As the last Professional Studies session at my second placement, three teachers undertaking hte ECT program came to discuss their experience and advice.
Many had been told that ECT will be same level of intensity as training year, however these ECT found it much better.
Ownership = Classroom and routines are your own - building blocks to construct your pedagogy
Less observations, especially by senior leadership
Appreciated more, being part of a team, and fostering relationships with staff and students.
The first month of the ECT will be overwhelming, because of being responsible for realising you are responsible for the education of your students. - Only time and experience gives demonstration of progress.
Culture appreciated at This school
Value of Learning walk culture - keeping you on your toes and improving with the advice of seasoned teachers.
Subject knowledge of professional staff for your development - This will be down to your department, but utilise their expertise and identify them in your network.
Time management and approach to classes are vital to hold on to what is successful.
Common Challenges
Adapting to School Culture
Talk to your department and the people in your school.
Independence can be isolating, and some schools keep ECT teachers separate.
Learn all the names as early as possible - this is more important than the subject content.
Contact the Head of the Department
Ask for the contact details of other ECT
Schemes of Learning
Curriculum
Lesson plans
Plan:
1 year: 80% teaching responsibility (least amount of teaching you will have in your career).
Free time - mentor meeting and coaching sesions Targets - Consider a target/theme in each week to show development. these will start as behaviour management, develop to abstract ideas and further refine into resolute goals with specific means of assessing progress.
2nd Year:
90% Teaching responsibility - You will feel much more confident.
Advice:
Invest in your first year - Even four Saturdays a year to build your teaching practice
Organisation - Use a school planner and have a folder for everything
Observe - the best teachers in your new school, as much as possible. Have a take-away from each observation.
Make mistakes - As an ECT, you still have the freedom to make mistakes as a teacher. Things do go wrong, it's natural.
Learn - We never stop learning and improving.
Help - Don’t be afraid of asking for help if you need it
Negativity - Try and ignore the negativity of people undermining you and your teaching practice.
Names - Learn them quickly to build strong relationships early on, you're not JUST their teacher, you will see them around the school and community.
Expectations - keep reminding them of the routines you establish. (Positive framing).
Consequences - rip off the plaster of detentions, and dont let them work it off.
Don't be limited by a powerpoint
Opportunities for growth and development:
Teach outside your subject area if you are looking to grow out of your specialism.
Weekly self-sudy with ECT Tutors
Note: Psychology, second most popular subject for a-level in the country, however as there is no KS3 psychology, no teacher is trained as a psychology teacher.
Practical tips for setting boundaries:
Try to do as much as you can at the school
Try to have a hobby outside of school
You will have to take work home occasionally, especially marking
"What have you learned for taking on assistant head of year? "
A: In control of the teaching, developed relationships of students, a lot of extra responsibility, required time and load (detention duty and planning). - Look at your support as an ECT, where is your support in these additional roles?
Any additional role you take on, there must be support for these roles.
It is up to the school to keep evidence of progress.
Six formal observations a year
Book-check feedback
Evidence across the teaching standards
Reflections (If you want to talk numbers, bring numbers with you.)
Introductions.
Plan starters around getting to know students
Icebreakers should be subject-focussed
Low-stake activities
Gauge how the classroom operates as well. take a step back and appreciate class dynamics
Balance - This is who I am in starter & This is how I teach in the main lesson.
Form: If you get a year 7 Form group then you will get very needy parents, fostering a culture of independence in the school.
Send an email to your mentor group's parents. INDIVIDUALLY. As soon as you have access to their emails. This is me - Introduce yourself.
This is the subject I teach
This is my vision for my mentor group
Set parameters for contact. e.g. 'Please email me between x and y and I will reply within 48 hours maximally.'
Set out to learn the birthdays of your students. Set out to build positive relationships.
Learn the hobbies and extra-curricular activities of your Form group to encourage them.
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