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Trainee Teachers at UEL
The UEL English PGCE is designed to prepare you for teaching English, primarily though not exclusively, in urban, multicultural, comprehensive schools. It aims to provide you with a robust understanding of the intellectual underpinning of the subject, and of how children learn it, as well as a firm grasp of practical methods of teaching it.
We encourage you to direct your own learning as you work out, over the next few years, the kind of teacher that you want to be. There is a strong emphasis on critical reflection and learning from each other in a friendly, stimulating and supportive environment. We make good use of London itself as a resource. We want you to enjoy teaching the subject, and helping others to enjoy learning it.
For overseas qualifications, verify the equivalence through National Recognition Information Centre for the UK (UK NARIC). For more information visit their site www.naric.org.uk.
If you do not have Maths, an equivalence test can be organised (fee payable).
If you are thinking of teaching English we expect you to have a degree in ‘English’. Degree programmes vary considerably in content, however, and we judge each application on its merits. If you have relevant qualifications in a subject other than English, we will consider your application if you can make a convincing case for your ability to teach English as specified in the National Curriculum for English, Key Stages 3 & 4. It is important to give a breakdown of the content of your degree on the application form.
A key judgment we have to make is whether you have a sufficiently sound base of knowledge to start the Programme, and whether you are able and willing to remedy gaps and weaknesses in your knowledge by the end of the Programme. A good starting point is to look at the National Curriculum for English, Key Stages 3 and 4, and to judge for yourself how well your qualifications match the full range of the statutory curriculum for secondary English. For more details visit National Curriculum Online www.nc.uk.net
The programme runs for 36 weeks, beginning in September. You are at UEL for the first half term, with some observation visits to schools.
The first school placement starts in October for four days a week; the other day is spent back at UEL for subject knowledge development and lectures on core professional studies. The placement continues after the Christmas break, when you are in school five days a week.
There is a second school placement in a different school that runs from the February half term to the end of May. You will also visit a junior school to observe teaching and see the skills and knowledge that pupils bring with them to secondary schools.
At the start of the programme, you are invited to look back on your own experience of literature and language, and to become aware of the institutional and personal histories that come into play in any attempt to define what English is.
You then undertake some of the typical activities that pupils encounter in English lessons. The idea is for you to look at school English through the eyes of the learner and to focus on what the pupils do, on active learning. We then consider the relationship between learning and teaching. The focus on the learner is maintained but you are also asked to think about what the teacher is doing to structure and support the pupils’ learning. Particular consideration is given to the role of language in learning.
Having examined underlying frameworks and processes, we look in more detail at specific themes and topics, such as: grammar, media, literature, poetry, equal opportunities in English, writing, teaching English in multicultural schools, assessment. There will also be personal tutorials as well as opportunities to teach each other and plan lessons together.
PGCE and GTP English trainees at the English and Media Centre looking at the place of media in the English curriculum.
Throughout the year there are academic assignments to be completed and tasks that provide evidence against the standards required by the Teaching and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). The school mentors and university tutors assess you against the standards and you are required to provide evidence that you have met each of them. For more details visit the TDA website.
We have a wide range of facilities including an ICT suite and a Learning Resource Centre. We have good links with local school departments and are developing positive links with a number of national museums that we use for some aspects of our training.
We want to make good use of London itself as a resource. Previous activities have included: a visit to Tate Britain to examine the differences between reading a painting and reading a written text; a visit to Tate Modern to see the Edward Hopper exhibition; a workshop on film and literacy at the National Film Theatre; a visit to the English and Media Centre.
Please go to our Financial Support pages to find out about benefits for Secondary Teacher Training on the PGCE Programme.
Applications for teacher training courses are not made at the university. You need to contact the Graduate Teacher Training Registry. Please see How to Apply for further information.
See HERE for the UEL full programme specification.
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