Train to be a teacher – in six months

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:27 pm

They've really got to be off their heads with this one. England already has a problem caused by poorly qualified teachers and now they think it's so easy to be a teacher you can do it in a few weeks? One of the reasons education in England is so bad is that they have done things like this in the past letting unqualified teachers walk straight in to classroom.

Train to be a teacher – in six months - Yahoo! News UK

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:01 pm

gmc;1155399 wrote: They've really got to be off their heads with this one. England already has a problem caused by poorly qualified teachers and now they think it's so easy to be a teacher you can do it in a few weeks? One of the reasons education in England is so bad is that they have done things like this in the past letting unqualified teachers walk straight in to classroom.

Train to be a teacher – in six months - Yahoo! News UK

Totally agree.... it's madness. For a start 6 months is not enough to grasp the curriculum let alone skills asscociated working with children to control a class of 30.

I can't see this going through.

Victoria · Post by **Victoria** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:07 am

Holland is ahead of you on this one... A few years ago there was a fast track systen to get 'minorities'into teaching so I, born and raised in England and with 7 o'levels asked if I would stand a chance to train as an english teacher....

answer. no because I dont qualify as a minority...

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:16 am

Victoria;1155580 wrote: Holland is ahead of you on this one... A few years ago there was a fast track systen to get 'minorities'into teaching so I, born and raised in England and with 7 o'levels asked if I would stand a chance to train as an english teacher....

answer. no because I dont qualify as a minority...

I wouldn't have thought 7 O levels wouldn't even get you on the course regardless of whether you were a minority or not.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:21 am

This looks to be similar to what we have here in Texas, and I assume throughout the States. It's how I was able to become a teacher. If a person walks in as a subject-matter expert then half the battle's done, at least at high school level. A major drawback I've experienced is how to run a classroom properly. It's a skill that I think many teachers take for granted once they get the hang of it. My training concentrated on how to write a lesson plan. What I definitely could have used was a year in actual classrooms to observe how things are done. Ideally, that year would have started in the second half of the school year, because the most important part is setting up the classroom and establishing routines. If that is taught first, it gets lost in the fog of all the other new stuff.

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:24 am

Then get the next 6 months off...:wah:

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:26 am

mikeinie;1155620 wrote: Then get the next 6 months off...:wah:
:wah: Take that time to seriously ask yourself: Are you sure this is what you want to do?? :wah:

Victoria · Post by **Victoria** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:43 am

gmc;1155613 wrote: I wouldn't have thought 7 O levels wouldn't even get you on the course regardless of whether you were a minority or not.

the course was aimed at minorites who didn't have the right kind of education but who would be willing to train I was excluded not because of my education but because of my nationality and yet my daughter had to sit in an English class being told the people live in slouf and ladies pin a broche to their coats.

It was ok to say 'I feel very gay today' to comment in a market 'those are nice melons' she could also 'eat her cake and have it' according to her teacher who simply shrugged when I pointed out her error..

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:31 am

Accountable;1155618 wrote: This looks to be similar to what we have here in Texas, and I assume throughout the States. It's how I was able to become a teacher. If a person walks in as a subject-matter expert then half the battle's done, at least at high school level. A major drawback I've experienced is how to run a classroom properly. It's a skill that I think many teachers take for granted once they get the hang of it. My training concentrated on how to write a lesson plan. What I definitely could have used was a year in actual classrooms to observe how things are done. Ideally, that year would have started in the second half of the school year, because the most important part is setting up the classroom and establishing routines. If that is taught first, it gets lost in the fog of all the other new stuff.

I thought teachers had to have a 4 year degree??

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:39 am

Victoria;1155626 wrote: the course was aimed at minorites who didn't have the right kind of education but who would be willing to train I was excluded not because of my education but because of my nationality and yet my daughter had to sit in an English class being told the people live in slouf and ladies pin a broche to their coats.

It was ok to say 'I feel very gay today' to comment in a market 'those are nice melons' she could also 'eat her cake and have it' according to her teacher who simply shrugged when I pointed out her error..

That's just silly. I have nephews and niece in vienna who both speak fluent english but find themselves in trouble when they point out similar mix ups to their teacher. Mind you they're obnoxious so they probably don't put themselves across very well.

This is a daft idea that perpetuates that old myth that those who can do those who can't teach. teaching is a skill in itself-the idea that you can just walk in and be able to do it is ludicrous. We've all been at school and know the difference a good teacher can make. No wonder teachers get fed up. They have politicians interfering in the make up of courses and how they are assessed and who don't listen to the professionals. Now former bankers are being told they can run a school? You don't settle for poorer quality just to try and make up the numbers.

I think if they tried that up here there would be strike action at the very least. In scotland secondary teaching is graduate only entry-even with a subject degree (you can do an educational psychology degree) you can't just walk in to teaching. You have a year's teacher training to do with practical in school teaching practice with continual assessment and a lot do fail it or change their minds faced with the reality of pissed off yoof knowing they have a new teacher at their mercy. Primary teaching is a three year course.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:14 am

sunny104;1155652 wrote: I thought teachers had to have a 4 year degree??

Yes, but not in education. I have a BA in human relations and a Masters in human resource development.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:25 am

gmc;1155655 wrote: That's just silly. I have nephews and niece in vienna who both speak fluent english but find themselves in trouble when they point out similar mix ups to their teacher. Mind you they're obnoxious so they probably don't put themselves across very well. Well, they have you for an uncle, don't they?

gmc wrote: I think if they tried that up here there would be strike action at the very least. In scotland secondary teaching is graduate only entry-even with a subject degree (you can do an educational psychology degree) you can't just walk in to teaching. You have a year's teacher training to do with practical in school teaching practice with continual assessment and a lot do fail it or change their minds faced with the reality of pissed off yoof knowing they have a new teacher at their mercy. Primary teaching is a three year course.The practical is wise. I wish I'd had to do that. Unfortunately politicians don't want to waste money on frivolous things like training. :yh_youkid

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:08 am

sunny104;1155652 wrote: I thought teachers had to have a 4 year degree??

You either need to get a degree which takes three years and then a one year PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate of Education) or you do a 4 year combined course where you do the degree and PGCE as one course. Combining them means you get more time in schools experiencing teaching practise but it also means that if you fail the course your whole degree is wasted as you can't really use it for anything else.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:43 pm

I think its more important that a teacher has an ability to "teach " rather than a huge list of letters after his name.

I was afforded a good education at a well respected school - completely and utterly wasted- the teachers held little respect from me or others bar maybe two. They were pompous in their mortar boards and did nothing to enthuse me. Quadratic equations still give me nightmares.

They couldnt teach. They lectured. A big difference, especially to a young kid.

Grasp someones interest and you can teach them all they wish to know. Lecture them and they will switch off - as I did.

I might be wrong but there may be some merit in finding people who can communicate to kids rather than drilling them with uninteresting "facts". Some can benefit from that but I for one needed some form of practical application to make sense of things. That is still missing

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:02 pm

That's what the practical is supposed to teach: how to present the information in a way that will grab students' imaginations and make them think.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:07 pm

Accountable;1155884 wrote: That's what the practical is supposed to teach: how to present the information in a way that will grab students' imaginations and make them think.

Exactly

Take Pythagorus' theorum. Didnt make a whole lot of sense as a kid at school but now I use the practical application of the 3, 4, 5 in my work to check things are square

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:05 pm

Snowfire;1155861 wrote:

I might be wrong but there may be some merit in finding people who can communicate to kids rather than drilling them with uninteresting "facts". Some can benefit from that but I for one needed some form of practical application to make sense of things. That is still missing

This fast track is designed to employ our sacked, redundant and disgraced bankers. Are you really trying to suggest that a banker can 'learn' to educate a child in six months?

Frankly they'd be better off doing us all a favour and jumping off The London Eye (providing Gordon hasn't sold it in the last week to Obama for a quid).

I wouldn't let that bunch within ten miles of my cat let alone impressionable children.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:17 am

oscar;1155984 wrote: This fast track is designed to employ our sacked, redundant and disgraced bankers. Are you really trying to suggest that a banker can 'learn' to educate a child in six months?

Frankly they'd be better off doing us all a favour and jumping off The London Eye (providing Gordon hasn't sold it in the last week to Obama for a quid).

I wouldn't let that bunch within ten miles of my cat let alone impressionable children.

Its a huge jump to suggest I have any room in my heart or in my kids school for sacked, disgraced bankers. I think they have taught us enough already

For them I have some heavy manual labour in my garden for which I am prepared to reimburse them with the minimum hourly rate for maximum output.....and no bonus

My point is, there are plenty of natural "educators" who could do much more than the sort of highly diploma'd ogres who graced the classrooms I occupied some 35 years ago

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:54 pm

Snowfire;1156229 wrote: Its a huge jump to suggest I have any room in my heart or in my kids school for sacked, disgraced bankers. I think they have taught us enough already

For them I have some heavy manual labour in my garden for which I am prepared to reimburse them with the minimum hourly rate for maximum output.....and no bonus

My point is, there are plenty of natural "educators" who could do much more than the sort of highly diploma'd ogres who graced the classrooms I occupied some 35 years ago

I hate to think what any arithmetic class would be like. 5x£20 take away £100 is 500 with all the added bank charges.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:05 pm

gmc;1157160 wrote: I hate to think what any arithmetic class would be like. 5x£20 take away £100 is 500 with all the added bank charges. I'm back Party of One..... :yh_rotfl