Before taking the leap to train as a teacher, I spent time observing maths lessons in several schools.
I was struck by how little time there is in a lesson. Structure that I do not recall from my own time as a student was obvious in what I observed. Starter task, brief recap, a piece of instruction, worked examples, some independent working and then it was time to think about packing up. An activity like physically cutting up paper triangles involved its own distribution of material, scissors, instruction, … and collection of items after a period of more-or-less chaotic and hopefully injury-free hands-on mathematical exploration.
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Tom Bennett’s “Running the room” underlines the teacher’s role in teaching not just the subject, but also behaviour: “There is no point in just telling a child to behave; behaviour must be taught. Behaviour is a curriculum”. That’s another whole dimension to think about both in terms of planning and execution in the classroom — explanation, practice, checking understanding… — and also takes up precious lesson time.
As the start of the PGCE year draws closer, I am feeling the gulf between reading theory from the comfort of home, and the imminence of having to spin all these plates in real time with live students!
