V Task 3.8. A Sample Personal Statement in Teacher Training

a. My experiences working as a tutor in a tuition centre and [volunteering in school] have inspired and motivated me to pursue a teaching career. After graduating from the University of *** with a first in biological sciences I taught GCSE and A-level science in a tuition centre for three fulfilling years. I soon learned to update and differentiate my lesson plans to help improve learning outcomes and adapt to changes made in the curriculum. It helped me to think on my feet if students did not respond to what I had planned and I had to change the focus of the lesson. I worked with students who had poor relationships with their teachers so grades were dropping, teaching me how vital teacher communication is in determining levels of student learning and understanding.

b. Tutoring a range of students including SEN and EAL to top grades at GCSE and A-level, encouraging them to keep focused and interested, can be challenging. The tuition centre had very little technology so I drew on my problem solving and creative skills to communicate in an engaging way. My role included assisting with their preparation for exams by developing individual comprehensive learning programmes for each pupil and providing consistent practical and pastoral support throughout their educational progress. I find biology fascinating, reading and learning about the subject for my own interest, often thinking about how I can use it with students to give them a broader understanding and make biology more real and meaningful.

c. I aim to utilise my existing transferable skills, while developing new skills and partaking more fully in the students' education. It has been interesting to learn about classroom and behaviour management and reflect on how different teachers handle classroom situations combining a sympathetic and assertive approach. I am learning the effectiveness of non-verbal communication in behaviour management, combined with the power of setting a positive tone from the beginning of a lesson. It is encouraging to see this all coming together to create a productive and successful learning environment for the whole class. I have enjoyed gaining experience of teaching a class, working out which teaching style will be the most effective with each class at the time. I hope to observe more strategies to reflect on and try out in the future.

d. One of the most fulfilling experiences I have gained was volunteering this summer for a month in a small rural school in ***. I was teaching English and encouraging them to explore learning through creativity, which we were told was unusual for them. Despite the *** differences we were able to get to know, teach and hopefully inspire the children. This confirmed my desire to become a teacher.

e. I discovered a passion for teaching science, a subject I now see many children struggle to become interested in. I would enjoy the achievement of encouraging students to appreciate science as it affects us all in so many ways.

(Source: Prospects https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/teacher-training-and-education/applying-for-teacher-training/school-direct-personal-statement)

v Task 3.10. Look at Funding Opportunities for Ecology and Conservation MSc at Aberdeen University. Do you think your friend might be eligible to one of them? Why / Why not? Do you think there might be other options for him/her to get financial support? If yes, list them. For help, you can study this web-page: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/scholarships-and-funding.php

Opportunities to fund your post-graduate programme in Aberdeen University are somewhat limited unless you are not either a graduate of this university, or a UK or EU citizen. However, you may apply for scholarship to different foundations, to a company where you might plan to work after graduation or our Ministry of Education.

If nothing works out, still there is a hope you will be able to compensate somehow for your stay in the UK. Read the text from the University of Aberdeen web-site below.

Working in the UK

International students who will be studying for more than 6 months are permitted to work for 20 hours per week during term-time, though this may be increased during the holiday periods. The Students' Association can help you find part-time work as well as offering other employment advice. Please note that this must not be relied upon as a means to fund your studies. Students coming to study for one semester only (less than 6 months) are usually not granted permission to work.

For more detail, check current vacancies here: https://www.ausa.org.uk/about/ausa_vacancies/

Make conclusions about the potential sources of financial support for your friend. List them in bullet-points. Give a 2-minute talk in class, in which you will:

a) estimate the most likely variants to get some money to cover part of his/her expenses during the stay;

b) make a suggestion as to how much might he or she be able to earn in case he/she takes a job from AUSA.

Lesson 4

v Task 4.7 Search Internet using the phrase “Postgraduate Life at the University of…” to find out more about different people’s experiences in British Universities. Make a list of useful expressions you will hear. Sum up the key features of (post)graduate students’ lifestyle in Britain and in Russia. Select 5 – 10 parameters, by which you would like to compare lifestyle in these two countries. Prepare a talk basing on your findings.

 

Unit 5

Lesson 2

v Task 2.4. Draw the food chain described in the article about “Coral Bleaching”. What other species dwelling on coral reefs do you know? Exchange your ideas with your partner and add more species to your food chain to form a food web.

 

REFERENCES:

1. Aberdeen University Students‘ Association. URLhttps://www.ausa.org.uk/about/constitution/(датаобращения 08.10.2019)

2. Chemistry Personal Statement (Postgraduate) https://www.studential.com/personal-statement-examples/postgraduate-chemistry-personal-statement. URL (датаобращения 08.12.2019)

3. Christopher Knaus and Nick Evershed. Great Barrier Reef at 'terminal stage': scientists despair at latest coral bleaching data.URLhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/10/great-barrier-reef-terminal-stage-australia-scientists-despair-latest-coral-bleaching-data(дата обращения 08.10.2019)

4. Collins Dictionary. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/(датаобращения 08.12.2019)

5. Ecology and Conservation, MSc. URL https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/925/ecology-and-conservation(дата обращения 08.10.2019)

6. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). URLhttps://ec.europa.eu/education/resources/european-credit-transfer-accumulation-system_en(дата обращения 08.10.2019)

7. Geoff Watts. The Cows that Could Help Fight Climate Change. URL: http:// www. bbc. com / future / story /20190806- how - vaccines - could - fix - our - problem - with - cow - emissions (дата обращения 08.12.2019)

8. Jeff Haden. 27 Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answers. URL: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/27-most-common-job-interview-questions-and-answers.html

9. Joseph Lee. This Bolton school was failing – until it gave each pupil an iPod. URL https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/11309997/This-Bolton-school-was-failing-until-it-gave-each-pupil-an-iPod.html

10. Lindsey Konkel. Cool Jobs: Doing real science in virtual worlds. URL: https:// www. sciencenewsforstudents. org / article / cool - jobs - doing - real - science - virtual - worlds (дата обращения 08.12.2019)

11. Maddy Savage. The Swedes Ditching Desks to Work from Strangers’ Homes. URL: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161230-the-swedes-ditching-desks-to-work-from-strangers-homes(дата обращения 08.12.2019)

12. Marc Lallanila. What is the Greenhouse Effect?URLhttp://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html(дата обращения 08.10.2019)

13. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/ (датаобращения 08.12.2019)

14. Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. URL: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com (датаобращения 08.12.2019)