But are these disciplines as respected within the education and governmental funding sphere as they should be?

Certainly not in the UK, it would seem. Not forgetting the countries status as Olympic hosts in 2012, it seems sporting activities come before the arts when it comes to funding and support. Despite the honour of the Olympics to be held in London, this is a country where the physical has always taken precedence over the artistic (the over glamourisation of football, not un entirely to blame)

As the country goes through its worst recession in modern times, it was announced recently that an extra £780m would be spent on sport for 5 to 16-year-olds.

At the very same time, funding budgets for large cultural venues and even local artistic and musical education initiatives are being cut if not cancelled. Making a living as a musician or artist in 2009 is practically unheard of, except for the very lucky few.

Even if arts and music teaching practice was highly promoted and funded – it still couldn’t ensure jobs for the students in later life, yet neither can sport.

All of these disciplines have a worth and a purpose and are the very essence of a well balanced curriculum.

Such current issues have prompted British parliamentary researcher Adam Gillett to argue

If the government wishes to improve music teaching in Britain, it must first redress the balance between culture and sport.

Here here!

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As technology creates more channels of communication than ever, the global demand for English teachers is on the rise. Communication tools are open to all corners of the world however remote, and a communal language is sought, and that’s where the English shines..

That TESOL or TEFL qualification is well worth gaining if your qualifications don’t extend to formal teaching degrees. There is barely a country in the world without the need for English teachers and can open up whole new global horizons.

Education authorities around the globe have been deliberately raising their standards of English teaching output, so there are more opportunities than ever for teachers within the formal education sector too.
Just like the advert says – ‘where do you want to go today..’ English teachers, what are you waiting for?

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First of all we would like to apologize for not updating in the past month. That’s like a crime in the blogosphere. Nevertheless, we’ve found a couple of things interesting to share.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past six months, you must have at least HEARD of the new online community networking site that is Twitter, right?

So, most people have heard of it, but then most people either say ‘yeah, what IS that?’ or – ‘logged on, registered, don’t know what to do next!’

Well, the thing to remember about twitter is the beauty in its simplicity. It’s a great source of ‘immediate’ news. It’s a great source for reading other peoples views and you can find like minded people within the same professions or with similar interests – that’s the social part.

So, within the community of professionals in teaching careers that we are part of, it’s another great tool to share stories, best practice, links and comments.

What are you doing in class at the minute?

Any interesting tips to share? Questions to ask? With twitter you can, and in real time.

You can search and find other people to ‘follow’ based on keywords or topics. Start debates, get answers, chew the fat with like minded educators the world over.

To use twitter effectively, you need a reason to start with. In teaching you can use twitter for; Conference, Collaboration, Library, Classroom activity, seminar discussion etc.

Twitter can help with informed technology decisions; you can garner instant feedback etc. Teachers who are twitter fans like it for its ease of use and networking, information gathering opportunities. You can react to events and learn from experts, quickly and easily.

Don’t take The Education Professionals’ advice… try it for yourself. And if you are still terrified by twitter for teachers, then take a look at this video:

Before we end the post, please do remember to follow us on Twitter (@TweetsByLina) to know more of education news, education vacancies, and latest on the Middle East and UAE university buzz.

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Teacher Planet - A bang up to date resource featuring Spring & Summer Season lessons, plans, worksheets, tools, certificates and more.

UsingEnglish.Com - Free English teacher resources for of all levels including hundreds of printable handouts, PDF lesson plans, online quizzes, jobs, articles, teacher discussion forum and more…

TES Connect – It’s the online version of The Times Educational Supplement. TES is an invaluable resource for industry news, views and ideas, reports and opinions; covering primary, secondary and further education.

The Foundation Stage Forum - This UK based site focuses on the early year’s education sector and those involved in education with children aged 3 to 5 years. The site provides resources and information and other materials that have been identified via needs discussed in the active forums.

Primary Resources - Containing those all important lesson plans, work and activity sheets. This site is suitable for teachers of all curriculum subjects; English, Maths, ICT, Science, Geography, History, Music, Languages and Art.

50 Must-Read Up and Coming Blogs by Teachers - Find, browse and read blogs by other teachers like you!

TeacherLingo – It’s an online community for teachers to share thoughts and ideas and to discuss current events. Members can start a free teacher blog and more.

TeacherNet - This UK site lists literally hundred s of intelligent teaching resources, whatever your level or discipline.

And finally

Education Recruitment - This local website showcases career and recruitment opportunities for teachers, teaching assistants, nursery nurses, school support staff and lecturers looking for jobs within Dubai and the Middle East.

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I’m not sure if this still holds true for this year, but last 2007, Anderson Analytics released a report based on a research constituting the top 10 most visited websites by college male and female students. You’ll see quite an interesting result on the research.

Image Source: PalatnikFactor.Com

If you’re finding ways to reach your students off campus, I guess this survey will give you the definite answer.

I’ve stumbled also on a blog post entitled “Students as Self Advocates: Why/How Learners Should Craft Their Own Digital Footprints by Ginger Lumen”

The presentations made by young learners such as Sacha Chua is just amazing! Here’s her presentation of the Gen Y Guide to Web 2.0 at Work.

I’ve learned quite well going through PMHS’ presentation on Intro to Social Media in Education.

These presentations were just brilliant. It’s a whole new atmosphere out there with the young minds collaborating to turn the tables and teach the old educators of the new media.

The good thing with Web 2.0 is how enthusiastic the community is in sharing information and thoughts with every subject there is. And why is that important to us teachers and professors?

First, Web 2.0 is where your students are. Gone are the days when they’re just hanging out in malls and cafes (well they still are) but their connected deeper through technology. Second, it enlightens us to new ways and methods to teach our students in the non-traditional (and sometimes boring) way. Web 2.0 is their new environment, and it is where they’re excited to participate and be involved.

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Wikipedia as a Teaching Tool

Every once in a while, we here our students cite great facts or topics from relevant websites or blogs. I’m sure you’ve heard Wikipedia being mentioned every now and then.

For those of you who haven’t visited the site yet, Wikipedia is:

A free multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its name is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning ‘quick’) and encyclopedia. Wikipedia’s 12 million articles (2.8 million in the English Wikipedia) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone who can access the Wikipedia website. Launched in January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, it is currently the most popular general reference work on the Internet.

So instead of the traditional large volumes of books you previously had in your shelf, the creators of Wikipedia have developed a system where a community of trusted editors (volunteers) works on informative articles on any available subject.

You might be thinking of adding this website as a magic wand in your teaching career and helping you with certain topics that textbooks may not have yet covered. But you’re also probably thinking is it worth the try? Well, it certainly is.

I’m not suggesting you consider Wikipedia as your sole source of information but as a valuable supplement.

Here are top 5 reasons why you should have Wikipedia as a good teaching tool:

1. Collaboration of Trusted Editors – There is a strict policy on editorial process for Wikipedia considering the fact that it’s an encyclopedia which is available for editing anonymously. But according to Wikipedia: “Each entry in Wikipedia must be about a topic that is encyclopedic and thus is worthy of inclusion. A topic is deemed encyclopedic if it is “notable” in the Wikipedia jargon; i.e., if it has received significant coverage in secondary reliable sources (i.e., mainstream media or major academic journals) that are independent of the subject of the topic.” With that in mind, you can expect topics and articles presented on Wikipedia to have that trusted credibility.
2. Selections of Languages – There are about 246 languages supported by Wikipedia. So if you want to have information to be derived in a non-English native language, the left Languages sidebar should help you translate in just one click.
3. Effective Search Engine – It may not be as competitive as Google, but Wikipedia’s search does have some useful results. For example if you search for “teaching”, aside from the article about teaching itself it also gives you: “For university teachers, see professor. For ‘extra-help teachers’, see tutor. For Parapros, see Paraprofessional educator.” These give you versatility when researching a topic and expand to other subjects of interest.
4. Notes and References to Different Sources – This is one of my favorite features in Wikipedia. At the bottom of each article you will have dozens or even hundreds of notes and references to the subject. These references could be from cited websites, online documents, newsletters, videos, etc.
5. Revision History – Although this feature doesn’t get visits often, but it does help to know the timeline of revisions done to the article on the History section of Wikipedia. Especially for articles and topics which get updated or modified by certain events or other related facts.

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Parents Satisfied with Quality of Education in Schools: Survey

“Most parents of students in Dubai schools feel that they are receiving high quality education according to a survey conducted by Dubai’s education governing authority.”

Sources:
http://tinyurl.com/qen278
http://tinyurl.com/rxums5

Abu Dhabi to Rebuild Old Schools

“Old, cramped and dilapidated state schools are to be torn down and 30 new ones will be built in a major upgrade of the system announced yesterday.

Schools lacking gymnasiums, shaded play areas, libraries, canteens or auditoriums will be the first to undergo improvements, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) said.”

Sources:
http://tinyurl.com/pmk4gp
http://tinyurl.com/pwzcts

Abu Dhabi Invests Dhs20M in Summer School Course

“The Abu Dhabi Education Council has invested Dhs20m in the eighth Sayfuna Mumayaz summer school programme, which is a five-week course designed to enhance the cultural, artistic and physical capabilities of students from grades 2 to 9.

The free programme is expected to attract more than 20,000 students from both public and private schools across the emirate.”

Sources:
http://tinyurl.com/pwv55e
http://tinyurl.com/p9rsup

UAE University becomes First Government School to offer PhD

“UAE University in Al Ain will launch PhD programmes this year, a milestone in the 33-year history of higher education in the country.”

Source:
http://tinyurl.com/pyguh7

New Campus of IMT opens in Academic City

“The new campus of Institute of Management Technology (IMT) at Dubai International Academic City was inaugurated yesterday by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

IMT is ranked as one of the top 10 business schools in India and its Dubai branch was set up in 2006 to provide management courses accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.”

Source:
http://tinyurl.com/oastqr

Two Govt Entities to Toughen up Licensing for Education Providers

“Two entities of the Dubai government have pledged to work together to close licensing loopholes aimed at raising the standard of education in Dubai.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) will work hand-in-hand to exchange information and inspect institutions.”

Sources:
http://tinyurl.com/p4g469
http://tinyurl.com/ps5djm

If you have any piece of news for this week that you want us to include, just drop us a line at the comments section. Of if you want us to feature any teaching jobs or education career related news, you can email us at web [at] theeducationprofessionals.com.

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In my (misspent) youth, my school friends and I always found it incredibly sniggery and gossip worthy to discover the following information about our teachers.

1. Their first names. (I know, I know, it wore off by 4th Grade)
2. That they smoked!
3. Seeing them on a weekend in ‘civillian’ clothes and ‘heaven forbid’ with a husband/wife/partner.

You see, kids can be cruel, but you don’t need me to tell you that. The idea that a teacher is a human being too is completely alien when you’re a pupil at a regular educational establishment. Couple this with a daily analysis of your sartorial choices, teaching methods and hormonal cycles, a teaching job is, in my opinion; the occupation of a saint.

By secondary school, most teachers become so frazzled, they are the ones offering YOU the cigarettes and barely hiding the gin bottle in the desk drawer.

Now that I am older, and of course, so much wiser, I look back in horror at the emotional distress our sly looks and whispered comments must have caused those generally decent, committed and kind hearted teaching staff that had the pleasure of getting us through school and onwards.

The blog post below reminded me of these long forgotten, much reminisced days, and also the fact that not withstanding all the rubbish above that I mention, Teachers actually have to deal with, you, establish a TEACHING career and other job responsibilities too!

GASP!

Therefore, sometimes, the life of a teacher with all it’s kids, classrooms, meetings, markings and exams PLUS bitchy schoolgirls can sometimes get a little crazy .

Here’s some very sage advice from Lisa Morehouse on Teaching with Passion: Advice for Young Educators.

Heed the above advice, all you teaching saints out there, and remember, not all pupils are like me!

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(Cymbal crash)

But seriously, for a teacher, an in-depth knowledge of your subject is a given (or should be). What about the rest? It’s practically a social work position as opposed to rote learning and writing on a blackboard. (Showing my age there, probably whiteboards now, or even laptops in the desks).

There was great advert on British TV a couple of years ago that had many celebrities and public figures very naturally quoting names. They had been spontaneously asked to name a good teacher from their schooldays. For many it was instantaneous and the tagline was of course, nobody forgets a good teacher. This was part of a Government’s education recruitment drive. In times gone by, teaching was never considered a glamorous role, and some particular subjects were struggling to attract talented candidates.

It’s true though isn’t it? Whilst at the very least all of us can remember at least one positive experience with a teacher, some of us may have even been inspired into our eventual careers by those who guided them through school. The difference in a teacher who can capture the imaginations of his/her pupils and one who is there to cash the cheque at the end of the month is immense. To be able to work with and inspire young minds, at their most receptive is a very powerful thing indeed.

A person in a good teaching career needs a good dose of emotional intelligence to work with. Practical is great, Empathetic is even better. Put yourself in those little (or not so) shoes, have an understanding of the lifestyle the kids lead away from the classroom, interests and friendships crying out to be influenced and developed… I could go on, but it is the recognition of these things that cannot be taught on a teacher training course.

A blogger shares his thoughts upon his mid life career change, and all the good things about being surrounded by children all day! Range tells you Why Becoming A Teacher was one of the best things in his life.

I wanted to end this post with a quote from a teacher pal..

“Teaching is the most important job in the world because it makes all others possible. I never dreamed of being a teacher because I was smart and hard working enough to be anything, but here I am, teaching little kids how to read. The best part is knowing that you have impacted people’s lives by either giving them essential skills or positively influencing their lives. Yeah, you get the summer off and don’t have to request holidays off from work, but that’s not why people teach.” Sonja, UK.

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There are very few people around who will not be fearful of their jobs in this present climate. Those who aren’t aren’t telling the truth. Whilst there are of course, businesses and organisations that will sail through the current crisis, we should all be taking the time to regroup and refocus our efforts into working through what is bound to become a whole new world (to quote Aladdin)

So… My brother works for a large supermarket chain (people will always need food) my father is a senior civil servant (society will always need prisons) and my sister in law, well, without realising it she maybe made the best career choice of all.

So whilst staking Cola and managing infidels might not carry the most job satisfaction, those jobs aren’t going anywhere at least. My Sis in law is an education professional, so whilst I’d pretty much say she has a job for life, I’m sure others would agree that it is a profession that carries with it a lot of pride.

No one will tell you that teaching is easy. Nor is it likely to make you rich.

Yet, survey after survey finds that people who choose teaching careers are enthusiastic about their work. Career satisfaction among teachers—and especially new teachers—is very high. In a recent national poll, 96 percent of young teachers said that they loved their jobs and 80 percent said that, if they had to start their careers over, they would still choose teaching. For these teachers, the profession has provided unparalleled personal, emotional and intellectual rewards. This new generation of teachers views teaching as a lifelong mission and is nearly unanimous in saying that teaching is the work that they were born to do.

The reasons for this passion are many. Most teachers surveyed said that the teaching “involves doing work that they love to do.” Most also agree that teaching, “gives a sense of being appreciated and respected.” Job security and opportunities for advancement were cited, as well, and most teachers feel that teaching enables them to spend time with their families and enjoy a fine quality of life.

Teaching is clearly an attractive option to those who are looking to change career paths and take jobs in schools, colleges or nurseries. In this article, Train to Teach fair reflects recruitment boom in the classroom, it mentions:

“People are increasingly turning to the teaching profession in a bid to beat the economic crisis.

Nearly 2,000 graduates and jobless people flocked to Birmingham for the two-day Train to Teach recruitment fair held at the Thinktank science museum at Millennium Point, Digbeth.

The figures were a massive 40 per cent up on last year’s attendance as people increasingly see the public sector, including teaching, as a safe haven amidst the thousands of redundancies caused by the recession.”

So why teach?

“A good teacher can bring the world to their class,” says Chris Cole, the headmaster of St Matthias C of E Primary School in London. “They’re role models for their students. They communicate their experiences of life and give children a new outlook. I’ve been teaching for 14 years and I still love it. Teachers provide a positive image; they show kids what they can achieve.”

“Teaching is a very different profession these days,” says Graham Holley, executive director of Initial Teacher Training. “It’s much more inclusive, gives a stronger career path, the pay is much better and its status has been driven up.”

To teach in a state school, you’ll need to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Another option is the employment-based route, the Graduate Teacher Programme. Here, you learn on the job for up to a year, teaching classes under supervision, and you’re paid an unqualified wage. Watch out though: it’s very over-subscribed.

As well as flexible training routes, decent money and good job security are other common reasons new teachers sign on the dotted line. Cash increases when you move up the ladder. Higher salaries go to teachers with managerial roles or extra responsibilities. Extra allowances are made for teachers considered to be excellent. No teacher will deny that long hours and emotional input can be exhausting. Many find the plus points enough reward. However, if you’re interested in schools but teaching doesn’t appeal, there are other positions to consider, such as librarians, learning mentors and teaching assistants.

Of course, teaching doesn’t have to be a career for life. The skills you learn are invaluable, but whether you teach for two years or 20, you’ll never forget the possibility that you could be that teacher that no one forgets.

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