Teacher Training Course:

Last year, I had applied for PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) Course for Manufacturing and Design, ICT and Mathematics. I was invited by Hull University for Mathematics unfortunately I had bad time so I couldn’t continue this course. I was also selected in Teaching Tester Course which was run by UWE and Teacher Training Agency. The main purpose of school visit was to take a taste of the contemporary primary or secondary school. School in Britain have diverse ethnic mix, where as schools in the outskirts will have a less diverse background and pupils may travel a fair distance to get there. Although we will get a good impression of school life, it is important to remember that this is just a snapshot of life at the school we visit and the primary and secondary schools in general.
The questions below which are suggestions of what we might think about while observing lessons. These observations will form part of discussions that we might have when we apply successfully to the PGCE we will be asked to discuss our observations at interview.
1. Make general observations about the school. What is our overall impression of the school physically and in terms of pupil behaviour etc? Take a note of the displays of pupils’ work; displays of interest (how do these reflect the school’s geography and ethos?); information boards; room layouts; ICT equipment; specialist areas; resources and the resource centre/library; sports facilities; general upkeep of the school.
2. If we get the chance to observe a lesson, take note of the following:
Firstly, make some notes about the class:
What is the age range of the class?
How many pupils are in the class?
How many adults are working with the pupils (including teachers and assistants)?
As the class begins, make some observations:
How does the teacher begin the lesson/how do the pupils know the lesson has started?
How does the teacher ensure the class are quite and playing attention/how does he/she get the pupils’ attention?
How much time does the teacher spend talking to the class and introducing the lesson?
Through the middle of the lesson/session, try and speak to the pupils about their work:
Do the class know what they are doing?
Do they where this lesson/session fits in with other sessions?
How are they using resources and equipment?
Is the class working in groups or on their own?
Speak to the teacher and observe him or him in the way he/she interacts with the class:
How does the teacher deal with children who are noisy or disruptive?
How does he/she share out attention to all the class?
If there is one, how does the Learning Supporter work with the class?
How does the teacher respond to questions? Does he/she stop the class and speak to them all at any time?
As the lesson/session ends:
How does the teacher end the session?
How long has this lesson/session lasted?
Is equipment/resources tidied away and how does this happen?
3. In discussions with staff in school, note key issues that you think are important, try and get an idea of how the subject you might teach plays a role in the school and in the curriculum.

Why do we need to know more about technology?

The meaning of the word "technology" evolved to reflect the changes. In the nineteenth century, technology referred simply to the practical arts used to create physical products, everything from wagon wheels and cotton cloth to telephones and steam engines. In the twentieth century, the meaning of the word was expanded to include everything involved in satisfying human material needs and wants, from factories and the organizations that operate them to scientific knowledge, engineering know-how, and technological products themselves.
In the development of human history, technology was mainly the area of craftsmen who passed their know-how (knowledge or skill) down from generation to generation. This know-how gradually improved in designs, and added a new techniques and materials. By the beginning of the twentieth century, technology had become a large-scale enterprise that depended on large stores of knowledge, skill and know-how which is too much for any one person to be a master.
The nature of technology has changed dramatically in the past hundred years. Indeed, the very idea of technology as we now consider it is relatively new. Now, large organizations were required for the development, manufacture, and operation of new technologies. Complex networks of interdependent technologies were developed, such as the suite of technologies for the automobile. These include gas and oil refineries, filling stations and repair shops, tire manufacturers, automobile assembly plants, the highway system, and many more. The government began to play a larger role in shaping technology through technological policies and regulations.