"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."
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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! |
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August 2018
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