How to be a teacher?

[Stormbreaker-X]

Yup that's right, I am considering teaching. So how do I get there? Any advice is appreciated

[Snow Leopard]

Hey, I'm just another student  but my teacher said its best to do a Bachelor in the field you want t teach then do a masters or something like that.

You'll probs get the best advice from contacting the unis you're interested in studying at though.

Also timely applications for Vtac close 30 september

[lm21074]

Hey,

In Aus, there are two pathways you can take - you can do undergrad education or do a bachelor degree first then Masters (that satisfies two learning areas for secondary - you can read about how to fulfill these on the Victorian Institute of Teaching website or even some uni websites. I'll link the website here later if I can find it). So if you wanted to teach business and economics for example, you might do a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education or a Bachelor of Commerce then Master of Teaching, ensuring that you've satisfied the requirements for those learning areas in your undergrad. There are also courses you can take that can get you into a Bachelor of Education (e.g. might be titled something like Diploma of Teacher Education Preparation) should you not meet the entry requirements for the bachelor degree.

[Aaron]

Just to add onto above post, the standard post-graduate degree now for teaching is the Master of Teaching. You can complete a Bachelor of Education or Teaching (4 year undergraduate where you choose 2 areas and complete that) OR do the Masters (usually 1.5 - 2 years). Both pathways lead to registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).

There are some "on the job" programs e.g. Master of Teaching Internship where you get paid to learn on the job while completing uni studies. Good if you can manage both well but at the same time I have a personal dislike towards these programs - have had a very negative experience - I trained a teaching candidate in a program like this through a uni which I won't name but the workload was immense and a classic case of being "thrown in the deep end". They have since withdrawn. Some very good success stories through the programs like this as well but it's very much a mixed bag depending on school, support, individual willingness etc. I have been a very keen supporter of more practical exposure in the standard teaching degrees as teaching really is a vocation that's learnt "on the job" but at the same time there really does need to be care in the way this is done.

If I had to choose (and this is pure personal opinion here as a now experienced teacher), i'd do the Bachelor then Masters. Allows you to develop a deep understanding of your subject matter and get some "life experience" before going into teaching. I did the Bachelor then Master combo and I started teaching at 22 (even that was young as!).

Secondary teaching: You don't have to do two degrees (or even two majors) - it depends on the method areas you wish to specialise in as a teacher (e.g. what discipline(s) you see yourself being an expert in?). If you go down the Bachelor then Masters route, I would definitely plan ahead and ensure that you have at least a minor (more is best) in each "method area" you want to specialise in. When I say "specialise", these aren't areas that you are bound to. Particularly in the secondary system, you may be called upon to teach outside of your method area at times so really a teaching degree means you're a teacher of students more so than x or y method/discipline. Of course, schools aim to staff subjects/classes with qualified people and will opt for those with the specific method areas first but particularly in the government system it is often hard to recruit in technical disciplines e.g. maths, science so sometimes it results in those that don't have those "method areas" to teach them which is unfortunate and is a disservice to our kids but has to be done in some instances.

An example of this I link here (Melb Uni's entry requirements for their MTeach).

My suggestions in the interim:
1. Think of two "method areas" you would be willing to be a specialist in e.g. Maths, Science, Humanities, English, etc. Ideally choosing these method areas, you would need to be willing/be able to teach it up to Year 12. Some common combinations: Maths/Science, English/Humanities, Science (general science year 7-10)/specialist science at VCE e.g. Chem, Bio, Physics, etc.
2. What route do you want to go down?
-- Single undergraduate degree e.g. Bachelor of Ed only
-- double undergraduate degree e.g. Bachelor of Ed & Bachelor of Science/Arts/Business/etc?
-- or an undergraduate first then a masters.
3. Do some investigation - look up some uni websites for the following titles:
- Bachelor of Education
- Master of Teaching (secondary/primary/p-12/p-10/etc)

[Stormbreaker-X]

Thanks everyone, but I was wondering do we have to major in 2 teaching areas? Like if I wanted to teach science do I have to major in immunology and genetics or something along those lines?

[Aaron]

Thanks everyone, but I was wondering do we have to major in 2 teaching areas? Like if I wanted to teach science do I have to major in immunology and genetics or something along those lines?

Refer to my post above. You need two method areas and these two areas will be what you specialise in. The method areas for science are essentially General Science which covers the junior secondary/middle years (years 7 to 10) and then if you wanted to specialise in a senior secondary one then you'd choose physics, chem, bio, etc. They are not binding - you can really teach anything as long as you can convince a principal you are capable (it would be better if they were formally your method areas when you apply for a job though).

You could get away with just doing one of them instead of both e.g. general science OR senior secondary specialisation, but obviously having both is definitely an advantage particularly if the job you end up applying for is specifically Physics, Bio etc at the senior level (most jobs you don't know what the teaching load is at time of advertisement - just a range).

Just knowing the content itself is not enough - the stuff you learn in the teaching course specific to the method areas is really important as its really the first look at pedagogy and how students learn that method area.

You don't have to do two degrees (or even two majors) - it depends on the method areas you wish to specialise in as a teacher (e.g. what discipline(s) you see yourself being an expert in?). If you go down the Bachelor then Masters route, I would definitely plan ahead and ensure that you have at least a minor (more is best) in each "method area" you want to specialise in.

It is important you research a) the uni you want to go to, and b) what their requirements are. There's a framework set that all unis follow for their initial teacher education courses but universities can also make extra changes. It's also worth noting that not all unis offer certain method areas so if you are keen on doing an area that isn't as popular you may have to settle for a different uni.

If you plan on doing the Masters pathway it is really important you plan carefully the units you do during your Bachelor's as this will save you the trouble when you go to apply for the Masters to only realise you are missing out on the requirements. For e.g. I did an IT degree and had to use my electives strategically so I could get Maths as well (chose all maths/stats units to fill these gaps so I met the requirement).

The link I referred to in my previous post is the example for Melbourne Uni. They state what you need and provide the subject codes (start of) that are eligible. Other unis will mention it in their course handbooks on their website.

For example if you were to look at science, there's really a few options you could take here:
a) Do General Science (which essentially is years 7 to 10 at the secondary level) and another method area e.g. Maths.
b) Do General Science as well as a senior secondary specialisation e.g. physics, chemistry, biology, etc. Keeping in mind this would only mean you are specialised in 'science' and nothing else which really does limit you in terms of job scope.
c) Do a senior secondary science specialisation (e.g. physics, chem, bio) and another method area e.g. Maths

Definitely encourage you to have a read of that link as it is pretty much the same across the board.

I would also as a really important step suggest that you go and speak to teachers that you know - ask them what their method areas are and ask them what teaching is like before making that jump. Your English teacher for example may also have a Humanities or language method area, your Maths teacher may have a Science, PE, or Technology method area also for example. They are really good sources of info that is real-world relevant.

Most people find out when they enter a teaching degree on their first placement what it's really like and it spooks a fair few of them. You'll know during that first placement whether you're where you're meant to be, or not.