PGCE (Physics) interview this week

[Dinomania]

My 3-min presentation about introducing new KS3 topics to mixed-ability Year 8s is basically done (I've gone the route of talking through a quick example lesson, Conservation of Energy).

For the rest of it - well, I have the experience of a couple of days spent observing classes in a school, of 'problem' young people on tall ship voyages, and I have a fair amount of opinion about said young people and how I think I could help them along their way.

Can I relax, all that considered, or do I need to panic about what else might be asked of me during the interview afternoon?

 

[Dinomania]

Hrm, they all sound OK.

Good luck CDj!

I'm a bit wary of trying to formulate ideal answers, or I just get caught up in them and end up stumbling over myself in an effort to 'get it right'!

What do you mean by 'inclusion'?

 

[Dinomania]

TBH, I haven't done all that much reading upon strategies or policies or suchlike. Hrmm.

Every Child Matters looks largely like a government thing with the "few extra duties" for the school, which sounds like yummy paperwork!

Oh, that kind of inclusion. Well the school I observed at was really very good with students who needed assistance - physically disabled as well as those with learning-difficulties.

Most of them had an assistant who followed them class-to-class and really it was very impressive to see how well they integrated. Other students were mindful of the wheelchairs in corridors but didn't give them overblown "OMG, disabled!" space - it was more like "shove up and let Jess through, innit". Interesting stuff.

 

[Dinomania]

Haven't the foggiest CDj, that's probably one of the first things I'll ask...

...getting right nervous now, got a load of documents to cheekily photocopy at work today ¬_¬

 

[Dinomania]

Mmm, they didn't ask me for A-Level certs... will bring the Physics one anyway, it's rather more glowing than my engineering degree cert...

Bleuurgghhhhhh. I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow, worrying about stupid things like where to park...

 

[Dinomania]

philstanbridge how come? Are you in training, or NQT, or what?

 

[Dinomania]

Blleeeeuuurrrgghhhhhhh, 3 hours to go

 

[Dinomania]

I'm generally fine in interviews too - no separate aspect of the process is scaring me, just the whole thing as a general "OMG!" is getting to me..

 

[Dinomania]

Glad that's over. How was yours CDj?

 

[Dinomania]

It was a little anti-climactic, tbh.

I hadn't rehearsed any ideal answers, so wasn't too upset about the questions asked - but there weren't really enough of them!

I think I did the best I could do, given that interviewers had forgotten the details of the task they set us, over-analysed the only-3-minute presentations so that we ran on by about 2-3 extra hours in all, and then only gave us a ~10 minute individual interview. There was a lot of random discussion throughout interviews and analysis though, so I think they got to know us a bit through those.

Somehow about 4 extra people had turned up on the day that they were unprepared for.

I feel cheated, tbh! Will have to just wait and see what their decision is.

 

[Dinomania]

Oh, and the interviewer's phone rang twice during my interview (because we'd all run on so he was fielding calls from family) - and he went and answered it. Twice. Grr.

Thing is, cos of the sequential nature of PGCE applications, I can't get interviewed by the second choice unless I choose to reject or get rejected by my first.

 

[Dinomania]

Aye, I know. I'll take Bristol if they offer me it, because it's incredibly convenient and I love the place. But it would be nice to see whether Bath's interview process would have been less slapdash.

 

[Dinomania]

Good luck..!!!

I'm rather luckily able to go into a subject which is very under-subscribed. Although it sounds like my place will be conditional upon doing a load of chem and bio revision, and going for another week of observation (fair enough, 'twas my plan anyway).

 

[Dinomania]

No, well indeed.

I was asked when I started thinking about teaching, as I've been in the electronics industry now for 3+ years in 3 different companies (I graduated at a time when none of them were technically recruiting, but took me on as a temp for as long as their coffers would allow) and have been in my current position for nearly two years.
Answer: I've thought about it every time I've been between jobs... but this time the thought came back strongly a year into my current job - so I figure this time it's my decision instead of a last-resort choice brought on by joblessness.

I was also asked what I thought would be the hardest thing about teaching - I gave two answers, one silly: That in real life I speak freely and with a bit of a Carry-On innuendo-ey sense of humour and having to curb that but keep my personality would be interesting (which kicked off a short discussion about a teaching persona) - and that led into the real answer that I'm likely to have a hard time separating myself from the stress and worry of the well-being or bad behaviour of the kids and taking it personally. Apparently it was good that I knew my limitations... We'll see...!

 

[Dinomania]

I'll complain if they don't offer me a place.

And if they do - I'll take it and then at some point make it clear to the guys themselves how disappointed I felt on the day.

 

[Dinomania]

That was quick!

I assume this is an offer - but it's only off the tracking system, might wait for the letter before I reply:

The status of your GTTR application has changed and you can view what has changed on the GTTR website www.gttr.ac.uk. If you have received an offer, you should reply as soon as possible.

So of course I went to check, and:

Institution
University of Bristol
Course
Physics
Campus

Modular
N
Full/Part Time
F
Second Subject
-
Decision
Unconditional
Offer text

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1800 hrs (UK Time) on Saturday, 26 December 2009