Teaching student takes on the Covid classroom

Over the next week or so as she heads out on her first official teaching practice, she’ll face not only the challenges of that placement, but the added complications of the Covid classroom too.

“For all that though I’m really excited to start this placement,” said Etain, a student member of the Ulster Teachers’ Union and former teaching assistant, who’s studying for her Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the Ulster University.

“Our PGCE programme has been delivered mostly online which has had its benefits - and its drawbacks. We’ve talked about many teaching and classroom management strategies in hypothetical terms, now we’ll see them put to use in a practical sense.

“However, there’s also a fear that some of the brilliant strategies we’ve been taught may not be practicable within the classroom because of Covid restrictions.

“If blended learning though – a mix of online and in class learning - is to become more common, which I believe it will, we will have had first-hand experience of it, meaning we are some of the best positioned people to introduce and implement it.

“Ours is a profession of resilience and excellence so rather even than our own health and safety I think our main concern lies with that of the pupils. These are such unprecedented times and I believe that we must endeavour especially to promote good mental health within the classroom.

“Over the year our lecturers though have been unwavering in their commitment to us, to the children in every classroom and to the future of this profession and that makes me optimistic looking ahead.”