Each school district is looking for their teachers to possess specific qualities, regardless of the subject that is being taught. If you are looking for and want to land a new teaching position, make certain that these qualities are conveyed in your resume and/or cover letter:
Passionate about the subject. Ability to reach out to, support, and motivate all students. Talent for differentiating instruction. Demonstrated capability to develop creative lesson plans that promote hands-on learning. Help students develop problem solving, socialization, and other key skills. Ability to increase literacy rates and instil a love for reading and writing.
Why these traits are important to hiring districts:
Your enthusiasm and excitement for a subject, regardless of what it is, is infectious. If students see that Mathematics can be fun, they are far more likely to remain interested and focused. Each classroom is different and encompasses multiple intelligences and learning styles. A good teacher is able to reach out to each student, spark his or her interest, and provide the appropriate support and motivation. Supporting a student may involve providing after-school tutoring, collaborating with staff and parents to develop an Individualized Education Plan or Program, adapting instructional techniques, or simply offering more positive encouragement. Children deserve the chance to learn and succeed, and it is up to you to help each and every one of them. Differentiating instruction relates directly to the point above. Since students learn via different methods, it is key that you are able to be adaptable and remain flexible in your teaching styles. By facilitating auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic learners, you are able to ensure that the children are able to understand and retain the information through whichever manner suits them best. Creativity sparks interest and curiosity and decreases boredom. By keeping lesson plans fun and hands-on, students remain focused, on-track, and eager to learn more. These skills are crucial for progressing to the next academic level, as well as succeeding in the real world. Since teachers are one of the primary points of contact for children, it is crucial that problem solving and socialization skills are modeled in the classroom and fostered by the instructor. Even if you are not an English or Language Arts teacher, you can still utilize literature to instruct students. Convey what types of literary activities you incorporate into everyday lessons and demonstrate what kind of impact it has left on students.
There are several different methods for showcasing these traits in your resume and cover letter. You can put them under your job description or achievements listed under the different job positions; create an areas of expertise section, which focuses on the aforementioned qualities; or highlight them in the introductory paragraph of your resume. Within the cover letter, you may choose to develop a separate paragraph detailing your greatest strengths (i.e. the qualities listed above). Regardless of where you include them, make sure they are somewhere in your documents. If a potential employer sees that you lack these desired qualities, he or she will move on to the next candidate. However, if you make these traits really stand out in your documents, you as a teacher will stand out as well.
Candace Davies, Owner of A+ Resumes for Teachers is certified as a Professional Resume Writer, Certified Interview Coach, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Associate Certified Career Coach, and Electronic Career Coach.
Visit her website at http://www.resumes-for-teachers.com or email candoco@telus.net
For Administrators:
http://www.resumes-for-principals.com/PIE/Principals-Interview-Edge.php
For Teachers:
http://www.resumes-for-teachers.com/ebook/Teachers-Interview-Edge.php
By: Candace Davies
Posts Tagged ‘Creativity’
The Challenges of teaching math today
January 16th, 2010During my years of teaching I’ve been wondering what to do to improve math education. My own teaching philosophy is simple, but throughout the years it has proven to be effective. While the groups I have taught have been diverse, there are certain consistencies in their responses, particularly, students appreciate a clear and sound explanation of a difficult concept, and experience the greatest growth when they have the chance to express themselves by asking any questions they might have and feel comfortable in class. My first objective in any class is to create a safe atmosphere for learning. That involves encouraging students to express themselves freely, but respectfully.
It is always extremely important to set the tone during the first classes, telling the students what is expected from them, and what can they expect from me as a teacher. Learning the students’ names is a very good start to creating a personalized experience. Some students feel very intimidated by being in a math class, and treating them individually helps to bring them into the group, as well as to convey a sense that they are not just bystanders, that I care about their individual progress and am there to help them with their specific needs.
Secondly, there is no substitute for good teaching. The key to success is to teach well. It’s very rewarding to receive positive feedback from students about the quality of your teaching. I think it’s very important to find a way of seeing math concepts that appeals to students. Being able to translate difficult concepts into something that they can digest is a must. Still, every class is a new challenge, and some old tricks of the trade might not work all the time. We as teachers have to be prepared to adapt to each class and use our creativity and intuition to help the students learn.
Third, I think it is fundamental to be dynamic and entertaining. Math can be dense sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring or tedious. Being dynamic means to be proactive and receptive. We need to be proactive by taking the initiative to show
the students new perspectives they didn’t imagine before, and we need to be receptive in order to adjust our techniques to make them the most suitable for the specific needs of a group of students. It is a fact that every group of students is different, and each group needs different approaches. Flexibility is the key.
Fourth, I like to challenge students, with achievable tasks that can build their confidence as they stretch beyond their comfort level. I like to encourage them to do things they didn’t think they could do. I have noticed that the students find tremendous satisfaction when they achieve something that they didn’t think they could achieve. To see that is really rewarding. That’s one of the biggest payoffs of a teaching career, to see the students find unexpected talents in themselves.
Teaching mathematics requires great sensitivity and perceptiveness. There are people taking math classes who have no interest in the field at all, and take the class only because it is a requirement for their major. It’s also common to find people who are very frightened of how hard math can be. These are instances in which the teacher must convey to the student that even though math can be challenging, it is like any other subject, and is accomplishable through discipline, persistence, and hard work. These students’ preconception of math as difficult and abstruse is often their biggest stumbling block, and as a teacher I help them to break down these mental barriers by providing alternative ways of looking at problems until the information “clicks.”
Positive leadership is the key to making students feel that they can get a lot from the class they are taking. It is our role as teachers to let them know that math is an incredibly exciting field and that the possibilities are endless. But it is also our role to show them that achievement does not come for free and effort is a primary factor in the formula for success. I feel that we have the tools now, more than ever, to make teaching a very rewarding experience for both my students and ourselves.
By: Robert Duval
Children’s Toys: Combining Fun with Learning
December 24th, 2009Children’s toys are basically a combination of toys or games designed specifically to allow a child to learn and inculcate various traits while they play. Children generally living in their high energy modes can canalize their time and efforts into making learning and playing a thing that can be done simultaneously. If you are a super parent then you would probably always be on the look out for such toys in the hope that the ever wavering attention of your child is held long enough to enable them to learn something worthwhile as they fiddle around with the newest of toys that you bought.
In a time when the tried and tested method to keep a child held at a place without letting them involve in mischief is to either letting them watch television or play video games, these toys are sure to provide the parents with an alternative way out of the conundrum of how to ensure that their child spends spare time without letting any of the time spent go to a waste. It is also of significance that studies show children involved in playing with such toys have a lower susceptibility to neural diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The onus however is on the parents to make sure that a lot of such challenging games are present in the house and that the child is always encouraged as well as coerced into being involved with them in spare time.
The following list highlights a few of the basic and common children’s toys available and their utility in a child’s development.
* Clay molding sets: These types of toys allow the creativity of the child take to the forefront as they mould figures and objects randomly. Available in varied colors they also fascinate the child as they make replicas of real life things such as a car or a dog as such. It is visually stimulating and helps better the hand eye co-ordination and motor skills.
* Dolls and stuffed toys: These inculcate the sense of possession, caring and bonding in the child as he or she plays with and indulges in dressing up or feeding the toy. It also helps in encouraging the child’s emerging senses.
* Building blocks: These allow the development of the child’s motor abilities as he/she engages in building structures and patterns in varied levels of difficulty and complexity. It helps augment the sense of cause-effect in the child’s mind.
* Flash cards and edutainment games: suitable for slightly older children and allow them to enhance their memory and knowledge base. It also helps them to getting a hold of basic mathematical concepts and quantitative skills.
Apart from the above mentioned toys there are also a lot of other toys serving the noble purpose of keeping your child busy as well as learning. As a parent it would be open to your choice as to what kind of toy is most suitable for your kid. So no matter what you buy, do buy something that challenges the intellect of your child and makes him challenged by it so as to try for as long as it takes. Be sure to check the instructions and safety parameters being followed by the manufacturer so as to ensure safety for your child.
All said and done, get your child a toy that is more than just a item to while way time. Sit back and relax as you see your child enjoy.
Children’s toys are basically a combination of toys or games designed specifically to allow a child to learn and inculcate various traits while they play.
By: Alice Shown
