University College Plymouth St Mark & St John

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If you are a UCP Marjon student, past or present, and would like us to feature your placement experiences please contact us.

Education & Teacher Training inc International

Katharine Gerhart. Philadelphia, PA. USA
October - December 2006
Kutztown University, PA

"The experience I had at UCP Marjon was truly a whirlwind. Between travelling all over the country and teaching full-time, there was barely time to breathe! However, I would not have changed a thing. It helped me grow both personally and professionally. Now that I am in the interview process with schools in the states, I know that the experience has helped me tremendously with finding a job. That is the first thing most people ask me about on interviews and I am always eager to tell them about it. The staff were so friendly and supportive, they really made you feel at home. UCP Marjon is the place to be!"

Sarah Kleppinger. Philadelphia, PA. USA
October - December 2006
Kutztown University, PA

"I would have to describe my teaching placement in England as the best in my life.  It was a great experience to learn about the educational structure in a different country.  I will use specific teaching practices that I learned when I have my own classroom.  The teamwork between the teachers, staff, students, parents, and community are excellent.  I hope to bring that communication back with me.  No matter how many introductory sessions you have, it will not prepare you for the amazing experience that you will have.  If I could have known about anything ahead of time, it would be the overall structure of a British classroom.  I would also encourage more practice with language barrier so that the typical mistakes aren't made."

Rob Marsteller. Allentown, Pennsylvania. USA
October - December 2006
Kutztown University, PA

"I have recently completed a program in which I earned a Master of Education degree from Kutztown University.  UCP Marjon provided me with an opportunity to perform practice teaching at Eggbuckland Community College, where I taught science to years seven through thirteen.

It was exciting to learn about different pedagogical methods and to interact with so many new people.  Being in a school is perhaps the best way to encounter a new culture; even though sometimes the process involved some confusion and stress.  The challenges I faced as part of my placement helped make this experience meaningful for me.

Working with a variety of students is something I hope will continue throughout my professional career as an educator.  Having had the opportunity to teach abroad has served me well and has proven an attractive quality as I interviewed with prospective employers.  Finally, I can’t neglect to mention how much I enjoyed the natural beauty in Devon and Cornwall.  I hope to return soon."

Patricia Welsh. Philadelphia, PA. USA
October - December 2006
Kutztown University, PA

"Received a Bachelor's Degree in Primary Education December 2006 from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Working in an English school has helped me to gain a fresh perspective on primary education and take new ideas back with me to the USA. Although it seemed as though I would have problems communicating with the children due to certain differences in language, both the school and its pupils helped me to quickly become accustomed to my new surroundings. What I learned through my placement was invaluable and could not have been taught to me in a classroom. My placement also allowed me to put into practice all the techniques and teaching methods I had learned from prior courses."

Thoughts from students placed at Plymstock School - Specialist Sport College
“I believe I have had a very successful second placement and was welcomed into the school and particularly the English department. I have also welcomed the chance to teach pupils in most years, including sixth form. This has allowed me to get a taster for 'real' teaching and has meant I have built sound working relationship with the pupils. I think particular strengths I have developed are with SEN pupils, KS3 in general and I also really enjoy teaching Media. My assessment for learning and summative assessment skills have also been greatly improved.   Overall, I have enjoyed being part of Plymstock School; attending meetings, book club and being assigned to a tutor group as just some of the things I have been involved with. This meant I felt fully integrated into the school.”

“My role as trainee? It has been very challenging to take over experienced teacher’s classes in the final term of the school year, but a challenge I have enjoyed and from which I have learnt a great deal. The opportunities at Plymstock to get involved in extra-curricular activities are excellent – with a wide range of clubs on offer and very encouraging staff. I have made significant progress as a teacher due to the support and very useful feedback I have received from the English Dept and other experienced practitioners."

Health, Sport & Adventure

Kelly Bryce BA (Hons) Coach and Physical Education - Graduate 2007
Kelly completed a 50 hour placement in the second year of her course.

• What were the positives of being on, or completing a placement?
  Meeting new frriends and gaining experience and learning about yourself.
• What challenges did you encounter?
  Everything that I thought wasn't possible to challenge me!
• Did the placement help your academic studies?
  It helped me understand a whole lot more about teaching.
• Is placement learning a worthwhile part of the course?
  Definately.
• Do you think the placement has helped you to decide what career you want, or don’t want to pursue after you graduate?
  Yes it has helped me make up my mind about teaching and I am going to continue with a GTP when i graduate.
• Do you think your experiences will help you to find a job? Yes it has already helped in interviews.

Liz Eustace BA (Hons) Sport Development with Outdoor Adventure - Graduate 2007
Liz completed a 40 hour placement in the third year of her course.

"A course mate and myself produced a six week outdoor programme for a class of seven young people all with a variety of learning difficulties and disabilities. The programme was a success as the young people gained a variety of experiences including visiting different environments. We accomplished challenges such as wheelchair access to woods, access to cafe and toilets on the Hoe and we both learnt how to secure wheelchairs down in the minibuses!

The placement definitely helped with learning more about my leadership style, how i approach a group and the need for flexibility in leadership. Memories of the groups faces and the laughter as we sent them down the zip wire at Churchtown Activity Centre will stay with me for a while! This placement has definitely confirmed my desire to work in the outdoor industry."

Shaun Piper BA (Hons) Coach and Physical Education - Graduate 2007
Shaun completed a 50 hour placement in the second year of his course.

"The placement module was agreat way to gain hands on experience in the teaching and coaching environment, I was able to build a positive relationship with the staff which can help you for future reference. The placement gives you the chance to see if you prefer teaching or coaching and if you are not so good at writing essay you can gain good marks in the practical assessment. My experiences through my placement will look good on my CV and give me a better chance of getting a job. I found my placement challenged my coaching skills because I was coaching in a inner city primary school where the children were poorly behaved and the facilities provided to them were far from good. To reach the playing field you had to walk out of the school grounds and into a council estate, and then the field had to be then check for dangerous objects before they could start the session. Overall this was a massive eye opener for me to see the differences between urban and rural primary schools and I would recommend the placement module to anyone."

Speech & Language Therapy

Anna-Louise Broddle SLT Graduate 2007

"Clinical placements are pivotal to students completing the Speech and Language Therapy course at Marjon.  They give you the opportunity to put into practice the skills you have learnt in college and thereby enable you to develop as a clinician.

The best clinical educators endeavor to pass on not only their knowledge, but also their enthusiasm and commitment to the profession.  On placements, you are encouraged and supported whilst working hands on with a variety of different client groups.  This not only hones your clinical skills, but also gives you the confidence to work independently in a range of settings.  Also collaboration with other health professionals is fostered from an early stage. It gives you a good understanding of their role and perspectives.  The lecturers at college support you and provide the background academic information about speech and language therapy, but it is the placements that shape and mould you into a fully-fledged clinician."

Lucy Bomford SLT Graduate 2007

"I was a mature-aged student studying speech and language therapy in Plymouth. Prior to taking the plunge and embarking on the course, I studied modern languages, spent two years teaching English in Japan and had a number of office-based jobs, mainly in administration. During my three years of study, I undertook five placements in four counties around England.

I was lucky enough to be placed in a wide variety of settings and work with both adults and children. In year one I had a mixed placement, partly based at Frenchay Hospital in North Bristol. Frenchay is the south west regional centre for many speciality areas within speech and language therapy, and I had the chance to observe sessions in the cleft palate unit, videofluoroscopy clinic and the centre for alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). I also took part in a two-day workshop for children who stammered, called ‘Meet the Smoothies’.

In year two there was the chance to experience two types of placement - concurrent, where one day a week was clinic and the other days were college-based, and the second called a block placement, which ran over six weeks. As well as getting my first chance to work in a community clinic, I was also based in a language unit attached to a primary school and worked with adults both on a stroke ward and in the community.

Year three offered another chance to work with a clinical educator on a ‘once a week’ basis, although this time over a longer time period. I worked with two pre-school language groups and was able to work with the same children for almost three months. I also had the benefit of working with two different therapists who ran the group. The last block placement was very hands-on and I had the chance to work independently with clients whilst in a safe environment, where help and advice was regularly available. As well as regular visits to schools and some community clinic experience, I also had the chance to work with adults in a large hospital.

Overall, my five placements were a fantastic experience and a wonderful learning opportunity. All block placements were outside my home county, and whilst this brought along its own challenges, it was valuable to work within different NHS trusts and to experience different ways of working across the country.

Last modified on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:09:32 BST by external