Wow, it's been a long long time since I last blogged, just over a month! I've been a little busy guys, sorry! It was nice being back in Aberystwyth for a few weeks and just as you settle into an area, it's time to leave! This was very true of 1st teaching placement, and I fear might be true of my 2nd, (which starts on Monday!)
You're going to have to forgive me, but this blog might be a wee bit of a rant. Like I said I've spent 6 weeks in Aberystwyth, on my second "long" block at University and I have just 6 days to look forward to June, which I fear will just be one week long drinking binge to congratulate myself on becoming Peter...BA (Hons), PGDE. Yep, really collecting up the letter. In reality my course ends on 27th April with the submission of my PDP (Professional Development Portfolio.) All throughly dull stuff I can tell you.
Anyway, lets get cracking!
I realised that firstly I wasn't as active back in Aber as I was in School. Anyone who knows me, know I've gotta keep myself occupied. I'm at my most useless when I'm doing nothing! For 10 solid weeks I worked from 8:30am to 4pm. I'd go home, work until about 6pm. I'd be exhausted, but I'd sleep well and more importantly I was productive! I loved it! Then came Aberystwyth, 3 days a week for 16 hours a week! Monday and Thursday free. Not good, I felt like a Fresher again, some deadline weeks away and very little else to do except go out and drink.
Tuesdays were great, 9 to 5! Four hours of History and three hours of Games! Excellent, Tuesday's were my favourite days! Until the timetable started to moved because of two reasons. Firstly, the snow...which didn't actually affect Aber but seemingly ground the whole of Ceredigion to a halt and secondly, the Timetable kept getting changed. I wasn't need to go in Tuesday, but I was required all of Wednesday. Suddenly, my timetable was thrown up in the air, I wasn't sure what I was doing on each day, (to be honest I think my tutor didn't know either.) I don't like it when things are moved around and changed, probably some mild form of OCD I know! But I felt like, the idea of the last three weeks was to run down the clock. A few other students felt the same.
I'd fully understand, if the tutor had put their hands up and say "I've not got much else left to teach you, come in on this date, this date, and this date. Other then that, go do your essays, lesson plans, or in my case find somewhere to bloody live for Teaching Placement 2!" But no, we were subjected to Four hour workshop sessions, which had 30 minute breaks in the middle, followed by go to the Computer Room for 30 minutes and read this...and so on. In fact, in one Four Hour workshop myself and a colleague worked out, we did on 90 minutes work! 90 minutes in Four hours! Waste of time, perhaps?
I hate to say it, but I was seriously considering thinking is this University's course a waste of money? There are some bad points "built in" to the course, I fully understand. The Geographical location of the University, means I wont see my tutor until about May time now. When they visit me at my school. But still, that's fine. I knew that before I signed up, and my complaint isn't the "detachment" I felt from my University when out on teaching placement. That will happen, and I do accept it. Secondly, I felt the PDS lectures on a Friday Morning weren't relevant at times. A talk on finding a teaching post from the Careers department, was next to worthless despite the fact the speaker was brilliant and engaging. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but I think a speaker can be interesting and engaging despite not having the material to further interest listeners. Secondly, a talk from another interesting speaker from a teacher's union was throughly enjoyable, and personally the speaker would have made a great career out of stand up. But still, little real knowledge was being imparted. And those were the good lectures! I won't pass comment on the lectures I received on Health Education, Educational Visits, and Sustainable Development!
And then there was the Great PSE lesson fiasco! Two weeks spent planning a lesson on differences, with little guidance from a scheme of work or what we were supposed to! Then arriving at the school in question, left in the staff and the teachers expecting that we knew where we had to go! When the Course co-ordinators told us nothing! I know, I'm a trainee but I was made to look amateur, and thankfully myself and my team-teaching colleague could "blag" enough to complete the lesson and ensure the Learning Objectives were achieved.
I know what you're thinking, and you're right. I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth, but there were some good points to my time there, I felt the course did miss the role of ICT in History (see History 2.0 blog below, and coming soon a History 2.1 blog) and the Education Act 2006, which means a teacher can use "reasonable force" to restrain and remove a pupil from the classroom, can anyone out there tell what "reasonable force" is? Sadly, I felt this important piece of legislation was missed and needed to be covered. Perhaps, they needed a "Teachers and the Law" module. But that sounds way too clever.
I do apologise about my rant, but I left I needed to get it off my chest. I'm off to Teaching Placement 2 on Saturday, and start on Monday. I'm really looking forward to tackling a new school and wealth of different problems and issues that school will face. I miss my First school, it was great and the staff were terrific, if the staff are half as good then I will have an excellent time.
Next time, an update to my History 2.0 blog. History 2.1 and a further dive into the role of VLE's, Podcasts. iMovie (or Movie maker for PC), Discussion boards, and the joys of Promethan.
See you soon,
Peter.
x
