Skip navigation

Latest from the blogs

Top three tips for trainee teachers – Iqra Abbasi

Thu 21 March 2019 - 15:52

By Iqra Abbasi in Teacher Training

 

 

 

 

 

I cannot believe that I am just short four months away from obtaining my PGCE. In some ways this course has been a bit of a blur, but the hard work that has been required has pushed me beyond belief. Here are my top three tips for trainee teachers-to-be...

1. Become as organised as you possibly can
If you don't have a diary, GET one! Life moves as fast as a flash when you're a trainee and if you don't keep track of your time and the dates it is very easy to get left behind. I have an academic diary which is separate to my journal and I use it every single day! If you didn't start organising before, you're going to have to now. I'm still working on it to...

Teaching provides an amazing, varied, irresistible career – Dame Alison Peacock

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:52

By Dame Alison Peacock in Teacher Training

 

I became a teacher because I realised that I wanted to be free to plan my days, to work with young people in a vibrant ever-changing environment and because I wanted to do something that might make a positive difference.

I have worked in primary and secondary schools and have also spoken at hundreds of conferences, so you could say I have taught teachers too. Essentially, the job has many similarities throughout all age ranges. The key characteristic is one of connecting with others, engaging them in a compelling process that helps them to think, enabling them to learn something new.

When I started teaching I worked in a large secondary school. Every day was different and exciting but there were plenty of challenges too. When I look back, I remember the highs and lows of exhilaration when things went well as well as the exhaustion that came just before a holiday. I remember pupils that I taught and their delight and...

Common myths about the brain and learning – James Williams

Wed 3 July 2024 - 12:03

By James Williams in Teacher Training

 

Part of becoming a teacher is observing teachers and children in schools. If you’re on a teacher training degree programme, this will happen on a regular basis. But, is everything you see good teaching?

Neuroscientists have been trying to figure out how our brains work for decades. This includes how we learn. Some teachers will tell you they use ‘neuroscience’ based techniques. But beware, there are some bad teaching methods and brain myths still being used in some schools that aren’t backed by any scientific evidence.

In this blog I’ll look at some myths about the brain, look at those discredited teaching methods and explain how we know they don’t work.

We only use 10% of our brain!

This is a common ‘fact’ that’s false. We use all of our brain nearly all of the time. How do we know?

  • Studies of brain damage - If only 10% of the brain is normally used, then damage to other...

In at the deep end: top five tips for stepping into the classroom – Alex Nicholson

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:52

By Alex Nicholson in Teacher Training

Stepping into the classroom as a trainee teacher for the first time can be daunting, and if you've signed up for a school direct course – it is a feeling you are going to get used to. From one trainee to another, here are five things I've learnt about life inside the classroom over the past six months of being in at the deep end.

1. Whatever you do, do it with passion
Hate maths? Find history boring? Worried about teaching English? It doesn’t matter, whatever subject you are delivering, give it a big dollop of passion. If you don't find the subject interesting – how you expect your students to? I've discovered that finding something within the topic or subject I'm teaching that captures my imagination, and sharing this with the class, has a great impact on how they respond to it. I don't know about you, but when I think back to my favourite teachers from my own childhood – they were the ones who loved the subjects they taught...

Six things you didn’t know about an apprenticeship

Thu 10 January 2019 - 16:16

By UCAS in UCAS advice

Thinking about an apprenticeship? Take a look at these six reasons why it’s such a great option.
 
1)    You won’t have to pay fees
Worried about the long-term cost of uni? As an apprentice, you’ll graduate debt-free! Apprenticeship fees are paid by the government and employers.
 
2)    Higher and degree apprenticeships are assessed by employers
Apprentices study for a national vocational qualification (NVQ). You’ll get tested on practical, work...

Your personal statement – Claire Harnden

Tue 6 November 2018 - 16:05

By Claire Harnden in Teacher Training

I read hundreds of UCAS applications for teacher training every year and I cannot stress how important the personal statement is. It is my only insight into who you are and I tend to read it first.
 
I immediately look for a passion to teach. Personal statements that do not mention children or schools are not a good idea. If you have gained school experience, tell me about it. Do you have a clear vision of primary education? What have you found out? If you are changing careers then tell me about your experience and how it is relevant to working within a school.
 
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It DOES matter so check it through carefully and then do this again. Get someone to proofread it for you. If you cannot model a good level of writing here then I have a real concern about you doing so in a classroom. Check for long sentences, repeated words, and that you have used the correct...

All about Initial Teacher Training: part 2 - Freddy Ash

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:52

By Freddy Ash in Teacher Training

 
This is part two of my blog where I’ve been looking back and reflecting on my experiences of initial teacher training. You can read about my initial worries in part one, but as my training draws to a close, here’s what I wish I’d known before I started.
 
What advice would I give myself now if I could go back?
  • Wellbeing - I can’t stress this enough. ITT is hard. NQT year is hard. First year as a qualified teacher is hard. So is the second year. It gets easier but it never gets easy. You must look after your own wellbeing. Twitter is a fantastic way of doing this. There are thousands upon thousands of optimistic, helpful teachers willing to help you out with anything. Take the scheme of work I mentioned in...

All about Initial Teacher Training: part 1 - Freddy Ash

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:51

By Freddy Ash in Teacher Training

 
As my initial teacher training (ITT) starts to draw to a close, I thought it would be a good time to look back and reflect on my experiences so far; how far have I come, what do I know now that I wish I’d known two years ago. It’s also the time when new ITT prospects will be getting nervous about their applications, and so I thought it might help for me to put this in writing; even if it only helps one person then I’ll consider it a useful way to have spent my time.
 
My initial worries and what I think of them now
 
I remember worrying about a few things when I first got into teaching. Things that seemed so simple to every teacher I’d ever met, so much so that most of them never seemed to notice it. So here are a few of those things that niggled me:
 
1.       ...

So you want to be a teacher? – Chris Chivers

Mon 12 October 2020 - 08:18

By Chris Chivers in Teacher Training

Something inside you has persuaded you that becoming a teacher is your career choice; it could be that you have been a cub, brownie, guide or scout leader, working with young people. Gymnastics, swimming, dance, various sports all encourage young people to undertake coaching courses with the idea of sharing skills with young children. Leading or taking part in holiday schemes have led to the career choice. My favourite was a prospective candidate talking animatedly about helping children with disability to overcome fear and attempt to climb.

It doesn’t have to be one of these routes. Many people enter teaching later in life, having had an initial career and seek greater job satisfaction; some will have had families. Often they have had a transitional route via a teaching assistant role or as a helping parent in school. This, in itself, sometimes leads to a school persuading them to pursue the route to becoming a teacher.

Whatever the route...

Making the most of your time now you’ve accepted an offer

Tue 6 July 2021 - 12:29

By UCAS in UCAS advice

The wait to find out if you’ve met the conditions of your offer can seem like it goes on forever. To take your mind off it, here are three things you can be doing right now.

1. Check your status in Track – find out when you’re likely to hear back, what your status means, and what you should do next. It may change over the coming months, so make sure you keep an eye on Track.

2. Familiarise yourself with Clearing and Adjustment – if you’re waiting for results, they may be better than expected, or they might not be quite what you were...

Pages

Sponsored articles
UCAS Media Service