I'm a young, well-educated person. I read teaching blogs, I use the latest technology in my classroom... I'm doing my best to keep up with the rest of the world while working at a very traditional, restrictive school in the US. But I've noticed that the terminology we use doesn't always match up with what I hear from other people.
For example, I know Understanding by Design is a big thing right now. A month ago, if someone had asked me my experience with UbD, I wouldn't have been able to answer because I'd never heard the term before. But if they had said, "Tell us how you use backwards planning," or "How do assessment and performance indicators play a role in your teaching?" I would have described at least some aspects of the UbD model.
So I'm hoping you guys can help me out by making a list of terms I should know in order to be a successful, appealing candidate for an IS. If it helps you out, I'm elementary/English/library, and my husband is secondary Science (although they never ask him those jargon-riddled questions).
Glossary of Jargon & Trends
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BookshelfAmy
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:21 pm
Let me sneak in a secondary question: My current school is under a lot of scrutiny for not making adequate progress toward the goals set for us by the government. The administration responded this year by taking away most of our freedom in the classroom. We're required to use the basal & a prescriptive grammar textbook. Our assessments are made and scheduled for us. We teach each lesson in a prescribed order in a certain number of days, and it doesn't matter how it fits in with the other subjects.
So when recruiters ask me my experience with readers/writers workshops and thematic planning and stuff, should I just tell them the ways I do manage to sneak those things in and ignore the rest? Or should I be open about the situation and tell them that I'm not allowed to do most of that stuff at my current school?
I guess I'm worried that saying "I'm excited and ready to try new things" is not a good enough response when they want someone with experience.
So when recruiters ask me my experience with readers/writers workshops and thematic planning and stuff, should I just tell them the ways I do manage to sneak those things in and ignore the rest? Or should I be open about the situation and tell them that I'm not allowed to do most of that stuff at my current school?
I guess I'm worried that saying "I'm excited and ready to try new things" is not a good enough response when they want someone with experience.
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overseasvet2
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:50 pm
Advice
I would suggest that you be honest and be able to speak to the reader and writers' workshop models. We know about the current practices in some US schools so it will not come as a surprise to any recruiter.
If I were you I'd concentrate on incorporating good teaching practices into your conversations....it will soon become evident you know what you are doing. Equally important in international schools is flexibility and the desire to build relationships with students, parents and colleagues. Pedagogy is important but so are the "soft skills". Relax, exude caring for students, explain how you use formative assessments to guide instruction and you will be fine. You will also want to toss in specific examples of how you have differentiated for students at the far ends of the learning spectrum.
It is impossible to predict what recruiters will ask or what they are looking for. I have been asked my birth order in my family and the title of the most recent book I have read!
Do not forget to smile and keep your options open for locale. Good luck!
If I were you I'd concentrate on incorporating good teaching practices into your conversations....it will soon become evident you know what you are doing. Equally important in international schools is flexibility and the desire to build relationships with students, parents and colleagues. Pedagogy is important but so are the "soft skills". Relax, exude caring for students, explain how you use formative assessments to guide instruction and you will be fine. You will also want to toss in specific examples of how you have differentiated for students at the far ends of the learning spectrum.
It is impossible to predict what recruiters will ask or what they are looking for. I have been asked my birth order in my family and the title of the most recent book I have read!
Do not forget to smile and keep your options open for locale. Good luck!
Comment
Im glad overseasvet2 answered first because my advice is just the opposite. Id go into an interview prepared to respond to their questions as if you were at an affluent public school with highly talented students. If that means creating a fiction or lieing to do it, Id still do it.
See schools and recruiters are looking for "good fit". They already know your a good teacher, or else you wouldnt have gotten into the room. They are looking for teachers that are going to identify with their students and the issues involved in methodology and pedagogy attached to the demographics of their students. Talking about at risk interventions, and remediation is like "Prioritizing a discussion about the fuel economy of a Blackbird" (I actually heard this reference this last week, and have no idea what it means, but everyone else seemed to understand, so im rolling with it). The issues that exist in at risk inner city or failing schools are just non-existent. There arent gangs, or teen pregnancy, kids come from well adjusted homes, they arent abused, they have resources. Your students are generally eager and motivated to learn and perform. You need to show in the interview that you understand the environment and can contribute to the students success and school. How can you do that if your experiences arent applicable to their environment? Being forced to deliver a prescribed curriculum like a puppet isnt going to impress anyone, and after 30 minutes there going to move on to someone else because no matter how great you are, there is going to be a teacher whos a better fit, because they have "like" experiences.
Lets look at the IB program, having IB experience is very valuable, but the IBs program of inquiry based pedagogy isnt that revolutionary or a big secret. Most teachers during university get some training in it, and the methods and specifics arent rocket science. You could spend an afternoon reviewing the OCC and be OK for MYP, a weekend in your subject and youd be OK for DIP. PYP really takes some time to "unlearn" what you already knew, but the fundamental concepts arent hard. Still despite this many schools want teachers with prior IB experience. Its so important that prior IB experience can make the difference between an offer from a tier 1 instead of a tier 2 school.
If there is one thing to be knowledgeable about its inquiry based learning, as the entire IB program is based on it.
See schools and recruiters are looking for "good fit". They already know your a good teacher, or else you wouldnt have gotten into the room. They are looking for teachers that are going to identify with their students and the issues involved in methodology and pedagogy attached to the demographics of their students. Talking about at risk interventions, and remediation is like "Prioritizing a discussion about the fuel economy of a Blackbird" (I actually heard this reference this last week, and have no idea what it means, but everyone else seemed to understand, so im rolling with it). The issues that exist in at risk inner city or failing schools are just non-existent. There arent gangs, or teen pregnancy, kids come from well adjusted homes, they arent abused, they have resources. Your students are generally eager and motivated to learn and perform. You need to show in the interview that you understand the environment and can contribute to the students success and school. How can you do that if your experiences arent applicable to their environment? Being forced to deliver a prescribed curriculum like a puppet isnt going to impress anyone, and after 30 minutes there going to move on to someone else because no matter how great you are, there is going to be a teacher whos a better fit, because they have "like" experiences.
Lets look at the IB program, having IB experience is very valuable, but the IBs program of inquiry based pedagogy isnt that revolutionary or a big secret. Most teachers during university get some training in it, and the methods and specifics arent rocket science. You could spend an afternoon reviewing the OCC and be OK for MYP, a weekend in your subject and youd be OK for DIP. PYP really takes some time to "unlearn" what you already knew, but the fundamental concepts arent hard. Still despite this many schools want teachers with prior IB experience. Its so important that prior IB experience can make the difference between an offer from a tier 1 instead of a tier 2 school.
If there is one thing to be knowledgeable about its inquiry based learning, as the entire IB program is based on it.