# Teaching > General Teaching >  Need Help with Teaching Application

## Countess

The application process for Florida is cumbersome and one never knows if one needs to do more or less for it to be "complete", but that's beside the point.

I have a questionnaire with 6 questions which I need to fill out, although I don't know the answers they're looking for. Can any of you help me with ideas?

1. What kind of students do you like to work with?
2. How would you individualize instruction for students?
3. What activities would you like to work with in our school?
4. What classroom management techniques have you used?
5. Describe the reasons why you would contact parents?
6. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum?

MUCHOS GRACIAS in advance!

C

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## SleepyWitch

er, does this mean you want to become a teacher?

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## Countess

Hi Sleepywitch,

Yes I do! Ideally I'd like to get my PHD and teach college. (-:

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## SleepyWitch

er, sorry if I'm not being particularly helpful, I'm just trying to figure out what your situation is so i can give _relevant_ advice
so, you're applying to become a high school teacher?
have you ever worked as a teacher before?
have you taken any teacher training?
are you applying to become a full-fledged teacher or to be accepted on a teacher training scheme?




> 1. What kind of students do you like to work with?
> 2. How would you individualize instruction for students?
> 3. What activities would you like to work with in our school?
> 4. What classroom management techniques have you used?
> 5. Describe the reasons why you would contact parents?
> 6. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum?


*2. How would you individualize instruction for students?*
you could individualize instruction according to your pupils abillities.. e.g. when you give them handouts/exercises those who are already perfect at "exercise number 1" could skip that one and go straight to "number 2" or whichever they're not yet perfect at. 
your gifted students could do advanced work on their own or in groups because they'd get bored with revising the same old stuff all over again and wouldn't learn anything new.
The less gifted or slow ones should first practice basic skills before they are confronted with more advanced stuff... but it's important to keep them motivated... i.e. give them exercises that emphasise their strengths (if you think they don't have any strenghts, keep looking for them, there's got to be _something_ they're good at. if there isn't, pretend there was  :Biggrin:  )

you can also do group work with mixed ability groups... the important point with mixed ability groups is to give them tailor-made sub-tasks,though... so even if they work on one task together, you have to split it up into easier and more difficult parts, so there's something for every kid to do.
otherwise there will be a group leader (=the same students who participate all the time anyway) who will do all the work while the others sit back.
or the group leader will reluctantly do all the work but will become arrogant and look down on his 'stupid' group mates.

*5. Describe the reasons why you would contact parents?*
Sleepy's personal view: you should not contact pupils' parents withouth warning the pupil in question beforehand. this would totally betray your student's trust... so if there's e.g. a behavioural problem, try to sort it out with the student first. 
it's different when you suspect the student is causing serious harm to himself or others (e.g. beating kids up, taking drugs...). but even in this case you should talk to the student first and make it clear to him/her that you want to help him and would like to talk to his parents so you can all sort it out together.





*6. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum?*
er, not sure what this question means... does 'technology' mean overhead projector, power point presentation, lecturing, watching films etc?
if it does then the answer is:

there are three general areas in which you can use 'media'/'technology' in teaching

*
1. using media as a tool for teaching some other subject*
there should always be a clear reason and a specific PURPOSE why you use tranparencies/powerpoint/films...
e.g. when you use a film, there's got to be something in it which you wouldn't have been able to describe using words.  
when you use photographs, it's got to be clear to the students WHAT it is they are looking at/ what it is you want to draw their attention to. --> 
either have your students describe in their own words what they are seeing or explain to them what is important about the picture

e.g. when you show them a picture of the Globe Theater, don't just say "Oh yeah, and here's a pic of the Globe Theater, just so you've seen it" but have them describe what the stage looked liked/explain it to them.

when you watch a film with them, give them a catalogue of questions FIRST and talk the questions over before you watch the film. this way they can look out for the important bits... otherwise they'll just 'consume' it or go to sleep without learning anything.

if you use powerpoint, don't use it to just display pages and pages of writing which you could just as well have written down on a handout.
use it to show things you can't show on a handout, e.g. photos, multi-colour graphs, flow-charts etc.

NEVER USE 'TECHNOLOGY' FOR TECHNOLOGIES SAKE, THERE'S GOT TO BE A PURPOSE BEHIND USING IT

of course, you can also show them a film as a reward at the end of the term (when nobody does any work anyway), but this should be the exception rather than the rule


*2. teaching your students how to use 'media'/'technology'*
= teaching them presentation skills, e.g. how to structure information on a handout or transparancy, how and when to use powerpoint etc.
*
3. teaching students about how to deal with modern mass media
*
= teaching them about the advantages and problems of madd media like TV, the internet etc... e.g. the difference between reality and fiction, how TV influences our life styles, the difference between quality news and infotainment etc...
the purpose of this is to make them more independent and enable them to 'consume' modern mass media critically


hope it helps

(  :Banana:  *beating my chest* DONG DONG everybody look at me, I'm the king of pedagogy, yeah i know it don't rhyme, but no-one's brain's as big as mine, yeah hey, hipedeehop :Sick:  )

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## nps_marina

Wow, sleepyhead!!!

I scanned through your reply... not really read it... but hey!!! That's quite an effort you put there!!!

As for me, Countess... I've no idea how to help. But good luck!

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## genoveva

> The application process for Florida is cumbersome and one never knows if one needs to do more or less for it to be "complete", but that's beside the point.
> 
> I have a questionnaire with 6 questions which I need to fill out, although I don't know the answers they're looking for. Can any of you help me with ideas?
> 
> 1. What kind of students do you like to work with?
> 2. How would you individualize instruction for students?
> 3. What activities would you like to work with in our school?
> 4. What classroom management techniques have you used?
> 5. Describe the reasons why you would contact parents?
> ...


Sleepywitch has given some great advice although I differ on the "contacting parents" question. It is of course, best to work it out with the student, but I hate to resort to threats such as, "if you don't.....then I'll call your parents".

Instead of looking for the answers they "want", why not try answering honestly. What type of students DO you like to work with? Is there really one right answer? If so, then it must be all.

The individualized instruction is much more complex. There are books out there on learning styles and differentiating instruction to help you. I'd hate to see you just answer the questions "correctly" and avoid actually learning how do integrate the information above into your teaching.

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## nps_marina

Okay, I just noticed I wrote sleepyhead when it should have been sleepywitch... *blushes furiosly*
sorry!

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## SleepyWitch

> Okay, I just noticed I wrote sleepyhead when it should have been sleepywitch... *blushes furiosly*
> sorry!


never mind  :Smile:  sleepyhead is a much truer description of my state at any given point in time anyway  :Smile:

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## Schokokeks

> hope it helps


It looks like _somebody on this board_  :Wink:  is going to be a very competent teacher  :Nod: .

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## SleepyWitch

> It looks like _somebody on this board_  is going to be a very competent teacher .


thanks Schoky.. 
hehe, there's got to be some point in taking those stupid Education exams  :Smile:

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## Schokokeks

> hehe, there's got to be some point in taking those stupid Education exams


Yes, but not with all of the _candidates_ who take them  :Wink: .

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## Countess

> er, sorry if I'm not being particularly helpful, I'm just trying to figure out what your situation is so i can give _relevant_ advice
> so, you're applying to become a high school teacher?
> have you ever worked as a teacher before?
> have you taken any teacher training?
> are you applying to become a full-fledged teacher or to be accepted on a teacher training scheme?


Thanks so much!, Sleepywitch! My head is spinning now. Sorry I didn't get to this sooner - I am having a major problem with memory/attention span these days.

1. I plan to apply to become a teacher.
2. No
3. No.
4. I'm taking the SAE for English. Plan to teach, get the required education/certificate. Go on to get my Masters and PHD if God wills it.
I really want to teach college/people in love with reading/writing. That's my goal.

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## SleepyWitch

> I really want to teach college/people in love with reading/writing. That's my goal.


oh my poor Countess, you're so young and idealistic  :Biggrin:  
let me disillusion you a bit, for your own good  :Smile: 

if you have *50 students*
*10* out of them are "interested" as long as no serious work is involved
5 out of those participate in class
5 keep silent because they prefer to "keep a low profile" or don't want 
"draw too much attention to themselves"

*37* are studying your subject/taking your course, because it's the one they are _best_ suited for.. .but you don't want to know just how bad they are at all the other subjects

*3* are the really interested ones
out of those
1 studies hard because he/she puts pressure on him/herself to get good 
marks and is obsessed with the idea that it's his/her duty not to fail 
people
1 is generally not interested in anything, but there are some things he/she 
will do anyway. your course is one of those things
1 of them has a crush on you and by extension a crush on your subject

 :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:  if you can live with this and still smile everyday and spread optimism and be nice to _all_ of your students, you're a good teacher  :Smile:

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## Countess

> oh my poor Countess, you're so young and idealistic


Actually, I'm much worse: old and idealistic.  :FRlol:  

Your witty comment on my blog made me laugh. That's a major achievement, Sleepywitch. You are a woman of many talents.

Thanks for the realism, however. I do need at least one practical person around me so I don't float off into the clouds. (--:




> 1 studies hard because he/she puts pressure on him/herself to get good 
> marks and is obsessed with the idea that it's his/her duty not to fail


Well, there I am! Along with a burning desire to learn more about everything interesting - that's why I'm such a failure in life: I can't choose between interests. I want to be a weather/tornado/hurricane chaser, a psychiatrist, an English teacher, a writer, a backup dancer for Madonna, a physical trainer...

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## ELizabeth McC

> I can't choose between interests. I want to be a weather/tornado/hurricane chaser, a psychiatrist, an English teacher, a writer, a backup dancer for Madonna, a physical trainer...


Trust me, being an English teacher feels like all of the above at one time or another. An insider tip is to wear your funkiest clothes while doing it all  :Wink:

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## Countess

Elizabeth, I love Lovecraft (doesn't he have the perfect name for his occupation? The man truly loved his craft).

I'll check the journal out. Thanks.

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## SleepyWitch

> Trust me, being an English teacher feels like all of the above at one time or another. An insider tip is to wear your funkiest clothes while doing it all


yep funky clothes are a good idea. that way those students who don't understand what you are talking about and feel totally powerless on the intellectual level can at least b*tch about your clothes to blow off steam  :Biggrin:  
e.g. my favourite prof once wore black trousers, a white shirt (without a vest underneath!) and a dark purple woolly/felt/frizzy/whatever jacket with golden buttons. it looked like a womans' blazer and as if he'd nicked it off his grandma...
another time he wore poo-brown corduroy trousers and a pee-yellow short-sleeved shirt for a whole term running. the trousers were 2 sizes too large and kept sliding off his belly, so he kept re-adjusting them and tucking the shirt in (down to his knees, INSIDE the trousers) during lectures  :Biggrin:  
 :Blush:

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