co-workers

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

Master Teachers

MEMBERS

3 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Master Teachers Chatboard

co-workers

by once burned; twice shy

Mar 29, 2010

I am a new special ed teacher, and I have found myself a little hesitant at times in front of other teachers, because I don't want to look stupid. I got my teaching certificate through an Alternative Certification Program, and there was very little focus on specific methods of teaching specific subjects. I can always explain math or help in reading, but I want to make sure I am explaining things the same way the other teachers are, so that I am not confusing the kids. Where can I turn to learn methods?

Comment

(1)

report post

veteran alt. cert. teacher On 3/29/10, once burned; twice shy wrote: > I am a new special ed teacher, and I have found myself a > little hesitant at times in front of other teachers, > because I don't want to look stupid. I got my teaching > certificate through an Alternative Certification Program, > and there was very little focus on specific methods of > ...See MoreOn 3/29/10, once burned; twice shy wrote: > I am a new special ed teacher, and I have found myself a > little hesitant at times in front of other teachers, > because I don't want to look stupid. I got my teaching > certificate through an Alternative Certification Program, > and there was very little focus on specific methods of > teaching specific subjects. I can always explain math or > help in reading, but I want to make sure I am explaining > things the same way the other teachers are, so that I am > not confusing the kids. Where can I turn to learn methods?

In my state, there is no standard body of courses that state- certified teachers take so there is no standard body of knowledge they have or any standard way to explain things to kids. Your state may be better organized but please take my assurance that your colleagues are not explaining things to kids all in the same way. Nor even if they were should you assume that way would also work for you and your kids.

Explain to the kids in the way that works for you and them. Did every teacher you ever had explain things in the same way as all the other teachers?

Read these boards and you'll see there is no standard way to teach Social Studies - in fact, recent posts on several of the board are a discussion of just that - how best to teach Social Studies? The fact that the answers to the question can vary widely should tell you once again - there is no standard way to explain things.

In fact, when I teach I try to find as many different ways to explain things as possible - especially when I teach math but also when I teach history. "Well, let's look at it like this", "let's try explaining it this way," here's another way to try to understand it, kids" "Ok, I'll explain it again but this time I'm going to say to you..."

Don't worry about being Alt Cert - for all of time all teachers were 'alt cert' - there was no 'cert' until very recently in history. And the 'cert' process is different from state to state - does that mean some states are better at 'certing' their teachers than others?

Teachers can look askance at 'alt. cert' but that's because they think we somehow cheated the system, didn't pay our dues, who are we anyway and - the teachers' unions don't like us at all. They prefer sheep like followers and anything alternative makes them worry they'll be a decrease in dues coming in.

Are your methods working for you? The worst classes I took when I tried to 'cert' the normal way were the methods classes - they made no sense and were taught by people who'd never taught at any level but the college level - and they weren't using the 'methods' they purported to teach us. Methods classes are a bunch of nonsense.

Teaching is learned on the job - nowhere else. You can learn your subject matter in the classroom and should but some of the worst teachers I've ever seen were excellent students in their 'methods' courses.

But here's a site with a list of 'teaching methods' but the list isn't exactly at the rocket science level of complexity.

[link removed]

Punch 'teaching methods' in google and watch the gobbletygoogle come up.

Mar 29, 2010

report post