How to get the most out of your school placement

School-based placements are an integral part of your teacher training journey. They provide you with an opportunity to connect the theory you have studied at university to real classrooms, as well as help you develop the practical skills needed in your professional role. Placements also provide the opportunity to observe experienced mentor(s), trial ideas, experiment with different methods of teaching, try out strategies for managing a class and learn how to maximize learning for the diverse population of students that you will teach across your career. To make the most out of this experience, here are some top tips to help you prepare for your placement and approach it with confidence. 

 Becoming familiar with your responsibilities and role as a pre-service teacher is a good place to start.

 Understanding the expectations of the school and the university with regard to your professional behaviour and the activities you are required to complete.

 Researching your school, finding out as much as you can before you start placement. Finding out about the community, its demography, the types of students, their past performance and the extra-curricular programs they run.

 Planning your first day carefully, preparing in advance, checking out what you need to bring such as:

• Your working with children check card.

• Any essential documentation provided by your university, including details of your placement dates, descriptions of your roles and responsibilities.

• A potential lesson plan template to discuss with your mentor.

 Researching and checking out how long it takes to get to placement at the time of day that you will be traveling. Trying not to be late, as first impressions count.

 Coming with an open mind, asking questions, being prepared to make observations and using your initiative.

 Collecting, printing and reading the formal documentation provided by your university as early as possible. Asking clarifying questions at university about any aspects of the essential readings that are unclear.

 Finding out about the assessment procedures across the placement round. When are you going to be assessed? How are you being assessed? What criteria are being used for this assessment?

 Reading up on the AITSL standards and becoming familiar with them. Perhaps you might like to set up a chart to monitor your developing understanding of them.

 Asking for feedback and listening to it and any accompanying advice, then acting upon it as appropriate.

 Actively and enthusiastically participating in the life of the school across the full day, week, block, term and year when possible.

This is an extract from Succeeding on your School Experience Placement by Brian Mundy