Teacher
In education, teachers are those who help students or pupils learn, often in a school. The objective is typically a course of study, lesson plan, or a practical skill, including learning and thinking skills. The different ways to teach are often referred to as the teacher's pedagogy. When deciding what teaching method to use, a teacher will need to consider students' background knowledge, environment, and their learning goals as well as standardized curricula as determined by the relevant authority. The teacher should also be able to deal with students with different abilities and should also be able to deal with leaning disabilities.
Teaching may occur face-to-face or via some other modality, e.g. through distance education or e-learning. Teaching can also be mixed with entertainment. When the term education is combined with entertainment, the term edutainment is coined.
Related positions
- A teacher who is positioned to help the student in a particular subject, is in some cultures called a "tutor".
- A teacher or trainer from whom a student learns a great deal may be called a "mentor". (this term is used, in this context, in the UK.)
- An "educationalist" is an educational theorist, writer or researcher.
- In traditional China, the model teacher, Confucius, is greatly revered. A Chinese term for teacher is shifu, (sifu) (teacher-father) or laoshi(old teacher).
Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Perhaps the most significant difference between primary and secondary teaching in the UK is the relationship between teachers and children. In primary schools each class has a teacher who stays with them for most of the week and will teach them the whole curriculum. In secondary schools they will be taught by different subject specialists each session during the week and may have 10 or more different teachers. The relationship between children and their teachers tends to be closer in the primary school where they act as form tutor, specialist teacher and surrogate parent during the course of the day.
This is true throughout most of the United States as well. However, alternative approaches for primary education do exist. One of these, sometimes referred to as a "platoon" system, involves placing a group of students together in one class that moves from one specialist to another for every subject. The advantage here is that students learn from teachers who specialize in one subject and who tend to be more knowledgeable in that one area than a teacher who teaches many subjects. Students still derive a strong sense of security by staying with the same group of peers for all classes.
University teachers
Teachers in college are called instructors or lecturers. In the United States, the term "professor" is usually applied to college or University teachers who have received their Ph.D., while instructors or lecturers have received their Masters degree, and usually are pursuing their Ph.D. Professorial rankings from Assistant Professor through Full Professor that may be defined differently at various institutions. The rank of American university instructors depends in part on the amount of relevant and publishable research completed over time.
An "assistant professor" is typically required to have completed extensive research seminars at the post-graduate level and have written and defended the dissertation. The Ph.D. is almost always required. Assistant professors are similar to lecturers or readers in the United Kingdom. Their initial preparation for the profession takes between eight and twelve years.
An "associate professor" must typically have completed five or more years of additional research, published articles in national and international journals, developed syllabi for the teaching of various courses, provided services to the University (i.e., committee member, faculty senate member, etc.), and in most cases have published refereed books.
The "full professor" in the United States would be the equivalent of the "Professor" in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. It is not typical to achieve the title of "full professor" within the first fifteen to twenty years as an educator and researcher at a university in the United States. It requires dedication to the discipline and eminent, original scholarship, as shown through published works and a diverse curriculum vitae.
In the United Kingdom the title 'Professor' is restricted to university teachers who have been granted a 'chair'. Others are known as lecturers or readers and usually carry the title "Dr." by virtue of having a PhD. A very small number of lecturers, particularly on social science and arts fields, may be titled "Mr/Mrs" etc as they may only have a Masters degree.
Senior teachers
Teachers who look after the whole school are called head teachers, school principals, headmasters or headmistresses. The equivalent in colleges and universities is called the dean, principal or vice-chancellor. See also school leadership.
Teachers of this status rarely teach students. A teacher in a grammar or public school in Britain may also be a Head of House. Houses were also used in secondary and comprehensive schools.
As with most large organisations a school needs a hierarchical structure of command, allowing matters to be delegated to a specific department or the senior teachers of the school. In many cases there are deputy headteachers, heads of department (or subject, such as science or history) and heads of year. A head of year is in charge of the pastoral care of one year group.
Every school has a disciplinary procedure which dictates how punishments should be given to misbehaving students. One common method of coping with problems is the idea of escalation whereby the classroom teacher attempts to deal with the student(s) themselves before passing it on to a more senior teacher. Eventually, should the situation not be resolved, the headmaster becomes involved.
Replacement teachers
A teacher may be replaced by another teacher if he or she is absent due to illness, death, or planned absence. In the United States and some parts of Canada, notably Saskatchewan, replacement teachers are known as substitute teachers (or more informally as "subs") and more recently "guest teachers". In Australia and New Zealand they are known as "casual" or "relief" teachers; in the UK and in other parts of Canada, notably Ontario, they are known as supply teachers. In British Columbia, Canada, they are called TOCs (teachers-on-call). Temporary, substitute teachers in universities are usually in forms of multiple guest lecturers.
These teachers often find it difficult to acclimatise to the new environment, often moving from one school to another week after week or day after day[citation needed]. They are often viewed badly by the students they are looking after with a "you're not a real teacher" joke attitude making behaviour management very difficult[citation needed]. Meanwhile, in some subjects, they may actually know less than their students.[citation needed]. In long term replacements, however, this often quickly subsides.
Teacher trade union groups have expressed resentment towards the continuous use of supply teachers (who may be paid a lower amount) to satisfy long-term shortages when school administrations have resisted creating a permanent teaching position[citation needed].
The United States observes a Substitute Educator's Day, which was instituted by the National Education Association (NEA). The purpose of this day is to highlight the role and importance of the substitute teacher by providing information about, advocating for, and helping to increase appreciation and respect for this unique professional. This day also focuses on the needs of substitutes, which include better wages and health benefits and continual professional development[citation needed]. Substitute Educator's Day is observed on the Friday during American Education Week. Other countries and jurisdictions have similar observances[citation needed].
Qualification and registration
Teachers are usually educated in a university or college. Often they must be certified by a government body before they can teach in a school.
Canada
Canadian teachers must receive certification from a provincial College of Teachers or the provincial department responsible for teacher certification in order to be able to teach in elementary and secondary schools. In Manitoba, for example, the responsibility for teacher certification lies with the Department of Education, Citizenship, and Youth - Professional Certification and Records Branch. Teachers need a Bachelor's degree in Education (B.Ed.), often on top of another recognized Bachelor's degree. This adds one or two more years to a university education. To earn a degree in secondary education, teachers must have a certain number of university credits in their subject field. This number varies from province to province, and in some provinces it varies from school to school. Most employers of teachers require that successful applicants complete criminal record checks, as well as verification that an employee is not listed in the Child Abuse Registry. These same requirements are, in addition to being a sound part of the hiring practice, a requirement of most provincial education legislation. Other requirements such as a tuberculosis test, and level of experience criteria may also be required.
The process for certification is somewhat different in all provinces, but there is no process for obtaining "inter-provincial" certification. Any teacher must obtain certification from the specific province they wish to teach in. In extreme circumstances, such as a lack of any suitable certifiable candidates for a specific teaching position, an employer may apply for temporary certification of a non-certified person. This temporary certification is usually valid for one calendar year after ministry approval, but must be requested by the school, not by a non-certified applicant for a teaching position.
England and Wales
In England and Wales teachers in the maintained sector must have gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). There are many paths in which a person can work towards gaining their QTS, the most popular of which is to have completed a first degree program (such as a BA or BSc) and then a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Other methods include a specific teaching degree (BEd) or on-the-job training at a school. All qualified teachers in England must serve, after training, a statutory one year induction period that must be passed in order to remain a registered teacher. In Wales this period lasts for two years. During this period a teacher is known as an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher). Schools are obliged to provide guidance, support and training to facilitate the NQT's success during this year. Local education authorities are also obliged to provide professional development opportunities.
Teachers in independent schools are not statutorily required to hold QTS, although independent schools increasingly prefer teachers to hold this qualification unless they have already gained significant teaching experience. The post-experience PGCE at the University of Buckingham is designed for independent school teachers. Some specialist independent schools, such as those following Montessori principles, require teachers trained in that specific educational philosophy.
The Teach First scheme, aimed at recent graduates, was introduced in 2003 in London and more recently in Manchester and it allows trainees to teach in schools without the Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). After an intense period of training in the summer following graduation, trainees are placed in secondary schools. Following the successful completion of the first year, trainee teachers gain QTS status and may then continue teaching for a minimum of one year.
Cover supervisors are responsible for covering scheduled and unscheduled teacher absence, but must adhere to rules regarding the assistance they give to pupils in the accomplishment of their assigned tasks for the lesson concerned. Employment as a cover supervisor requires no knowledge of the delivered subject or scheme of work other than given by the absent teacher (in theory)
For teachers qualified outside of Scotland an application must be made to the GTCS for exceptional registration.
United States
In the United States, each state determines the requirements for getting a license to teach. Normally, a bachelor's degree with a major in a certifiable area (languages, arts, sciences, etc.) is a minimum requirement, along with rigorous pedagogical methods, course work and practical field experiences as "student teachers." It is also required by all states that teachers pass standardised exams at the national and/or state levels both in the subjects they teach and the methods of teaching those subjects, and that they undergo constant evaluation by local, state, and sometimes even private organizations during their first years of teaching. Most states use graduated licensing programs (i.e., initial, Stage II, Rank I, professional, provisional, etc.). A license to teach in one state will usually facilitate the obtainment of a license in another state.
Until the 1960's, a person could not teach unless he or she had completed a year or more of specific teaching training at a normal school. In the past two decades, normal school courses have been made optional through the promotion of Alternate Route teacher certification. New Jersey was the first state to establish an Alternate Route program, doing so in 1984. Since then, most states have established their own programs.
Teachers in almost all states must have a Bachelor's degree with the appropriate teacher preparation course and complete a Master's degree within five years. Additionally, to be permanently certified, teachers must pass three state exams on pedagogy, general knowledge and knowledge of a content area. In order to work in a public school a candidate must be fingerprinted.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are 1.4 million elementary school teachers, 600,000 middle school teachers, and 1 million secondary school teachers employed in the U.S.
US News (2006) has ranked graduate programs in teacher education in the following order: Harvard University, Columbia University, UCLA, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota.
Teach for America and the Mississippi Teacher Corps are two highly competitive, alternate-route teaching programs, for college graduates who are not education majors.
Teaching as a profession
Teachers are considered professionals on par with doctors because they are often required to obtain specialized education and professional licensure.
In most cultures, teaching is referred to as a profession. Arguments for this include the respect that is felt for teachers in some cultures, the existence of a body of specialised professional knowledge, and codes of ethics.
World Teachers’ Day
UNESCO inaugurated World Teachers’ Day on 5 October 1994 to celebrate and commemorate the signing of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers on 5 October 1966. World Teachers’ Day also highlighted the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel adopted in 1997. Some countries or regions such as Taiwan also celebrate Teacher's Day as a national holiday. In Brazil and Chile, it is celebrated on October 15, while in India it is celebrated on the 5th of September. In Brunei, it is celebrated on September 23. In Turkey it is celebrated on 24th November since 1928. North Cyprus also celebrates this day.
Salaries
Teachers' salaries vary from country to country: US teachers are paid on a graduated scale, starting at the low end and moving up on the pay scale with experience. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the average starting teacher's salary in the US is just over $31,000, while the average teacher makes just over $42,000. The amount a US-American teacher earns depends on education level, experience, and the school/district/state--the cost of living in certain areas heavily influences the amount of a teacher's salary. Salaries in the UK are largely dependent upon time in post (seniority) and any management responsibilities. From 2007, teachers outside the London area (which pay higher due to higher living costs) can expect to start on ~ £21000 (approx $41,500 USD) and rising by ~ £1100 per year. Teachers of 'shortage' subjects eg Maths, Physics etc can expect a 'golden hello' taking them to ~ £26,000 ($51,200 USD) starting salary. However, the countries where teachers are paid the most are Germany, Switzerland and South Korea.
Communities
Teachers congregate and learn from each other in many different communities, online and face-to-face.