic covered on the SPHE syllabus and not the CSPE one. I too would advise the OP to consider adding another subject because with the Junior Cert reforms in 2014 the core subjects will be the only subjects in a school that are 'untouchable' on the timetable and CSPE will undoubtedly slide even further down the ladder.

As Millem says. If I could elaborate, when I taught CSPE it constituted a single period per week for each class on the timetable. And nobody after 3rd year did it. In contrast, non-compulsory "real" subjects like science or a language were three periods per week for each class. And that subject usually continues on for the 2 or 3 years after the JC. Therefore, it does not take much to calculate the number of hours you'll get with CSPE, and the number of hours you'll get teaching a subject which is treated seriously by schools. It's a no-brainer which one you should choose as your teaching subject.

Leaving aside the difficulty of making a career out of a subject which has so few classes, it is much harder to bond with a class when you only have a single class with them each week.

The other obvious problem with CSPE is known to everybody: CSPE, like SPHE, is a filler subject for school management. I've seen the PE teacher, science teacher, Home Economics teacher - anybody who needs the classes - do it. This is the reality. The kids soon cop on that it's a filler subject that is not given the same seriousness on the syllabus.

khan86 wrote: »

Unfortunately CSPE is treated like a mickey mouse subject in schools and is not top of the priority lists of management in terms of resources, teachers being qualified to teach it etc

You've basically conceded what I've said. It is only fair to let somebody know that this is the attitude. I agree with you that this attitude is wrong, but it is the attitude. As such, it is being genuinely helpful to let the OP know how CSPE is treated, and how few classes are available in it, in schools across the state.

Toto Wolfcastle

The OP is looking for advice about how to get through the first few weeks of teaching. The discussion about the merits of CSPE as a subject can be taken up in a new thread. I don't want any more discussion of it in this thread. Stick with the topic please. As always, if you wish to respond to this warning please don't do so on thread. PM me.

bdoo

Karpops wrote: »

Hello all!

I am about to start the PDE in UCD this year, and I am required to teach 5 hours per week in a school. I'll be teaching English and CSPE. It's been five years since I was in secondary school myself (now I feel old) so just wondering does anyone have any advice? I'll be teaching from the first day school starts, without having actually sat very many lectures or tutorials on how to actually teach, so I'll be winging it for the first week or two. I'll likely have 1st/2nd years.

Thanks guys

Speak to the class teachers to get an idea what to cover etc. as you will be sharing classes.

You must be prepared for class. And forget about being the cool new teacher.

Set out your rules - write them down for yourself so you dont forget them.

Hop off the first person who breaks them :-)

Patches22

-Preparation is key

-Make a short list of rules. I wasn't that interested in doing this but in hindsight I do think it's good to let the kids know what you won't tolerate. Just keep it brief

-Always have worksheets with you. In that way if something was to go wrong in class or if you feel as if you're getting a bit flustered and wound up you can give that work out. A back-up plan, in case something more active is not possible on a given day - it happens.

-Practice your first address of the class. It might sound stupid, but it can be intimidating standing up there for the first time, and you don't want your first impression to come across as nervous. Know what your going to say.

-Figure out a way that works for you to learn students' names. Seating plans are quite good for this I've found.

-Talk to the students' regular teacher about teaching methods that suit the group.

I hope I didn't come accross too negative above! Just I remember wanting to be really prepared

queensinead

bdoo wrote: »

Speak to the class teachers to get an idea what to cover etc. as you will be sharing classes.

You must be prepared for class. And forget about being the cool new teacher.

Set out your rules - write them down for yourself so you dont forget them.

Hop off the first person who breaks them :-)

Ah yes, but it is the "hopping off" that can lead to problems if you are not experienced in its many pitfalls.

By all means "forget about being the cool new teacher"

But likewise, forget about being Clint Eastwood, the kick-ass, take-no-sh1t, you're-all-staying-here-until-someone-owns-up, rule-obsessed newbie...

Because students find this hilarious, especially in new or young teachers.

Relaxation, calm confidence, strong positive vibe, courtesy, steadfastness, consistency, quiet humour, and yes, very thorough classroom and lesson preparation.....these are the basics.

I would definitely concur with the prepared part..try to get the title of books they use and then get free copy from publishers...there should be a plan in school for each dept on what should be covered for year..if not ask subject teachers...the first meeting of year is nb..you can get lots of information on what the students are like and can arrange a seating plan accordingly..get the students to make their own name cards and display it on desk..spend first class going around the class and chatting to students..dont do any work..get to know them..

bdoo

queensinead wrote: »

bdoo wrote: »

Speak to the class teachers to get an idea what to cover etc. as you will be sharing classes.

You must be prepared for class. And forget about being the cool new teacher.

Set out your rules - write them down for yourself so you dont forget them.

Hop off the first person who breaks them :-)

Ah yes, but it is the "hopping off" that can lead to problems if you are not experienced in its many pitfalls.

By all means "forget about being the cool new teacher"

But likewise, forget about being Clint Eastwood, the kick-ass, take-no-sh1t, you're-all-staying-here-until-someone-owns-up, rule-obsessed newbie...

Because students find this hilarious, especially in new or young teachers.

Relaxation, calm confidence, strong positive vibe, courtesy, steadfastness, consistency, quiet humour, and yes, very thorough classroom and lesson preparation.....these are the basics.

Obviously, I didn't mean it literally.

If you hold back on punishment the first time someone breaks a rule you teach a lesson to the class - break all the rules you like.

There's plenty of time to love them when you establish yourself.

Too many teachers and parents are willing to sacrifice their standards to keep children 'happy'. What happens in the classroom should not be negotiable, within reason, bargaining and deal making are a slippery slope.

flatbackfour

Patches22 wrote: »

-Preparation is key

-Make a short list of rules. I wasn't that interested in doing this but in hindsight I do think it's good to let the kids know what you won't tolerate. Just keep it brief

-Always have worksheets with you. In that way if something was to go wrong in class or if you feel as if you're getting a bit flustered and wound up you can give that work out. A back-up plan, in case something more active is not possible on a given day - it happens.

-Practice your first address of the class. It might sound stupid, but it can be intimidating standing up there for the first time, and you don't want your first impression to come across as nervous. Know what your going to say.

-Figure out a way that works for you to learn students' names. Seating plans are quite good for this I've found.

-Talk to the students' regular teacher about teaching methods that suit the group.

I hope I didn't come accross too negative above! Just I remember wanting to be really prepared

Stick to the above ideas and you will do fine, great advice.

seavill

Marcc wrote: »

I would definitely concur with the prepared part..try to get the title of books they use and then get free copy from publishers...there should be a plan in school for each dept on what should be covered for year..if not ask subject teachers...the first meeting of year is nb..you can get lots of information on what the students are like and can arrange a seating plan accordingly..get the students to make their own name cards and display it on desk..spend first class going around the class and chatting to students..dont do any work..get to know them..

I would never in a million years do this, even after 5 years of teaching and prob 6 or 7 schools.

Idle hands and all that. I still to this day remember my first days in secondary school, looking back the ones who were too nice and didn't set the standards were the ones in the end of the day were taken advantage of and we lacked respect for.

Those who set the standards of work and behaviour were the ones we ended up respecting most and getting on with best.

Wasting a class going around chatting I fell has huge pitfalls.

1st Years on their first day maybe but anyone else I would certainly not do it with

rainbowtrout

seavill wrote: »

I would never in a million years do this, even after 5 years of teaching and prob 6 or 7 schools.

Idle hands and all that. I still to this day remember my first days in secondary school, looking back the ones who were too nice and didn't set the standards were the ones in the end of the day were taken advantage of and we lacked respect for.

Those who set the standards of work and behaviour were the ones we ended up respecting most and getting on with best.

Wasting a class going around chatting I fell has huge pitfalls.

1st Years on their first day maybe but anyone else I would certainly not do it with

I would agree with this. It is possible to start with a new class without doing work from the books as such but in that case I would be perhaps assigning student's places to sit (if it's a new class to me - first or fifth year), going through rules in science lab (science teacher), going through things they will need for science class (lab book for double class etc), certainly wouldn't be having a getting to know you chat with them. For me it could even be a basic class in lab safety (first years), how to use a bunsen burner without killing themselves or the student next to them, wearing glasses and gloves, I'd imagine similar is needed in woodwork seavill. Certainly no time for informal chatting.

seavill

Yes definitely, rules and health and safety with Woodwork immediately, if you want to be all inclusive about it get the kids to come up with the class rules and safety points and get them engaged early on, but ACTIVE early on. Then obviously go through the ones they missed.

But having a chat leads to 20 chats going on at the same time, leads to raised noise level, then you are trying to bring them back in line, end up in an argument eventually, younger ones confused one min your sound the next your giving out, mixed messages.

Get them active and engaged straight away even if it is coming up with the rules in pairs or whatever you could get 40 mins out of that if you really wanted but idle time for me would lead to greater problems in the long run

bdoo

seavill wrote: »

Yes definitely, rules and health and safety with Woodwork immediately, if you want to be all inclusive about it get the kids to come up with the class rules and safety points and get them engaged early on, but ACTIVE early on. Then obviously go through the ones they missed.

But having a chat leads to 20 chats going on at the same time, leads to raised noise level, then you are trying to bring them back in line, end up in an argument eventually, younger ones confused one min your sound the next your giving out, mixed messages.

Get them active and engaged straight away even if it is coming up with the rules in pairs or whatever you could get 40 mins out of that if you really wanted but idle time for me would lead to greater problems in the long run

Beaten before you start! Murder them with work from day one.

seavill

bdoo wrote: »

Beaten before you start! Murder them with work from day one.

I like to call it engage them in self directed learning to meet their learning outcomes throughout the lesson :P:P:P:P

bdoo

seavill wrote: »

bdoo wrote: »

Beaten before you start! Murder them with work from day one.

I like to call it engage them in self directed learning to meet their learning outcomes throughout the lesson :P:P:P:P

I spent most of my time in the schrödinger, gave that other stuff a wide berth!

Seriously though I worked with a guy who was all guys this and guys that talkin football and tv, did him no good and did less for the kids.

You know discipline is part of pastoral care!