Teachers Best Practices

Author: Adam

  • Is a University Degree All It’s Cracked Up to Be?

    University used to be something that people rarely went to, but for the last twenty years or so, it has come to be viewed as a right of passage. Whether or not it is right for all people is doubtful however, although at the very least it is necessary for a number of different industries.

    The situation as it stands right now is that millions of young adults around the world enter university every year, but unless you’ve got a very clear strategy of where you want to work and in what field, then you could end up wasting your money and time on university studying. This time could be better spent learning a vocational career in an apprenticeship like situation, or just in work.

  • Teaching in the UK

    Moving to the UK to work as a teacher has a fair number of implications that you need to be aware of. What you need to bear in mind when you emigrate to a foreign country to work as a teacher is that you’re not just going to be exposed to a new culture but also a whole new employment system and a different style of education you’ll need to adapt to. You may also need to get re-qualified for a teaching position before you’ll be able to take a position as a teacher in a school.

    One of the best things that you can do when moving to foreign country is to join groups which offer advice, support and people to socialise with before you even arrive. This can be done through the various ex-pat associations that you’ll find in your new home. If you get in touch with a teaching recruitment agency in Canada recruiting teachers to work in the UK, then they should also be able to help you in this area too.

  • Scheme Encouraging Students to Become Teachers in the UK has Worked

    The UK, like a lot of places, goes through tremendous efforts to encourage students from some of the top universities in the world to enter a career in teaching at state schools (in every other country known as public and, this time anyway, it has worked.

    Over the last twelve years, the number of students from either Oxford or Cambridge (the top two universities in the UK) working as teachers has nearly doubled, and the profession is the most common career for all Oxford graduates.

    While this is all a good thing, the evidence still shows that teachers from these schools are more than 3 times as likely to work in an independent school than a state run school, although the gap between the two has lessened.

    The UK has introduced a number of benefits for skilled people to become teachers, including higher wages, bursaries for their university training and more. All of this has seen a marked increase in the number of students from top universities becoming teachers.

  • Encouraging Students to Become Teachers

    Finding highly skilled teachers can be quite difficult. This is basically down to the relatively low pay people can expect to receive for teaching in certain areas, such as those whom have degrees in maths and sciences (where careers in industry with these skills can pay considerably more). Often times what ends up happening is lower skilled individuals end up taking on careers in the teaching profession, which sometimes translates into worse standards in education in those subjects.

    There are things that can and in some cases are being done to encourage some of the more highly skilled math and science university students to enter a career in teaching, including additional funding for their university degrees. This system is reminiscent of what is offered by the military for certain professions (such as a medical education), whereby additional funding is supplied to their education in return for a commitment of a set period. So, by agreeing to become a teacher for a few years, you could end up receiving a significant contribution to your own education.

     

  • 4 Reasons You Should Teach Abroad

    If you are someone who enjoys travelling, and have a desire to teach or to help students abroad, then pursuing overseas teaching jobs may be a great option for you. Now is also a great time to do so, because the market is booming for teachers overseas. There are many great reasons that providing overseas education is a great opportunity for you to grow as a person, as well as professionally. There are also endless benefits for the children whose lives you are influencing. With that being said, here are 4 great reasons why you should consider teaching abroad!

    1. Prime Benefits

    You could very well land a decent salary with a great benefits package if you choose to teach in a foreign country. Your financial benefits may include housing, health insurance, retirement funds, and additional allowances. Not to mention, teaching abroad is a great resume booster for the new graduate teachers, students, or those who are looking for a change of pace, or career enhancement. Demonstrating that you are flexible and adaptable to change is a major advantage in your career. (more…)

  • Using Search Engines in Exams?!

    An interesting idea has been put forward that argues that one day it may be a good idea to actually allow students to use search engines during exams. This of course has a number of interesting implications and would certainly require a complete overhaul in the way exams are constructed.

    Exams serves the function of examining somebody’s capabilities pertaining to a specific set of skills or a specific subject matter. It does this by testing you on two different areas; your ability to memorise relevant facts and the degree to which you understand those facts, their implications and potentially on how they can be implemented. If we were to allow the use of search engines and therefore knowledge databases such as wikipedia, you almost entirely eliminate the need to memorise facts, leaving only the ability to test based upon their understanding of those facts.

    The arguments for and against basically stem from a discussion over how important memorising facts is, now that everyone has access to limitless information at any time. Those against will argue that memorising facts is still an important part of every role everywhere, while those for argue that this may not be the case, and knowing facts doesn’t necessarily indicate competency.