Letters from Friends
Tips from the Trenches
Alumna Amanda Popa offers advice to future teachers
Amanda Popa
My name is Amanda Popa, and I earned my teaching certificate in June 2007 from the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education program . I have a few updates I wanted to share with you regarding my first year of teaching.
Life is good at Shanahan Middle School! I took the Praxis III on Monday and I think it went well. The extensive time spent on the "4 Domains" (A: Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning; B: Creating an Environment for Student Learning; C: Teaching for Student Learning; D: Professional Development) training last year paid off, and I felt good about answering the pre- and post-assessment questions.
One piece of advice I would give this year's student teachers is that they know the difference between 1-methods, 2-activities, and 3-materials, and that they are able to support why they use each in their planning. The three can overlap easily, and it's important to be able to separate and differentiate the three parts. The bulk of the pre- and post-observation interviews ask about this very topic. If they are able to start practicing now, it will be a breeze for them next year.
I used the Career Portfolio unit from the resources you sent me ("Aliens from Planet Zar"), and the students and I really like it. It was the third time I taught it. Next year, I plan to implement the communication unit - one step at a time!
(Note: These resources can be found by visiting http://ehe.osu.edu/fcsed/units/.)
Some of the resources available include units on relationships, conflict resolution, and dealing with career issues that help students learn with hands-on activities. What I really like about these units is that most of the content knowledge is organized for teachers already, so I can focus my time on planning how to implement the material in a format that is tangible and user-friendly to my students.
Take care,
Amanda
Amanda Popa (Teacher License '07, Family and Consumer Sciences Education) is a teacher at Olentangy Local Schools, which is north of Columbus, Ohio. Amanda wrote this letter to her former advisor, Associate Professor Ruth Dohner. During her program, she received support from an Eithel Bray Rose Scholarship.
View other letters from our alumni.
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