Mentoring and School Experience Flashcards
6 cards from real PGCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Mentoring and School Experience flashcards as text
What is the primary role of a school-based mentor during PGCE training?
Answer: To provide ongoing professional guidance, feedback and support to the trainee, facilitating their development against the Teachers' Standards
The school-based mentor provides day-to-day support, observes lessons, gives developmental feedback, and helps the trainee reflect on their practice against the Teachers' Standards.
What does the Teachers' Standard relating to 'professional development' require of trainees and qualified teachers?
Answer: That teachers take responsibility for improving their own teaching through reflection on practice and engagement with research and professional development
Teachers' Standard 8 requires teachers to reflect on practice, seek to improve through professional development, and engage with research and innovation in education.
What is a 'lesson observation' in PGCE training primarily used for?
Answer: To provide structured formative feedback that supports the trainee's professional development
Lesson observations in PGCE are primarily formative - they give the trainee structured feedback to improve their practice, not to make final pass/fail judgements.
What does 'reflective practice' mean in the context of PGCE training?
Answer: A systematic process of critically analysing one own teaching, identifying what worked and why, and planning improvements
Reflective practice involves critical self-examination of teaching decisions and outcomes, drawing on theory and evidence to plan improvements - deeper than simple self-evaluation.
What is the purpose of weekly mentor meetings during a PGCE school placement?
Answer: To review the trainee progress, discuss challenges, set targets, and ensure the trainee has adequate support
Weekly mentor meetings provide a structured space for progress review, target-setting, problem-solving and professional dialogue, which is essential for trainee development.
What is the 'Teachers' Standards' framework and what role does it play in PGCE assessment?
Answer: The national framework describing the professional knowledge, practice and conduct expected of all teachers in England, used to assess PGCE trainees
The Teachers' Standards (DfE, 2011, updated) define the minimum level of practice expected from all teachers and form the framework against which PGCE trainees are assessed and qualified teachers are appraised.