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[personal profile] caz963
Stupid idea # 378943245 from this bloody government is to cut the time it takes to train teachers from a year to six months. That's one way to cut the unemployment figures. And how about training docrors, dentists and pilots in six months? That'd help too!

How long is a piece of string? does it take to train a teacher? | Learning is delightful and delicious ...

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Date: 2009-03-10 10:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] loreley-se.livejournal.com
I heard that on the news this morning and went - bzuh? That's ridiculous.

Date: 2009-03-11 07:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caz963.livejournal.com
Isn't it just? The govt keeps going on about wanting to improve schools, to have better teachers... and now this. Joined up thinking? Seems like most of these idiots can barely manage to do joined up writing!

Date: 2009-03-10 10:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anatolealice.livejournal.com
That's scary. Who'd want to face the classroom after 6 months? They are going the other way here. You used to be able to do a one year diploma of education after your first degree. Those courses are still around for secondary teaching (though a lot of Universities are offering 2 years masters instead), but postgraduate primary teaching courses are nearly all a minimum of two years (and four years as undergraduate courses). I found some in another state that were still one year but they seemed to be phasing them out. Some are 18 months but those are extra intensive.

I'm doing early childhood teaching now and I decided to go with a four year undergrad course. I'll get some exemptions so I won't be full time for all of those four years, but I felt that I needed that much time to get my head around it all!

Date: 2009-03-11 07:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caz963.livejournal.com
It's ridiculous. I trained for a year, (you have to be a graduate to train these days) and I wonder if that's enough. Mind you, I've had one of those utterly shite days today, where I wonder if I can do it at all :-(

For some a year might be long enough, but for others, not, although to be honest, I really think that to an extent, teaching is one of those things you can do, or you can't. (My HoD when I trained was twenty-seven, and whatever that undefinable something is, she had "it". She could walk into a class of crappy year nines, and they'd (almost) all shut-up.)

I'm not trying to be big-headed, but I think a year training ON THE JOB was probably enough for me, but then I'm older, I've been around a bit, and I'm fully aware that teaching is a job in which you're always learning - and that becoming a good teacher isn't something that happens overnight.
OTOH, training for five years as they do in Finland, does seem a bit excessive, although it's an indicator of the standing of the profession, unlike in the UK, where, it seems, the slogan now is "Come and be a teacher. It's so easy, anyone can do it!"

Date: 2009-03-12 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anatolealice.livejournal.com
Is the five years in Finland five years on top of an initial non-education degree? Our four year education degrees in primary teaching are supposed to be equivalent to a 3 year undergrad degree and the one year teacher training, but they include a lot more education subjects than if you did say an arts degree and then a dip ed. There's a big difference between secondary teaching where you need to be a specialist in one or more subjects than in primary teaching where it is more about how students learn.

but then I'm older, I've been around a bit, and I'm fully aware that teaching is a job in which you're always learning - and that becoming a good teacher isn't something that happens overnight.

I agree, I think being older makes a huge difference. There's no way I could have been a teacher straight out of school, I lacked the confidence.

I'm sorry your day has been so bad :-( You've had such a rough time of it, it makes me really mad when I think about how heavily they were recruiting people to teacher training.

Date: 2009-03-11 07:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] digitalred93.livejournal.com
Don't you just love how governments say they support education then show us how little they think of it by cutting down on training?

Most people don't realize that teaching is a skill set. Not everyone can do it.

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