PGCE (Primary) Interview Guide
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
PGCE
(Primary)
Interview
Guide
1 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance
Congratulations, you’ve made it through the first part of the
PGCE Primary selection process and have been invited to attend
the next stage of the selection process.
This guide will help you with all of the information you’ll need to
know and some practical advice to help you do the best you possibly
can on the day itself. Please refer to the letter you received for your date
and time slot.
We look forward to meeting you and in some cases, starting a
relationship with you that’ll see you through to qualified teacher
status and far beyond.
Una Coyne, PGCE Primary Admissions Tutor
About the Department
• There’s a whole world outside the classroom
• ducational Studies isn’t just about teaching and learning. At Goldsmiths it’s
E
exploratory and expansive. We see education as a window on which to view the world,
and as something with the power to define who we are and how we live.
• s a department we’re interested in seeing what education can tell us about the social, political and
A
economic forces of our times and what these forces mean for the everyday lives of individuals and groups
at different levels of society. It’s why our research delves into areas including culture and identity, gender,
multilingualism, and youth cultures, and why we maintain a commitment to social justice and inclusion.
• e have a strong pedigree in teaching practice – we’ve been training teachers since 1904 – and
W
have gained recognition from Ofsted for our ‘outstanding contribution’ to widening participation in
Initial Teacher Education. This means that as a student here you have the chance to start or continue
your studies into primary and secondary teaching including PGCE through a range of routes.
• t Goldsmiths we encourage you to be reflective in your learning so you can explore education not just
A
from afar but in relation to your own experience. So you’ll be able to take part in the kinds of conversations
that inform group learning – you may even be looking at research that’s affected your own life. And we
also draw on our strength within the visual arts, embedding creative strands through many of our courses.
Why choose Educational Studies at Goldsmiths?
• e’re interactive. And we never stop learning from each other. Come and inform our teaching and
W
practice by drawing on your own experience and learn from many different perspectives in small class
seminars and discussions. Visiting guest speakers range from Grayson Perry to Shami Chakrabarti.
• e’re inclusive. It’s the diversity of our community that makes us distinctive. Whatever your
W
background or educational experience we make sure you gain the support you need through
an approachable team of expert staff so you’ll never feel like you’re just a number.
• e’re engaged. Our connections with schools and communities both locally and globally give you the
W
opportunity to see how educational policy and practice play out in different settings – as part of the
BA Education, Culture & Society you have the chance to study for a term in China or Luxembourg.
At Goldsmiths you can:
• Get involved in a lively programme of research seminars and contribute your own work
• earn from academics who are leading the field and focusing on areas
L
including social justice and identity and the arts and learning
• ccess resources within our on-site research centres including the Centre for the Arts and Learning,
A
the Centre for Identities and Social Justice, and the Centre for Language, Culture and Learning.
2 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance
Guidance
The purpose of this booklet is to guide
you through the interview process at
Goldsmiths, University of London. Please
read it carefully, as it includes details of the
preparations you’ll need to undertake.
The interview forms an important part of our selection process and
its purpose is to assess both your ability to communicate effectively
and your academic and personal suitability to teach. You should also
be prepared to discuss any relevant experience you have gained.
The areas that we’ll be particularly looking for are:
Area What we are looking for
Interpersonal skills • Ideas are very well developed and articulated with confidence and fluency
and communication • Written English is correct and shows cogency with no errors
•C
ommunication in all contexts (group and individual) is appropriate,
balanced and shows a clear appreciation of others
Leadership •C
lear leadership of the group in discussion task – able to articulate personal
views whilst eliciting the view of other group members
and passion
• Clear evidence of experience of leadership
Support and respect •A
very clear understanding of the support that will be needed to ensure progress
will be made
• Interaction with the group and interviewer is highly appropriate and participation
even when not leading is relevant and very sensitive to the opinions and needs
of others
Resilience and •C
lear understanding of resiliency and how it relates to teaching and/or prior
experiences that indicate you have the capacity to manage the unavoidable
adaptability uncertainties inherent in the realities of the PGCE programme and teaching
•C
lear understanding of what will need to be done
to prepare for the PGCE programme
Self-organisation • Evidence of a highly organised and well prepared approach
and proficiency • Pre-interview tasks well researched
•A
very clear understanding of teaching and learning drawing
on a range of theory and practice (as appropriate)
Your interview invitation
As soon as you have received an invitation to attend an interview, contact the ISO Team, email iso-admissions@gold.ac.uk,
to confirm your attendance. Due to the huge popularity of your chosen programme, we regret that we are usually unable
to reschedule interviews, so we do hope that you will be able to join us on this date.
Goldsmiths is committed to equality of opportunity and therefore if you require any adjustments to enable you to participate
fully in the interview, or if you feel health or disability may have affected your ability to meet our entrance requirements,
please contact our Disability Coordinator (disability@gold.ac.uk or 020 7717 2292). The coordinator will ensure any required
support is available for you at the interview, and during study should you subsequently be made an offer. Please ensure
that you bring with you proof of your disability and show this to the Admissions Tutor who will be leading the session.
Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance 3
Preparation
Advance preparation for the day Preparation for the written task
Ensure that you’re up to date with current educational As part of the interview process you will be required
issues. You can do this by: to undertake a piece of writing. Guidance about the
subject of this piece of work will be given on the day.
•R
eading the Education Guardian
www.guardian.co.uk/education However, it should be pointed out that as well as assessing
the quality of your writing, this task will be used to
•R
eading the TES assess your handwriting, grammar and spelling.
info.tes.co.uk
•A
ccessing the BBC Education website
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education
Preparation for the discussion task
•B
logs that may be of interest to you include: During the interview process you’ll be required
www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk to discuss an article as a member of small group
cnes4education.wordpress.com and you need to prepare this beforehand.
michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk
The full article is available at
These suggestions are by no means comprehensive,
www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/Principles
but they take different viewpoints on education and will
in Practice Low Res.pdf
encourage you to view issues from differing perspectives.
or http://bit.ly/1fpDozc [shortened link]
When you’re being interviewed the interviewers won’t be
and you need to read pages 14-16 inclusive,
looking to see if you express views with which they agree,
entitled ‘What’s the evidence?’.
rather that the views you express are well considered
and reasoned.
The article is divided into 10 sections and you must prepare
to lead a group discussion in any and all of these areas.
Preparation for the phonics check
Leading a discussion involves both expressing your own
view and ensuring that everyone else is encouraged to
During the interview process these will be a check to
participate with no single person allowed to dominate.
assess your knowledge of systematic synthetic phonics.
You may wish to revise your knowledge of these prior
You’ll then be asked to participate in
to interview.
discussions about the other areas.
A useful film to assist you is at
Candidates will only be permitted to select which section to
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v7Yl4phJcg lead on at the interview, so you should prepare for all areas.
or http://youtu.be/8v7Yl4phJcg [shortened link]
Preparation for the mathematics check
As with the phonics check above, during the interview
process there will be a check to assess your knowledge
in all areas of mathematics.
A useful website to help you revise for this is
www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/mathsB3.htm
Alternatively, this course book would be extremely
useful in updating your subject knowledge:
Mathematics Explained for Primary Teachers
(2010, 4th Edn.) by Haylock, D.
4 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance
School experience QTS Skills tests
Five days’ school experience QTS Skills tests in literacy and numeracy
Before you’re accepted onto the course you’ll have to All candidates have to pass what are known as the
complete a minimum of five days of experience within QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) Skills tests before
your chosen age range. You should print the form on acceptance onto any course to train to be a teacher.
page 9, ask the school to complete it and stamp it with
their official stamp. If you’ve completed this before Information about these can be found
your interview please bring it with you on the day. on the government website at
www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/
traininganddevelopment/professional/
b00211200/registration
or http://bit.ly/LdjJcC [shortened link]
Practice QTS literacy tests
www.education.gov.uk/QTS/Literacy/
assessment_engine.html
Practice QTS numeracy tests
www.education.gov.uk/QTS/Numeracy/
assessment_engine.html
The Goldsmiths Teachers Centre runs support sessions,
details of which are at
www.gold.ac.uk/educational-studies/
teacherscentre/numeracytestsupport
Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance 5
On the day of the interview
The basics Important things to remember on the day
• Plan your journey – know your route and arrive early • Your CV
• If you’re notified that your interview will take •Y
our completed and stamped school
place in the morning, please arrive by 8.25am for experience form (if completed)
an 8.30am start. (Please note that the Education
• Notification of passing QTS skills tests (if completed)
Building has a card entry system but someone will
be there to welcome candidates from 8am) •O
riginals and photocopies of GCSE (or equivalent)
grade C or above in English Language,
• If you are notified that your interview will take place in the
Mathematics and Science
afternoon, please arrive by 12.40pm for a 12.45pm start
•O
riginal and a photocopy of your
•M
ake sure that you have any relevant contact numbers at
degree certificate (if completed)
hand so that you can call if you are unavoidably delayed.
•P
roof of disability if requesting additional time for the
Please note that Modern Languages interviews may take
phonics check, mathematics check and/or writing task
place on the day or at an arranged time over the phone.
•P
assport sized photograph with your
You will be informed which method will be used on the day name clearly printed on the back
of your interview.
•A
schedule of the interview process
can be found on the next page.
6 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance
Approximate What we are Activity
timings assessing
AM session PM session
8.30am 12.45pm Self-organisation Arrival and welcome
8.35am 12.50pm Proficiency Phonics check
Subject knowledge (7 minutes, or 10 minutes for those
with registered disability)
8.45am 1pm Proficiency Maths check
Subject knowledge (10 minutes, or 13 minutes for those
with registered disability)
9am 1.15pm Explanation of the PGCE course
A brief introduction to Goldsmiths
9.25am 1.40pm Interpersonal skills Discussion activity
Communication
Support/Respect
Leadership
Self-organisation
10.10am 2.25pm Subject knowledge Writing test
Communication (30 minutes, or 40 minutes for those
Standard English with a registered disability)
10.45am 3pm Resilience Short (15 minutes) individual interview
Passion
Communication
Interpersonal Skills
Variable timings Modern Languages interviews
(Modern languages specialists only)
5-minute talk in target language about experience in
another country followed by 5 minutes of questions
(This interview may take place in person on the
day or subsequently over the telephone)
Preparation
Prepare a 5-minute talk about an experience in another country in your target language.
Look at BBC Bitesize for GCSE preparation to revise vocabulary for describing visits and places abroad
Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance 7
Goldsmiths campus map
Goodwoo
Clifton Rise
Pagnell Stre
Amersham
d Road
New New
Cross Cross
w Cross Road
Gate A2 Ne
et
e Val
nd
est E
nd W To D
ity a eptf
A2
To C ord
and
0
Gre
enw
Laurie Grov
ich
e
St Jam
Education Parkfield Road
es
Ro
ad Building
on
Dix
Road
Amersham
Loafers Café
Open from 8.30am
A2
0L
ew
ish
am
College Green
Wa
y
ad
Ro
To
d
oa
Le
s
tt’
wi
R
sh
na
s
am
oe
Do
an
l
de
dB
St
ar
rom
Sh
ley
Please note that the Education Building has a card entry system,
but someone will be there to welcome candidates from 8am
8 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance
Department of Educational Studies – PGCE Primary
Pre-programme 5-day School Experience Requirement Form
Dear Head Teacher
All potential students applying for the Primary PGCE programme at Goldsmiths are required to complete a five-day
pre-programme school placement. Please can you kindly complete the following form to aid us in our selection process.
Marcus Bhargava, Head of Initial Teacher Education
Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Potential PGCE student’s name (print) Date of birth
Goldsmiths or UCAS Teacher Training application reference number (print)
Please tick and comment as appropriate on the following
Attributes Very good Good Satisfactory Weak
Comments
Professional
conduct
Engagement
with pupils
Relationship
with other adults
Teaching
skills
School Details
Head Teacher School Official Stamp
Class Teacher
School Contact Details
Dates of attendance
Would you recommend this person for a Primary PGCE Programme? YES/NO
Would you be willing to offer this person a placement once he/she is on the Goldsmiths PGCE programme? YES/NO
Signed (Head Teacher) Date
Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance 9
About Goldsmiths, University of London
As an academic and creative institution Goldsmiths stands out.
We challenge. We question. We transform. And our degree
courses are anything but prescriptive. Every day we’re researching,
teaching, and discovering – but we can’t do this alone. Come with
an inquisitive mind and an open heart and create the learning
landscape you want to see. At Goldsmiths you’ll never be just
a number. Take your future further.
Who we are, where we are, what we do • We are part of South-East London
We’re based on a single-site campus within
• We blend academic rigour London’s vibrant New Cross neighbourhood
with creative insight but we’re also just minutes from the
Founded in 1891, and part of the heart of this great global city, home to
University of London since 1904, major cultural landmarks including the
we’ve a rich academic history but we’re National Theatre and Tate Modern.
also known for our creative approach.
• We put your future first
• We are small but mighty With 1,400 students currently accessing
You want to be part of something – we work placements and interdisciplinary
are a close-knit community but we come programmes that reflect and respond to
from every corner of the world. today’s practice, from the moment you join
• We are the people behind the books us we’ll be helping you shape your career
We’re known for our ground-breaking research • We are a global community
in areas as diverse as infant recognition to the With almost a quarter of our students coming
anthropology of gambling so you’ll be taught from 120 countries outside the UK, you’ll be
by and debate with the best in the field. joining a diverse learning community so you’ll
• We are at work in the world never be short of stimulating conversation.
You want to go places – we are the people • We approach subjects differently
inside today’s industries. From digital journalism We take an interdisciplinary approach
to social work to computer programming, to all our degree courses which means
you’ll be taught by academics who work you won’t find our subjects prescriptive
within the field bringing the knowledge of and you won’t find our teaching dull either.
professional practice into every programme.
• We nurture individual talent
At Goldsmiths you can be whoever who
you want to be. We all see things in our own
way and we think that your unique take
on the world is well worth preserving.
• We champion the bold
We’re a great place to make your mark.
Our alumni reflect Goldsmiths’ brand
of magic across the world shaping the
socio-cultural landscape on a global scale.
10 Goldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview GuidanceGoldsmiths | PGCE (Primary) Interview Guidance 11
Keep in touch
www.gold.ac.uk/
educational-studies
www.facebook.com/GoldsmithsUoL
twitter.com/mygoldsmiths
www.youtube.com/GoldsmithsLondon
vimeo.com/goldsmiths
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
London SE14 6NW
www.gold.ac.uk
© 2014 All details were correct at the time of going to print. Please be aware that additions
and amendments may need to be included through the course of the academic year.You can also read
