Resources New Teachers Can Use Next Semester

Resources New Teachers Can Use Next Semester By the mid-point in the year, youve already gotten your feet wet as a new teacher, have had your first parent-teacher conferences, and have likely followed the advice of the Wongs in The First Days of School. Youve made some lesson plans that worked and others that didnt. As you take a breather from school for the holiday break, you may be planning how to structure your spring semester. Luckily, there are many resources out there that benefit new teachers. Resources new teachers can use in the spring semester include Google Arts Culture, other teachers at the school, and local museums. Here are resources new teachers can use next semester: Resource #1 for new teachers: the National Education Association (NEA) The NEAs support of both education and teachers is apparent in the wealth of information available on its website. There are archives with lesson plans and teaching strategies, as well as articles and resources that pertain to classroom management and other aspects of teaching. Lesson plans can be filtered by grade level, month, and subject. [RELATED: 4 Ways Personalized Learning Positively Impacts Students] Resource #2 for new teachers: cultural centers, libraries, and local museums Remember to visit local cultural centers, libraries, and museums in your town or in neighboring towns. Such places will often have student-specific programming that you can take advantage of if youre able to visit with your class. Some may even offer lesson plans or resources that can help you introduce the field trip or extend concepts beyond the visit. If a location doesnt have programming, dont be afraid to askmany are willing to work with you to put together an experience that will benefit your students. You can also try less obvious places that will stretch your students in productive ways, such as: Community food pantries Community gardens Recycling centers Resource #3 for new teachers: other instructors at your school This is perhaps the most underrated resource you can find. Especially as a new teacher, your hands may be full throughout the day, with little time to speak with colleagues beyond required meetings. If youre able to carve out the time, get in touch with teachers at your school whose teaching style you admire or whose projects have inspired you in some way. Teachers of all ages and experiences have a great deal to offer. Any teacher who has been at your school longer than you will also have an added perspective on what may work with your administration, students, and parents. Resource #4 for new teachers: SchoolTube and TeacherTube Were all familiar with YouTube, but you may not know about TeacherTube or SchoolTube. Both are free resources where you can find student-friendly videos on a range of topics. As a community member of TeacherTube, you can upload your own videos in addition to browsing hundreds of others. You can attach supplemental files to your videos too. In addition, you can join or create groups to connect with other educators who share your interests, which builds community and multiplies resources. SchoolTube is a similar platform that collects, as its tagline says, The best videos from students and teachers everywhere. Try either out to add a multimedia aspect to your classroom. [RELATED: 5 Benefits of Using Videos to Learn] Resource #5 for new teachers: Google Arts Culture Google Arts Culture is a virtual museum that brings together documents, photographs, videos, and other items from a number of institutions around the world. Through Google Arts Culture, you can take a virtual field trip with your students that you may not otherwise be able to afford, both in time and money. You can also use it as a resource for a history project or interdisciplinary project, or find lesson plans through the World Wonders education project. [RELATED: How Online Learning Helps Students] Beyond these resources, try to seek out professional development besides that which is required on professional development days. Your principal may have funds or other ways to support you as you learn and grow as an educator. Dont try everything at once; take your time implementing new strategies so you dont overwhelm yourself in this exciting first year. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

The Value Of College Degrees

The Value Of College Degrees There has always been much debate on how valuable a college degree is. Some are convinced its a waste of money and time that could have been spent working and earning income. Others say its a necessary education experience that will give one a competitive advantage. A recent study was conducted by the College Board the same company that creates the SAT claiming that a college degrees value is growing, according to an article in The New York Times. Workers who had college degrees made more money and were more likely to be employed, according to the study, Education Pays: the Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. Workers who had bachelors degrees in 2008 earned a median income of $55,700 in 2008, which was $21,900 more than workers who only had a high school degree. The study also found that in recent years, women aged 25-34 with bachelors degrees earned 79 percent more income than those with only high school degrees. Men earned 74 percent more. Compared to 10 years ago, women earned 60 percent more and men earned 54 percent more. The study also considered the cost effects of student loans and not earning income for the first four years after college. It took college graduates 11 years of working to reach the accumulated wealth level of high school graduates, assuming an average of a 6.8 percent student loan interest. A college degree helped workers during the recession as well. The unemployment rate for college graduates 25 and older was 4.6 percent and 9.7 percent for high school graduates. Consistently over time, unemployment rates are about half for college graduates, Sandy Baum, an author of the report told The New York Times. And jobs began recovering for college graduates about a year and half ago. While its easy to find a college grad whos unemployed, youre statistically much less likely to be in that circumstance if you have a higher level of education. The debate has gained steam with the recent spike in tuition costs, which are now rising faster than the rate of inflation. However, most economists agree that a college degree will pay for itself. In general, college is a good investment, but there is great variability in outcomes, Robert Lerman, an economics professor at American University told The New York Times. A significant minority of college graduates dont earn as much as those with less education. And all is not lost if you dont go to college. There are other routes to improving your earnings, for example, credentials that demonstrate mastery of an occupational skill like plumbing. The study also found social benefits for acquiring a college degree. People with college degrees are more likely to vote, exercise, volunteer and have health insurance pensions. Also, people with college degrees are less likely to smoke, be obese or have low-birth-weight babies. However, many believe that having a college degree cannot cause these social benefits. There is rather just a strong correlation.