About Education

This section provides information about the educational community, the different discipline focus' of educators, information about standards, and what the average work day for an educator is like.

Tips for Understanding Education:

See where your input can make a difference. Understand the types, amount, and depth of material required to effectively get the message across to students. This will vary among the grades you are addressing. Make sure you are aiming to hit the mark for the grades you are teaching.

See if you can review a copy of the textbook(s) the students may be using. Always strive to connect the things they are studying in school to a real world application. Give the students and teachers concrete examples, and whenever possible leave the teachers with written examples they can refer to and students with handouts and follow-ups.

The PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) or the PTO president is an avenue for gathering information about how parents are invited to interact with the school. For information about career fairs, you can contact the career guidance counselor at the school.

In addition to working in the classroom, try to regularly attend some teacher conferences and perhaps consider presenting a paper at one of these conferences maybe jointly publishing with a teacher. Take the time to learn about the classroom and the professional environment that characterizes the teaching profession.

Every classroom is different and every teacher has different methods of managing his/her classroom. For this reason, it is probably best to concentrate your efforts on working with one teacher rather than going into several classes. Relationship-building will work in your favor and over time your skills will improve and your efforts will be rewarded.

The Dos and Don'ts of Working With Students

Do
Try to observe classrooms first.
Work on breaking down technical language that you usually use with colleagues.
Work closely with teachers to learn pedagogy, to understand the diversity of students in activities.
Engage students in activities.
Treat content as a way to engage students in critical thinking.
Strive to become involved on a sustained basis.

Don't
Lecture.
Take on the role of pedantic expert.
Assume the classroom has abundant resources or equipment.
Expect to be of as much help or influence - at first - as you may have hoped to be; this will develop but gradually.