I think all PGCE programs involve working more than 50% in a school. Please see my previous links. Here is one of them:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/education/courses ... pgcestruct

What about this that you wrote: "In the UK, a teacher does the academic component of teacher training at university earning the PGCE after a year. There are some observations and demonstrations but they are minor components of the program."

You have to admit that is complete crap...?

PsyGuy, YOU brought up that the PGCE is the UK teaching qualification and stated that it was purely academic. Other posters, including myself, informed you that you were wrong, and gave you links to courses to back it up. It is clear from your original post that we are all talking about a UK PGCE.

Some schools (the ones who do their homework) will not accept the PGCEi as a teaching qualification. Keep applying and eventually you will find a position as it gets later in the game. It may be in a less desirable location and in a school which isn't so great, but it will be infinitely better than being back in the UK.

PsyGuy,

Please could you point me in the direction of PGCE courses (real ones from the UK, with QTS) which are almost entirely academic.

So what you are saying is that you have QTS upon completion of the PGCE and you never lose it, even if you fail your induction year?

How about your theory that PGCEs contain almost all academic work?

I like how when you are forced to research accurate information you still try and spin it to support your incorrect theories. Who is the idiot: you for being an idiot or me for arguing with one?

Please check PGCEs at any university in the UK. You will see that more than 50% of the time is spent in schools e.g. http://www.shef.ac.uk/education/courses ... o/pgceprac

http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/2013-14/fu ... -with-qts/

You have QTS upon completion of your PGCE.

Maybe you are confusing a real PGCE with an PGCEi or whatever it is called from Nottingham University.

Please overwrite your current incorrect knowledge with this new correct knowledge so you can better inform people about stuff you dont really know about in the future.

Psyguy's post contains some shocking inaccuracies.

A PGCE is at least 50% practical, teaching in a real school. See http://www.york.ac.uk/education/pgce/pr ... structure/ for an example.

You have QTS when you complete your PGCE and pass the numeracy and literacy skills test (which is a joke of a test)

[quote="CaliPro"]@Teachermom

Yea man, I made a google doc with all math resources and sites and have that one listed.

@Pgrass

I disagree. You don't have to have natural talent so long as you know how to teach every learning target in X subject and your students learn what is required / expected of them. Obviously being a natural helps for improvising, doing questions on the fly, answering theoretical questions, but is doesnt mean you cant be a successful teacher without being a natural.[/quote]

If we are talking about HL math then trust me you are wrong.

[quote="Mathman"]Do you know how many trolls post on forums.....

If youmbelieve everything you tell the students....well...it will usually make no difference, so whatever. This is where having subject mastery first is a huge advantage and if there is something you are unsure about, log onto FB and ask your uni mates that went on to do their PhDs. The funny stuff I have heard over the years......somethings in science do not have satisfactory answers yet and students need to know that what they are learning is a current understanding, probably rubbish, or about to be chucked out.[/quote]

I don't understand any of what you just wrote.

[quote="CaliPro"]True, I will be sure to have extra problems / work in my file to give them (which I will have the answers for) for that situation. Thanks for bringing that to light, hadnt thought about that yet.

I'll do everything in my power to know the material inside and out.

I doubt I will be teaching HL for my first contract though.[/quote]

Good luck with that. With HL mathematics it is all about whether you are lucky enough to have the natural mathematical talent, not how much effort you put in to knowing the material. You have to be able to apply that "material" to new and unseen situations, and you have to do it on the spot when your student comes in to class with a question he/she has found somewhere.

[quote="pgrass"][quote="CaliPro"][quote]

That would be impossible. All problems I would give to the students or that would be in the book I would have solved prior to that class and would be able to explain / show the process of coming to that answer. When developing my lesson plan / curriculum if there is a problem I cant solve I will go to someone that can solve it and get it addressed before class. I could certainly get tripped up if I didnt know in advance what the questions / problems were. But that wont be the case in my classroom.
[/quote]

That isn't the way it works I am afraid. You can not be prepared for even half the questions the students will ask you, especially when practicing past exam questions. For example, when considering vectors and angles, maybe a student will ask why we use abs(a.b)=abs(a)abs(b)cos(theta) in one question while we use a.b=abs(a)abs(b)cos(theta) in another.

The chances are that no other teacher will be able to help you, since there is usually only one HL math teacher in a school.[/quote]

[quote="CaliPro"][quote]

That would be impossible. All problems I would give to the students or that would be in the book I would have solved prior to that class and would be able to explain / show the process of coming to that answer. When developing my lesson plan / curriculum if there is a problem I cant solve I will go to someone that can solve it and get it addressed before class. I could certainly get tripped up if I didnt know in advance what the questions / problems were. But that wont be the case in my classroom.
[/quote]

That isn't the way it works I am afraid. You can not be prepared for even half the questions the students will ask you. For example, when considering vectors and angles, maybe a student will ask why we use abs(a.b)=abs(a)abs(b)cos(theta) in one question while we use a.b=abs(a)abs(b)cos(theta) in another.

The chances are that no other teacher will be able to help you, since there is usually only one HL math teacher in a school.

[quote="CaliPro"]How would a school know / determine you dont have the ability to teach HL?

I am self teaching myself high school mathematics right now. Will hopefully have it all down at least to a decent level by the time I take my licensing exams next Dec/Jan.

Seems like a daunting task at the moment as I forgot alot of math from high school and college and pretty much working from the ground up as if I was a student.

Ill get it all sorted though.[/quote]

If you are self teaching yourself high school maths you will not have the knowledge/ability to teach HL maths. It is much more difficult than whatever you are teaching yourself.

Schools will not know whether you have the ability to teach HL when they interview/hire you. They will know within the first term though as you are stood staring at your whiteboard, wondering how to solve a problem that you cannot solve, with students complaining that you cannot teach the subject.

[quote="danny514"]
Pgrass - That's great to know. I plan on staying with my new school for at least 3 years, getting a few years of solid IB experience. In your opinion, was teaching HL Mathematics (as opposed to only SL) a key factor in making you more competitive? What about MYP versus IGCSE?
[/quote]

Many SL teachers cannot teach HL, they do not have the mathematical ability or confidence. Many jobs will state that applicants must have the ability to teach HL. It is definitely quite a big bonus. With regards to MYP vs IGCSE, I think it depends on the school you are applying to.