Hello everyone...only notes to self here today I'm afraid...very boring for you all.  Still, it's good to be self indulgent once in a while I feel!  *tongue firmly in cheek*

So, whilst listening to lute and guitar music of the medieval variety, lulling my iguana to sleep and also the two cats...I shall write some thoughts on my PGCE...you can all switch off now...really, it is very boring!

Which is probably why I am having problems with it.  It's not so much that I don't want to be a teacher...I just didn't want to be a psychologist.  I never knew there were so many things to take into consideration!  I knew already that not everyone learns in the same way.  I also know that there is large amounts of research out there that discusses this in large amounts but ultimately - define learning!

It's nebulous isn't it?  It has no borders, boundaries or definitive anything really.  It is a concept and it is a concept that I am asked to measure to establish whether the student has learnt anything or not!  I am supposed to do this by formative and summative assessment.  Very good I think and then I realise...don't we do that already?  Well, yes, I guess we do if you consider essays and projects during term time as formative and exams at the end of the year summative.

However, studies show that these methods currently don't work.  Really, I think to myself but I am unsurprised.  I know I am absolutely rubbish at having to write an essay to a timescale.  It does not allow me to phrase sentences and get my facts absolutely spot on.  I tend to blurt in exam essays...it all comes out in incoherent lumps, tenuously tied together by short bursts of randomised coherence more akin to a Gordian knot than a logical process of well thought out prose!  Nope, I am absolute rubbish at exams.  Now, give me a project then I can get my teeth into it - no problem.  Ask and I shall research and will enjoy it.  Yet we all know, some lunatics prefer exams.  So, there you have it.  It appears that it is the more logical mind that prefers exams.  Those who learn formula like maths, science and engineering - less room for speculative error I suppose and also, I can't imagine what a maths project would look like somehow - but that is because I have come to the conclusion that I am dyscalculus (if there is any such thing!)  I see numbers and it's like a hare to a greyhound.  I'm off as if the devil himself was after me!!!

I can add, subtract, multiply and divide - the problem is that I often can't differentiate between 8, 5 and 3 without really concentrating.  Yet, I loved geometry and logs, sines and cosines in school - go figure.  I also understood binary but now, nope...scares the hell out of me.  Still, there are some people who are dyslexic and frankly, I would rather be number dyslexic than word dyslexic - the thought of not being able to read is far more scary than not being able to add - but that's just me.

So the Assignments...1.  The Design of Learning.  Design a 10 week course including scheme of work.  Include learning objectives, teaching and learning strategies, resources required, assessment and evaluation techniques.  Include indicative reading.  2.  Assessment and Evaluation.  Devise an assessment tool for both summative and formative assessment.  Presented in a form that would be handed to student, you should also include relevant marking schemes.  Lastly, analyse the major features and provide feedback to student, this last to be in the form of a mini-essay!  3.  Peer review of journals and an analysis on teaching practice, what I have learnt and how I will implement any changes in the future.  Right-o then!

Being an ever practical human being and a lazy bitch to boot, I am going to use the same courses that I used for my first assignment for which I got a merit (must be doing SOMETHING right!)  I shall expand upon them and figure out assessment, which I didn't have to do before - only design a scheme of work and lesson plans.  Nevertheless, I am a firm believer in recycling and reusing!! :))

For the first one, I have trawled large amounts of Uni sites to see if I can figure out what they do to sell their courses to prospective students.  I figured that's the sort of thing they are looking for.  All my teacher friends in blogland, do please tell me if I vastly barking up the wrong tree am!  For 2 I am going to use the age old year project and exam weighting scenario.  I shall explain it in words of one syllable, as apparently research shows that even though it is explained in great detail in course books and essay handouts, students still don't get the idea of assessment and furthermore, I am now wondering if I do either!!

The third is more difficult because I am not having my teaching assessment until practically the end of term, in fact the last seminar I take at Uni (good grief!).  So I may have to beg an extension on that one as it is due in on May 11th so that will give me oh, lessee, er...the weekend to do it!

Yep, that's about it...oh, along with seminar preparation, trying to find further teaching hours, which involves volunteer work in the larger community (one a project with the National Botanic Gardens in Wales [The Medics of Myddfai - they want me to talk about medieval medicines in the apothecary they have set up], Towy, Afon Yr Oesoedd [Towy a River through Time with the Cambria Archaeological Trust] and Skills Sharing for Transition Town Llandeilo)  and holding down a full time job! *yawns profusely*

Right, that's it, I'm knackered and I'm going to finish off my single glass of wine all evening, shut down the laptop and go to flipping bed with a good book (a damn fine medieval mystery who dun yt?), of which I will probably succeed in only reading one paragraph before I fall ignominiously asleep with book and glasses still on face, as I have a big works meeting to attend tomorrow.  Mine lif, yt is rad sumtimes!

Someone remind me...why I'm doing this?????

Tch!

Goodnight all and may your gods be with you xxx