Teacher Career Development
Aside from studying and attaining additional certifications, such as a teaching credential to teach kindergarten through 12th grade or a doctoral degree to teach at the university level, there are many methods open to a teacher to develop his career. Becoming a more effective teacher will open new career options, potentially increase salary and make daily functions more enjoyable.
Other People Are Reading
-
Career Development
-
Teacher career development has to do with job advancement, attitude/philosophy of teaching and job skills/knowledge. Most states and private schools require teachers to have at least a four-year degree from a recognized university, state certificate and pass drug and criminal background checks. Once a teacher is hired, to maintain their teaching certifications, there is a minimum requirement of continuous education. For example, there may be a yearly seminar that teachers must attend, where they are informed on new learning techniques and multimedia resources for the classroom. To teach at the college and university level, it is generally required to have an master's or doctoral degree. At this level, there are generally also requirements to publish books or academic articles to remain in good standing at the school. Aside from government requirements, as technology and educational theories develop, so must a teacher's knowledge and ability to implement them into the classroom.
Analyzing the Teacher
-
There are three main sources of teaching data: the teacher himself, students and peers. A teacher interested in improving his knowledge and skills can find educational books, classes and seminars to learn from. A teacher becomes better at teaching by asking himself questions, such as, "What are my strengths as a teacher?" "What are my limitations?," "Why do students like/dislike my courses? and "Do I see peers that are teaching more effectively than I am?"
-
Student Feedback
-
At the end of a semester, universities will often have students rank and evaluate their teachers. Informal rankings from students can be found at sites such as ratemyprofessors.com and ratemyteachers.com.
Student Data in Context
-
What a student says must be studied rather than simply taken at face value. Generally, students are young and may not be giving an objective, unbiased opinion. A large number of students with the same criticism may be an area to look into. Student's advice and reactions should be taken in context with other data. If many students say tests are too hard, and data shows that this teacher has more students getting poor grades than any other teacher, then student data may be considered justified.
Peer Review
-
One of the most effective methods for teachers to improve their skills, learn about mistakes they are making and get concrete advice is from peer reviews. Some schools have formal peer review processes where groups of teachers review course syllabi, assignments, tests and sit in on a class to analyze teaching ability. It is particularly helpful for teachers with fewer years experience to be watched by veterans and be offered tips and techniques to further develop their career skills.
-
References
- Photo Credit mother and daughter image by goce risteski from Fotolia.com
