Current Secondary Education Issues??

Hey all. I have my PGCE interview in two weeks (yes i know it's soon but MMU have only just sent through the details regarding it) and I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea for a 3 minute presentation I need to do on "a recent or current educational issue relevent to Secondary Education." In recent months, the issue regarding tution fees has sprung up and more recently the potential removal of EMA and changes to the League tables. Are there any others that could be covered or are these the three big ones for 2010/2011?

 

Hey all. I have my PGCE interview in two weeks (yes i know it's soon but MMU have only just sent through the details regarding it) and I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea for a 3 minute presentation I need to do on "a recent or current educational issue relevent to Secondary Education." In recent months, the issue regarding tution fees has sprung up and more recently the potential removal of EMA and changes to the League tables. Are there any others that could be covered or are these the three big ones for 2010/2011?

 

I'd add the English Baccalaureate and the impact of budgetary cuts. Keep up with the TES and the Guardian Education section and you'll have plenty to talk about!

 

Hi there!
EMA is current and interesting, but doesn't really affect teachers as such, at least not directly.
Depending on your subject, the changes to performance tables, including the e-bacc, will affect every secondary teacher in some way. Also, there are wholesale changes to the qualifications themselves in many subjects - for example in Science, we are still waiting for OFQUAL to approve new examination specifications at GCSE which will affect the way we teach as well as how students are assessed.
Mark

 

Thanks for the input. Thinking the League Tables will be a good one to go with. I am hopefully going to do study history

 

Hi, if it's History you're going to be teaching then it's even more important that you get clued up on the English Bacc white paper, and how that will change things within your subject from the current situation/benefits/potential problems etc. As a current head of Hum's Fac it's great for Geog and Hist but not so good for RPE, and will have a ripple affect through most schools in terms of curriculum plans, staffing, curriculum offers etc. Good luck!

 

Also for history, what's really relevant is Gove's intention to focus on facts, content and knowledge over skills. Very very interesting for history, as really it's a mixture of knowledge and skills but Gove doesn't seem to have grasped this; there seems to be an odd nostalgia for learning bodies of knowledge and facts by rote without being able to apply them in later life. I had intended to write less of a rant, but it's hard not to!
This is a good starting point: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/20/national-curriculum-review-facts-and-vital-knowledge

 

Hello I have as well an interview in a couple of weeks (GTP in MFL). Can you provide me some extra advice in current issues?
Thanks a lot

 

Thanks again guys. This is a real help

 

Regarding the bacc what goes for humanities gos in spades for MFL. Given the decision a couple of years back to stop it being compulsory after age 14 saw the large majority of kids drop the subject and thus decimating MFL depts in school. The bacc insists on a language so if the school decideds to play the bacc game they will have to put a large number of kids in for languages many against their will. How will you cope with a) classes of sulky kids who have no need or aptitude for a foreign language and b) a school mamanagement putting you under tremendous pressure to turn those Oreilles de porcs into Bourses en soie?

 

Thanks a lot!!!

 

I believe one of the forum members is 'in on the PGCE course' at MMU
You may want to contact them and speak about it. The response may be interesting for you.

 

Hi,
I am preparing for my GTP interview which is a week today and I am looking to teach Psychology with a secondary subject being R.S. I was wondering if anyone knew of any problems in this area?

Thanks !

Becky

 

errrrrrrr. I would say that biggest problem would be that you are very unlikely to ever get a job 'teaching' psychology. Most schools (virtually all) don't offer it until post 16. there are currently only 22 jobs listed on TES and 11 of them are either abroad or head of department.
Sorry to be blunt, but that's it.

 

Throughout this debate re the EBacc and the addition of a MFL it has never been mentioned that pupils have had to do science for years. Many struggle with this, see no need for it and may indeed flourish doing a language, because MFLs were not compulsory many pupils didn't get the opportunity to take one. Years ago science wan't compulsory, in fact it was almost impossible to do a mixture of humanities/English and science at A level. No one did maths, physics and English literature or biology, chemistry and drama for example.
So to answer the OP's question, teaching MFL may not pose any greater a challenge than teaching science to every pupil. I doubt many schools will make every pupil do a MFL, they will steer those they feel could get a C towards it.

 

Thank you. I wouldn't worry about that at the moment - I am very likely to go into r.s/p.s.h.e teaching or sociology or psychology and I know schools around me are looking for teachers - I was more worried about the interview process at the moment as I need to prepare as well as I can. Plus, I may go abroad to teach anyway! I have lots of options - my main worry at the moment is the interview but thank you for the concern.