The First Week on my ITT Course
My first week of my PGCE was one of stress and anxiety, which was brought on by my internet connection and registration, due to a delay in my DBS checks.
With the abundance of new information, I had struggled to keep up with the group as I was unable to log onto the university website due to DBS checks. So, my advice for any one starting your course is to make sure you get the DBS done before you start your training, as the university will be unable to authorise your university e-mail address. This is crucial to your resource access.
My lecturers were amazing at trying to keep the ones that were not fully registered up to speed and sent us the required information through e-mails. This then meant that I was flooded with emails, and sieving through them become a daunting task which was not ideal for my first week.
When it comes to internet connection, ensure that you have a good connection, even if that means paying that little bit extra. During my first week I was unable to join group conversations and constant disconnections meant that I was unable to fully submerge myself into the course.
With this new way of learning online it’s important to having a good start to your course. It helps fill that gap of forming relationships, where in the past we could chat with others about your similar problems. With this new style you feel like you’re alone in your struggle and therefore it is even more important to ensure that you can engage in every occasion on your course.
By Michael-John Zeegers