Tutor: Rachel Lofthouse and Roger Knill
Duration: Full time- 10 Months
Requirements: In order to qualify for the Geography PGCE you should hold an Honours Degree in Geography or a closely related subject. 50% of your degree should consist of Geography modules. Successful applicant will normally have at least a 2.2 Hons, and if this is not the case you should contact the course tutors prior to application. If you have a slightly different undergraduate profile this can sometimes be balanced by relevant post-graduate or professional experience. It should be noted though that competition for jobs is such that employers will often initially select for interview based on the applicant’s first degree. The Geography course is oversubscribed so early application is recommended. Applicants must have a GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above before commencement of the PGCE Course.
School Experience: Some recent experience in a Secondary School is required by the time of interview. This should include time spent observing Geography lessons and talking with staff and pupils.
The Geography PGCE (at Masters level) seeks to recruit candidates who have:
If you want to be the sort of teacher who can see deep into the meaning of Geography, and then make sense of that for pupils with a wide range of abilities and varying interests then this could be the course for you. Developing your own subject knowledge ready to teach is important, but we cannot do that for you. What this course does is give you a different perspective on Geography. We see it as a subject which can provide a learning environment in which pupils can be challenged to look beyond their own experiences and thus develop the skills, values and attitudes that will help them make appropriate lifestyle choices. We think Geography is a balance between an understanding of place and process and authentic emotional engagement with the world we live in. We want pupils to be both inspired and horrified by the world, and thus be motivated to understand it better and to see how they can change it.
So what sort of teacher do you want to be? If you want to develop teaching behaviours that will ensure you can create and facilitate imaginative and challenging lessons, as diverse and provocative as the world that Geography reflects – then consider what this course might do for you.
The Newcastle Geography PGCE has a national reputation. The North East is one of the power houses of geographical education in Britain. This reputation is partly built around the work of colleagues in local schools and the Thinking Through Geography movement. There is a particular interest in innovative teaching of thinking skills through Geography. The teaching strategies and curriculum materials produced by the group are designed to make pupils better thinkers, independent learners and more intelligent.
The Teaching Thinking component forms just one thread of the course, but many of the local schools have Geography departments who are keen to encourage this approach to teaching. Other distinctive features of the course are:
A major component of the success of the course is the partnership between students, the University and local schools and teachers. The teacher mentors put a lot of time and effort into looking after their student teachers. Many former students take on the role of mentoring. The student teachers are expected to pay something back through their commitment, professionalism and time given to such things as fieldwork, curriculum development and IT development. It is through this sharing process that you are inducted in the local community of professional geography educators.
The Newcastle University Geography PGCE course is an unrivalled launch pad into a career in teaching. Feedback from employers reporting on our 2008-9 students’ NQT year included (names changed for privacy);
‘Gill has been a real asset to the department and school. She is a hard working professional who has spent a lot of time developing new schemes of work and excellent resources for the rest of the department.’
‘Jake is a conscientious professional who is learning his craft well. He has the makings of an excellent teacher of Geography.’
‘Susan has excellent motivation and ability – she is an outstanding teacher with excellent career prospects within the profession.’
As well as providing students with a sound understanding of geographical learning and the difference that good teaching can make, the course helps students develop an ability to work flexibly, in a range of contexts. Former students have taken diverse routes through their (even early) careers. Many have moved quickly into curriculum or pastoral leadership roles in school, others have found themselves working in interesting cross-curricular posts, and some have found a specialist route through teaching, taking on roles in Special Educational Needs or ICT. There are others who now work in initiatives reaching across a number of schools. A significant number of former students have:
So if you are committed, talented and you want to be excited by your profession, working at the leading edge of education with peers, teachers and pupils who are a joy to work with you should consider doing your PGCE at Newcastle. Teaching is in a period of tremendous change and the geography student teachers at Newcastle University and in its partnership schools are the forefront of helping to make it a research based and forward thinking profession.
Tel: 0191 222 6581
Fax: 0191 222 6546
E-mail: pgce-education@ncl.ac.uk