English
The interview may involve a number of candidates and will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams.
Prior to interview
-
Please watch the video presentation by the Programme Director – Will Bailey-Watson
- Read more about the specifics of the English PGCE course here:www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/education-pg/pgce-secondary-education-english.aspx
- Plan a presentation. Please be prepared to do a brief, informal presentation to the subject leader on a poem of your choice appropriate for secondary pupils at KS3.
The presentation should:
- Be no more than 5 minutes long.
- Not use PowerPoint or other presentation formats (including a whiteboard). You may wish to show an object with you as a prop or resource, but this is not required.
- Explain why you chose the poem and how you might teach an aspect of the poem.
- Include your thoughts on the learning opportunities (in the broadest sense) for the pupils and on any aspects that you anticipate the pupils will find particularly engaging, difficult, or challenging.
- Provoke discussion - you may wish to end with a question.
- Not be a lecture; aim to engage with questions or short activities.
The remote interview process
Your interview will start with an introduction by Rachel Roberts (the subject leader for PGCE English).
You will then be given 5 minutes to talk through your presentation with the subject leader, following the advice given above.
You will then be asked a series of formal questions, which will explore your motivations for becoming a teacher, your passion for teaching English, and look to draw upon your subject knowledge and specialisms. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions. This should take approximately 20-25 minutes.
Written task
Immediately after the formal interview, an email will be sent to you containing a short written task intended to assess your English fluency and your thoughts on an aspect of English. This should take approximately 20-30 minutes.
The written task should be handwritten, and it should be completed and returned to Rachel within 2 hours. Once completed, please send a high-quality scan or photograph of your written task to Rachel at: r.l.roberts@reading.ac.uk
Please feel free to contact Rachel should you have any questions.
If your/our network does not behave, please do not panic! We will email you using the addresses given in your application and we will make a contingency plan.