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CHAPTER 13: DEVELOPING AS A PROFESSIONAL
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This final chapter of the text describes how the beliefs of preservice and beginning teachers can influence their
future teaching success, and discusses the processes involved in entering the profession. The chapter also offers
suggestions designed to help new teachers succeed in the first year of their careers, and discusses ways to be
involved in career-long professional development.
CHAPTER LEARNING OUTCOMES
2. Identify factors that contribute to a successful first year of teaching.
InTASC Core Teaching Standard 9, Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
3. Describe career-long professional-development opportunities available to teachers.
InTASC Core Teaching Standard 9, Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
POWERPOINT SLIDES
PPT 13.2 Developing a Professional Reputation (4 slides)
PPT 13.4 Constructing a Letter of Application (2 slides)
PPT 13.6 Evaluating a School (3 slides)
PPT 13.8 Your First Day Of School (2 slides)
PPT 13.10 First Year Realities (3 slides)
PPT 13.12 Thinking About Your Professional Development (2 slides)
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Entering the Profession
A. Beliefs of Preservice and Beginning Teachers
B. Making Yourself Marketable
1. Developing a Professional Reputation
3. Substitute Teaching
5. Creating a Credentials File
6. Writing a Successful Letter of Application
C. Finding a Job
1. Where Are the Jobs?
2. Interviewing Effectively
4. Private School Employment
Traditional or Alternative Licensure?
Traditional Licensure
Alternative Licensure
II. Your First Year of Teaching
A. Stages of Teacher Development
B. Survival Skills for the First Year
1. Organization
3. Teaching Effectively
4. Relationships with Students
C. Surviving Your First Day of Teaching
D. Thriving in Your New School
E. Teacher Evaluation
F. Induction and Mentoring Programs
G. Diversity: Preparing to Teach Every Student
Diversity and You: What Does It Take to Be Effective with All Students?
III. Career-long Professional Development
A. InTASC: A Beginning Point for Professional Development
B. Membership in Professional Organizations
Chapter 12: Educational Reform and You
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
I. Entering the Profession
A. Beliefs of Preservice and Beginning Teachers
B. Making Yourself Marketable
2. Broadening Your Professional Experiences
4. Building a Portfolio and Résumé
6. Writing a Successful Letter of Application
C. Finding a Job
2. Where Are the Jobs?
3. Assessing Prospective Schools
4. Private School Employment
Traditional Licensure
Alternative Licensure
Teaching Suggestions:
Entering the Profession
-service teachers tend to hold and help them
understand factors that will influence the likelihood of their finding a desirable first job:
1. Introduce the chapter by displaying Beliefs of Pre-Service and Beginning Teachers
respond to the question on the slide, and discuss their responses.
Because they can compare their own beliefs to the beliefs researchers have identified, your students
should find this introduction quite interesting.
2. Remind your students that the process of finding a desirable job begins now, at this early point in their
teacher-preparation program, and it begins with developing a professional reputation.
3. which from the perspective of university
faculty summarizes suggestions for earning a positive reputation.
4. Explain that a résumé and a letter of application will be the first products a prospective employer will see
Components of an Effective
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5. Constructing a Letter of Application
the first slide, and discuss their responses.
7. Interviewing Effectively spective of
potential employers.
8. To help summarize this section, go to the video resource below and show the video episode:
Preparing to Teaching: Advice From Two Professionals.
Have your students discuss the suggestions in the episode.
9. Remind your students that taking a job involves two processes. The processes include preparing yourself
so you will be a desirable candidate, and they also involve you assessing schools to find one that is the best
fit for you.
Point out that you realize their most prominent concern will be
II. Your First Year of Teaching
A. Stages of Teacher Development
B. Survival Skills for the First Year
5. Classroom Management
7. Relationships with Students
C. Surviving Your First Day of Teaching
D. Thriving in Your New School
E. Teacher Evaluation
Teaching Suggestions:
Your First Year of Teaching
1. Ask them to identify factors that they believe are essential for succeeding in their first year, and have
them explain and discuss their suggestions.
2. Then, display PPT 13.7 Succeeding in Your First Year of Teaching -based
suggestions for new teachers.
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It will be easy for you to model the suggestions outlined in PPT 13.7, and you can then use your class as
an example and rationale for your practices, such as:
Why you require your students to be in class on time
Why you begin your instruction immediately
3. Display PPT 13.8 Your First Day of School first
slide, and discuss their responses.
4. Explain that a considerable amount of research has examined mentoring programs and their effects on
beginning teachers. Then, display PPT 13.9 The Real World of Mentoring Programs
5. Also, display PPT 13.10 First-Year Realities
experience when they begin teaching, and it offers suggestions for accommodating some of the stress and
loneliness that they may experience when they begin teaching.
6. To provide an additional perspective and help summarize this section, show the video episode:
Succeeding in Your First Year of Teaching.
Succeeding In Your First Year of Teaching:
Have your students discuss the suggestions in the episode.
III. Career-long Professional Development
A. InTASC: A Beginning Point for Professional Development
B. Membership in Professional Organizations
Technology and Teaching: Using Technology for your Professional Development
C. Action research
D. Long Term Professional Growth: The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Teaching Suggestions:
Career-Long Professional Development
different opportunities for career-long professional
development that will exist for them when they enter the profession:
1. Refer them to the description of the InTASC Core Teaching Standards in Table 13.5 of their textbooks.
2. Point out that the Standards provide a framework that can guide their development as they move
through their teacher-preparation program.
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3. Professional Organizatio The first two slides of PPT 13.11 describe the National
Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the third and fourth
slides provide links to more specialized professional organizations.
Point out that they might wa
4. Point out that activities, such as action research and seeking National Board Certification is down the
road for them, but these opportunities are presented now so they will know that these opportunities exist
for them in the future.
5. You might want to summarize the chapter by having your students discuss the questions in PPT 13.12
SUGGESTED STUDENT PORTFOLIO ACTIVITIES
Portfolio Activity 13.1 is included at the end of the chapter. The following are additional suggested
portfolio activities.
Portfolio Activity 13.2: Professional Organizations
InTASC Core Teaching Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
The purpose of this activity is to acquaint you with the resources that professional organizations provide. From
Portfolio Activity 13.3: Preparing a Résumé
InTASC Core Teaching Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
The purpose of this activity is to establish a beginning point in your development as a teacher and to provide
you with a concrete starting point when you create a resume to look for a teaching position. Also, this activity
Portfolio Activity13.4: Self-Analysis and Reflection on INTASC Principles
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All InTASC Core Teaching Standards
The purpose of this activity is to acquaint you with the InTASC Core Teaching Standards. Review the standards
found in Table 13.5. Do you already have evidence for meeting each of these standards? How could you make
GOING INTO SCHOOLS
Many Introduction to Education courses include a field component.
includes this component.
1. Professional Development
Interview a teacher about developing as a professional. Ask him or her the following questions:
a. Do you believe that understanding content or understanding how to communicate content to students is
more important in teaching?
b.
across to students? Why?
c. Are you more or less confident in your ability to get kids to learn than you were as a beginning teacher?
d. Do you believe that explaining topics clearly or asking good questions is more effective for getting students
e. What were the most important problems you faced during your first year of teaching?
2. National Board Certification
Interview a teacher familiar with NBPTS certification. Ask the following questions:
a. Does the basic idea behind NBPTS certification have value? What are its basic strengths and weaknesses?
b. Share the propositions behind NBPTS certification found in the chapter. Which are more valuable? Should
any be added?
c. Discuss the evaluation procedures for selecting teachers. Are these adequate? Should any additional be
added?
development?
3. Alternate Licensure
Interview a school administrator.
a. Ask how many teachers in the school are licensed through traditional means. How many are licensed
through an alternative process?
b. What are the strengths and weaknesses of alternative licensure?
c. Ask whether the traditional or alternative process seems to be more effective? Why?
4. Finding a Job: Advice from a Teacher
Interview a new teacher about his or her job-seeking experiences.
a. 13.2 ?
b. Did the teacher use a portfolio when looking for a job? If so, what did it include? How well did it work?
Chapter 12: Educational Reform and You
d.
give you regarding the guidelines for interviewing found in Table 13.3?
5.
Interview a school administrator involved in hiring new teachers. Ask the following questions:
a. What personal characteristics such as attitudes and personality traits do you look for in a new teacher?
b. What kinds of knowledge (such as knowledge of content, understanding of learning, or learner
development) do you look for in beginning teachers?
c. How important is personal appearance and manner in an interview? What suggestions do you have in this
regard?