School Placements by @Long_Tailed_Tit

Name: LTT
Twitter name: Long_Tailed_Tit
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): Maths
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? School placements

1: If you are given a requirement about when to submit your lesson plan by, try your best to hit these. They are set for a reason to allow you follow up time to make changes.

2: Spend some time socialising with your departmental colleagues. Don’t just spend 24/7 with other trainees, as you’ll miss out on building relationships.

3: Do listen to your fellow trainees, but don’t judge yourself against them. It doesn’t matter that Billy has already been made deputy head of photocopying at his school.

4: My first placement was the hardest. Ignore the naysayers who celebrate your achievements (completing long placement etc) but who tell you the hardest is yet to come.

5: Be critical, but not to the extent where you can’t celebrate a lesson you have taught. If that lesson wasn’t perfect, then you should see all the lessons going on around you.

Getting the Most From Your Training Placements by @JenJayneWilson

Name: Jennifer Wilson
Twitter name: @JenJayneWilson
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: English teacher, middle leader and SCITT mentor
What is your advice about? Getting the most from your training placements

1: Get to know your team. If you’re stuck/shy, bringing in biscuits is a great talking point.

2: Spend more time with your curriculum team through the week than with other trainees. You’ll learn a lot through informal discussions and general camaraderie.

3: Be proactive and look ahead. Arrange times to collect information from colleagues rather than rely on catching them ‘on the run’.

4: Know when to stop and have a break. Don’t get pushed into believing that ‘those who work the most hours are the best’ – it’s not true.

5: Make sure you ask questions, share the highs/lows and reflect honestly on your teaching. We’ve all been there and want to help you grow as a teacher.