Elementary Seminar

1
Elementary Seminar

• Chapter 2
• Exploring Teaching as a Career Choice

2
Becoming a Teacher
Objectives

• Identify the steps to becoming a teacher
• Compare ways of gaining experience with children
  while in high school
• Research the requirements for admission to a
  teacher education program
• Develop a personal career goal
• Begin developing a personal portfolio for
  teaching
• Write your own philosophy of teaching

3
Exploring Career Choices
What Are the Steps to Becoming a Teacher?

• Requirements vary by ______ and level of teaching
  but there are general steps across the country
• This class will help guide you, explore the
  profession, gain experience, and begin to build
  the skills youll need
• If you change your mind thats okay tooyoull
  gain insight into your interests and abilities
  and that will help you explore another career
  field that fits you

4
Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Get a jump start by starting the process early
• Maximize Your Educational Opportunities
• Take advantage of teaching __________-specialized
  programs within high schools that help students
  to explore the teaching profession through
  classes, observations, and hands-on experiences
• Choose challenging classes and commit to doing
  well in them
• This will help you not only gain knowledge but
  also increase your chance of getting into the
  college or university of your choice and
  admittance into a teaching program

• ______ others in classes you do well in
• If you really want to know a subject well, try
  teaching it to someone else.

5
Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• _________ Your Teachers
• Take advantage of the opportunity to see a
  variety of teachers and their teaching ________
• When observing them ask yourself
• What are their particular teaching styles?
• How do they ______ material for different levels
  or interests?
• What are their class rules and procedures?
• How do they earn the _________ of their students?
• Observe their interactions with students and make
  notes for future reference

• Ask your teachers questions about teaching
• Most will be happy to share their knowledge and
  experiences

6
Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Explore College Programs
• Begin now looking at colleges and university that
  offer teacher training
• These programs are called teacher education
  programs
• Research your options
• Ask teachers for _____________
• Search online and check out their websites for
• Programs offered and their required courses
• Entrance requirements
• _______ colleges (junior year)
• Send applications (fall of senior year)
• Talk to your guidance counselor

• Ask about ___________ _____ if cost is a concern
• Ask about scholarships (what are the criteria)
• Are _____ available

• Student loan information

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Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Gain Experience and Improve Your Skills
• Gain as much experience working with children of
  various ages now
• Helps you make the best decision as to ______ to
  teach
• Colleges look favorably on applicants who show
  _____________ involvement
• Job _________
• Visit a classroom and job shadow a teacher
• Helps you see what skills you will need
• Discuss their experiences and ask questions
• Shadow a variety of people in careers that
  interest you
• Helps you gain professional _________

If a job shadowing opportunity isnt arranged for
you, make arrangements to do so yourself.
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Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Gain Experience and Improve Your Skills
• Volunteering
• Excellent way to interact with children
• Many opportunities
• Volunteer ideas
• Elementary schoolafter-school program
• Tutor
• Cub scouts or Girl Scouts (Brownies)
• Help coach a sport
• Summer camps
• Childcare programs
• Special Olympics
• Community recreation programs

What other volunteer ideas can you think of?
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Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Gain Experience and Improve Your Skills
• Volunteering (continued)
• Helps you gain ___________ experience
• Even if the volunteer opportunities do not
  involve working with children they will help you
  gain needed skills for success in college and
  your career
• You may assist with _________, carrying out, and
  evaluating activities
• Often require creativity and problem solving
  skills
• Strengthens your sense of commitment
• A good addition to your __________
• Adults you work with can serve as _________,
  attesting to

your character, commitment, and work
10
Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Gain Experience and Improve Your Skills
• ______-Learning
• Links classroom learning with hands-on experience
  in order to meet community needs
• Requires
• Analyzing needs
• Learning related information
• Planning a way to help
• Following through
• Evaluating the experience

Ex a child development class might investigate
the injury and death rates of children in vehicle
accidents, find that some causes were improperly
installed or recalled car seats, and work with an
agency to organize a safety check day for parents.
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Becoming a Teacher
Step 1 High school Preparation

• Gain Experience and Improve Your Skills
• Part-time work
• Child care centers, recreation programs, or
  after-school care programs often hire part-time
  or summer staff
• Your interest in teaching, related classes youve
  taken, and volunteer experiences will make you a
  good candidate
• Many opportunities for learning more about the
  field of education through actual experiences
  with children
• Take advantage of these opportunities to enhance
  your learning and ______

12
Becoming a Teacher
Step 2 College Preparation and Teacher Training

• Teaching Kindergarten through high school
  requires a _______s degree (aka an undergraduate
  degree)
• Generally completed in ___ years
• May be a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of
  Science (BS) depending on your major and course
  requirements met
• Admission to teacher education programs
• Some schools require students wait until their
  junior year to apply when students have completed
  most general education or core courses for better
  evaluating applicants
• Entrance requirements often include
• Personal interviews
• __________ courses
• Minimum GPA
• _________ tests

What are prerequisite courses and proficiency
tests?
13
Becoming a Teacher
Step 2 College Preparation and Teacher Training

• Elementary and Secondary Education Students must
  complete course work related to education
• Education as a profession
• How schools _________
• Teaching strategies and classroom ___________
  techniques
• Most education courses require working with
  children or teens including
• Observations
• Helping teachers

Step 3 Classroom Experiences and Student Teaching

• Tutoring students
• Teaching lessons

• Advantages to these experiences
• Gain experience
• Improve skills

• See how they like the various aspects of teaching

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Becoming a Teacher
Step 3 Classroom Experiences and Student
Teaching

• Teacher education culminates in a student
  teaching experience
• Can be placed in a public or private school
• Youll have at least one _________ teacher who
  will supervise and ________ you
• Will be overseen by a college professor
• _________ by all states
• Usually one semester of college
• Often starts with observation
• Ends with the student teacher
• Planning and teaching material
• Assigning work

• Evaluating and assessing learning
• Interacting with parents and school personnel

15
Becoming a Teacher
Step 4 Gaining Certification

• Certified teachers
• Have completed state requirements for teacher
  preparation which usually includes
• Bachelors degree or higher
• Successful completion of an approved teacher
  education program (including student teaching)
• Any additional state requirements
• Receive a teaching license or certificate which
  specifies
• _______ levels
• ________ areas (sometimes)

16
Becoming a Teacher
Step 4 Gaining Certification

• Planning to teach in a different state than where
  your college or university is located?
• Programs are usually keyed to the states
  licensing requirements so find out the
  requirements of the state you plan on teaching in
  as soon as possible
• Work with your ________ to develop a plan
• States usually have ________ agreements meaning
  they agree to honor the licenses and certificates
  of other states
• Teaching licenses are _______ documents, issued
  by the state, verifying the specific grade levels
  and subjects the teacher is qualified to teach
• They are good for a specific period of time

• They must be renewed and in order to renew the
  state might require

• Documentation of additional education or training
  
• Eventual completion of a masters degree (some
  states)

17
Becoming a Teacher
Getting Started

• Set a Career Goal
• Dreams rely on chance
  while goals take concerted
  effort.
• .make your dreams reality by
  turning them into your lifes goals!
• First think about your _______ to become a
  teacher and ask yourself
• What do you want to teach? Do you have a passion
  for a certain subject?
• Who would you like to teach most (age level)?
• Use this _____ and _____ as a basis for
  writing

your career _______

• When you know what you want to achieve, you are
  more likely to achieve it!

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Becoming a Teacher
Getting Started

• Set a Career Goal
• A career goal is a clear, concise statement of
  what you want to accomplish in specific terms.
• Helps you move toward your goal
• Forms the base for identifying interrelated goals
  that will help you achieve it
• Think of the process like a _____
• Trunk main career goal
• ______ branches related goals
• Smaller branches ______ to achieve the related
  goals

• Outline the steps you need to complete your goals
• Determine the specific things you need to do to
  achieve each of these steps

• Consider possible ________ and how youll get by
  them

19
Becoming a Teacher
Getting Started

• Create a Portfolio
• Professional portfolios are used to showcase
  abilities and ______
• Used by artists, photographers, architects,
  designers, and writers but can be used in _____
  professions
• Becoming increasingly common in _________
• Used in addition to written résumés
• Visual résumés expand on and give visual evidence
  to back up the ________ résumé
• Now is the time to start developing a personal
  portfolio for teaching

A personal portfolio is an organized collection
of materials and information that shows how
personal knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
have developed over time.
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Becoming a Teacher
Getting Started

• Create a Portfolio
• Should include materials and ________ that
  illustrate your learning, accomplishments,
  strengths, and best work
• Pieces included in a portfolio are sometimes
  called _________
• Artifacts might include
• _________ or papers prepared for class
• Examples from volunteer work
• Academic _________
• Shows how your knowledge, thinking, and skills
  are

growing

• Source of personal reflection, such as a visual
  journal

21
Becoming a Teacher

• Have a clear _________
• Record and highlight your experiences and
  abilities
• NOT a ___________ about your life
• Reflect your uniqueness
• Should not be the _______ as anyone in your class
• Include different artifacts
• Show your __________
• Identify and date items
• Include a statement about each item and why its
  meaningful and what it demonstrates
• Make sure your portfolio is __________

Characteristics of Effective Portfolios

• Reflect professionalism

• Well-organized, neat, and easy to understand
• Should be error free (have it proofread)

22
Becoming a Teacher
What Should You Include in Your Portfolio?

• Portfolios vary but should include
• Basic information about yourself (name and year
  in school)
• _____ focusing on your career goals and personal
  interests
• Projects, assignments, or examples that display
  your skills
• Journal entries about your experiences related to
  teaching
• List of high school _________ taken
• List of community activities and community
  service
• Information about ______ youve had
• Academic recognition (letters, certificates, or
  honors)
• Leadership positions you have held or
  demonstrated
• Documentation on _________ skills (ex foreign
  language or

exceptional computer skills)
Look for the Add to Your Portfolio section at the
end of each chapter
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Becoming a Teacher
Using Your Portfolio?

• Its easy to lose track of what youve done and
  the importance of individual activities
• Portfolios help you ________ these important
  components and show how youve changed, grown,
  and what youve learned from the experiences
• Can be used to gain part-time __________
• Colleges and universities often use them to
  assess students levels of knowledge and
  experience when applying to teacher ___________
  programs
• Starting a portfolio now will assist you in
  building a solid __________ that can move with
  you through your college career

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Becoming a Teacher
_________ Portfolios

• An alternative to an actual physical portfolio
• Benefits include
• Information can be easily stored, transported,
  and accessed
• Can be shared electronically
• Demonstrate creators __________skills
• A philosophy of teaching is a _________ statement
  about your thoughts, views, and values as they
  relate to teaching
• Helps you think seriously about your current
  ideas and beliefs

Develop Your Philosophy of Teaching

• Gives others insight into what is ________ to you
• Can be updated or rewritten to reflect ________
  in thinking

25
Becoming a Teacher

• Can be used when __________ to a college teacher
  preparation program
• May be used when applying for your first teaching
  position
• Most ________ part of writing your philosophy of
  teaching is to ________ your thoughts, or put
  them into words
• Made easier by starting with ________
• Use language that everyone will understand
• Use a first-person or __ perspective
• Keep it short (__-__ paragraphs for students)

Develop Your Philosophy of Teaching
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Becoming a Teacher
Develop Your Philosophy of Education

• Questions to guide you in writing
  your philosophy statement

Develop Your Philosophy of Teaching
The following questions can help you in
developing your personal philosophy of teaching.
Think about each of them, and jot down your
thoughts. Your philosophy statement may include
some, but not necessarily, all of these points.

• Why do you want to teach?
• What characteristics make a teacher effective?
• How do students learn?
• What is an ideal classroom?
• What should the relationship between teacher and
  student be?
• What motivates students to learn?
• What should be the primary goal of a teacher?
• Who is the best teacher you have ever known?
  What made him or her so special?
• What is the most important role of a teacher?

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End of Chapter Two
Review Date _____________ TEST Date
______________