Authored by Veronica Rowland, University of California Irvine Preparing for the Praxis Exam
Guidelines for Lesson Planning
Communicating with Parents
Classroom Management
Teacher "Voices from the Field"
Professional Development Resources Preparing for the Praxis Exam back to top
Before you can obtain a teaching license or certificate, you will be required to take some form of standardized testing. Although state requirements for teaching certification vary, most states require that teachers take part of the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers. The Praxis Series provides information for use by state education agencies in making licensing decisions. Colleges and universities may also use the basic academic skills assessments to qualify individuals for entry into teacher education programs. The three categories of assessments in The Praxis Series are:
1) Entering a teacher training program (Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments)
2) Licensure for entering the profession (Praxis II: Subject Assessments)
3) The first year of teaching (Praxis III: Classroom Performance Assessments).
Visit the links below for more information about the Praxis exams. Guidelines for Lesson Planning back to top
Developing well-prepared and thoughtful lesson plans is one of the most important aspects of instruction. With a well-planned "road map," teachers can set clear learning objectives and then provide students with learning experiences and resources necessary for reaching those outcomes. Although each school district typically offers its own lesson plan outline, most are similar. Review the items below for key components to keep in mind when developing your own lesson plans: - Goals/Objectives
Good lesson plans begin with identifying your goals and objectives.
What knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions do you want your students
to possess as a result of your lesson?
- Individual Differences
Whom will you be teaching? Grade level? Readiness levels? Interests?
Special needs? Learning styles?
- Materials
What materials will I need? How will materials be distributed, managed,
collected, and replaced (if necessary)?
- Time and Space
How much time do I have? In what ways can I arrange the classroom space
to better accommodate the lesson?
- Prior Knowledge
What do your students already know? Are you going to need to address
students' misconceptions?
- Instructional Strategies
What teaching methods will work best to achieve the objectives given
this group of students?
- Assessment
How will I know students have achieved the objectives? Which type of
assessment is most appropriate for this lesson or project? Traditional
testing? Performance assessment? Self- or peer assessment? What is my
scoring rubric?
The World Wide Web offers an abundance of high quality classroom activities in all academic subject areas. Visit the links below for examples of exemplary lesson plans and projects: - Education World: Lesson Planning Center
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/
These lessons are continuously updated with activities that reflect
current events and are archived by subject area.
- PBS Teacher Source
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/
Offers 3,000 standards-based lesson plans.
- Discovery School Lesson Plans Library
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/index.html
Provides lesson ideas in a broad range of traditional and non-traditional
subject areas, including contemporary studies, economics, and forensic
science.
- The Kennedy Center: ArtsEdge Teaching Materials
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/artsedge.html
Offers standards-based K-12 curriculum units, lesson plans, activities
that integrate the arts into academic subject areas.
- Scholastic: Lesson Plans and Activities
http://teacher.scholastic.com/resources/index.htm
In addition to lesson plans and projects, this site offers instructional
tools to create a classroom Web page and a teacher planning calendar.
- Teacher Vision: Lesson Plans
http://www.teachervision.com/tv/curriculum/lessonplans/index.html
Browse the lesson plan archive by topic, theme, or grade level.
- Smithsonian Institute Lesson Plans
http://educate.si.edu/lp/lp_fs.html
Features educational materials that emphasize inquiry-based learning
with primary sources and museum collections. Photographs and reproductions,
lesson plans guidelines, and links to other online resources are provided.
- TEAMS Electronic Classrooms
http://teams.lacoe.edu/
Offers numerous resources, including lesson plans, information for beginning
teachers, and links to online libraries.
- National Geographic: Education
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/
Provides lesson plans and projects with extensive supplemental materials,
including printable maps, online adventures, and digital and audio files.
- Apple Learning Interchange: K-12 Education
http://ali.apple.com/
Specifically, the "Units of Practice" link takes you to a collection
of teacher-submitted lesson plans in all subject areas.
- The George Lucas Education Foundation
http://glef.org/index.html
Includes ideas for integrating multiple intelligences, Problem Based
Learning, and educational technology into classroom lessons and projects.
- MarcoPolo
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/
This educational clearinghouse connects its lessons and projects to
national standards and provides links to state standards. Most activities
are embedded with links to relevant online resources and supplemental
materials.
Communicating With Parents back to top
Work on building positive school-family relationships from the beginning. Phone calls, written notes, and digital newsletters can foster greater parent support and participation in your classroom. When you communicate frequently and comfortably with families, you show students that you respect and value them. This will make events such as parent-teacher conferences and open houses more productive and meaningful for everyone involved. The following Web sites offer tips and guidelines for communicating with parents in a variety of situations. Be prepared and be positive!
Encouraging School-Family Communication Email Conducting Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences Student-led Conferences Classroom Management: Prevention Strategies back to top
One of the most effective ways to manage your classroom is to use strategies that are "preventive." In other words, teachers can try to prevent problems BEFORE they even happen. Some prevention strategies include: conduct positive and welcoming "back to school" activities at the beginning of the year; focus on teambuilding and positive student interaction; create upbeat bulletin boards and a positive classroom climate; and involve students in developing classroom rules and goals. Visit the following resources to discover specific prevention strategies to try in your classroom. The Beginning of the Year - Increase Parent Involvement with First Day of School Activities
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin177.shtml
Discusses "first day" activities that can build parent support,
including bilingual workshops, literacy seminars, and community parades.
- Back to School Teacher Tips
http://atozteacherstuff.com/tips/Back_to_School
Provides ideas for "icebreaker" activities, room décor,
and welcoming students.
- Fourteen Great Activities for the First Days of School
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson074.shtml
Offers teacher-submitted, field-tested ideas for the first days back
to school.
- Bulletin Board Ideas
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/bulletinboards/index.htm
Features innovative bulletin board ideas categorized by month, subject,
and theme.
- 101 Things You Can Do the First Three Weeks of Class
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/101thing.htm
This website offers a fresh list of activities in such categories as:
"Helping Students Make Transitions," "Directing Students
Attention," and "Encouraging Active Learning."
Developing Classroom Rules and Goals Teacher "Voices from the Field" back to top
Each teacher creates a unique learning environment by bringing his own personality and style into the classroom. A teacher's strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and insights all provide valuable learning experiences for new teachers entering the field. Visit the following Weblinks for "real world" teaching stories as well as tips, advice, and encouragement from both new and veteran teachers. Professional Development Resources back to top
Although professional development may seem to be on the distant horizon for new teachers in training, it's never too early to become aware of relevant issues in this area. The resources below highlight key issues in professional development and can give you insights into your own continued growth in teaching. Discussions of "what works" in professional development and challenges such as lack of time and funding are just a few of the featured topics. - INTIME: Integrating New Technologies into the Methods of Education
http://www.intime.uni.edu/
With extensive use of video, this US Department of Education grant-funded
project takes us directly into teacher classrooms to observe exemplary
instructional practices.
- Education Week: Professional Development
http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=16
Discusses current challenges in teacher professional development and
provides links to dozens of related articles.
- Critical Issues in Professional Development
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/pd0cont.htm
Features articles that address such issues as teacher evaluation, finding
time for professional development, and training in technology and student
diversity.
- High-Quality Professional Development
http://www.nwrel.org/request/june98/
This online journal discusses the professional development landscape,
identifying features of effective and ineffective continuing education
for teachers. Highlights alternatives for "one-size-fits-all"
training workshops.
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