Education tips and articles

Passing a Praxis exam successfully can be your ticket to a highly rewarding teaching career. Not only that, the Praxis test series can also cement your reputation as an educator. That is why it’s important you don’t take chances with the study preparation for your Praxis tests, considering that proper study is key to passing the test and securing your future. Here are some tips to help you get ready for that Praxis test:

Know which Praxis test to take.

There are 3 Praxis test series you will need to take depending on the licensure and requirement you have to fulfill. Know what your specific test is and what type of tests to expect.

Study ahead of time.

Schedules for Praxis tests are posted on the websites of the Department of Education and the Educational Testing Services. Know how much time you have to study for your Praxis test by checking out the schedules online.

Familiarize yourself.

It would be a very helpful study strategy to familiarize yourself with the format and layout of the Praxis exam. Knowing how the test booklet will look like, where the questions will be found and how you will be using the answer sheet will not only save you time during the test but also help lessen your anxiety and pre-test jitters.

Know what kind of test content and question types to expect and find out what specific teaching skills each test will measure. Another important consideration during your Praxis study is the time limit, so you’ll know how to pace yourself when you’re taking the exam.

You might also want to check out some resources that can provide you with information about past Praxis tests. There are plenty of resources online that will familiarize you with the common methods and questions used in the tests. Don’t expect these to actually appear on your testing day, however. Praxis tests are reviewed and changed regularly so what you find online or offline may not appear on the actual test.

Study and study hard.

While a good number of test takers don’t study for their Praxis tests and still pass, there’s also a high percentage among failures who did not bother to prepare themselves. Remember that the Praxis test is an assessment of your knowledge and skills, many of which were obtained over your many years of study. The Praxis test series will not measure your interest or disposition in teaching so it will be necessary that you study all relevant material to help you pass the exam.

You might want to design an effective study schedule to help you gradually sort through and review your study materials. Read about case studies, do classroom observations and practice teaching. Learn how to identify specific information in questions to help you cut reading time.

Practice.

Learn about your pacing by taking practice tests from online sites. You’ll be able to observe your speed and accuracy by doing so and still be able to come up with corrective measures. If you’re confident about multiple choice tests, spend more time on constructed response tests to improve your score. Most importantly, keep track of the time you spend reading questions and writing your answers.

Should I use the services of a professional study center?

If you think you’ll need extra help with your Praxis study, go ahead. Just make sure to pick a reputable group to work with. Ask about their methods, rates of success and if you prefer, reviews from former students.

By: Mario CH Churchill

Communication with parents is one of the most difficult challenges a new teacher will face. The student teaching experience doe not adequately prepare new teachers for parental interaction and certainly does not prepare new teachers for the difficult parents.

Difficult parents are everywhere in every school district in every location of this country. Of course, you will run across the supportive parents, but the difficult ones will require some extra effort on mastering communications. Mastering the art of interacting with difficult parents means your first year of teaching will be a lot less stressful.

Here are a few survival tips on communication with difficult parents:

Listen Attentively

Event the most unreasonable parent wants to be heard. If a parent is berating you, respond in a manner that indicates you heard what they said. Calmly use comments like, “so, you are angry” or, “I understand why you feel that way, but….” Do this in a calm tone of voice and then listen to what happens to the parent’s tone of voice. In most cases, you will find the parent backing down.

Do Not Argue

Do not argue with an angry parent because this will send the message that the parent can push your buttons and that you are easy to control. As frustrated as you may be, maintain a calm tone of voice and you will find this will neutralize the situation rather quickly.

Do Not Accuse

Whatever you do, never accuse a parent of anything. You may be tempted to do this when dealing with the enabling parent who expects you to do everything for their child to the point where the child is no longer making an effort. State your case in a calm tone of voice and set specific boundaries that indicate where the teaching accommodation ends and the child must take responsibility.

Expect Respect

As much as you may not want to, respect the difficult parent and insist that they respect you in return. If the parent continues to be verbally abusive, remain silent and walk away, or suggest they return at another time when they can talk to you in a civil manner.

Maintain Eye Contact

Make sure you are eye level with the parent and do not hide behind any structural object during the interaction. This will send the message to the parent that you are not intimidated by the situation and you are confident in who you are and what you do.

Be Silent

A difficult parent is usually one who thrives on exerting power over others. If you react in the same manner, you are fueling the fire and further aggravating the situation. Remaining silent to their attacks is like denying a fire the air it needs to thrive; it will weaken the flame as well as deny the parent the attention they seek.

Remember that as a first year teacher you still have rights not to be treated as the rookie. In addition, your well being is essential to the success of what will be the most stressful year of your career.

By: J.C. Sprenger

Homework is a necessary part of school. Unfortunately, it’s also the part that tends to bring kids the most dread. If not tackled effectively, it can add up quickly and cause more problems than it solves. Dealing with homework issues is important. If you ignore them they will certainly not go away. There are many great ways to deal with homework so that it doesn’t pile up on you. Take care of it early to avoid potentially disastrous results.

Kids should be doing their homework as soon as they get home from school. It can be really tempting to go get a snack and sit down in front of the TV or go on the internet. However, those things can be done after, when there is no pressure left to do school work. Getting it over and done with right away makes the rest of the evening enjoyable and eliminates any light night homework sessions.

Make sure that your kids are encouraged to always ask for help if they should need it. There is no use in keeping quiet when you don’t understand things though many kids do. Make yourself available for questions as well and if you really can’t help them, ensure that they seek assistance from the teacher. Staying silent leads many kids to fail courses when all they really need is a little more one on one time or explanation than other students.

Commit yourself to being there for your kids when they do approach areas of learning that they struggle with. If you must sit down and go through it with them then be prepared to do so. Your support and encouragement can make all the difference in how your kids approach problems and find their resolution. Try not to get so caught up in work or taking care of the house to notice when they need you. Make yourself available.

If your kids are having a high amount of issues with homework such as the difficulty level or the amount being given each night, talk to the teachers. This can be a problem that will not change unless you bring it to the attention of the instructor. And after all, they get paid to teach your child so they should be accommodating to your child’s learning needs.

If you know for sure that your child has a learning disability or if your child is a special needs child, do what you can to have the best school system in place for them. Many of these kids simply cannot keep up with the pace a regular classroom moves at and that’s ok. However, they then need something structured to suit them. Seeking out proper resources for your children is what will benefit their future. There are more of these resources than one even realizes until they look.

Homework is not much fun but it is part of growing up. It certainly has values though such as teaching responsibility. Approach it with the right frame of mind and it will be a breeze.

By: Veronica Scott