SIX MONTHS no way..... I could never have taught PE in a London Comprehensive after 6 months training.
This will put undue pressure on prospective teachers and schools who will have to handhold these (I presume) graduates through the process and beyond extending the induction period to two or three years maybe.... !!!!!
Is this the end of formal vocational teacher training ??
JPH
17 Mar 2009
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Ridiculous
ReplyDeleteToo many people think that they know how to teach - because they have had experience of being in school at some time themselves - there is NO SUBSTITUTE for formal teacher training - those who follow school based schemes tend not to have the breadth of experience, theoretical background or support network of co-student teachers going through the same experiences to become truly effective during their training.
ReplyDeleteTo attempt to squeeze training into a mere 6 months is an insult to those who have put in the effort to train fully. You wouldn't expect an apprentice to be fully competent at any trade in as little as 6 months.
The last mad dash to recruit 'anyone' who thought teaching was a safe job, was in the 60's. The result was ill prepared and inadequate teachers it has taken years to 'weed' out!
ReplyDeleteTeaching is a 'profession' and a vocation, not just a child minding job. When will this government give us some respect!
Training teachers in 6 months is unrealistic and belittles the professionalism of teachers.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should let people who have spent prolonged spells in hospital have a go at running the wards.........
ReplyDeleteSix months is never long enough to deal with everything a hormonal teenager can throw at you and manage to get some learning into them at the same time, as well as evaluate learning. No way. I think training time should be extended not shorter!
ReplyDeleteI'm Polish and to become a teacher I had to complete 3 years of training. The idea of just six months seems rediculous to me. That would just bring disgrace and shame to British education.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as an NQT I don't even think someone who's been teaching for a year can be considered an effective teacher. There's much more to it then they realise. In the end experience is one of the most important factors and giving a teacher a classroom on his own with that little experience i would deem inadequate
ReplyDeleteI am disgusted as a professional teacher of 30 plus years to think that anyone or any educational institution would even consider qualifying someone after 6 months. I have a degree as well as a teaching degree as well as many, many other courses upgrades etc. and I do not feel that even I am sometimes qualified to teach. I have taught in 3 different countries around the world and have met some fantastic teachers as well as some poor ones who all have gone through many years of education to be where they are in their careers. To me it is making a mockery of teaching as a profession as well as my fellow teachers. My question is " Are we considered professionals or not"? and if so make sure we are not made to be laughing stocks by other professionals in other careers bythrowing out this ridiculous idea.
ReplyDeleteJust shows that Labour's in a pickle here. Desperate Dan's prowling nearby methinks!
ReplyDeleteI AM a teacher I came here to teach because I LOVE teaching. First off; as a returning national away for some years I cannot access financial dovernment help to retrain promptly so I just have to fork out £9000 to do it myself. OK that's not going to work, is it having spent that on just getting here safely. Off to TDA who really do care, but becasue I am now working in a ridiculously unsuited job, I no longer have the time to respond to any likely possibilities. Oh well, I'm earning a kind of living ... now I learn that if I want to teach here, I now need to to undertake the equivalent of GCSE Mathematics qualification. For the love of Pete, all I want to do is teach brass Music or English somewhere, not disprove e=Mc2. HOw long do I have to sit here getting older waving my liitle enthusiasts flag about and shouting out, ''Here I am, I'll do it, here I am, can anyone hear me, can anyone see me?''
And now they say you can be a teacher in six months? It shows how much store this government sets by education, the ''noble profession'' doesn't it?
Julian Begg
Let us rethink the teachers training program me is an in depth and comprehensive training program me.let us not teachers instantly, they are community of individuals who dedicate their life for teaching the young,youth and old for tom morrow.who has even thought of this type of 6 months training, a refresher course or practical training after becoming a teacher is welcome. It is high time we refresh our thoughts for the teaching fraternity.
ReplyDeleteI think, that under a very limited set of circumstances, a candidate could be prepared to be a qualified and certified teacher in six months.
ReplyDeleteNow, first off, let me state: I'm not talking about getting an electrician or plumber (two *highly* skilled jobs, I hasten to add) and putting them in a classroom after a half-year of training. And just grabbing Joe Bloggs off the street, who thinks he might do well in a classroom, is right off as well.
That said, I do think that someone in one of the traditional professions, such as a qualified lawyer, doctor or engineer (and I mean a proper engineer, not someone who empties the trash calling themselves a 'sanitation engineer') and would like a career change could accomplish this quite easily. Frankly, I'd be quite chuffed if my little girl were being taught physics by a chartered engineer.
The question then becomes, how low down this 'professional' chain can we go?
What about someone with an MBA? Frankly, all the MBAs I've met talk a bunch of fluff and have no real technical skills (sort of like an Ed degree ;). I'd much rather a Chartered Accountant in front of the classroom.
So, down to it - it's not a matter of *if* anyone can do it in six months, it's who we would allow to do it in six months.
The only thing that matters is grades. A sense of community, global citizenship, good manners? All insignificant next to A* - C. So it makes sense to bring in the bankers who have been described as "Britain's Finest" in terms of their mathematical ability etc. In six months they will also be providing the perfect role model for students - avarice and a sense of ME. That's what we need to get the country back on its feet. How many years of improving schools? Yet we talk about "Broken Britain." Is there a link there somewhere?
ReplyDeleteWe need to make a distinction between knowledge and degree(s) in the subject area to be taught and zero knowledge and degree(s)in the subject area. If I have a B.SC, M.SC & Ph.D. in Mathematics, what is the big deal in learning to teach it in Six months? Could somebody tell me why I can't teach it in six months? There are so many charlatans in the profession today with little or no knowledge of the subject area teaching rubbish after donkey years of Teacher Training.
ReplyDeleteActually, they could conceivably do a far better job.....
ReplyDeleteHowever, the same is definitely not true with teacher training - just ask anyone who is currently undertaking PGCE whether they feel they could squeeze all that into six months? The answer in my class of 20 teachers and lecturers from various backgrounds and disciplines - is a definite NO!
TEACHING IN SIX MONTHS is OK!!!
ReplyDeleteI went to the university and I have a Degree in ESOL Education and Modern Foreign languages Teacher training. In Spain, you must do these kind of degrees just to teach one subject. Here after studying 5 years the degree, you need to do a 6 months course called Pedagogical Adaptation Course, in which you are tought didactics, psychology of the students, etc. and then you are supposed to teach English. This is effective, but the vocational teachers must be from the beginning due to the teaching degrees last 3 courses for the primary school and 5 courses for the secondary and higher school.
This is exactly why the standard of teaching is so poor, instead of trying to fast track teachers, lets get back to teacher training colleges that take at least 3 years to train tgeachers. What do these new teachers know about education and the physcology of how children learn?
ReplyDeleteJust because someone has a degree it doesn't mean that they know how to help children access relevant learning!
The best teachers are the ones who have taken their time to learn their skill, so stop fast tracking and lets do the job properly!
Helen Wilson
This worries me students struggle after the required 28 weeks teaching practise and the relevant educational course. How are they going to manage in 6 months? The NQT year would be even harder and put more strain on those that will need to mentor and guide them. As if we middle managers (HoD of a core subject) didnt have enough to do already!!
ReplyDeleteBad enough that people who have had years of mangaement experience can be fast tracked through the system when they have little knowledge of the finer points of the educational system and requirements of the exam boards etc.
I completed my PGCE in 1992. Before or since then it was the hardest thing I have EVER done, simply because of the workload that was placed upon us with writing essays, teaching practice attending lectures and writing lesson plans etc. I always said it was like cramming 4 years of a B. Ed into one year. So how the government expects people to learn how to teach in six months is ridiculous. I predict that there will be a high dropout rate.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely ridiculous. Trainees need to have run the cyle of a full year at the very least. I trained in the early 70's in a proper teacher training college for 4 years and still think they produced some of the best teachers. We train teachers at my school for a year but it is not a full year! At least they get lots of teaching experience with the support of those of us who have put the years in. It's an insult to the profession to say you can be come a teacher in 6 months!
ReplyDeleteI say congratulations to the Government. They have found yet another way to undermine teachers and make many parents respect us even less. I eagerly look forward to the next useless initiative.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous! Even if people thihnk they have sufficient subject knowledge, there is no way they can learn how to manage behaviour, recognise the signs of learning difficulties and SEN and fully get to grips with the requirements of the national Curriculum in 6 months. There's a lot more to teaching than learning how to count to 10 and recite the alphabet.
ReplyDeleteAs head of a nursery school i'm shocked at this proposal.I did a four year B.ED with a great emphasis on child development which is absolutely invaluable. I find that students today are sadly lacking in this knowledge. A six month PGCE will only make this worse and will be detrimental for our children's well being and attainment.Like the other commentators I feel it belittles the professionalism of teachers.
ReplyDeleteComplete rubbish! I am leaving classroom teaching this July because of all the new initiatives and paperwork. The Government do not allow us to do what we know is right for the children in our own way! This proposal just adds fuel to my anger. Soon, teachers will be 'managed' by people who have spent barely any time in the classroom and know nothing about what teachers go through every day.
ReplyDeleteWould you allow a heart surgeon to operate after 6 months training? Why is it that teaching is not the most highly regarded and important job there is? After all, teachers pretty much determine what someone can do in terms of a career by providing a certain level of education. I find it offensive that anyone thinks they can do such an important and skilled job in 6 months. We need to get rid of the inadequate teachers we have, not create more. Without good teachers there'd be no one to be the heart surgeons anyway.
ReplyDeleteAs usual the government has not admitted the truth about teaching recruitment. That is that the profession is becoming transitory, there is NO progression the Classroom teacher is not allowed to remain as such and the demands if the school obtains funding on post UPS 3 is too much for schools to handle. Retention of good teachers beyond 48 is also becoming difficult...
ReplyDeleteThe whole process needs a review instead of rushing headlong into recruiting people for jobs that aren't really there..
From zero to school teacher in 6 months would be tough and entirely dependant on the experience and personality of the individual. You cannot say never! I started teaching in HE straight from my MA and on day 1 was in front of the whole faculty teaching what I knew with confidence. You have to know something to be able to teach, that's the key!! In school you need that combined with highly toned 'young people skills'. That's a lot to ask, but essential. Whether more training time will develop those is debatable. Sarah Fretwell.
ReplyDeleteif i could do this i would...but werent they saying that it was or high flying city people at one stage???? i still think that training in 6months just isnt practical...teacehrs need formal training
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a post in over two years and have to do supply to make a living and there are thousands of unemployed teachers out there just like me. Instead of training business failures to be teachers in 6 months, why not give us unemployed teachers a go?
ReplyDeleteYou can't teach someone to teach! Let's get that straight, right from the start! You can teach someone how to plan lessons, how to assess work, the theory behind classroom management and give them some ideas for interactive and creative learning. After this you can see who is going to be a good teacher within the first couple of weeks of their first teaching practice. It's something innate, something in their character and in the relationships they form with their pupils and the other staff. Plus bags of enthusiasm and a passion for the job.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the 6 month training is rigorous and the assessors weed out those students who are not up to scratch (instead of giving them chance after chance and then passing them anyway as I have witnessed over the last few years!) I think fast-track teacher training is perfectly acceptable.
I am positive here.
ReplyDeleteLike the worldwide recession, the Labour govt is doing something to deal to a crisis. We have to admit, there is crisis in school - we lack teachers esp Science and Math. It is better to do something than doing nothing as PM Brown said. And that is great! Will we allow the crisis to go unsolved? Will we allow pressured/overstretched teachers to have more teaching loads? Will we allow expensive supply teachers to come and go to schools? Will we allow outsiders to come and teach our children, while many are unemployed?. The govt is in a tipping point. They have to do something.
The govt does not talk about young people to train for 6 months. The govt targets former teachers/experts who were affected of the economic downturn. These people have enough education and experience. They are not novice. These are mature people and had undergone numerous in-house/out-of-office training. Having six month intensive training would be enough.
In my opinion, the number of UK teachers will continue to decrease. They go somewhere esp in the middle east. By then, the crisis would be more intense. The govt must do something. We love our kids. We want them to learn in schools. We pray for their brighter future.
But, tell me- when the economy bounces back, will these trainees stay in schools?
I think it's an excellent idea! We can use this as a template for other jobs. I can retrain to be a mechanic in 6 months because I already know how to drive and can inflate the tyres on my car. I can retrain to be a doctor because I have experience of suffering symptoms and of waiting in surgeries.
ReplyDeleteThey have watered down the curriculum, watered down the level of qualifications so why not water down the training of teachers?
I bet whoever came up with this idea wouldn't take their beloved pets to a vet who had only received 6 months training. Ah but I forgot! They are not thinking about their own children.
Absolute rubbish!
John M
Our children deserve better..many go in to the profession now because they cannot find employment with their degree..many go in to the profession because they want to climb the management ladder..NOT BECAUSE OF A GENUINE INTEREST IN THE BEST FOR EACH AND EVERY CHILD...perhaps the answer is to find a teacher training syllabus that actually trains and encourages the joy of working with children and the importance of the whole of each and every child...value children..value good teachers!
ReplyDeleteIt is 100% possible to become a qualified teacher in six months. All you need is go straight to the necessary points and stop beating around the bush.
ReplyDeleteIt is 100% possible to become a qualified teacher in 6 months. Unnecessary elongation of time is not important. Go straight to the points.
ReplyDeleteIf we want the best from our children then the emphasis should be on better training for teachers not less training!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust because they have recieved 6 months training does not mean they will be high quality NQT's. So once they have completed this training will they be able to get a job next to thoes who have recieved more training over a number of years. Teaching practice for me has been one of the most difficult and stressful times of my life, I feel sorry for thoes who try to do this in 6 months.
Where are the GTCW and unions when we need them?
ReplyDeleteAlso who will this training scheme attract?
I retrained in one year, having come from a previous career. I had had some teaching experience outside of the formal system and that gave me a foundation. One year of postgraduate academic training is enough..provided that the individual is prepared to work very hard in the beginning years. The recent trend to extend the academic side of teacher training has done little to improve the quality of face-to-face teaching. Six months seems too short, but one year will work for some candidates.
ReplyDeleteHow can you possibly understand the processes the children go through to learn something in that little amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI had an incredibly clever Chemistry teacher at school, who knew everything there was to know about chemistry. He came highly recommended from industry- he was useless, so seless infact that I dropped Chemistry-that was 25 years ago. Schools are even more bureaucratically ridiculous than then!
I spent time as a Teaching assistant after my degree before I decided to do teacher training on a PGCE course. The PGCE course lasting a year was jam packed full of vital information that to squeeze it into 6 months would mean losing something which really would affect the education of a child. It is not about knowing how to deliver information but also about the background and theory of teaching. I am no longer teaching but I know even after completing my PGCE and NQT year I would have so much more learning and training to do to be a confident and completely able teacher in order to provide each and every child with a quality education.
ReplyDeleteThis is one way to really mess up our kids, giving them poorly experienced teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with others, it belittles the training we have been through & continue to do.
It is also a handy way of getting some of the millions off the unemployment stats .. it ia ridiculous idea and needs to be quashed immediately - petitions, protests, flagging up on local media etc.
For anyone to reach an acceptable standard for any professional role takes a finite amount of time in training. In my experience, some individuals need very little training while others never truly reach that standard in spite of all the training they get. Also, some people are highly qualified but have no common sense, while others have a wealth of experience and could teach some professors a thing or two, but lack any academic qualification. In the musical world, two of the greatest violin players (Stephan Grapelli and Yehoudi Menuin) had enormous mutual repect for each other, but Stephan Grapelli played 'by ear' and could not read music at all. The point I'm trying to make is that whatever the time frame it takes to train to become a teacher it's almost irrelevant - 6 months, a year, 3 years; if a person HAS the ability then if they have reached an acceptable standard then they should be able to teach. Besides, the first year is spent as a NQT when a further assessments can be made. Furthermore, no-one can say they are capable of doing a job just because they are 'qualified', it just means they have the potential - everyone continues to learn throughout their career.
ReplyDeleteThis recent idea seems to contradict the rather sickly TV ads about teaching as a profession- those who can teach! Surely this suggests that teachers have special qualities over and above their academic qualifications and have gone into the job for non mega money making reasons. These people who chose industry etc when they completed their degree obviously didn't feel they had those special"teacher" qualities then. Surely this seriously questions their integrity if they decide to swap jobs now their own is less secure! There may be some who suprise themselves and others and become brilliant teachers but what happens when their old jobs become less rocky-will they stay? I felt I needed every minute of my PGCE training and more when I entered a job I love.
ReplyDeletei think that a teacher training course that lasted 6 months without any half terms etc could be feasible - for me it was the time in the classroom that taught me how to teach and having a v. good mentor
ReplyDeleteAs one of the people that (I think) this new initiative is aimed at, I really think that the government is looking at the wrong issues here. Having worked 5 years in industry as a professional linguist and negotiator for a multi-national company , I have recently retrained as a teacher. Whether or not the training was 6 months or 9 months was neither here nor there in the decision making/ financial sercurity process for me.What has had a huge impact however has been the fact that the PGCE institutions in Wales are graduating 30-40 MFL PGCE qualified teachers each year in Wales and there are only a handful of jobs. There's no correlation between supply and demand. Also, the fact that NQTs are very often only offered 1 year/ short time and temporary contracts will have a huge impact on any prospective teachers coming into the profession from existing careers. Although I enjoy my job, I am not sure that I would recommend the move to anyone thinking of changing career given the above circumstances. The government needs to rethink job availability and security before trying to lure people into the profession with a false economy.
ReplyDeleteI am a higher level teaching assistant who has got a degree in Education and a degree in teaching and learning support. I am allowed to cover classes all week, if needed, but I am not allowed to undergo teacher training because I haven't got GCSE's in English, Maths and Science. I do have the Adult Numeracy and Literacy Level 2, which is a requirement for the HLTA status. This just all seems to be unfair. I work in a Primary School, where all the teaching staff tell me I have what it takes to teach, but because I haven't got these I am not paid a teacher's salary! The system seems to be all wrong! I have 14 years of classroom experience behind me and know what it takes to be a successful teacher, it seems unfair that these city workers are being allowed to take our jobs! the Government should focus on the resources that they have in schools. Many Teaching Assitants would make fantastic teachers and should receive the financial backing that they deserve!
ReplyDeleteI am about to qualify as an English teacher through the Graduate Teacher Programme. I am 41, throughout my working life I have had senior managerial posts as well as working with children. Could I have completed the course is 6 months? Not a chance! I work in a challenging school in South London, teaching is not just a matter of pushing paper, and believe me the amount of paper you push to provide evidence to gain QTS is horrendous, some may say excessive. More to the point it is learning how to deal with children and challenging behaviour that takes most of your time. In your first year you are guided and have protected time to allow you time to 'paper push'. The only possibility of people obtaining QTS in 6 months with no previous experience is cutting down on training and paper pushing. Doesn't that make a mockery of what I have just endured over the past 12 months, not to mention the financial implications!
ReplyDeleteWhy not? You can become an MP with no relevant training, be appointed to become Secretary of State for Education with no education experience or even formal educational qualifications, and then tell teachers how and what they should be teaching. Why just stick at messing up education when you can take on the whole country including fiscal policy and healthcare? Can Gordon Brown train me up to do his ob in 6 months? I'm sure it can't be that hard!
ReplyDeleteSix months! Possible!! Only if you are going to teach robots.We are dealing with human life.The future of tender,innocent minds depends on what and how we impart knowledge. The attributes of a'TRUE'teacher are inborn and not acquired through books or training.
ReplyDeleteSheldon.J.Costello
My son is a teacher and after doing 3 years at a London school where he did his PGCE and NQT, he came back to the North West. Every job he applies for he is shortlisted and then the NQT gets the job, because schools get paid to take them and they do not have to pay the same wages. IF HE HAS TO GO INTO COMPETITION WITH BARELY QUALIFIED LET ALONE NOT QUITE QUALIFIED - HE MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW. IT IS DIABOLICAL WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT COMES UP WITH!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am an unqualified teacher with a degree in History. I have been in education for 10 years since egaining my degree as a mature student. I have been unable to access either a PGCE or GTP so I offered my services as a supply teacher to 3 agencies. I am entirely self taught with no formal training and have learnt "on the job" so to speak. I now get regular work in secondary and junior schools plus SEN schools. The schools ring up and ask for me as they know I do a good job despite the fact I am not qualified. I get the same pay rate as qualified teachers. I just wish I could get the final piece of the jigsaw by qualifying officially but it is not to be. It's a pity you can't "qualify" by time spent in the classroom/doing the job as I would have my QTS status by now!
ReplyDeleteI agree with with the views of HLTA above. I am also in the same situation but I have a GCSE in maths (A grade) and a O level English grade D. I have more understanding of maths than the year six teacher I'm currently working with and she openly admits this. I am often asked to help student teachers with their research because I have covered most of what they need with my five years of study to cover my NVQ 4 and foundation degree. I work with children age 4 to 16yrs with behaviour problems and am very aware that teaching is not just about specific subjects. We should not automatically assume that children know how to behave properly, behaviour is also something that children need to learn. With the difficult backgrounds that many children bring with them to school it is vital that teachers receive as much training as is possible for their own sake as well as the children.
ReplyDeleteProbably - but it wouldn't make them a good teacher it would be a pulse in the classroom. Lets face it none of us got into teaching because of the government ads which are full of misrepresentations of teaching. You get what you pay for and invest in, you wouldn't let someone with 6 months experience loose with your health so why a child's future - its just the Governments way of belittling what we do again!
ReplyDeleteAbsolute rubbish! There is no way you can train 'anyone' successfully to quaified teacher status in just 6 months. If this were the case then why have I like so many others had to do it over a 3/4 years period!!!! For those who think it is 100% possible you need to ask yourself, would you visit the dentist or doctors knowing that they had only received 6 months training? NO I dont think so! So why demorilising the teaching profession in this way? As a mother of two, there is no way I would like my children to be taught by someone with such little expertise or experience, no matter how good they are!!
ReplyDeleteAs an experienced teacher with many years experience, I find it hard to swallow that it is thought 6 months is adequate training. I mentor final PGCE students who struggle to get to grips with whole class teaching and all the trappings that go with the job, e.g. assessment, behaviour, reports, SATs, SEN etc, etc. I feel a year isnt long enough let alone 6 months. Oh well role on my retirement!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think the six months training to become a teacher, is an excellent idea. I will recommend this course to all "want to be" teachers.
ReplyDeleteShort and sweet.
Perhaps we could have a 6 month training programme for politicians can't see what difference it would make!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe what i am reading, how can anyone train to be a teacher in six months, i did two years Nursery Nursing and Four years Teacher Training and still found it difficult to do everything required of me as a class teacher. I am still learning and have been teaching for nine years, anyone who thinks that you can train to be a teacher in six months has obviously never done the job and does not understand the pressures and responsibilities of the role.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a little suspicious of teacher training anyway....how do you teach a person to be a teacher? i do believe the truly inspirational are born...having said that however there are tricks and strategies anyone can use to guide, lead, motivate and control another. teachers must be made aware of these.....6 months perhaps is enough time create awareness, time then is needed to create the expertise and ability to chose appropriate approaches for the many and varied situations they will find themselves in. Teaching is already undervalued.....why take that further by undermining society's trust in the training?
ReplyDeleteI'm a teacher who came to it as a second career. I'm good at it, very good in fact, but I spent 4 years at Uni doing BAEd and even after that I didn't start teaching really well until 5 years in. It takes reflection, further learning and experience to gain skill. There are exceptional individuals who appear to be naturals - that's because they are naturally good with children and are empathetic and good people managers. The vast majority of people have to learn these skills over time. Just because you have in-depth subject knowledge does not make you a good teacher. Look at the poor quality of Head Teachers coming through - usually young, inexperienced teachers who talk this government's talk but are light on inspirational leadership. Afraid I feel very dispirited with education and feel that crazy schemes like this are just another example of Mr Balls and his group of pseudo-corporate spin doctors ruining education in this country.
ReplyDeleteI had to do 3 years of teacher training (and afterwards, I studied towards my degrees) - from the first year, we've done practice teaching (in the actual classroom, alongside the experienced classroom teacher), and that prepared us extremely well for the real deal. In fact, there was a huge difference in us that came through teacher training first and those who'd done a degree and one year of teacher training. Six months, for the majority, no way.
ReplyDeleteIt is an insult to teachers to think that a job I trained for for FOUR years by doing a BSc (HONS)QTS degree can now be done in 6 months. What kind of a teacher can effectively cover all the bases that we are expected to do? As has already been states, it will be us already in the profession that have to spend time guiding and evalautaing and supporting these people and in all fairness I know that is our role when mentoring but this will be to amuch higher extent as the experience in the classroom will be a minimum. It's disgrace.
ReplyDeleteIn the States, where I trained, a teacher is required to have a Master's Degree in Education. I imagine I'm preaching to the converted on a forum like this one when I say that teaching is more a matter of finding a way to allow students to access the information, instead of knowing the information itself. It requires an infinite amount of empathy and awareness, something not particularly personified by the 'banker' community this '6 month training' is aimed at.
ReplyDeleteIt's insulting to suggest that the amount of different skills needed to make a good teacher can be accessed and employed in 6 months. But then, the key term here is 'good'.
I am proud of my vocation, and saddened that those in positions of authority cannot see how bad this suggestion is for morale, if not the greater state of education.
I am undergoing my two years PGCE/QTS course and the pressure was so much that I don't have a life because there is so much to learn and the time was so short. I think some people don't appreciate the education system of this country but they want teaching job to be a dumping ground for those who are money lover, they completely forgotten that teaching require real love for children, enthusiasm individual, a role model, people with sense of humus, teaching is far from subject knowledge. If this people really want to be a teacher why now?
ReplyDeleteSome countries have tried this but it lead to the destruction of their educational system. If people are out of job they should try politics or something else but not teaching.
Absolute Rubbish! Currently, I am studying the second year of a BA(Hons.) in Education after completing a two year PGCE and i am still learning the 'trade', so to claim that an individual can train to be an effective teacher in six months is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI barely managed to learn all I had to know in my year long PGCE. Idont see how you can teach a person the skills they need to teach in just six months.
ReplyDeleteEveryone in or out of work should have access to ongoing training related both to their job and their interests as well as their weaknesses-if teachers can be trained in 6 months then so can doctors vets lawyers-just think of the time and energy saved -sadly the damage done would be extensive but why would this gov care it would all be some one elses fault !!!
ReplyDeleteIt just gose shoooow wot educashon iz cuming 2! Gr8!
ReplyDeleteI am a NQT and have just endured 4 years of training! 6 months is absolutly ridiculous. Teaching is a stressful and exhausting job and after 6 months I don't think anyone who had just come into it could hack the pressures of teaching. I love my job but would have felt completely unprepared after a meer 6 months.
ReplyDeleteIf this goes ahead I give any 6 month trainees less than a month before they run screaming for the hills. Then it will be left to the real teachers to mop up the mess thay have made, which for some children will be irrepairable.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is watering down the teaching profession. Teaching achieved professional status when it began offering formal structured training to its applicants. Such training run for a course of three to four years to ensure persons covered an adequate curriculum that prepared them to shape the tender lives entrusted in their care.
ReplyDeleteWhen the government turns to such recourse it tells us something: that they do not have the interest of the children parents or education at heart; the aim is to mass produce teachers to fill vacancies which will of course present a new set of challenges to schools for which another remedy will have to be developed.
This is an absolute disregard for the profession and practitioners who have worked so hard in
The idea that anyone can train to become a teacher in such a short period is ridiculous! It will not work & most certainly will not produce confident & competent teachers. Why rush the training for such a demanding career?
ReplyDeleteThe best teachers are those who have been out there and worked in industry!!They know what the real world is like. Using their experience and bringing it into the classroom is the best idea, if they are already an expert in their field it won't take long to learn how to teach this. Their first three years on EPD may be dificult but with PRSD they will become excellent teachers. I've seen this so many times!! The worst teachers I know are those who never left school, they went straight from their A-levels to teacher training college, they have a cushy life, don't push themselves to learn more about their subject area and worst of all they are clicky, they don't accept newcomers into their little groups, they bitch about other teachers, they think they know it all, and noone should dare question them! They still act like they did in the playground at school.
ReplyDeleteI opened my own business at 18, I fast tracked my honours degree in Computer Science in 2 years and completed a one year PGCE to become a teacher at 21. I also worked in industry for my three summers and completed a masters during my first year teaching. I know the real world and I have become one of the best teachers in my tough inner city school. My students leave school as better people, I am a good role model for them as well as a good listener and my results have gone from strength to strength. In a school where less than 18% of kids get 5 GCSEs, Over 85% of students in my subject area are getting grades A-C!!! The results have steadily been improving each year.
If people are well qualified in their subject area then 6 months should be enough time to qualify as a teacher as long as there are good structures in place for continued professional development.
It's not just about your subject knowledge, thats a load of crap! In 6 months how can you learn behaviour strategies, how to teach SEN and EAL children or how to assess the children(plus many other things on the list)? Those people that think all they need is to know their subject have no idea what is involved in teaching children. For that matter, does the government even understand all of what is involved in teaching a class of 30 children? obviously not, otherwise they would not be suggesting such a short training period!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest load of tosh I have heard in a long time. I find it laughable that some of the above 'anonymous' commentators think their children would be better off with an accountant or engineer in front of the class. I have a Bsc(Hons) and without meaning to blow my own trumpet, from one of the top unis in UK, as well as a CV full of outstanding academic grades. However, when I undertook my PGCE in 2005/06 (as I had always wanted to teach since being a little 'un) it was, as someone else above explained, the hardest thing I had ever taken on in my life. I said then, and I maintain now, that a one year PGCE or teacher training course of any kind, in my opinion simply should not be available. It really does not prepare you for anything like the real job that is teaching. In one year they can teach you a little about child dev, and lots about the current curriculum requirements/documents, but how good is that when they get outdated and replaced, or when you move into a different education system? No, a one year course or 6 MONTHS (!!) cannot possibly prepare you to be an effective teacher, not probably even a half decent one. And let's face it, does our nation want a load of 'half decent' teachers? Our children deserve more. Oh well, fellow teachers and trainees, at least we can be safe in the knowledge that these people won't last long in teaching anyway, because they won't be prepared to put in 60 hours a week for GBP20k when they start their 'career'. (Or perhaps our wise old government will decide to give them a recruitment bonus of 30 grand just for lowering themselves to the point of being a teacher)! I can't express my frustration and anger at this ridiculous proposition - let's put the Ed Minister and Mr Brown in a classroom for 6 months and see how well they do!
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteGood for you - you should be very proud of yourself...!
Seriously it sounds as though you are a very talented teacher and good on ya'. However, there are other teachers out there who may not have the inherent wells of awesomeness that you have in being a teacher, but who do a damn fine job and also help their students to achieve really well, through their intelligence, knowledge, application of themselves and/or hard work. Just because you took this route, does not mean every tom dick and harry off the street could be so successful, so I think your conclusion is a dangerous one. I think my main point of difference to your post above is that I think your argument may be more feasible for secondary teaching, but for primary...definitely not. I worked in industry too, like you, but I teach Primary. I have huge respect for anyone who even attempts secondary, let alone for those who do well. But I think it really takes a certain type of person to be a good (or better thank good) primary teacher. No amount of letters after the name and years of dealing with people in suits and paperwork will equip a lawyer, accountant, sales manager or electricain to be a good primary teacher because of their subject knowledge - that will be largely redundant the minute they step in front of a year 2 class! I, as a PGCE trained teacher, understand to a degree your thoughts on BEds who go straight from school - but what a generalisation you have made! These teachers have had so much more input on child development, pedagogy, and more time in classrooms, as well as 4x more time to question/understand/develop/reflect than us PGCE'ers that I think you are doing them a grave disservice to say that they have not pushed themselves nor worked hard. In the schools I have worked in, I would say all but one teacher I have come across has worked ridiculously hard to do their best. This regardless of whether they were a 22 year old NQT from a BEd, a 30-something from industry who trained on a PGCE or a 50 something who trained in the 70's. Just a few thought there...
I think that you need commitment as a teacher - how can you show this in just 6 months? i agree with many others - we need better quality teacher training, not less of it!
ReplyDeleteThis is stupid I did my training last year and can now see I was not fully prepared after a years training. Its like driving you don't really learn until you pass your test. The 6 months training idea will attract people who are just doing it because they have no job and therefore we will end up with teachers that are not passionate about their subject and as always it will be the students that will suffer!
ReplyDeleteJust another example of government interference in education.They have let the banks do as they like over the last decade with a minimum of regulation.And now they smooth the way into teaching for these people.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure these money men/women will find out what hard work really is.
The whole proposal is a slap in the face for serving teachers.That we should come to this, a government that offers no leadership on any issue. They are a disgrace and would certainly fail an OFSTED inspection.
The answer is in the quality not the quantity and my experience is that the quality of teacher training has slipped miserably in the past decade. Let's fix that first....training for organizational skills, training for classroom discipline, training for multi-modality teaching all but seem to have disappeared in our new recruits. Teachers, like leaders are 'naturals' and we are not screeening anywhere near enough prior to enterning Teachers College for the qualities it takes to make a good teacher. Lets fix it before we shorten it.
ReplyDeleteJuanita
I do not agree with this idea. Four years of training of sheer hard work and determination has helped to set me up to become a teacher. Not sure how this can be achieved in 6 months? It seems such an unfair system for those who have had to endure hard study to obtain their QTS. Lynn Shaw March 2009
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, yes, I think in certain circumstances if a person has the right attributes, it is possible to be up and running as a teacher within 6 months: I was. Of course one still has much to learn, but with the right support from a mentor and HoD, I think it could be done. As a blanket policy however, certainly not.
ReplyDeleteI think that six months is a rediculous idea that has not been thought through properly. Cynically, one has to wonder if it is simply a way for the government to get people back into work during the credit crunch? I found the PGCE year incredible hard and remember saying on more than one accassion the content would have easily filled two years. As it was, one year was ok, but very pressured. Six months however, would just be absurd!
ReplyDeleteTo be a teacher you need to have a mental make up ,love for children, flair for teaching, value for education, have a will to serve society&last but not least have lots of patience these are a must in an individual.You can be better organised or improve your skills through training I feel in short .A very good student may not be a very good teacher.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the government thinks that by re-employing (now-unemployed) city workers as teachers with a six-month training behind them they will be better at cracking the immense load of paperwork that teachers have to deal with?
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is extremely dubious that one will have a properly trained teacher after only six-months of training. It is hard enough to be a good teacher after a one-year PGCE or a foreign teacher's qualification. I did a South African teacher's qualification and that included a lot of theorising, philosophy of education, PIAGET (now discredited perhaps because of a lack of rigorous honesty by using relatives as guinea pigs)VIGOTSKY, psychology but no real child-development along biological/neurological lines. I did six months' classroom-based educational theories and only 3 months'training and when I took a post again in the UK in a rural average 1000 -pupil sized comprehensive school I found it extremely demanding. The South African training had only trained me for extremely polite, privately-educated tolerant individuals; not for impolite, under-equipped, over-pupilled, unmusical, intolerant hormonal British classrooms.
I speak therefore from experience- I agree with the comments above that a three -year course is perhaps the best way to train and then retain a good teacher.
Hi. I am a teacher myself who earn 4 year degree in teaching in Phil.I think my view in offering 6months training is absolutely waste of space because to be a teacher need a rigid long training but not a crash course to be a teacher.
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