Dear Student,
I hope that you have had a successful year and I am looking forward to you joining Sheffield Hallam in September 2017 for our ITE course. This will be the fifth year of our School Direct salaried and training routes. We are delighted to be at the forefront of this exciting new route into teaching. We pride ourselves on the strong alliances we have with our partnership schools, all of which offer the opportunity to work with outstanding teachers who are dedicated to the development of high-quality reflective practitioners.
This is also the eleventh year our combined Post Graduate Certificate of Education and Professional Graduate Certificate of Education. Both the School Direct and PGCE routes provide qualified teacher status. The final award will be dependent on meeting the assessment requirements at the appropriate level. Those of you who are successful in meeting the criteria for Masters Level in the designated modules will gain PGCE with 60 credits at Masters Level.
The year 2016-2017 has been a very successful one. We recruited easily to our allocation number and all of this year’s full-time trainees have already gained employment, many in partnership schools. This is an indication of the strength and reputation of our course and the quality of our trainees.
We are optimistic that your cohort will be another high quality one and one that will make a major contribution to Drama teaching in our schools. Our PGCE course has consistently gained very good grades from Ofsted and has a very good national reputation. The new School Direct programme of study will sustain and build upon the best of what our established PGCE course has to offer.
The School Direct and PGCE courses are intensive ones and you will each enter the course with different strengths and areas to develop. In order to prepare you for the course we are recommending some summer reading.
Key Preparations/Readings for teaching:
Kidd, D. (2014). Teaching; notes from the front line. Independent Thinking Press
Illingworth, M. (2015). Think Before You Teach. Independent Thinking Press
Key Preparations/Readings for Drama teaching:
Flemming, M. (2011). Starting Drama Teaching, 3rd Edition. Routledge.
Starting Drama Teaching is a comprehensive guide to the teaching of drama in schools. It looks at the aims and purposes of drama and provides an insight into the theoretical perspectives that underpin practice alongside practical activities, examples of lessons and approaches to planning. Written in an accessible style, the book addresses such practical issues as setting up role play, how to inject depth into group drama, working with text, teaching playwriting, as well as common problems that arise in the drama classroom and how to avoid them.
Kempe, A. Nicholson, H. (2007) Learning to Teach Drama 11-18. Bloomsbury.
Aimed at all drama trainees and English and drama secondary teachers, this book helps to consider the resources in teaching – working with teaching assistants-collaborating with the creative industries and the community, and -career progression. It also gives guidance on how to begin training, subject knowledge, planning, classroom management, assessment, working partnerships, professional responsibilities and transition into the real world of teaching. A rather useful and practical book.
Neelands, J. Goode, T. (2000) Structuring Drama Work: a handbook of available forms in drama and theatre. Cambridge University Press.
A collection of literature anthologies and reference books for Key Stage 3 onwards. A practical handbook for drama teachers and lecturers, youth leaders, theatre workers and anyone engaged in drama activity with people of all ages.
Neelands, J. (2004) Beginning Drama 11-14. Routledge.
This guide explores the roles, skills and knowledge needed to become an effective drama teacher. It combines practical advice on planning, teaching and assessing with the best teaching practices. It also offers lesson plans for years 7-9 students to use in their teaching.
Additional Reading List:
O’Neill, C. (1995) Drama Worlds: A Framework for Process Drama (Dimensions of Drama). Heinemann.
Mackey, S. Cooper, S. (2000) Drama and Theatre Studies. London: Stanley Thornes.
Rainer, J. Lewis, M (revised ed. 2012) Teaching Classroom Theatre and Drama. Routledge
Rainer, J & Lewis, M (2011) Drama at the Centre of the Secondary Curriculum – Projects to Promote Authentic Learning. Routledge.
Link to subject and subject association websites:
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101021152907/http:/www.ttrb.ac.uk
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Preliminary Subject Knowledge Audit:
After reading through the curriculum and key specifications above, identify the following:
You will be required to complete a more detailed subject knowledge audit at the start of your course. |
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In order to keep up to date with developments in education we recommend that you read the TES (Times Educational Supplement- www.tes.co.uk) and the Guardian Education supplement (www.theguardian.com/education). We also recommend that you regularly read a broadsheet newspaper. You should also make use of twitter to keep up to date with what is happening in the world of education. |
Very best wishes and see you soon,
Martin Illingworth
Senior Lecturer in Education