"The education secretary is expected to unveil reforms to the BEd and the PGCE as he looks for greater efficiencies in how entrants join the profession and moves training away from universities."As a B.Ed. student this worries me. I know that I will start learning in an entirely new way once I have my own class, not only for probation but for the rest of my teaching career. I will always need to develop professionally and will always strive to provide the best learning experiences for the pupils I will work with.
There are times when I moan about university work and I make no apology for this. Moaning is quite natural. Yet, I know that the work I am doing for the B.Ed. course has given, and will continue to give, me a solid grounding in educational theory. Without the intensive examination of the curriculum, planning, professional reflection, subject matters and the invaluable support from experienced educational professionals in the form of our lecturers, I would worry that I would never be able to balance this development in order to provide depth in learning for my pupils.
We have placements interspersed to develop us as teachers but also to support the work we have been doing at university. There are stages in becoming a teacher and university is a stage that I believe in. So, yes school experience is essential but let's not forget the importance of all the other aspects of Initial Teacher Training that, in reality, would be impossible to fit in during school time.
