EDUC B24: Exploring the Teaching Profession

EDUC B24 Intro to Teaching

Exploring the teaching profession​

​Why do people become teachers?

Intrinsic Motivation

​•Most teachers experience intrinsic rewards when their students finally grasp a concept or skill that they have been trying to teach.

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•It is rewarding to bring students together as part of a learning community.

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•It is exciting to try to meet the needs of each individual student.

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•Teaching is never dull or boring and it is always changing.​

​Why do people become teachers?

Extrinsic Motivation​
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Extrinsic rewards come in the form of acknowledgments and praise from students, other teachers, administration, and parents.


Other extrinsic rewards are receiving promotions or awards.

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Another extrinsic reward is a paycheck. While there is a salary and benefits for teachers, money is not a real motivator. You don’t enter the teaching profession to get rich!

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of intrinsic rewards?

• Getting a raise

• Seeing a student progress and improve their reading skills

• Having a student say you are his favorite teacher

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of extrinsic rewards?

• Receiving a diploma/degree

• Learning a new skill

• Helping a student succeed

the teaching profession: pros and cons

​Pro/Con:
Teachers are bound by an ethical code as they serve the public. They are expected to be role models. School administrators, members of the school board, and state legislators usually set standards and rules for teachers.

Teachers need to remain active and involved in professional organizations at local, state, and national levels. You must recertify every few years to keep your credential valid.

Pro:

Teachers’ unions and teacher organizations provide professional development opportunities for teachers, help negotiate salary and benefit options, and advocate for the teaching profession.

Con:

Teaching doesn't end at 3:00 PM. Most teachers work nights and weekends to prepare for classes, grade student work, and get their classrooms in order.

Despite the many exams required to become a teacher, it is not viewed in the same class of professions as lawyers, doctors, engineers, and accountants

This graphic shows the most important reasons people went into teaching and why they chose to stay in teaching.


Do any of these answers surprise you?

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Reason	Description
Lifelong learning	Continuous opportunities for personal development
Making a difference	Impacting the lives of students positively
Job security	Relatively stable employment
Career Outlook	Positive prospects for career advancement
Transferable skills	Acquiring skills applicable in various fields
Building relationships	Forming meaningful connections with students
Contributing to society	Playing a role in societal development
Every day is different	Dynamic and varied daily experiences
Great for families	Work-life balance conducive for family life
Love for a subject	Teaching a subject you are passionate about
Loving Learning	Fostering a love for learning in students
Make an impact	Influencing and shaping the future
Role Models	Serving as positive role models for students
Teachers are in demand	High demand for qualified educators
Work independently	Autonomy and independence in teaching
Good salary	Competitive and satisfactory salary
Inspire the next generation	Motivating students to strive for success
Opportunities to learn	Continuous professional development opportunities
Passion for education	A deep passion and commitment to education
Share your passion	Sharing enthusiasm for a subject with students

Open Ended

Have you thought about why YOU want to be a teacher?

Consider some of these reasons and then write your response:

Job security, Inspire others, Motivated by another teacher, Make a difference, Help students who struggle, Have summers/holidays off, Get a paycheck, Seems like fun, Like to work with little kids, I'm not sure yet, Don't know what else to do, Share my knowledge of a subject, etc.

​teachers matter

Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling.

Many factors contribute to a student’s academic performance, including individual characteristics, family experience, and where they live. But research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, teachers are estimated to have two to three times the effect of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership.

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Open Ended

After watching this short video, write a few sentences about how teachers change lives. Then discuss how you hope to change lives as a teacher.

​What makes a teacher effective?

​Effective teachers are best identified by their performance, not by their background or experience.

​Effective teachers are not identified by where they went to school or how long they've been teaching. The best way to assess a teacher's effectiveness is to look at their classroom performance, including how they engage students and how much progress their students make in their learning.

Keep in mind that standardized tests do not measure all the outcomes that teachers are responsible for instructing, so measures based on test scores provide incomplete information about teachers’ effectiveness​.

​Reflection is an essential teaching practice.

Self-reflection means examining our learning and our work and using that insight to plan our future actions.

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Taking the time to consider how an activity, learning strategy, or assignment has helped you learn can enable you to identify what’s working, what’s not, and opportunities for improvement.

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Successful teachers reflect on the success of each lesson and make adjustments and improvements. This is one of the reasons we practice "Reflections" in our course.​

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Reflective Teaching Practice

​steps to become a teacher

1. High school diploma

2. College courses in education

3. Finish your Bachelor's Degree

4. Take credentialing courses

5. Participate in Student Teaching

6. Pass any required state tests

7. Obtain teaching credential

​What do Teacher Candidates Need to Do?

Students who have completed their bachelor’s degree are prepared for a license to teach. They must then complete state requirements by taking further education and credentialing courses, participating in field experience, and observing and/or working in schools.

Prior to licensure, teacher candidates must also practice teaching under the supervision of a certified teacher - this is called "student teaching." Some education/credential programs can be completed online, and some programs (like this one!) can be started at community colleges.

After these courses are complete, states have differing requirements for testing or experience before receiving a license or teaching credential. The U.S. Department of Education provides incentives to colleges that recruit, select, train, coach, mentor, and retain teachers in high-need, hard-to-staff school districts. In California, these are called Title I Schools.

Reorder

What are the steps to becoming a teacher?

Put the answers in the correct order:

• High school graduate

• College Courses in Education

• Earn a bachelor's degree

• Complete Student Teaching

• Obtain a teaching credential

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

​teacher salaries

As teachers further their educations and gain experience in the field, they receive pay increases that reflect their dedication and hard work. Salaries vary between school districts, but the following are some examples of the salaries you can expect in California: ​​

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Experience	Bachelor’s	Master’s
At 3 years	$49,815	$50,662
At 6 years	$52,094	$57,386
At 9 years	$58,818	$64,110
At 12 years	$66,118	$70,833

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​​•Shortage: There is a current teacher shortage in most states, including California. The shortage increased during the pandemic. As a result, teaching posititions are projected to grow 4.9% by 2028. That's more than 300,000 new job openings.

Multiple Choice

According to the previous chart, the average starting salary for a teacher in California is:

• $88,508

• $39,321

• $51,600

​Teaching Fields

Click here

If you are willing to teach math, science, English language learners, and students with disabilities, your opportunity of finding a job increases, since there is a shortage of teachers for those areas.

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It’s important to remember that the type of community you grew up in may not be the area that needs teachers the most. Highly qualified teachers are always in demand in districts all across the United States.

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​Teaching Fields

Click here

​Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)​

• The increase in federal funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs is the result of data showing that fewer than 50% of U.S. high school students are ready to take college-level math and fewer than 40% are ready for college-level science.

​Special Education

• Special education teachers teach students with mental, behavioral, sensory, physical, and learning disabilities. Their jobs are very demanding and the burnout rate is high.

• Urban school districts are in high demand for qualified special education teachers.

English Language Learners (ELLS)/Bilingual

• There is also a shortage of culturally and linguistically diverse educators

Multiple Select

Which fields in teaching are always in need? Choose all that apply.

• Social Studies

• Special Education

• Physical Education

• STEM

• English language learners

Multiple Select

All done - great work!

How did you like this Quizizz Reading Response? Please choose one answer.

• Loved it! I really enjoy this type of activity and would like to do it again.

• Liked it. It was a fun activity and I wouldn't mind doing it again.

• It was okay. I don't know if I really like this type of activity.

• Didn't like it. I prefer a different type of activity.