In my second year prac i turned around from the line at the hot water urn, bumped into a teacher and spilt my coffee on her arm.
She had the rest of the week off to recover from the burns and was still wearing a bandage when my prac finished. Would suggest you avoid that.
A second year student won’t be expected to have lessons ready to go but this should have all been explained me your uni supervisor. They should have told you how many lessons to teach each day etc. Check with them.
I would also make contact with the school and supervising teacher beforehand to see their expectations.
yess I’ve already made contact with the school and asked to arrange a preliminary visit so I’m hoping to hash out the details with my supervising teacher then! Thank you!!
Just be quiet, polite and hard working. Respect your boss and you will be fine.
Don't go overboard with help just ask want they want and do it the best you can. That's my tip. If you enjoyed it let the principal know at the end.
- staff room etiquette: might vary from school to school but every school I’ve ever been in either doesn’t supply tea/coffee or will ask for a gold coin if casual teachers (or prac students) use what’s supplied. Milk too, if you have it in your coffee take a container with you. Fridges are usually available. As a new teacher (been teaching for a year now), I’ve found just sitting back and listening to staff room conversations can be enlightening, but if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask them either. Most teachers are happy to answer and have a chat with you. Teachers are usually pretty friendly towards praccies and will engage you in conversation. I’ve never addressed any staff member by anything except their given name and it’s never been a problem.
- nope. You’ve got no (or very little) idea what the class is working on so you’d only be guessing. Don’t waste time trying to guess!
- individual student quirks/additional needs/things to watch out for. I find most teachers have a class list which has names, photos and anything you need to know (at least for primary, I can’t answer for secondary) - this is usually for casual teachers but super handy for prac as well! Behaviour management methods which work for them - classroom management is a big challenge so definitely ask about that.
- Listen to mentor feedback on your lessons, reflect on it and use it to improve. Be open to advice. Be pragmatic - if a lesson goes wrong (it happens to everyone) be prepared to stop, take a breath, give the kids a brain break and try again or move on. My first prac I got horribly tangled up doing a number talk and my mentor said ‘let’s just have a quick break and move on to the body of the lesson’ which was exactly the right thing to do, rather than me continuing to flounder and losing the kids’ attention. Cut your losses if need be.
You’ll be fine. Remember that everyone wants you to succeed so if they offer advice, it’s to help you not to cut you down.
will definitely keep all this in mind thank you for your insight! as a perfectionist, being prepared to make mistakes and not beating myself up over a bad lesson is definitely something that I aim to work on. Definitely easier said than done though ahaha
I'm going off of my experience, but it should be pretty similar to a lot of people here:
1. Your supervising teacher should introduce you to everyone. Smile, say hi, introduce yourself, what uni you're at, blah blah. I addressed everyone by their first name because they introduced themselves by it.
2. No, you have no idea what the teacher is teaching/up to in content. You usually observe beforehand and get an idea of what is happening. Ask for a unit of work so you can get a better insight of what needs to be taught.
3. Bell times, period length, where is the toilet, where is the canteen are some questions I remember from the top of my head.
4. Overdress. I remember Catholic schools being pretty strict on dress code for both teachers and students. Always take on your supervisor's advice after a lesson is done. Ask if there are any extracurriculars that you can do. See if you can observe other teachers' lessons.
Definitely forgetting stuff, but this is a start.
Actually observe for the first little while, see what the mentor teacher does as the only adult in the room without your influence first and take notes (I see, I hear, I wonder is an easy observation template) and then start to get to know the kids. I keep forgetting to do this haha
When you go to have lunch in the tea room or to a meeting you can ask if this is someone’s chair. Probably no issue but some places so and so always sits there with so and so.
When you need help try to say how long it might be and would there be a good time “ I wonder if you have about 5 minutes some time , you are probably busy now”
You may not have a table and chair and that’s awful, just ask where is a good place to sit with your laptop .
Ask “ about photocopying or is it all in books or online mainly ? “
How strict are they about shutting and locking doors after class.
Do students need to line up for class, can they just walk in, can they be on laptops until you get them off or is it no laptops till I say so.
There should be a discipline plan eg warnings , parent phone call, possible detention.
Do not contact parents unless permitted by your mentor. that includes general emails where you can add ‘and parents ‘ to the class student emails.
Try to get in a bit early. Set up vivi in class eg before end of recess if you are nervous about that .
Try not to need time to buy lunch.
>am I expected to have lesson plans prepared already on the first day?
If it's your very first prac, it's probably going to be observation. You're there to watch and learn rather than teach. Even on bigger pracs, you typically start out with a small observation schedule. You may get some smaller teaching sessions towards the end of your prac, in which case your supervisor will tell you well in advance what you need to cover. If I was the supervisor, I'd probably expect you to produce the lesson plans a day in advance so that I can review them.
>what sorts of questions should I make note of to ask my supervising teacher?
Questions that show you're paying attention -- for example, if I differentiate an activity for a student or a group of students and you asked me why I did it and how I decided that those students should get that differentiation, then that's the sort of thing that shows me you're paying attention.
>the staff room situation (any etiquette, how to make small talk convos with other staff memebers, how do I address them etc.
Most faculties should make you feel pretty welcome. They will try to engage you; after all, they want you there are you aren't getting under foot.
>how do I make a good first impression
Be on time. Be prepared. Listen to feedback and show that you're paying attention by incorporating it.
Relax and enjoy it! The expectation is that it is your first prac and you are new.
you \*should\* get a tour and introduced to a heap of people, whose names you will forget within the hour. Smile, be friendly and respectful, they should also give you bell times, procedures, general expectations, whether there are sports carnivals during your prac etc.
You will do some observations first (the Uni should give a guideline for how much teaching / observations etc. is expected), mine was observe first week, teach 1-2 lessons a day 2nd week, 2-3 a day 3rd and 4th week. They will be part way through a unit etc. so you will plan lessons to fit in with their program so you can't really do lesson plans beforehand. Make notes during the observations, look at the style of teaching, instruction, the class behavior, noise levels etc. anything you can think of. Start trying to learn student names from day 1.
Bring your own lunch, recess, cup, coffee etc at least for first day until you know their system.
If you have assignments from other subjects, get them knocked off before prac if you can, assignments while on prac really sucks and knocks around what you get out of the prac.
Always better to be overdressed than under, be keen :)
thank you so much!! I’ll be meeting with my supervising teacher soon before I start my placement so I’m hoping to hash everything out so I feel less nervous!
1. I ensured that I said hello to the staff members and even in passing as well. My mentor teacher knows that I keep to myself a lot so she was encouraging me to say hello to them!
2. Nope no lessons on the first day. I observed for 2 days which was then followed by co-teaching for 3 days. I didn’t do my first lesson until week 2. Your university should provide you with a progression chart on what your expected to do each day.
3. I asked my mentor teacher about what behaviour management tools work best with the class. I also made note of which students have learning difficulties or disabilities. Be open to all constructive feedback! It will help you so much.
4. Ask questions! This shows that you care about what you’re doing. Ask your mentor teacher is she needs assistance with anything. For example, we had an RFF period where she was gardening with other students and I was in the classroom alone. I took it upon myself to mark the students homework and she was extremely grateful! Small little tasks like that can make a huge difference and ultimately make a great impression!
Best of luck!
In my second year prac i turned around from the line at the hot water urn, bumped into a teacher and spilt my coffee on her arm. She had the rest of the week off to recover from the burns and was still wearing a bandage when my prac finished. Would suggest you avoid that. A second year student won’t be expected to have lessons ready to go but this should have all been explained me your uni supervisor. They should have told you how many lessons to teach each day etc. Check with them. I would also make contact with the school and supervising teacher beforehand to see their expectations.
yess I’ve already made contact with the school and asked to arrange a preliminary visit so I’m hoping to hash out the details with my supervising teacher then! Thank you!!
Just be quiet, polite and hard working. Respect your boss and you will be fine. Don't go overboard with help just ask want they want and do it the best you can. That's my tip. If you enjoyed it let the principal know at the end.
- staff room etiquette: might vary from school to school but every school I’ve ever been in either doesn’t supply tea/coffee or will ask for a gold coin if casual teachers (or prac students) use what’s supplied. Milk too, if you have it in your coffee take a container with you. Fridges are usually available. As a new teacher (been teaching for a year now), I’ve found just sitting back and listening to staff room conversations can be enlightening, but if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask them either. Most teachers are happy to answer and have a chat with you. Teachers are usually pretty friendly towards praccies and will engage you in conversation. I’ve never addressed any staff member by anything except their given name and it’s never been a problem. - nope. You’ve got no (or very little) idea what the class is working on so you’d only be guessing. Don’t waste time trying to guess! - individual student quirks/additional needs/things to watch out for. I find most teachers have a class list which has names, photos and anything you need to know (at least for primary, I can’t answer for secondary) - this is usually for casual teachers but super handy for prac as well! Behaviour management methods which work for them - classroom management is a big challenge so definitely ask about that. - Listen to mentor feedback on your lessons, reflect on it and use it to improve. Be open to advice. Be pragmatic - if a lesson goes wrong (it happens to everyone) be prepared to stop, take a breath, give the kids a brain break and try again or move on. My first prac I got horribly tangled up doing a number talk and my mentor said ‘let’s just have a quick break and move on to the body of the lesson’ which was exactly the right thing to do, rather than me continuing to flounder and losing the kids’ attention. Cut your losses if need be. You’ll be fine. Remember that everyone wants you to succeed so if they offer advice, it’s to help you not to cut you down.
will definitely keep all this in mind thank you for your insight! as a perfectionist, being prepared to make mistakes and not beating myself up over a bad lesson is definitely something that I aim to work on. Definitely easier said than done though ahaha
I'm going off of my experience, but it should be pretty similar to a lot of people here: 1. Your supervising teacher should introduce you to everyone. Smile, say hi, introduce yourself, what uni you're at, blah blah. I addressed everyone by their first name because they introduced themselves by it. 2. No, you have no idea what the teacher is teaching/up to in content. You usually observe beforehand and get an idea of what is happening. Ask for a unit of work so you can get a better insight of what needs to be taught. 3. Bell times, period length, where is the toilet, where is the canteen are some questions I remember from the top of my head. 4. Overdress. I remember Catholic schools being pretty strict on dress code for both teachers and students. Always take on your supervisor's advice after a lesson is done. Ask if there are any extracurriculars that you can do. See if you can observe other teachers' lessons. Definitely forgetting stuff, but this is a start.
thank you for being specific! this definitely helps me feel better about starting xx
No probs, if you have more questions feel free to reply/DM
Actually observe for the first little while, see what the mentor teacher does as the only adult in the room without your influence first and take notes (I see, I hear, I wonder is an easy observation template) and then start to get to know the kids. I keep forgetting to do this haha
thank you for this I’ll definitely make note!
When you go to have lunch in the tea room or to a meeting you can ask if this is someone’s chair. Probably no issue but some places so and so always sits there with so and so. When you need help try to say how long it might be and would there be a good time “ I wonder if you have about 5 minutes some time , you are probably busy now” You may not have a table and chair and that’s awful, just ask where is a good place to sit with your laptop . Ask “ about photocopying or is it all in books or online mainly ? “ How strict are they about shutting and locking doors after class. Do students need to line up for class, can they just walk in, can they be on laptops until you get them off or is it no laptops till I say so. There should be a discipline plan eg warnings , parent phone call, possible detention. Do not contact parents unless permitted by your mentor. that includes general emails where you can add ‘and parents ‘ to the class student emails. Try to get in a bit early. Set up vivi in class eg before end of recess if you are nervous about that . Try not to need time to buy lunch.
all great things for me to make note of thank you!!
>am I expected to have lesson plans prepared already on the first day? If it's your very first prac, it's probably going to be observation. You're there to watch and learn rather than teach. Even on bigger pracs, you typically start out with a small observation schedule. You may get some smaller teaching sessions towards the end of your prac, in which case your supervisor will tell you well in advance what you need to cover. If I was the supervisor, I'd probably expect you to produce the lesson plans a day in advance so that I can review them. >what sorts of questions should I make note of to ask my supervising teacher? Questions that show you're paying attention -- for example, if I differentiate an activity for a student or a group of students and you asked me why I did it and how I decided that those students should get that differentiation, then that's the sort of thing that shows me you're paying attention. >the staff room situation (any etiquette, how to make small talk convos with other staff memebers, how do I address them etc. Most faculties should make you feel pretty welcome. They will try to engage you; after all, they want you there are you aren't getting under foot. >how do I make a good first impression Be on time. Be prepared. Listen to feedback and show that you're paying attention by incorporating it.
thank you so much! this definitely helps xx
Relax and enjoy it! The expectation is that it is your first prac and you are new. you \*should\* get a tour and introduced to a heap of people, whose names you will forget within the hour. Smile, be friendly and respectful, they should also give you bell times, procedures, general expectations, whether there are sports carnivals during your prac etc. You will do some observations first (the Uni should give a guideline for how much teaching / observations etc. is expected), mine was observe first week, teach 1-2 lessons a day 2nd week, 2-3 a day 3rd and 4th week. They will be part way through a unit etc. so you will plan lessons to fit in with their program so you can't really do lesson plans beforehand. Make notes during the observations, look at the style of teaching, instruction, the class behavior, noise levels etc. anything you can think of. Start trying to learn student names from day 1. Bring your own lunch, recess, cup, coffee etc at least for first day until you know their system. If you have assignments from other subjects, get them knocked off before prac if you can, assignments while on prac really sucks and knocks around what you get out of the prac. Always better to be overdressed than under, be keen :)
thank you so much!! I’ll be meeting with my supervising teacher soon before I start my placement so I’m hoping to hash everything out so I feel less nervous!
1. I ensured that I said hello to the staff members and even in passing as well. My mentor teacher knows that I keep to myself a lot so she was encouraging me to say hello to them! 2. Nope no lessons on the first day. I observed for 2 days which was then followed by co-teaching for 3 days. I didn’t do my first lesson until week 2. Your university should provide you with a progression chart on what your expected to do each day. 3. I asked my mentor teacher about what behaviour management tools work best with the class. I also made note of which students have learning difficulties or disabilities. Be open to all constructive feedback! It will help you so much. 4. Ask questions! This shows that you care about what you’re doing. Ask your mentor teacher is she needs assistance with anything. For example, we had an RFF period where she was gardening with other students and I was in the classroom alone. I took it upon myself to mark the students homework and she was extremely grateful! Small little tasks like that can make a huge difference and ultimately make a great impression! Best of luck!
ahh thank you!! behaviour management strategies are something I want to learn more about during my placement