Alumni stories: Carrie Leiper, PGDE Primary

Understanding the importance of learning as a process

[The thing I liked best about the programme was] the underpinning ethos. The teaching and learning successfully and effectively encouraged me to understand the importance of learning as a process. 

The content of the course was challenging in an enjoyable way. I never felt as though I had impossible tasks and when I did struggle, I had the necessary support – sometimes more if I needed it. There are various methods of support available, and nothing is ever too much of an ask.

I would recommend [the PGDE programme] entirely. The staff work tirelessly to keep up-to-date with relevant campaigns and policies. The teaching and learning align cohesively to prepare you, in a relatively short time, for an adventurous career.

'The staff were so welcoming, encouraging and supportive'

I remember having a disappointing experience prior to my Edinburgh University interview and feeling quite disheartened. 

On the day of my Edinburgh University interview, I walked to the campus from the train station and as soon as I got there, I was greeted by many. The staff were so welcoming and from the very start were encouraging and supportive. 

Initially I was worried because of the University’s high status and expectations, but the staff and other students worked together to achieve outcomes and there was never a feeling of ‘not being good enough’. This transpired throughout the year and has come to be one of the most noteworthy points of my time studying at the University.

I have been lucky enough to work with great role models who have shown me the difference it makes when you go the extra mile for your students - something I will be able to do with my own classes now I have completed the course. The effort and energy that the staff at Moray House will give to their students is an invaluable credit to the programme (and University as a whole). 

The course content itself is laid out in a very user-friendly way so that at one point of the course, everything clicks, and you begin to see your own learning in a way you hadn’t before. This, alongside the supportive staff, helps build your confidence as a practitioner.