Farhan
Job title
Newly Qualified Teacher (French and Bengali)
Institution
University of East London
Industry sector
Teaching
Background
Mother tongue is Bengali
Attended French-medium education for a period in Switzerland
Learned English through studying in the UK for seven years
Completing a Postgraduate Course in Education (PGCE)
What are your main responsibilities in the job?
They include teaching year 8, year 9 and year 10 Bengali and year 7 and year 8 French at Oaklands School in East London. I attend parents evenings, get involved in pastoral activities, take part in academic review days and so on. Planning a successful lesson requires thorough planning and structuring beforehand in order to manage the classes more effectively. These are the five key stages: Preparation, Beginning, Moving on, Ending and Evaluation. I assess pupils through questioning, by giving them homework, through marking and various plenary activities. I regularly use interactive teaching and learning strategies, starters and plenary activities in my lessons. Examples include use of flashcards, games and songs etc.
Why are languages important in education?
In my own education, French has been a fascinating and interesting subject to learn, as it has given me the opportunity to appreciate other cultures. It is vital for the new generation to learn at least one foreign language as it opens the door to employment. This can also apply to making use of your mother tongue, Bengali for me, which you may not think straight away can help you get a job.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
It is the feedback from pupils. After a hard working day you can smile and be happy that they have learned something today.