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How do you pass the Teacher Preparation Program?
#teacher #education #teaching #educator
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Aaron’s Answer
Hey Anderson,
Teacher Prep Programs take on a variety of different forms depending on your state and and which entity you choose to complete a program through. In many cases, teacher preparation programs take place within a college setting: an undergraduate program. Within those 4 years, you'll be able to take all the classes you'd need to learn about the career and move through the process toward getting a teaching license. No matter which state you are in, you will have to become licensed to teach at a public school.
Most undergraduate programs for education will require a full-course load and a reasonable GPA (many only require you to keep it above 2.5). You should aim not only to pass your classes but save up the valuable information given to you which will become applicable when you begin your career. Most programs often have a balance between in-class learning and hands-on experience through (a practicum or student teaching semester). Again, these are valuable opportunities for you to learn what it takes to be a teacher. And then some of these courses will have a culminating project for you to apply some of the things you have learned in the coursework. Usual bigger projects in these programs could look like: a submission of lesson/unit plans you create, a portfolio of work throughout a semester, a video submission of a recorded lesson you taught, a formal observation, and/or a survey filled out by a mentor teacher.
Additionally, people who have already attended college and completed an associates or bachelor's degree program can return to college for post-baccalaureate work. Often times, a teaching certification can be earned in just 18 months or 2 years through this route with many of the same requirements as the program mentioned above.
To find out more, you probably want to dig into resources for your specific state. I noticed you are located in California so I posted a link for that below, but other states will have this information as well easily found through a web search.
Go to https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/teach to learn more about becoming a teacher in CA (or you can web search for another state).
Choose a specific college, navigate to their website, and read through their education programs - most info can be found on the web.
Teacher Prep Programs take on a variety of different forms depending on your state and and which entity you choose to complete a program through. In many cases, teacher preparation programs take place within a college setting: an undergraduate program. Within those 4 years, you'll be able to take all the classes you'd need to learn about the career and move through the process toward getting a teaching license. No matter which state you are in, you will have to become licensed to teach at a public school.
Most undergraduate programs for education will require a full-course load and a reasonable GPA (many only require you to keep it above 2.5). You should aim not only to pass your classes but save up the valuable information given to you which will become applicable when you begin your career. Most programs often have a balance between in-class learning and hands-on experience through (a practicum or student teaching semester). Again, these are valuable opportunities for you to learn what it takes to be a teacher. And then some of these courses will have a culminating project for you to apply some of the things you have learned in the coursework. Usual bigger projects in these programs could look like: a submission of lesson/unit plans you create, a portfolio of work throughout a semester, a video submission of a recorded lesson you taught, a formal observation, and/or a survey filled out by a mentor teacher.
Additionally, people who have already attended college and completed an associates or bachelor's degree program can return to college for post-baccalaureate work. Often times, a teaching certification can be earned in just 18 months or 2 years through this route with many of the same requirements as the program mentioned above.
To find out more, you probably want to dig into resources for your specific state. I noticed you are located in California so I posted a link for that below, but other states will have this information as well easily found through a web search.
Aaron recommends the following next steps:
I agree with this! I did not become a teacher the traditional way. I completed an alternative certification program in Texas using my Bachelors degree! I was in the program for a year. I paid program fees and testing fees and it took me 1 school year to complete. I had to complete coursework for the program while I was teaching. It was a huge time commitment, but worth it in the end. Try to find out more information about this in your state. Good luck!
Brittany Williams
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Zahid’s Answer
It depends on what route you are pursuing the teaching from.
The normal route is via college education. Bachelor’s degree programs at institutions that have been accredited by one of the regional accreditation agencies are generally acceptable as a starting point for earning teacher certification in California (and other states). Accreditation is overseen by the US Department of Education but works on a regional scale. In addition to taking college classes with teaching as your major, there is also clinical teaching or student teaching that is often part of the educational degree program.
When I did my Master in teaching, we had to do clinical teachings in addition to the normal class load. The teaching placement was at different schools, both private and public. We were assigned a Mentor teacher we worked with and taught classes relevant to our specialization, such as math, IT, business, etc.
If a person doesn't have a teaching degree but would still like to pursue teaching as a career then alternative certification routes are available. Alternative teacher certification is the term used for a certification earned by an educator outside of a traditional college program. When hiring a potential educator for a K-12 teaching position, the state’s department of education needs proof that that person knows how to teach their subject matter and manage a classroom. Typically, a degree in education is that proof.
If a person did not major in education when attending college, but instead worked in the private sector, and later wants to become a teacher, they have 2 options. They can return to school for a Master’s degree in education or a secondary Bachelor’s degree, a costly endeavor that can take 2-4 years to complete. Or, they can certify through an alternative teacher certification program.
Alternative teacher certification programs prepare future educators for the classroom by reviewing the subject matter the educator will teach and instructing the future educator on the basics of teaching, from lesson plans to disciplining (also known as pedagogy).
Once a prospective educator completes their alternative teacher certification program, they apply with the Department of Education in their state for a teaching position. The state Department of Education ensures the educator meets all state standards before being placed in a classroom.
Before I went for my Master in teaching, I went through alternative certification program. About half the classes were done online that you could do at your own pace and the others were done in person. In addition, we had to study and take a test in the subject we wanted to teaching. For example, if you want to teaching in middle school then passing an individual 4-8 subject area- like Science 4-8- will allow you to teach in just that specific content area.
As for prepping and passing the content exams. There are test prep books available from publishers in this field that you can buy and study from. In addition to your content subject exam, there is a Pedagogy exam that everyone has to take to get their teaching license.
The following link gives more information relevant to California residents. It also has links to information for other states as well.
https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/certification/california/
The normal route is via college education. Bachelor’s degree programs at institutions that have been accredited by one of the regional accreditation agencies are generally acceptable as a starting point for earning teacher certification in California (and other states). Accreditation is overseen by the US Department of Education but works on a regional scale. In addition to taking college classes with teaching as your major, there is also clinical teaching or student teaching that is often part of the educational degree program.
When I did my Master in teaching, we had to do clinical teachings in addition to the normal class load. The teaching placement was at different schools, both private and public. We were assigned a Mentor teacher we worked with and taught classes relevant to our specialization, such as math, IT, business, etc.
If a person doesn't have a teaching degree but would still like to pursue teaching as a career then alternative certification routes are available. Alternative teacher certification is the term used for a certification earned by an educator outside of a traditional college program. When hiring a potential educator for a K-12 teaching position, the state’s department of education needs proof that that person knows how to teach their subject matter and manage a classroom. Typically, a degree in education is that proof.
If a person did not major in education when attending college, but instead worked in the private sector, and later wants to become a teacher, they have 2 options. They can return to school for a Master’s degree in education or a secondary Bachelor’s degree, a costly endeavor that can take 2-4 years to complete. Or, they can certify through an alternative teacher certification program.
Alternative teacher certification programs prepare future educators for the classroom by reviewing the subject matter the educator will teach and instructing the future educator on the basics of teaching, from lesson plans to disciplining (also known as pedagogy).
Once a prospective educator completes their alternative teacher certification program, they apply with the Department of Education in their state for a teaching position. The state Department of Education ensures the educator meets all state standards before being placed in a classroom.
Before I went for my Master in teaching, I went through alternative certification program. About half the classes were done online that you could do at your own pace and the others were done in person. In addition, we had to study and take a test in the subject we wanted to teaching. For example, if you want to teaching in middle school then passing an individual 4-8 subject area- like Science 4-8- will allow you to teach in just that specific content area.
As for prepping and passing the content exams. There are test prep books available from publishers in this field that you can buy and study from. In addition to your content subject exam, there is a Pedagogy exam that everyone has to take to get their teaching license.
The following link gives more information relevant to California residents. It also has links to information for other states as well.
https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/certification/california/