What Challenges Have You Faced So Far?
As a trainee teacher with minimal experience of being in a classroom before starting my PGCE, I have been faced with many different challenges so far:
In the five-year difference between leaving Key Stage Four education and now, a lot has changed and adopting a new set of skills and knowledge was quite daunting. Mastery learning has changed how pupils are taught with added manipulatives to aid understanding. One example is bar models used for many disciplines, from ratio and proportion to solving equations.
I have realised that a different skill set is required to understand Maths, understand what your pupils know, and then deliver lessons that ensure the knowledge they need is understood successfully. When observing lessons at the start of my PGCE, I understood just how hard it would be, but I have now risen to the challenge - and the reward of students having a ‘lightbulb moment’ is a truly unique feeling. Of course, there have been times I have struggled with the ‘curse of knowledge’, but understanding the curriculum and pupils has improved.
Lesson plans must be meticulous when starting your journey to becoming a teacher. Pupils often have misconceptions, and all student responses must be well-prepared if a misconception arises. I have also found that delivering lessons in the restraints of time is quite challenging, especially between starting the lesson, packing away and anything that interrupts learning.
I advise asking for help from as many professional colleagues as possible. Your colleagues around you have already faced the challenges that you might encounter on a day-to-day basis. Also, ask fellow students on your course as they may have been in the same predicament. A great network around you can elevate your teaching experience and help with the daily challenges that can arise at school.
By Lee Searle
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