Data, Diversity, Double-checking and Delving into the World of Employment

The post-Christmas stint back at University has been very welcomed. Lots of information to mull over, chances to flex our brains in various ways, time to relax and panic (a little!) and I think we're all prepped for our next placement.

Lectures and experiences in data management and diversity have really got me excited about the 'other parts' of being a teacher. I'm no maths buff (a.k.a. 'mathlete') but I'm pretty nimble around an Excel spreadsheet, and my experiences of school have shown me that inclusion is something that really needs to be focussed on. From a personal perspective, the LGBT areas are ones that need support (come on, now, using 'gay' as an adjective to describe something negatively is so 1990s!) and I would very much like to offer my support wherever possible.

We've all completed our Masters-level assignment, too! I'm hoping that it gets me a pass at M-level as the guidance was a little bit contradictory, but only time will tell. The nice thing about this was, as I handed the assignment in 4 days before deadline, I was able to offer my assistance to others that were finding the project difficult and non-native speakers of English who wanted their language double-checking. It was nice to be called upon and to be able to help!

The only thing worrying me, more than anything possibly in my life right now, is what the future of my teaching career holds. I'm about to start a placement with a team and in a school that I'd more than happily want to work in as an NQT and beyond, but in reality, the job scene in Bristol for MFL teachers right now seems... well, non-existent. I, like several others on the School Direct course, are nervous as we thought that the SD route included employment at the end of the year, but it seems as though we may have all misinterpreted this.

I know it's only January, but it already feels scary.

Applications and Interviews and Jobs (Oh My!)

It's all starting to get a little hectic again. Even more so now that job adverts are starting to appear and all us PGCEers are feeling the bite of assignment deadlines, preparing for Placement B and thinking about getting a good start in the very career that we're learning so much about.

To put it in a 'light' way, I'm feeling something like this right now:

Ok, so maybe that's a little dramatic, but all this talk of jobs is making me a little nervy. Many questions, lots of preparation and no guarantee of employment is a very scary position to be in...

Anyway, below is some information that's currently being discussed online about job applications in the teaching world. I thought I'd summarise it here to get my thoughts in order and to help any readers if they're in a similar situation:

• When looking at ads, ask if you are right for the job and if the job is right for you. If either of the answers is no, don't go for it. It's better to concentrate on one 'dead cert' than it is to waste employers' time and money
• Have a sceptical eye in interviews; scope out the school and make sure it's right for you
• Read and use the Person Specification carefully for each application; they look similar but can differ substantially, so a 'blanket application' won't work
• Try and visit the school if applying to it; it gives a good impression and allows you to do the aforementioned scoping!
• Remember that the children come first. We are here to teach kids and help them to develop all manner of skills, not just 'develop our own pedagogy'
• A mismatch between degree title and the subject you want to teach is not always a disadvantage; use specific examples and enthusiasm to make the application shine through
• Be confident in the use of data interpretation and analysis; apparently heads of department love it!
• Don't share out your personal statement too much. While it's good to have it double- and triple-checked, it also means that too many amendments lead it to being not as personal as it should be...
• Check your SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar); a large majority of applications will be binned on the basis of small errors
• Have these questions in mind during the process: Why your subject? Why this school? Why this post? Why teach?

Year 8 Aspirations - An initial analysis and call for assistance!

So that Christmas break went extremely quickly...

I'm find myself feeling gradually more and more confident within the classroom after completing Placement A and being back with my colleagues at Uni. As the course is progressing, all of these pedagogical terms, phrases and acronyms are really starting to sink in, and I can see how being a "reflective practitioner" is contributing to my development day by day. It's also great to see my colleagues experiencing the same thing and to observe how we're moving away from the shy, new trainees into professional purveyors of education. High 5s all 'round =D

This week I am in a different academy, looking at Y8s in particular. The trend so far seems to be that Y8 is nationally (if not internationally) the Year in which things start to 'dip,' particularly around attendance, aspirations and engagement. In fact, in asking a few friends and reflecting upon Y8 myself, we can't seem to remember much about that time at all... to us, and to many others, it seems a bit of a non-year.

The question I have been posed with is: how can Y8s regain their motivation for learning? They're no longer the babies of the school, and they haven't quite reached GCSE Options stage yet. To them, it's another year in the education cycle but it's also a time of change, particularly biologically. 

Not identifying and intervening with 'the dip' can lead to a negative learning cycle, details of which I won't go into here as I need to do some more research first, but I would like to ask any readers these two questions:

1. Can you remember what Year 8 was like for you? Do you agree that it was a year in which nothing much happened, or were your experiences different?
2. If you teach now, what are your opinions on your current Year 8? How do you motivate them to remain impassioned by learning?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!