Teachers Best Practices

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  • 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.

  • Is Teaching the Right Job For You?

    There is no doubt that one of the most important professions to any industrialised society is teaching, which is one of the reasons why there will always be a demand for more teachers. This offers great job security to people, but there are a number of other reasons why a career in teaching may be right for you.

    Teaching offers an above average starting wage, and the skills you learn to be able to teach a classroom and the experience you gain from just the first few years are applicable in a lot of other careers.

    A lot of careers require you to constantly keep your skills up to date, which can cost money. This is not the case with teaching though, as the government will offer you plenty of opportunities to learn new techniques.

    There are a lot of opportunities for teachers to advance there career as well, with perhaps your first position as an assistant teacher,you can then move all the way up the ladder to be a Head teacher / principal, or perhaps the head of a department. This is accompanied by a massive increase in wage as well, with many teachers in the UK ending their careers earning in excess of £40,000, and head teachers earning over £100,000.

  • Should Education Just Be Preparing Students For Work?

    There is a lot of debate throughout the world regarding the purpose of education. Some countries pursue an approach which requires students to specialise their education early on so that they are more capable in subjects which they can then pursue a career in, while others like the USA offer a more liberal approach to education for students, where they acquire a broad range of knowledge and skills which may or may not aid them in pursuing a career.

    If you were to ask people when they are 16 what they want to do with their life, most would tell you that they don’t really know. This would seem to support the liberal approach to education, but when you look at that approach in practice you see how a lot of people end up studying courses when there is no market for people with those skills.

  • Educating Within Nurseries

    Education for children begins when they’re born. Parents need to encourage their newborn babies to learn immediately, first with how to interact with other people, and then moving onto how to talk, then reading and writing. However, while there are many things that parents can do by themselves, there is a lot more to be gained by standardised education with trained professionals, of which their first introduction to is with nurseries.

    Nurseries serve an important function for child development for a number of reasons. They provide structure to children’s lives, a place for them to practice social skills with children their own age, and interaction and education with trained educators. They are also often the first opportunity for the child to experience being regularly separated from their parents, which while unpleasant for both the parent and child is very important.

    There are a number of different nurseries out there to choose from, and some will place greater emphasis on learning than others. These are likely to improve children’s academic outlook over the next couple of decades, but they can also lose something by missing out on a more balanced experience.

  • Training To Become a Teacher

    This can vary massively depending upon the location, the subject you’re teaching, and the age of the pupils being taught, but in most of them it will consist of some degree of in-work training and a university course.

    The in-work training can differ tremendously; from taking a position as a teaching assistant, where you begin to acquire the skills and understanding necessary to teach pupils in a specific; to starting off as a teacher in a probational role, where you have to contend with a lot of oversight. Sometimes this part of your training could take place during your teaching courses, and other times and locations it may well be after you’ve completed your university training.

    Depending upon the age group you’ll be teaching, you may be required to gain additional degrees beyond a teaching qualification. This isn’t always necessary, but it can lead to greater opportunities for teachers in work, with better pay and better opportunities for career advancement. Typically, degrees are unnecessary for teachers of primary / lower schools, and having an education in the subject matter to a high school level is all you’ll need.