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I& #39;ve been reflecting on my 9k PGCE at @portsmouthuni. Here are some things that concern me:
1. We didn& #39;t have any sessions about how pupils actually learn.
2. We were never shown exam papers or specifications for the most popular exam boards.t
3. There were no prep sessions on common Literature texts.
4. Coursework and exam weightings were never explained.
5. We were expected to read about Vygotsky and Piaget etc but never given any basic introduction to help us comprehend their ideas.
6. There was never any distinction made between the Language and the Literature GCSEs.
7. We had a TWO HOUR session on thinking hats.
8. Our tutor used to disappear and leave us with NQTs from her previous cohort who banged on about card sorts, using traffic lights to assess progress and how to make eyecatching displays.
7. In one session, we made models of Curley& #39;s wife out of playdough and were told it was engaging activities like this that made outstanding lessons.
8. We were given a list of rubbish books to buy like & #39;How to teach in a secondary school& #39;. Google it and you& #39;ll see how rubbish it is.
9. I wasn& #39;t allowed a photocopying budget in school but card sorts and worksheets were expected of me.
10. Nobody ever actually taught me what a PEE paragraph was, only that I was expected to model them to the kids.
11. In one placement I was forced to share a mentor, meaning that I was only given half of my alloted weekly time for mentoring support.
12. That mentor didn& #39;t get paid for her role and it annoyed her that she had two trainees. She made this very clear by trying to push one of us out.
13. I bought three fly swats that I& #39;ve never actually used, because I was told that this would be a good way of engaging my class, but also checking their progress.
14. The trainees were all pedalled against one another in some sort of competition for the course leader& #39;s affection. She had favourites and let everyone know.
15. We spent the entire first day at uni playing games and getting to know one another. That& #39;s great, but also £9k...
16. In one placement, the other trainee and myself were asked to help students with their controlled assessments until they were C grade.
