At my school (also secondary) tutor time is quite different.
We have 25 minutes oand have 'vertical tutoring' -- that means we have half dozen kids in year 9, year 10, year 11, and 4 or 5 6th form students, all in each tutor base.
After registration and daily notices/news, we do various activities. Nothing academic. We check planners weekly, and uniforms daily, also make sure everyone has what they need to start the day. Also, teachers take in the notes and permission slips and such for absences and school trips, and the like. This is also when school assemblies take place -- on week A, it's House assemblies (W, N, T, B), and on week B, year groups assemblies (year 9, 10, 11, and 6th), and finally whole school on Friday. So when there's House-W assembly, we all go, and whole-school as well, but otherwise, they go to year assemblies as dictated.
From there, my class likes a certain structure which we repeat every fortnight, and they are now currently writing up the plan for next year. Our 11's will be gone, except the ones moving up to 6th form, and we'll just add some new year 9's. They stay in one group with the same teacher their entire time at the school. So, their plan for next year is certain video days, board game days, even breakfast morning in the room once a week, etc. Once a fortnight, there's always an all-school quiz, too -- all Houses compete.
Tutor group at our school is a home-y affair! We have a nice group, and all get on well. But we're not meant to do any academics or anything strenuous -- just get the day started off on the right foot. Also, when students have a problem in the day, or need to sign out to go home if ill, they see their tutor for that. |
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I have heard seen a few examples schedules for English teachers, but I'm not sure how well that translates into the sciences. The science curriculum is a bit different here in the states in that we only teach integrated science up to year 5, or age 10. From that point the sciences are separated into pure strands. I currently teach in a math and sciences charter / magnet school, and have 4 preps: biology, chemistry, environmental science, and geology. This is actually considered quite challenging. (In fact, I have more preps than anyone else in my department.)
Is there anyone out there currently teaching secondary science who could give me some insight into a possible schedule. (I really am a bit baffled by the rotating schedule and how faculty collaboration works.)
Thanks! |
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Hi,
I'm actually a secondary science teacher over here in England now. I taught high school science for 9 years in the States before coming here. Let's be very clear: It is extremely different.
Over here in England you're likely to have multiple preps (this year is an easy schedule for me with only 8 preps). Also, you don't teach a single topic...instead it is MORE like what we would call "integrated science" in the States but not quite. Here we teach topics in little slivers which build on each other year after year and each year these topics are sort of randomly jumbled into the schedule so that within the course of the year you are trying to get the kids to build upon and deepen newly acquired information. We get approximately 9 class days to teach and test each topic sliver.
Really, the jumbled schedule that everyone else keeps talking about applies to science as well. Then add to this mixture that you are not likely to teach ONLY science classes. Last year I taught a year 11 democracy course to a rotating group of students...every 4 or 5 weeks I got a different group of students. This year I'm teaching year 7 opening minds which is mostly social studies and literacy.
Anyway, I hope that helps. |
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Thanks so much for the info. Out of curiosity, do you plan each lesson entirely on your own, or do you plan as a faculty? I'm just trying to imagine how the time is spent. I currently work approximately 70 hours a week keeping up with my current schedule. I'm sure there must be something that alleviates the stress of some other areas, or is it really that much more demanding?
I mean, how is your day different than it was when you taught in the states? |
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Thanks so much for the info. Out of curiosity, do you plan each lesson entirely on your own, or do you plan as a faculty? I'm just trying to imagine how the time is spent. I currently work approximately 70 hours a week keeping up with my current schedule. I'm sure there must be something that alleviates the stress of some other areas, or is it really that much more demanding?
I mean, how is your day different than it was when you taught in the states?
Hi,
Please bear in mind that before coming here I had taught science in one district for 9 years. I had resources all laid out at the tip of my finger. Also, that district's policy was to not give teachers more than 3 different preps in any given term. I had spent the first few years teaching a combination of College Prep Biology and Integrated science (for students who struggle). The majority of the last 5 years I had taught Introductory Physics at two different levels: college prep and remedial. It was only in the last year there that I had had 3 preps. I was therefore quite unprepared when I walked into 13 different preps at my current school. Let me break this down a bit ok?
SCHEDULE: The teaching schedule is broken down into 2 week units (week A and week B) which can be quite different from each other. This year I quite lucky in that the two weeks are only different on Wednesday's. There are 5 teaching periods in a day and each day has a different schedule. For instance, on Monday's I have an upper level year 9, followed by a bottom level year 9, a PPA, a cover, and then Openning Minds (none science course). Tuesday's I have a year 11 group, then a year 10 group, then a year 8 group, then a PPA, and then the same year 10 group back again. Wed and Thursday's are solid teaching schedules with no none-contact periods with Wed A having some different classes from Wed B,...I hope this is helping.
PLANNING: It is up to me to ensure that all of my own planning is done. If I am unsure of something or need an idea, I'm lucky enough to have a very supportive department and there is usually someone willing to take a couple minutes out to go over something with me. To be fair though, I have heard from people who were thrown into departments which were not supportive...so that just depends. When I was out seriously ill though last year, they did not ask me to even help with cover work. The senior teacher in my department saw to it that there was some kind of work for the students...by the way, they keep telling me that I am working too hard to make cover work meaningful and they actually see this as a negative because they feel it puts too much stress on who ever has to cover my class.
PLANNING TIME: I do not have a daily planning period (PPA) over here like I did in the States. I currently have 5 non-contact periods a week. 3 of those are PPA's in which time I am suppose to plan my lesson and hold meetings with parents and other staff...etc. 1 of those non-contact periods is a "cover period" during which I take over the class of any other teacher who is absent during that period...I've never had one of these free so I don't even think of it as a "non-contact" and you really can't get much done during this time because frequently other teacher don't leave lesson plans...etc so you are just BUSY the whole period keeping the peace. The last non-contact period is "mentoring" because I am going through the QTS process, however I have been called to cover during this period as well on heavy days and the activities that I do during this period are planned by my department to see that I meet QTS.
PRACTICALS (Lab activities): These must be requested early (usually a couple days in advance) as supplies are limitted at best. Good news, schools have specialist whose job it is to set up and take down practicals for you. Bad news, it comes as the prep people want it to come (usually is massive heaps which are hard to manage in the class room).
Last year was a more difficult year that this one because they scheduled me as a "Cover teacher" (substitute) so nearly every none-contact period...of which I originally had 3 a week...was usually taken to have me do cover for teachers who were out ill. I was also required to meet with a mentoring teacher last year but there was no time in the school day to do this so we had to meet before school once a week. They changed this once I was offered a permanent contract...I only had cover once a week and one of my small classes was given to a different teacher to make room for a mentoring period during the day. This was a status change from being seen as temporary and expendable to being seen as a long term contribution to a team. Just throwing this in because I KNEW going in that I was being hired to COVER for a maternity leave, but didn't know what that meant in terms of my status in the school community. Other teachers hired in on actual contracts have not reported the same issues.
By the way, for stress relief my department actually socializes together. We eat lunch together a joke around, we take break together and joke around, we meet in the prep room together after school and joke around...it definately helps AND we can see when someone is struggling and offer a little support.
I'm afraid this is something you must experience to fully grasp. I wish you the best.
Meli |
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