Brunel School of Sport & Education
PGCert SECONDARY ENGLISH
2012/2013
PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Guidance Notes, Investigation Tasks,
Observation Activities & Reflective Log
NAME
Primary School Experience
Purpose
In order to be effectively prepared for your work as a secondary English teacher, it is
essential that you are familiar with the experiences of pupils prior to their arrival at
secondary school in general, and with their experiences of English and literacy teaching
in particular. The Primary School Experience Week and completion of the activities,
tasks and reflective log in this booklet are intended to help provide you with the
experience you need. In addition, you should begin to learn about how teachers can
work effectively with pupils and how the pupils learn.
More specifically the Primary School placement should help you to:
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Develop skills observing work and interactions in a classroom and the
implications for effective teaching;
Observe styles of teaching and general teaching arrangements in Key Stage 1
and Key Stage 2 classrooms;
Learn about the learning expectations of Primary pupils;
Develop knowledge about what is taught in your specialist subject at Key Stage 1
and Key Stage 2;
Understand the ethos and culture developed in a Primary School and consider
how this might be different from that in a Secondary School.
Begin to think about issues relating to pupils progression and transition form Key
Stage 2 to Key Stage 3.
How to use this booklet.
To help you achieve the purposes of the Primary School Experience placement this
booklet outlines a number of investigations into aspects of primary schools. Each
investigation is framed by a Key Question which sets the broad context for the
investigation. You need to complete tasks set out under each investigation which will
involve observing work in the classroom and talking to both teachers and pupils.
In addition, you should complete a Reflective Log, recording what realisations, learning
and understanding you gain from your experience at the end of each day and as a
summary of the week. The Reflective Log is at the back of the booklet.
A Word document version of this booklet is available for download from the PGCE
Course VLE.
Working in Primary Schools
Your Primary School have agreed to host you for this week because they recognise that
it is important for entrants to the teaching profession to gain experience and learn from
established staff and children in schools. They also recognise it is important for
Secondary School teachers to have a good understanding of the Primary School
background of pupils.
They will be keen to provide the sort of experiences that will be valuable to you during
the week and discuss aspects of their work with you, but please remember that schools
are busy places. The teachers’ first priority will be to their every day job of teaching and
working with pupils.
Primary teachers have very little non-contact time so their short break and lunch times
are very precious. Some staff will also be involved with clubs and teams and all will have
duties and responsibilities outside the classroom.
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Please try to be efficient with their time and sensitive to their teaching role and
responsibilities when you are working in classrooms or consulting with staff.
All observations should be undertaken in a professional and open manner.
Please share your comments with staff, should they wish. Your role is to observe
and reflect, and as an inexperienced observer it would be inappropriate and
unprofessional for you to make any judgements.
Please dress appropriately and familiarise yourself with the school’s daily
routines (e.g. arrival, assembly, break, end of day procedures, coffee and meal
arrangements etc.), so you can participate in the life of the school unobtrusively
during your week in the school.
Please read carefully the guidelines for participation in the work of a class.
Discipline and physical contact
At the commencement of your time in school you should discuss with the Headteacher
what disciplinary strategies are regarded as appropriate for you to use. Observe
carefully the advice you are given.
IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES
SHOULD YOU USE ANY FORM
OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE
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You must NOT have any physical contact with any pupil nor spend time alone
with individuals or pairs of pupils.
Please talk to the Headteacher and class teacher about how to avoid situations
where you might find yourself in physical contact with pupils or on your own with
pupils. If you are supervising pupils whilst they are changing for P.E. etc., you
should ask for direction from the Headteacher.
GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE WORK OF A CLASS
1.
Be ready to recognise and accept the wide individual differences you
observe. Respect each child’s need to grow in her/his own way.
2.
Remember children have reasons for behaving as they do at any particular
time. Gradually you will learn to anticipate likely action.
3.
Concentrate on learning the children’s names as quickly as possible. Being
able to call a child by name is a good way to win trust and friendship and it
makes you seem less of an outsider.
4.
Whenever you can, make your name known to the children in a natural,
casual manner; this makes you seem more of a person to them.
5.
Be as relaxed, as unhurried and as at ease as possible. Try to avoid too
much walking around from place to place in a ‘supervisory’ manner. Try to
look interested and involved even when observing.
6.
You need not feel that you must be constantly ‘doing’ to be useful. A good
teacher spends time watching and listening.
7.
Use positive rather than negative statements: showing a piece of work that is
well presented rather than criticising one that is badly presented.
8.
Offer a child a choice only when there really is a choice, and only if you are
willing to abide by her/his decision. If you say, for instance, that a child may
choose to join any group, she/he may choose the most popular one thus
making it too large for your purpose.
9.
Never let children feel that to be first or fastest or to have the most correct is
the only way to win your approval.
10.
Give plenty of warning about finishing and clearing up. This can help to avoid
turmoil or you being left to do the job as the children have gone elsewhere.
11.
Human relationships: children enjoy praise and hate censure and are
particularly sensitive to silent communication. Remember that your facial
expression and your action may reflect your true feelings even if you are not
criticising verbally. Try to demonstrate that you respect and value them as
individuals. You will also build up their trust through your helpful expertise
and your knowledge. Much research exists to indicate that teachers often get
both the work and behaviour they expect. EXPECT THE BEST AND YOU
WILL GET IT.
KEY QUESTION 1
What are recent changes in Primary Schools and how have they
affected pupils’ learning and experiences?
This investigation will help you prepare for your Primary School experience by gaining
an overview of some of the recent changes, initiatives and other current issues relating
to teaching and learning in Primary schools and classrooms.
Pre- experience Tasks
1.1
What do you understand to be the key expectations placed on a Key Stage 2
Primary School Teacher? If you can, discuss this with a KS2 primary teacher before
commencing your week.
1.2
Look into what have been the major recent changes in the role of the primary
school teacher, major legislation affecting the primary school, and any changes to the
primary school curriculum. What impact have these changes had on (i) what and how
Primary School teachers teach? (ii) pupils’ motivation and engagement in learning?
1.4
Is this what you expected? How do you respond to these changes? Do you
consider the changes beneficial or a backward-step for children and their learning? How
are these changes likely to impact on pupils as they move forward into their secondary
education?
The following tasks should be completed during the Primary school placement.
1.5
Discuss the recent changes you have identified with teachers in your school.
Do they consider the changes beneficial and helpful or leading to diminished
experience and learning for pupils? What reasons do they give?
1.6
What other changes to Primary School teaching and learning do teachers
mention?
KEY QUESTION 2
How do Key Stage 2 teachers organise and manage their
classroom and pupils’ learning?
2.1
Draw up a timetable of a ‘typical’ day for a Key Stage 1 class and a Key Stage 2
class you are working with.
2.2
Arrangement of the classroom and pupils.
How are pupils organised/seated in the classroom? Is this arrangement fixed?
If the organisation changes, when does this happen? What are the reasons for
the way the class is arranged?
2.3.
Teaching Organisation
Complete the following table noting when different ways of organising pupils in
the classroom occur and from your observations of the role of the teacher and
pupils’ engagement in the lesson and activities suggest advantages and
disadvantages of each type of organisation.
Organisation
When applied
Advantages
Disadvantages
e.g. topics/subjects,
and/or parts of the lesson?
Whole-class
work
Group work
Individual work
Estimate the proportion of each type of organisation used over the week
Type of Organisation
Whole-class work
Group work
Individual work
Estimated proportion (%)
2.4 Relationships, Rules and Routines
2.4.1
What techniques does the teacher use to gain pupils’ attention at the start of
activities or during activities?
2.4.2
What rules or routines are used to get the pupils to listen whilst the teacher is
speaking?
2.4.3
What conventions are expected for the asking and answering of questions? Does
the strategy vary with the type of question? Why does the teacher use these
strategies?
2.4.4
What do you notice about the way the teacher deals with minor disruptions?
2.4.5
To what extent does the teacher praise and encourage pupils?
KEY QUESTION 3
What learning takes place at Key Stage 2?
3.1
The curriculum in your specialist subject
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Ask to look at the schemes of work in your subject area for Year 6.
Make a note of the topics and skills taught.
 Is the content what you expected?
 To what extent does the teaching scheme match or vary form your preconceptions of what you expected to be taught in the upper Primary
School years?
 Are there aspects of your subject you think are important to emphasise in
the upper Primary years?
 Use your investigation to comment on any implications for the teaching of
your specialist subject at Secondary level.
Write a brief commentary on your findings in the box below.
3.2
Pupil achievement in your subject
3.2.1
Ask to look at examples of pupils’ work in your subject area.
The examples may be on a wall display or in a teacher’s or school’s portfolio of
samples of pupils’ work or in some other format.
At this early stage of the year it may not be possible to look at the work of the
pupils in the class you are working in but there may be records of work from
other years.
 Write your impressions on the level of work achieved?
3.2.2
Talk with a small group of pupils to find out what they have learned in your
subject area.
 What topics/aspects have they enjoyed and why?
 What do they consider they have learned from doing the subject?
 What do they feel confident in knowing and understanding about the
subject?
Summarise your findings and note if any aspects pupils’ knowledge and
understanding surprised you.
3.3
Learning through Literacy and/or Numeracy lessons
Observe a literacy and a numeracy lesson and complete the table below with your
observations and reflections. (You should observe and record both a Literacy and
Numeracy lesson.)
Learning focus of the lesson
(relate to the Literacy/Numeracy Strategy)
Comment on the structure of the lesson
Types of activities
Level of learning from pupils
(outcomes)
Comment on the implications for the teaching of your subject in Secondary School.
KEY QUESTION 4
What are the issues for pupil learning as they move from
Primary to Secondary School?
This task will help you begin to understand how progression and transition issues are
dealt within your Primary School.
4.
Discuss with Primary staff the key issues for pupil learning as they move
from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3
4.1
What sort of records do the teachers keep for pupils in Year 6?
4.2
What kinds of records are transferred across to the Secondary School?
4.3
Does the Primary School use any transitional teaching units?
Note particular subjects and briefly outline how these work.
4.4
What are the particular arrangements for your subject?
4.5
Do the staff consider the transfer arrangements effective? What would they
change/improve?
KEY QUESTION 5
What are the main comparisons between the cultures of Primary
and Secondary Schools?
Williams (1997)1 summarised aspects of the characteristics of Secondary school culture
as shown in the table below.
Using your week of experience in the Primary School complete the table to summarise
how you would characterise the culture and nature of Primary schools.
Curriculum culture
characteristics
Secondary (KS3)
Ideology
Classical; subject-centred;
vocational; examination
results-driven.
Curriculum design
Subject-centred.
Classroom ecology
Specialist; subject-specific
classrooms; immobile
furniture.
Preferred teaching
approaches
Subject-focussed; teachercentred; formal; much use
of textbooks and teacherprepared worksheets.
Teacher
Specialist; subject
graduate; principally
trained through one-year
PGCE teacher-training
course.
Upper Primary (KS1 and/or KS2)
1. Source : Williams (1997) ‘Progression and transition in a coherent geography classroom’ pp. 59-68 in : Tilbury, D. &
Williams, M. Teaching and Learning Geography. London : Routledge. N.B. William’s version of this table includes his
summary of the Primary culture but this has been deliberately excluded from the table for this task.
PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE REFLECTIVE LOG
You should write a short reflective commentary on your experiences at the end of
each day (in the style of a blog).
Your log commentary could be based around some of the following:
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what did you enjoy/what was the most rewarding part of the day?
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what aspect of the day surprised you most?
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has any aspect of the day challenged your pre-conceptions and assumptions?
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what was the most effective teaching strategy observed
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what did you learn from the teacher?
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what was the most significant thing you observed or learned?
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how might the day influence or impact on my role as a secondary subject teacher?
DAY
1
2
3
DATE
LOG
4
5
SUMMARY
List the key achievements/highlights of your Primary School week experience.
Briefly describe how your experiences this week will inform and influence your
role as a teacher in a Secondary School.
Student’s signature:
_______________________________________________
Headteacher’s signature:
_______________________________________________