Going to University in my 50’s to study Drama was a big decision. Massive, huge, colossal…. you get my drift. Yet making that decision was curiously abstract, based on a love of performance art, boredom with my job and the desire to do something for fun rather than profit. Launching the idea with my friends and adult children was interesting to say the least. My children in particular tested it to destruction, in the belief that I was having a mid-life crisis. My friends were shocked but not altogether surprised. Happily, they are all hugely supportive now that I am here.
Starting University was a major event. A change of identity from NHS Director to undergraduate student, a change in lifestyle, a new environment, new technology (hello, virtual learning environment….) and more. After the first day, I felt shell shocked. What had I been thinking? How on earth was I going to relate to fellow students who are younger than my...
Top-up funding – plus everyday money saving – means a year abroad can be an affordable way to see the world and study while you’re at it.
1. Claim extra funding
There’s a bit of extra funding on offer for UK students who study part of a degree abroad. If you’re eligible for the Maintenance Loan, you could get a larger loan plus a travel grant while you’re away. Both are means tested – so how much you get depends on household earnings – but the grant doesn’t have to be repaid....
A personal statement is what sets up an accurate portrayal of your character to universities. It’s one of the most important things you need to do, and it’s one of the things that your application relies on, but it’s not too difficult to make it perfect.
You don’t need to pour every single thing that’s on your mind into those 4000 characters, but it’s a good way of discussing where you are in your knowledge of your subject, where you want to take that knowledge and any past experiences you have had. And believe me, when you’re...
I've been in Leeds for 12 days now and it's given me an incredible chance to get to know my new city. Leeds is lovely in the sense that it is a huge melting pot of different cultures. The people are interesting, the shops are interesting and the city is laid out in a way that makes it simultaneously difficult and incredibly easy to get yourself lost.
On my second day, I ventured to the train station a few minutes down the street from me and the Aldi (which was a considerably longer trek). I met up with a friend at a local Wetherspoons and tried to find my own way back, which...
I've successfully survived my first week at uni, and I'm absolutely exhausted from it. The first day was lovely and calm, when the people on my course and the tutors just sat in the main teaching room. We got free reign of the biscuits and the tea and coffee making facilities and we got to chat to everyone, figure out where we were all at and who specialised in what kind of photography. (Also we kind of figured out who our competitions were - which isn't a healthy business relationship). We got a long lunch, got lost a lot around the uni and found where we were meant to...
Hi! I’m Lowri, I am in my first year of University and have just moved into student halls. Now everyone has told you that when you first become a student and live in halls it’s going to be so much fun, and that you’ll meet loads of people and go out socialising all the time. BUT they never really tell you the things you’ll face and experiences you’ll have when you move in. So, I’ve made a small list of things you’ll come across while living in accommodation.
1. Noise
Obviously when you first move into your new accommodation you also come face to face with fresher’s week. This means lots of fresher’s events and parties. Now, if like me you have moved in right next to the student union, there WILL be noise....
Call it cliché, but the time spent between getting an unconditional offer and actually starting university has flown by. Suddenly, I’m back into the education system after four years away, getting up earlier than I’d like to, and trying to find my way around a campus in Treforest that looks deceptively small, yet is larger than you’d think!
My name is Jack. It’s a pleasure to meet you! I guess you could call me a fresher, although I was probably the most boring fresher you could ever meet. As a mature student, I found most of my time during fresher’s week taken...
I moved to China straight after graduating and taught abroad for two years before applying for my PGCE course at UCL Institute of Education (IoE). I chose this course because I enjoy the academic side as opposed to going through another route. I’m now looking forward to starting my NQT year.
Interview tips
Make sure you brush up on your subject knowledge, they will test you. You should bring in your own experiences of what happened at school and what inspired you.
Usually the university will give you tips and a brief of what you need to know and bring, but going the extra mile - showing how much you care, and how you are willing to learn - will help you nail the interview.
In addition to this, it is important to be calm and relaxed, and enjoy the interview. You will get to meet new people on the day, so talk to them, and get to know about their experiences.
My journey into teaching hasn’t always been smooth sailing, partly because I didn’t always want to be a teacher. Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved working with young people, I love teaching and learning new things but the job profile for a teacher (especially after working in a mainstream school for four years) just never appealed to me.
I guess I always doubted myself because of my own expectations of a teacher. I was convinced not many teachers had left school with four A-C GCSE’s and believe it or not, I just thought I didn’t fit the profile of a teacher. A young black male who has a bit of an East London twang to his talk and GCSE certificates that might as well have said “Thanks for turning up to the exam today”.
What I didn’t do was look at myself and see all the qualities I had to bring to the table. I was young; yes that is a quality thank you very much. I was relatable to the pupils I was working with (Important when working with inner city kids), I...
The education dictionary defines it as this: Differentiated instruction is the way in which a teacher anticipates and responds to a variety of students' needs in the classroom. To meet students' needs, teachers differentiate by modifying the content (what is being taught), the process (how it is taught) and the product (how students demonstrate their learning).
I always say to student teachers, established teachers, and TAs when they are working with groups – what difference are you going to make to these children’s learning because of your input working with them? If the adult is simply keeping children on task or under control, is the learning right for these kids?
I like to associate differentiation with shoes:
If we walk around in ill fitting shoes that are uncomfortable, too big or too small we will struggle to learn.