Student Experiences

Stefanie Moore, Flexible PGCE, Secondary, English, Drama and Media, graduated 2009/10

What field are you working in now?
'NQT English Teacher, George Green's School on the Isle of Dogs'

Talk us through your role and what it entails
'I am responsible for planning and delivering English and Media  Studies lessons to students across the secondary age range. I also tutor a form group of Year 8 students'

How have the skills you developed at Goldsmiths helped you get  where you are today?
'Prior to retraining as a teacher, I had worked in theatre and  television. Training at Goldsmiths gave me a realistic picture of the challenges and immense rewards of teaching - particularly the  practical element, where you spend long periods 'holding court' in  the classroom! As a mature student, the flexible course was ideal - it respects the fact that students already have a good sense of  managing workloads and deadlines and the sessions on campus were  focused and enlightening. Goldsmith's assumes that students require a level of challenge and it encourages you to respond to this'

What advice would you offer to a current Goldsmiths student?
'Goldsmiths is an immensely flexible base for study. I wish I had  had longer to explore the non-curricular options! Make the most of the library, which is an excellent resource and keep an eye out for the  ever changing posters advertising events in faculty corridors and  the SU - I attended some fantastic lectures/performances that fell  way outside the focus of my course - and I feel richer for the  experience!'

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
'Heading up an innovative and progressive English Department'

What would your dream job be?
'The PGCE is great because you can work overseas. I spent my honeymoon in Costa Rica and I have already researched its International Schools - so who knows? Definitely teaching somewhere warm with guaranteed daylight and the free time to write'

David Carter,  MA in Education: Culture, Language and Identity, 2009

What field are you working in now?
'I'm working as an English as an Additional Language teacher in the United Nations International School in Hanoi, Vietnam'

Talk us through your role and what it entails
'I teach English to children in the third grade in pull-out classes (occasionally) and help with their English during in-class support sessions (mainly)'

How have the skills you developed at Goldsmiths helped you get  where you are today?
'Having the advanced degree initially helped me get the job at an international recruitment fair in Bangkok; since actually being in the job it has helped to consolidate prior knowledge and to hone my overall teaching abilities because I now have a theoretcial basis to draw on'

What advice would you offer to a current Goldsmiths student?
'Keep going even if it feels at times as if the studying is never ending or if you feel demoralised due to a grade you have received; the key thing is not to give up and to always be aware that someone, somewhere, in a position to hire teachers, will take note of your efforts eventually'

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
'I don't think like that and don't plan ahead in that way'

What would your dream job be?
'Writing full time on a salary and having complete autonomy as to what I wrote about'

Just [Justine] Jeffrey, PGCE Primary Education

'I grew up in New Cross and went to school just down the road from Goldsmiths, so when I decided to return to university to do my Teacher Training Goldsmiths seemed the natural place to do it.

After nine years in a full-time career I was understandably a little apprehensive about returning to student life and I put off applying for two years. The application and enrolment procedures were straightforward and before I knew it I was training to be a Primary School teacher! Because Goldsmiths is such a welcoming place to study I quickly settled in and realised that being a student for the second time round wasn’t going to be anywhere near as bad as I had thought.

The campus is a great place to study and relax – it’s everything that you could want it to be. The Students’ Union has some great entertainment and there are lots of places for quietly relaxing and catching up with other students too. The Library and ICT facilities are both good and are accessible for long hours as well as during holidays which is great.

I was instantly impressed by the organisation of the Department of Educational Studies. Timetables for the full year were handed out on the first day along with all the other information that makes being a student a whole lot easier. This high level of organisation hasn’t dwindled and there is always someone who can help you out with any questions or problems that you have'

Nicki Mansell - MA in Artist Teachers and Contemporary Practices graduated 2009

'I am a full-time Head of Art in a South London secondary school. I had been teaching for 17 years having done a PGCE in Art Teaching in 1988-89, and was looking for something to help improve and reinvigorate my own teaching.

I came to the course through mentoring trainee teachers on the ITT programme at Goldsmiths. As a result the PGCE team who I have worked with for the last eight years suggested that if I were interested in the course, I should apply. I did and was interviewed, and successfully gained a place on the course. It is the best thing I have done in a long time! I have started to do my own work again, have had the privilege and pleasure of fortnightly sessions at Tate Modern working with tutors to understand the works and how they can be put to use for working with pupils, there were a few sessions of art psychotherapy which proved to be quite therapeutic and at the same time I felt put us in the ‘pupil’ role as we were being observed by the tutor. There is quite a lot of reading involved, some of which is quite hard to get through as it is very theoretical, and also we have to make presentations occasionally and I am currently trying to complete a 5,000-word essay for which I was able to select the subject so it is of personal interest'

Fiona O’Driscoll - MA in Education: Culture, Language and Identity

'Goldsmiths is an excellent university which truly values diversity. On top of high quality lectures taught by a highly supportive group of educators at the top of their game who have years of expertise and experience to offer, the MA course has attracted people working in a wide variety of educational setting from all over the world. I have met the nicest people through studying at Goldsmiths and it is so fascinating learning about their cultures and educational practices. The course has opened my eyes and made me evaluate and re-evaluate the way I teach and my ethos and philosophy of teaching. Each module furthers my understanding of how culture, language and identity are related and how and why teachers should support the identities, culture and languages of all students in their class. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying here at Goldsmiths and would recommend the MA course to anybody who works in an educational setting (especially primary school teachers) which serves culturally or linguistically diverse communities.

The other great thing I get from the weekly meetings is the socialising with other art teachers and practitioners, who are all bringing their own interests and experiences with them. It is so good to be able to share ideas and problems within such a supportive group. The tutors are very supportive and encouraging and are always available to contact by email or by providing tutorials (by appointment). We are able, and actively encouraged, to make use of the great facilities at Goldsmiths - the fantastic library, and guest speakers for example. The bookshop is small but they can order anything and get it generally within a week (with no deposit required) and generally it has been a very positive experience'

Anna Carlile - MPhil/PhD

'I had been working with excluded pupils within a local authority and realised that I needed to understand more about why they, their families, and the professionals who worked with them seemed to be having such a difficult time. I decided that if I could deconstruct the situation perhaps I would be able to understand it better and begin to effect some useful changes.

I had qualified as a teacher at a liberal arts college in California where we were trained to go into schools as agents of political change, and I was anxious to find a department in the UK where this focus would be understood and nurtured. I looked around for somewhere to do a PhD on permanent exclusion from school and was impressed with the focus on social justice I found at Goldsmiths. I have been able to explore my interests in ethnography, gender theory and post-structuralism, and have been given fantastic supervision that has nurtured my writing and stimulated my thinking, encouraged me to keep going, and helped me to think about my academic future. I love Goldsmiths because it is so lively; there are lots of opportunities to attend or give papers at inter-departmental seminars and mini-conferences, and there is always something creative going on.

Since starting my PhD  I have already been asked to feed into policy-making projects at work, and as a result I have been able to affect real change for the pupils I work with and have been asked to interview for a promotion'

Lois Woodier, BA Education, Culture & Society

'I came from art school to this course. I am passionate about eventually working with children but wanted the opportunity to dig deeper and wider into the 'what', the 'how', and the 'why' questions of education. This course certainly offers this and I have found that the success of this degree for me lies in the balance it creates between the 'content' we are presented with and the space given for us to interact and reflect upon this.

Also the diversity and experience represented by the students on the degree really contributes to the exploration of the issues raised in the different course units. I remain fascinated - and I'm still in the first year'