Guidance for Novice Educators and How to Thrive
From surviving the “awkward phase” to methods for effectively engaging students, these education professionals offer advice for rising teachers.
Published February 25, 2011
By Academy Contributor
On February 24, 2011, The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) hosted young scientists and mathematicians for a panel discussion titled Thinking about Teaching: Myths and Realities of Becoming an Educator. The panel included:
- Hilleary Osheroff, Program Manager for the Science Research Mentoring Program at the American Museum of Natural History
- Ellen Cohn, biology teacher at Bronx Science
- Heather Cook, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wagner College
- Nicole Gillespie, Associate Director of Teaching Fellowships at the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation
- Gabriel Rosenberg, master teacher in the Math for America Program at Bard College Early High School.
The purpose of the panel was two-fold: to demonstrate a variety of teaching-focused jobs and to share the insight of people who have transitioned into these careers from a research background. Panelists gave their impressions of what it is like to hold these positions after doing research. The panel included a faculty member at a small, teaching-focused, liberal arts college, two high school teachers, an educator who both teaches and coordinates research for students at a museum, and the director of a program that recruits and supports math and science teachers.
Regardless of the speakers’ job titles, one idea was universally confirmed in their comments: teaching is a dynamic and difficult profession that does not mirror the teaching experience of most PhDs, namely as a teaching assistant. The panelists were candid about their initial naïvetè about the difference between being a content expert and being able to teach a subject to students. All of them identified a steep learning curve that leveled off after two to three years.
Surviving the “Awkward Phase”
In order to survive this initial “awkward phase,” new teachers need, as the panelists noted based on their own experience, key support resources that focus on helping teachers find a professional learning community that includes other teachers in the same general content area as well as master teachers who can help solve problems, offer teaching resources, and simply provide moral support on a bad day. For the panelists, balancing those bad days were the positive attributes of teaching, including building relationships with the students, watching them succeed, the designing creative lesson plans, and being a professional learner.
During the Q & A audience members were curious about the balance between research and teaching in the panelists’ education positions, but most of the panel members responded that they have not been engaged in research at a high level since they moved from academia to teaching. Some panelists, however, did articulate the efforts they have made to incorporate research into their current work.
Cook spoke about finding the right project for a given set of resources, working with undergrads, and her current scientific interests. Rosenberg discussed choosing to do research during the summer and taking on additional paid teaching responsibilities. Cohn, who coordinates two classes of students doing research, admitted that she missed doing research herself but that she was happy to live vicariously through her students.
Tips for Teachers
- Find out first if you like working with kids by tutoring or teaching in an after school program. If you don’t like working with kids then teaching probably isn’t the right choice.
- During an interview for a faculty position, ask specific questions about the teaching load, the expectations for academic advising, and the balance between research and teaching required to get tenure. There is a huge variation in these expectations across different small liberal arts colleges.
- Don’t try to navigate the state certification system alone. Make contact with programs that recruit and train professionals like you.
- Develop a method to learn from your mistakes, and don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to fail gracefully, and trust that you can recover from a bad day teaching.
- Learn how to capture people’s attention through hands-on demonstrations or interactive work. If possible, avoid lecturing.
- Choose a school where the administration is supportive of your teaching style. Be prepared to deal with some students and parents who push for better grades than the students have earned.
- Kids love fire, slime, gross stuff, and taking things apart. Learn to embrace the mess that science makes.
- Smile and present yourself as a real person—this will help break down student misconceptions of what scientists are. Be very careful, however, about what you share, and maintain a cautious, professional relationship with students and parents.
- Ask yourself what evidence you have that your students are learning. Design your assignments to gather that evidence and to learn about how students learn and what their misconceptions are about the subject.
- No matter where you end up, develop a strong professional network. It will make a huge difference in your first few years of teaching.
