My time on the PGCE course will stay with me forever...
It was while I was studying for my degree in Modern History at UEA that I first became involved with the University’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning. I participated in the Student Associates Scheme through UEA which gave me my first real experience of the world of teaching. I spent a total of 15 days in a local school, gaining experience of the different age ranges and participating in school trips. From that moment on, I’ve never looked back!Having completed my degree at UEA, it was a natural choice for me to apply to do my PGCE there as well, and having done the Student Associates Scheme I knew that it was the primary age range that appealed to me most.
The flexibility of the PGCE course at UEA meant that I could choose exactly which key stage I wanted to specialise in but also gave me the opportunity to train in a complimentary key stage, giving me greater scope when it came to applying for jobs. This proved invaluable because although I chose to train primarily in key stage 2, I have gone on to work happily in key stage 1.
My time on the PGCE course will stay with me forever. I learnt so much in only one year about teaching approaches, styles of learning, behaviour management, special educational needs and the day to day life inside a classroom, the list really is endless!
This course is definitely not for the faint hearted but the hard work both during teaching placements and time spent at UEA was more than worth it in the long run. And although it was tough at times and a really intense experience, when I think of the fun I had, especially when I was at University, it always brings a smile to my face.
The PGCE course gave me the chance to meet so many truly likeminded people who became a crucial support network during my first year in school. After I qualified I went on to teach Year 1, despite having trained with a focus on key stage 2, and am now well into my second year as a key stage 1 teacher. My first year in schoo
l was a shock to the system, and a very steep learning curve but the PGCE had given me the skills and confidence I needed to succeed.
Having my own class (and classroom!) made sense of all the work I had put into my PGCE and although I learnt a lot from my mentor and other members of staff at my school, my training at UEA is still relevant and useful even today. In particular the opportunity to work with up-to-date software and Interactive Whiteboards at UEA, although overwhelming at first, gave me a definite advantage during my first year in school. It meant that I was able to help other members of staff within my school with things I had learnt from the PGCE.
I fully recommend the PGCE course at UEA. I learnt so much and had a lot of laughs along the way, making friends for life and memories that will stay with me forever.
Online Prospectus
Our PGCE Teacher Training Prospectus for September 2012 entry will provide you with further detailed information about all of our course options and programmes of study (online version available shortly).
Please contact us if you wish to request a hard copy version either through email: pgceinfo@uea.ac.uk or telephone: (+44) (0)1603 592855.
