Learning to be a Classics Teacher: magistri magistraeque loquuntur

Here I report on the reflections of Classics PGCE students in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, about the specific skills they are developing on the course. The notes reveal a combination of interpersonal craft, subject‑specific expertise and practical classroom management. Developing these skills will hopefully make their lessons learning accessible, inclusive and effective.

PGCE student teachers in the Cast Gallery, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge

PGCE trainees: what they say they are learning

Classroom presence and professional stance

• Being in the room — mastering the space: trainees are learning to occupy the classroom intentionally, using posture, movement and positioning to signal authority and approachability.

• Being a friendly helper: trainees balance warmth with professional boundaries so students see them as both support and teacher.

• Trust and support: building relationships that permit risk‑taking and honest responses is central. The PGCE students practise small routines and language patterns that cultivate a safe and positive aspect to the classroom and encourage happy learning.

Examples for this might involve the planning of entry routines, the use of consistent transition cues and the rehearse of one or two warm openers before the lesson formally starts. I’ve always found that developing a range of standard devices to facilitate these comes naturally with practice and then happens without really noticing it. Others might need to listen to experienced teachers to gain an idea of the sort of things that are acceptable in class and within time limits.

Pedagogical decisions: questioning, explanation and feedback

• Dealing with misconceptions and wrong answers: PGCE students practise responding to errors in ways that diagnose pupils’ understanding without damaging their confidence. Techniques could include asking clarifying follow‑ups, modelling partial credit and reframing errors as learning opportunities. You could say, ‘That’s nearly there…Let’s look at how….!’

• ‘What if I don’t know?’: PGCE students are learning strategies to handle gaps in their own knowledge. It’s hard to admit uncertainty because they often feel that they will lose face. Sometimes the answer isn’t ready to hand or maybe there isn’t one. As teachers we can admit not knowing something – it can be a kind of strength (as long as it doesn’t happen too often!). Model how to find answers with learners and follow up after class. If the school has email access, you can always send round a correction or an answer later on. This can build a positive learning relationship.

• Questioning types — when to tell and when to ask: PGCE students should distinguish between directive telling (for clarity or efficiency) and open questioning (for diagnostic assessment and cognitive challenge). They are learning to plan both kinds into a lesson. Remember: eliciting answers risks turning into a kind of guessing game. Give the pupils something to look at (a picture) or something to read (a text) or even something to listen to (a story) or something one of the pupils recalls from a previous lesson. Use that as the springboard into the more interesting questions that will result.

• Feedback — to individuals and to the whole class: PGCE students practise targeted oral feedback (to individuals or small groups – and on issues that matter in the moment), public modelling of improvements (using the board to demonstrate and use ‘think alouds’) and brief written prompts on the whiteboard (such as extra vocabulary) that move learning forward.

Practical tip: annotate lesson plans with the intended question type and feedback move for each activity.

Discussion, listening and classroom talk

• Holding a discussion: PGCE students go beyond mere behaviour management to design discussions with clear aims: who speaks when, how turns are taken and what the desired learning outcome is.

• Taking turns and listening: explicit routines for turn‑taking and active listening are taught so quieter students participate and dominant voices are managed.

• Predetermined outcomes and loose structure: trainees learn to combine a clear end goal for discussion with flexible routes to get there. This may mean including prepared prompts and contingency scaffolds for sensitive subjects.

Classroom technique: use small‑group starters, a visible speaking order and a closing gather-together that ties student contributions to the lesson objective. Don’t just assume that everyone has ‘got it’.

Practical classroom management: resources, voice and timing

• Resources management — board, book and projector: PGCE students note the complexity of juggling multiple resources. They practise for when to use the board, how to share projected material and how to integrate textbook and notebook use without losing momentum. This is hard to start with – be familiar with what is needed. Don’t overcomplicate things.

• Voice — maintenance and purposeful use: PGCE students learn strategies to conserve voice across the day and use variations in volume and register to signal importance and hold attention.

• Clarity of explanation and expectations: PGCE students focus on succinct, well-modelled explanations and explicit success criteria so students know what good looks like.

• Timing and transitions: PGCE students make adaptations to lessons of different lengths by planning micro‑timings and clear transition cues to keep momentum and avoid dead time.

Practical checklist: think about how a lesson, at it’s most basic, comprises 3 parts: a short starting point, which builds on what has previously been learnt….linking forward into a longer central section in which new information or new skills are brought forward, with time for students to practise…ending with a short plenary to check full understanding, provide feedback and look forward to the next lesson.

Subject knowledge and professional growth

• Subject knowledge: PGCE students recognize that deep, flexible subject knowledge underpins confident teaching; they prioritise planning for likely pupil misconceptions and preparing concise models and examples.

• Ongoing development: PGCE students value small, iterative cycles of lesson refinement, peer observation and targeted reading to extend their own subject knowledge and pedagogical skills. This is really what the ITAP is all about – but it continues throughout the PGCE and onward into the career.

Recommendation: in the mentor meeting, focus on one professional learning goal (for example: a questioning sequence, a feedback script or a smoother transition).