College of Education Degree Plan

http://www.houghton.edu

 

As every other degree plan starts, you take your core classes like College Algebra, History, Science and English your first freshmen and sophomore years of college. Then your Junior and Senior year of school you take courses that pertain to only your major. As an education major, things are a little different. You start off taking your core classes then you take the classes that pertain to your major, but then there is a hump that no one really tells you about until you get to that point. Once you have taken your classes that pertain to your major, in order for you to move on to the next set of courses which are your Curriculum and Instruction courses you have to apply to the College of Education. Applying to the college of Education can be very stressful, because you have to make sure you have all of your prerequisite classes. You also  have to get a background check, and go through the interview process. Yes I know it sounds stressful and trust me it is if you do not have everything you need. The downfall of not having all of your stuff together is that it pushes you back another semester, because you can only take two of them a semester. If you are struggling with a specific prerequisite class that also can hold you back.  As for me I have to be in school for two more semesters because I had to retake college algebra a couple of times. I passed it and have finally got admitted into the College of Education, but it does not just stop there. After being admitted you still have more things to do like, prepare to take your certification test, complete observation hours and apply to student teaching. I must say to the people looking from the outside in, that being an education major is not easy and we definitely do not have an easy degree plan like other majors.

The Best Professor

If you have not taken Dr. Warsame as a professor I suggest you take her for at least one of your Early childhood education courses. I have taken her for majority of my early child hood education courses and overall she is one of the best professors I’ve had. I would give her five stars.  She is dedicated to her profession and cares about the education of her students.She is very passionate about what she does and wants to make sure that all of her students are prepared to go in the classroom and teach once they graduate. In her class not only will you learn about the course but you will also learn about what it really takes to be a teacher.  In one of her classes we had to do a lesson plan and teach it to the class. I enjoyed this assignment because it gave  me a feel of how it will be in the classroom especially with my classmates pretending to be  elementary school students. This along with many of the other assignments have taught me a lot. I also like the way Dr. Warsame runs her class. Since we are going to be teachers she has a dress code that her class must follow. She does this because she wants us to get in the habit of dressing professional for class. If you want to earn an A in her class, you have to  not only show up to class but,you have to do the work, study, participate in classroom discussions and come to classed dressed for success.  After taking one of her Early Child education classes you would of learn the skills and knowledge you need for being an effective teacher. Overall Dr. Warsame is excellent professor and she puts her heart into her classes.

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Classrooms are Becoming more Technical

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Here in the twenty-first century technology is becoming more and more advanced, and teachers are allowing them to be used in the classroom. According to an article from USA today, “73% of Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers said their students use cell phone in the classroom or to complete assignments, according to Pew research Center study release in February” (Aug 2013).

Teachers have been taking advantage of using technology in the classroom. One school District says the teacher allowed the use of  cellphones in the classroom to call other classmates and practice speaking French to them (Aug. 2013).  With schools allowing the use of cellphones in the classroom comes with many pros and cons. The good thing about the use of technology being used in the classroom is that it gives students a diverse way of learning. Its also allows student to explore the different ways technology can be used. However, there also many disadvantages that come with technology being used in the classroom. Higgins stated that  the use has also “created worries about cheating, visiting inappropriate websites, sexting or overuse” (USA Today 2013). Some also believe that not every child will own a cellphone or some form of technology. So when the students are allowed to use technology in class some students my feel left out. This situation can also lead to many problems in the classroom.

If schools continue to  ban technology from the classroom students will try to sneak and use it. So the best thing for most school districts to do is to allow the use of technology to be used in the classroom. Teachers can incorporate technology in their lesson plans for the students.  School districts would also have to train teachers on how to use technology in the classroom. Before we know it technology use in the classroom will become the norm for students and teachers all over the United States.

 

The Test the Determines Everything

What is it?

With me getting closer to graduation and taking my upper level classes. A lot of my professors have been  telling me about this test we have to take. What exactly is this test that all of my professors keep telling me about? Well it happens to be our certification test, which is a big deal in the teaching world.  This test consist of different competencies and domains that we have to know as a teacher. Depending on your concentration that you want to teach, it consist of the subjects Math, English Language Arts, Reading, Science, Social Studies and Fine Arts.

Is This test hard?

Well it surely isn’t your normal test. But I don’t think it is  hard as long as you buckle down and study, attend the review sessions, and create a study group. With the new changes to the test you only get five times in your entire life time to take it. I would not hope that with all the studying and review sessions that you attend you would not  have to take the test five times.

Preparing to Take the Test.

To prepare me and my fellow classmates for this test. Most of my professors require us to work on Certify Teacher to get practice. They also require to get at least a 290 on the Representative test before going in to take the real thing. The Representative test is like the practice test that looks like the real test. My professors also have include things that are going to be on the test in their lectures. What I am doing to prepare myself to take the representative test in a couple months is working in Certify Teacher and I plan on attending all of the review sessions once they are posted.

This test is big deal for education majors. You have to be certified in order to teach in any public school in Texas. If you plan on graduating certified and with a job. Then it is important to take this test seriously.

Here are some links to study and get material for the test.

Certify Teacher

T-cert

This is the book that you can use to study.

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Becoming a Teacher.

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I enjoy working with kids and have always had a passion for working with them. As I began to take courses that pertain to my major, I have learned that there are a lot of qualities that come with being a teacher. A teacher has to be caring, understanding, organized, creative, nurturing,  and the list goes on. Being a teacher is not just a normal  nine to five job that you go to everyday with paid vacations and summers. You are setting the foundation for the students. Elementary school teachers are the first that students come across,  and you are leaving an impact on each and every one of their lives. Some students will remember you for the rest of their lives.

I have learned that not only are we getting up everyday going in to teach, but also that  some students are coming in everyday to learn with so much going at home. It is important to be understanding as a teacher because we do not know what is going on in the lives of our students at home.  Our job as teachers is to make sure that every student learns something when they leave your classrooms.

While there are many who want to become a teacher for all the right reasons, there are  some people who choose teaching as their career for all the wrong reasons. Some choose to be a teacher because they think its easy, and they like the benefits that come with being a teacher. As a teacher you work on a salary, which means your check is spread out through out the year. This means you get paid summers and winter breaks. I mean who doesn’t want that. Did I mention that teachers also get weekends off?   But if that is the only reason people chose to become a teacher, then you should  reconsider your decision.