For information about the Droichead process check out the NIPT website.
They have information for Primary and Post-Primary schools.
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I have just finished my second year working as a mentor in my school. This year we also took part in the Droichead pilot. Being a mentor has been extremely rewarding and I feel that it has helped me to be a better teacher. It has also made me more aware of my own teaching methods and encouraged me to try new things. I think that mentoring can be a huge asset for any school. I know I had a lot of help when I started my teaching career but I often felt I was asking too many questions! Schools can be hugely different from each other and learning the procedures for a new school can be very daunting. This year myself and another mentor put together a Welcome pack for our school. We tried to include as much useful information as possible without overloading the new teacher. We included things such as the daily routine for breaks etc, where the resources are stored and the role of each staff member. This seems to have worked well and is a great resource to use throughout the year. I really enjoyed taking on the role of mentor. I do have some issues with the current model of Droichead and I feel that it does not suit every school. I cannot see how people are expected to take on such a huge responsibility and workload for no reward. I will be keeping a close eye on the what happens in relation to Droichead in the new school year. I have spent all of my time updating the Facebook page and have been neglecting the blog. we have Droichead fully up and running in our school now. One of our NQT's has completed the process over the past few weeks. As an NQT the Droichead process can be a lot less stressful that the inspectorate model. It allows the NQT time to develop their teaching skills.
In our school it has really opened the doors to each classroom. Classroom teachers have welcomed the chance for NQT's to observe them teach. Our NQT's have really enjoyed having the chance to observe others teach and from the feedback given this has been the biggest change with Droichead. As a mentor I do find that it can take up a lot of time. However you have to be careful to timetable when suits to meet NQT's and plan. Once that is set up it makes the workload a lot easier! "I have been taking part in the Droichead pilot for the past 4 weeks. I couldn't be happier with how it is going so far. I am working alongside another Dip student and we're getting on really well.
I don't have experience of the current Dip programme,however from speaking to my friends it is completely different. During my teaching practices I was under so much stress that I was fearful and not excited about the thought of being an actual teacher, something I had worked so hard to do. Even though I was working extremely hard I had a constant fear about 'the knock on the door', having a bad lesson and having all my hard work go unnoticed. With this pilot the fear is completely taken away. I'm still working and planning like I would have before but I'm so much more relaxed and am really enjoying teaching and having my own class. We work with a mentor and the principal of the school. We meet each week or so to discuss any problems and how I'm getting on. I feel so supported from everyone in the school and there's a real team atmosphere because the other staff are more involved. I also have the opportunity to observe other teachers' lessons which is where I learn the most about my own teaching. I'm delighted to be a part of the Droichead scheme." So I have thought long and hard about posting a blog about Droichead. I know that people have very mixed opinions on it and I am not promoting Droichead, but instead giving an honest review of my own experiences. My school decided to take part in the Droichead Pilot this year. We have two NQT's and hope that this process will make their Dip experience as helpful and pleasant as possible. Last year I completed the Initial Mentor Training and have been performing the role of mentor since. I found the training to be very well run and it opened my eyes to the demands placed on NQT's. It is not that long since I completed my Dip but expectations have changed over the past few years. We spoke about the fear that an NQT feels when there is a different car in the carpark, or when they see someone that might be the inspector walking into he school. I vividly remember that fear, even though I had a very supportive inspector. I do think that the current Inspectorate model of probation does not work. It shows the NQT on a one-off basis and is in no way supportive or encouraging for their induction process. With Droichead, I see the whole school having an instrumental role in the development of the NQT. The school I am based in has a very welcoming open-door policy. This year we have slightly formalised this, in that I have spoken to each teacher personally to ask if they would allow an NQT to observe them teach a lesson. Every teacher in the school welcomed the idea and this alone has helped to make the NQT's feel that the whole school is interested in their induction.
The NQT's and the Professional Support Team (PST) which includes staff, management and myself, attended a Cluster Meeting recently and found the it very informative. The PST will take part in four training days over the next few months. The information that we received at the cluster meeting and from speaking to others has helped us to get started with the process. The PST team are there to support and mentor the NQT's. As a mentor, I have been arranging for the NQTs to observe in other teachers' classrooms. I also meet with them each week, if necessary, to discuss how they are getting on and see if they need any help or advice. This is something I would have already done, so I don't feel that this is any extra work for myself. I also find that having two NQT's at the same time is of great benefit. They bounce ideas off each other, share stories and issues that arise. As far as I can see, the Droichead process can be of great benefit to a school and its NQT's. I do also acknowledge that the Droichead process may not be of benefit to certain schools. I think that I will be able to form a better opinion at the end of the year when we come together as a staff and discuss how the year has gone. As a school, I feel that being involved in Droichead has helped us to be more aware of the workload and stress that NQT's are under. It is still in the pilot stage and needs to be shaped to suit different types of schools, e.g. two-teacher schools versus developing schools with several NQT's. I am happy to be involved in the pilot and to try to understand the process a bit better. At the end of the year I hope to be able to reflect back on the experience and have a more informed view about Droichead. In my opinion, the final year of teacher training should take place working alongside a classroom teacher in a school setting. The whole school should be involved in the induction of the student teacher. A support team from the college along with a PST should be on hand to help and guide the student teacher throughout the year. Having consulted with the PST, the college should then 'sign off' for the student and recommend them to the Teaching Council. The problem is that there is no sign of anything like this happening. Therefore I look forward to supporting the NQT's in my school throughout the Droichead process and hoping they feel supported throughout the year. This year I am working alongside two NQT's, both with very different levels of experience. We have decided to meet once a week after school for 30 minutes. These meetings will not be necessary every week from now until June. Instead we will decided on a week to week basis.
The main things we spoke about were timetabling, planning and organising book rental. With regards to planning we spoke about what our school expectations are and what guidelines are on Teacher Induction.ie. The website is very useful and has planning templates as well as details of the NQT workshop calendar. We will use the workshop calendar as a guide throughout the year. Certain things will have to be adjusted to suit the NQT's, such as focus on parent-teacher meetings which will take place in October. I will try to update this weekly with details of our mentoring meetings. Hopefully these will be of some use!
I always have a Substitute Folder ready in my room. In it i put :
I have attached two very simple templates above. I cannot remember where i got the idea for the Sub Notes before but i prefer making my own so you can change and adapt to suit you and your class. These are the two main words that come to mind when thinking of when i was an NQT just before i got my first position. It can be a long and daunting road but is also very exciting!
A word of advice is to take care of yourself at this time. You may feel that you don't have enough hours in the day to complete all of the tasks on your list. Or even that you feel guilty when you hear a fellow NQT was up until very late laminating! We have all been there and with hindsight would probably do things differently. Like spending a fortune signing up for all of those websites that you think will save you a lot of time. Most of them are fantastic but my advice would be to start with oneor two. you will probably find that these are all that you need. The two most useful sites that i have found are Teachers Pet and Twinkl . Both of these sites have very high quality resources and can save you a lot of time and effort. There are plenty of other sites that are free of charge e.g. Seomra Ranga and Primary Resources. Now lets get back to trying to looking after yourself! Make sure that you do something for yourself each day whether it be a walk/run, watch favourite programme, read a book or even enjoying a nice meal. If you try to keep a work-life balance then it is less likely that you will burn out! |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2018
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