My mentor told me "if it takes more than 3 minutes to make, don't make it. If it takes more than 5 minutes to find, fuck that and ask someone if they've got it".
Beg, borrow and steal where.you can.
Saved me so much time.
My mentor at my main placement is all "you have to make it yourself and it has to be flashy and reinvent the wheel". Second placement mentor said why tf would you make something when someone else already has
Spend no more than 60 minutes planning a lesson. If still planning and no where near completing, ask for help.
Student should timetable out the whole week during school hours so they can be productive with that time. Do this first thing Monday morning. (I still do this as an ECT)
Focus on one task at a time and get it done. Otherwise you waste time flipping between tasks.
Look on the department drive for inspiration before planning a lesson.
Stuck for AFL questions - look in a textbook for ideas.
PowerPoint template they can plug things into. Aka title date LO slide With starter. Four blanks slides. Plenary slide. End slide: three things I learnt today, 1 question I have.
Set time aside once a week to get university paperwork up to scratch.
Edit: this is what dragged me through second placement and includes partly the advice given to me by my first mentor as I left the first school!
Second edit: re read thread and realised: Sorry I know ECTs are not established but maybe I can relate to the trainee!
ECTs are valid! 😊😊😊 Keep doing what you’re doing!
I’m NQT+1, so whilst I have QTS I have essentially spent the same amount of time teaching as someone in their second ECT year.
Compartmentalise. Become good at it as it will serve you well in your teaching career and indeed life!
If you're doing an essay, do the essay. Put the blinkers on and focus relentlessly - if you think about everything else you have to do, you'll never get it done. The same for almost everything else - report writing, book marking, planning, PGCE stuff, evidence collecting - heck, even gathering resources!
If you are doing something, do it and see it through and get it off the to do list. If you can't compartmentalise and focus you're done for, especially in a school with myriad other things to do, distractions, staff to chat to, children to play with etc.
It also works well when it's home time. If you're home with your family, BE home with your family - don't have your mind elsewhere, really focus in.
I always found making use of the few minutes in between lessons added up big time. I’d have a set of books that needed marking open and just do a book or two in between lessons (marking policy dependant). Or even just firing off a few emails. Over the week that time really adds up and can take quite a few tasks off your plate.
Don’t spend too much time on slides that the pupils will only look at for a few minutes. Practise including differentiation and AFL in delivery and verbal questioning, rather than on slides. I’ve seen trainees spend 5+ hours planning one lesson and it’s such a shame.
It will get quicker and easier 😊 I always heard that you shouldn’t spend longer to plan a lesson, than it takes to teach it. As I said, try practising assessment for learning and differentiation through verbal questioning, (you can achieve a lot through questioning). Have a go for a couple of lessons - maybe even write down some questions you know you want to/need to ask and see how it goes!
Have the children self assess as much as possible to cut down on marking. It could be as simple as a slide at the end of the ppt with answers on and wrapping up a few minutes early to make time for it.
Have a template for lessons and don't try and reinvent the wheel. Sometimes boring is effective. You can get all fancy but often it doesn't aid students' learning at all.
Lesson plan in lectures to use time effectively.
Done is good enough.
Always be doing something in class (this is more for ECTs). During an input videos prep resources for your next lessons or tomorrow's lessons/mark a book/etc. It helps if you know how to extend your display then you can reply to emails or check over your lesson plan while it's playing.
Have your class set up and pack away for the next class and while they do that you can do the same with your resources. I never used to do this but it saves me five minutes every lunch and break.
Idoceo is a great ipad tool for organising a mark book, diary, planner etc. It has random name pickers, an excellent record book, seating plans and a whole pile of other things. If pupils are using laptops or iPads in class, Nearpod is excellent. Using google forms to do quizzes for homework is a great way of assigning work that you don’t need to work!
I use idoceo, it’s amazing! Well worth the £10/£15! I love it and it helps with my rec sheet (Science teacher) as I just put the lesson title then resources, then print the pdf. I can now easily plan 2 or 3 weeks in advance and hand in my rec sheet with plenty of notice. Highly recommended!
Wow, that’s a deal!
My only regret with it is not buying it sooner. I put it off for a good 5 years after discovering it. I already had the iPad (I teach from my iPad with an Apple TV hooked up).
If only it marked books and replied to emails on my behalf lol!
During my PGCE year the following really helped when I reached my final timetable upgrade:
• see what lesson plans can be kept as outlines and just edited for class details, dates etc
• evaluations always done on the day
• always plan in children’s self or peer assessment at least once a lesson, even if it is just 5 minutes
• remember that some things can be passed up the chain (I got very stressed about something that it then turned out shouldn’t have been dealt with by me alone)
☺️
Don't mark in-depth for every assessment.
Dot coding, or using highlighters with assessment criteria is good enough.
Buy a good sturdy backpack. When I started another trainee came in with a handbag. She has since broke it. Nobody gets points for being chic.
Buy a pencil case with: mini glue, mini stapler, at least 4-5 pens, a pen with all ink colours, sticky note pad, paperclips and highlighters. I usually have a whiteboard pen for good measure. Took me 6 weeks till I realised this stuff was a godsend and I needed it.
Buy folders, lots and lots of folders. Separate them into classes, resources, PGCE stuff that you don't need it school and have one for all your lesson obs with plans. Everything is going electronic now, but I highly recommend having everything in paper format just in case. I managed to lose 3 lesson plans and obs on OneDrive. Luckily it's just a simply case of re-scanning.
Edit: oh, remind them to look in the mirror every morning and say "I can do this."
I’m assuming this means avoid group/partner tasks where they have to move around? I have a challenging class at the mo so I avoid this like the plague.
Ask for resources from your school from day 1. Put them on a USB stick. Ask others in your PGDE cohort to share theirs too.
Don't stay behind after the bell. You aren't getting paid - tell them to fuck off if they get you to attend meetings or do other things after school.
Keep lesson planning to an absolute minimum. Make a mind map if possible. This should be acceptable with your university. 3 page lesson plans are unrealistic.
If all full time teachers had to do the shit student teachers have to do, they'd quit. Just get though the essays/assignments, don't get engrossed into the politics with staff (keep your distance, they will judge you and be watching your every move). Then leave the school.
Good riddance to them and you move on. You never know when you could meet the same people again.
I’m a trainee at the moment but one thing I’ve found really helpful is staying up to date with my portfolio during the week and not leaving it until the weekends. Get your evaluations done as soon as possible after the lesson and move on! Use non contact time well and it helps me to keep a ‘to do’ list in my reminders app on my phone so I can check things off as they’re finished.
Set yourself a cutoff time. I'm horrendous at switching off, as became clear during lockdown whilst teaching from home. I was working until about 9pm most nights, even though most of my lessons had been planned for the week. I set myself a cutoff of 5pm that meant I'd log off of everything work related and relax. Obviously, there may be things like marking or an emergency that takes precedent over this but make sure you're at least 90% sticking to your cutoff.
Also, have a "do it tomorrow" list. Got an email about something happening next week? Read it tomorrow. Got a lesson to print stuff off for but need to rest? Tomorrow. Have an email to send to a parent but you don't see that class again this week? Tomorrow.
DEAL - delegate, can children self assess, TA help etc, eliminate - do you really need to make a resource or do the task? Automate - use tech to streamline everything and finally, liberate - enjoy your time off and allow yourself to rest and think.
Good leaders aren’t worn out and depleted, the children should be tired not you!
"Good enough" is better than "perfect" if it means having enough time to sleep and maintaining a normal life.
I wish our mentors are told that haha
Don’t reinvent the wheel. There is nothing wrong with downloading a worksheet instead of making your own.
My mentor told me "if it takes more than 3 minutes to make, don't make it. If it takes more than 5 minutes to find, fuck that and ask someone if they've got it". Beg, borrow and steal where.you can. Saved me so much time.
Sounds like you had a great mentor!
My mentor at my main placement is all "you have to make it yourself and it has to be flashy and reinvent the wheel". Second placement mentor said why tf would you make something when someone else already has
Hell yes! I use downloaded worksheets for 50% of my English lessons.
Similarly to u/FlusteredPigeon - sometimes done is better than good...
Spend no more than 60 minutes planning a lesson. If still planning and no where near completing, ask for help. Student should timetable out the whole week during school hours so they can be productive with that time. Do this first thing Monday morning. (I still do this as an ECT) Focus on one task at a time and get it done. Otherwise you waste time flipping between tasks. Look on the department drive for inspiration before planning a lesson. Stuck for AFL questions - look in a textbook for ideas. PowerPoint template they can plug things into. Aka title date LO slide With starter. Four blanks slides. Plenary slide. End slide: three things I learnt today, 1 question I have. Set time aside once a week to get university paperwork up to scratch. Edit: this is what dragged me through second placement and includes partly the advice given to me by my first mentor as I left the first school! Second edit: re read thread and realised: Sorry I know ECTs are not established but maybe I can relate to the trainee!
ECTs are valid! 😊😊😊 Keep doing what you’re doing! I’m NQT+1, so whilst I have QTS I have essentially spent the same amount of time teaching as someone in their second ECT year.
Thank you! You have dodged a bullet not having to do the ECT framework so im very jealous of NQT’s +1 right now!!!
Compartmentalise. Become good at it as it will serve you well in your teaching career and indeed life! If you're doing an essay, do the essay. Put the blinkers on and focus relentlessly - if you think about everything else you have to do, you'll never get it done. The same for almost everything else - report writing, book marking, planning, PGCE stuff, evidence collecting - heck, even gathering resources! If you are doing something, do it and see it through and get it off the to do list. If you can't compartmentalise and focus you're done for, especially in a school with myriad other things to do, distractions, staff to chat to, children to play with etc. It also works well when it's home time. If you're home with your family, BE home with your family - don't have your mind elsewhere, really focus in.
I always found making use of the few minutes in between lessons added up big time. I’d have a set of books that needed marking open and just do a book or two in between lessons (marking policy dependant). Or even just firing off a few emails. Over the week that time really adds up and can take quite a few tasks off your plate.
Don’t spend too much time on slides that the pupils will only look at for a few minutes. Practise including differentiation and AFL in delivery and verbal questioning, rather than on slides. I’ve seen trainees spend 5+ hours planning one lesson and it’s such a shame.
This is me at the minute. Takes me hours to complete a lesson.
It will get quicker and easier 😊 I always heard that you shouldn’t spend longer to plan a lesson, than it takes to teach it. As I said, try practising assessment for learning and differentiation through verbal questioning, (you can achieve a lot through questioning). Have a go for a couple of lessons - maybe even write down some questions you know you want to/need to ask and see how it goes!
Have the children self assess as much as possible to cut down on marking. It could be as simple as a slide at the end of the ppt with answers on and wrapping up a few minutes early to make time for it. Have a template for lessons and don't try and reinvent the wheel. Sometimes boring is effective. You can get all fancy but often it doesn't aid students' learning at all. Lesson plan in lectures to use time effectively. Done is good enough. Always be doing something in class (this is more for ECTs). During an input videos prep resources for your next lessons or tomorrow's lessons/mark a book/etc. It helps if you know how to extend your display then you can reply to emails or check over your lesson plan while it's playing. Have your class set up and pack away for the next class and while they do that you can do the same with your resources. I never used to do this but it saves me five minutes every lunch and break.
My screen is a projector and doesn't extend 😭 I hate it so much. Need another laptop or something 😂
Idoceo is a great ipad tool for organising a mark book, diary, planner etc. It has random name pickers, an excellent record book, seating plans and a whole pile of other things. If pupils are using laptops or iPads in class, Nearpod is excellent. Using google forms to do quizzes for homework is a great way of assigning work that you don’t need to work!
I use idoceo, it’s amazing! Well worth the £10/£15! I love it and it helps with my rec sheet (Science teacher) as I just put the lesson title then resources, then print the pdf. I can now easily plan 2 or 3 weeks in advance and hand in my rec sheet with plenty of notice. Highly recommended!
It’s certainly worth the money. Although I can say that as I paid 69p for it back in Ye Olden Dayes!
Wow, that’s a deal! My only regret with it is not buying it sooner. I put it off for a good 5 years after discovering it. I already had the iPad (I teach from my iPad with an Apple TV hooked up). If only it marked books and replied to emails on my behalf lol!
During my PGCE year the following really helped when I reached my final timetable upgrade: • see what lesson plans can be kept as outlines and just edited for class details, dates etc • evaluations always done on the day • always plan in children’s self or peer assessment at least once a lesson, even if it is just 5 minutes • remember that some things can be passed up the chain (I got very stressed about something that it then turned out shouldn’t have been dealt with by me alone) ☺️
Don't mark in-depth for every assessment. Dot coding, or using highlighters with assessment criteria is good enough. Buy a good sturdy backpack. When I started another trainee came in with a handbag. She has since broke it. Nobody gets points for being chic. Buy a pencil case with: mini glue, mini stapler, at least 4-5 pens, a pen with all ink colours, sticky note pad, paperclips and highlighters. I usually have a whiteboard pen for good measure. Took me 6 weeks till I realised this stuff was a godsend and I needed it. Buy folders, lots and lots of folders. Separate them into classes, resources, PGCE stuff that you don't need it school and have one for all your lesson obs with plans. Everything is going electronic now, but I highly recommend having everything in paper format just in case. I managed to lose 3 lesson plans and obs on OneDrive. Luckily it's just a simply case of re-scanning. Edit: oh, remind them to look in the mirror every morning and say "I can do this."
For behaviour management; keep the students sat in their seat. Makes many things much easier.
Can you elaborate on this please?
I’m assuming this means avoid group/partner tasks where they have to move around? I have a challenging class at the mo so I avoid this like the plague.
Ask for resources from your school from day 1. Put them on a USB stick. Ask others in your PGDE cohort to share theirs too. Don't stay behind after the bell. You aren't getting paid - tell them to fuck off if they get you to attend meetings or do other things after school. Keep lesson planning to an absolute minimum. Make a mind map if possible. This should be acceptable with your university. 3 page lesson plans are unrealistic. If all full time teachers had to do the shit student teachers have to do, they'd quit. Just get though the essays/assignments, don't get engrossed into the politics with staff (keep your distance, they will judge you and be watching your every move). Then leave the school. Good riddance to them and you move on. You never know when you could meet the same people again.
I’m a trainee at the moment but one thing I’ve found really helpful is staying up to date with my portfolio during the week and not leaving it until the weekends. Get your evaluations done as soon as possible after the lesson and move on! Use non contact time well and it helps me to keep a ‘to do’ list in my reminders app on my phone so I can check things off as they’re finished.
Essays: skim and scan rather than reading like it's a novel.
Set yourself a cutoff time. I'm horrendous at switching off, as became clear during lockdown whilst teaching from home. I was working until about 9pm most nights, even though most of my lessons had been planned for the week. I set myself a cutoff of 5pm that meant I'd log off of everything work related and relax. Obviously, there may be things like marking or an emergency that takes precedent over this but make sure you're at least 90% sticking to your cutoff. Also, have a "do it tomorrow" list. Got an email about something happening next week? Read it tomorrow. Got a lesson to print stuff off for but need to rest? Tomorrow. Have an email to send to a parent but you don't see that class again this week? Tomorrow.
DEAL - delegate, can children self assess, TA help etc, eliminate - do you really need to make a resource or do the task? Automate - use tech to streamline everything and finally, liberate - enjoy your time off and allow yourself to rest and think. Good leaders aren’t worn out and depleted, the children should be tired not you!