Project URL: http://teachersnetwork.org/everywhere/Brady/index.htm

How it works:
Exploratory Teaching is designed for students who are interested in becoming teachers. The course includes the study of teaching as a profession, the history of education, social issues in education, teaching practices and instructional strategies, as well as field experiences in the high school. Students will work as teacher aides and must complete such tasks as designing lesson plans, designing and decorating bulletin boards, and learning various classroom procedures.

Curriculum Objectives:
Students will be able to: (1) Identify the positive and negative characteristics of being a teacher; (2) Identify a teacher's effect on student learning; (3) Identify & discuss reasons people have for choosing to teach; (4) Trace the history of American education from colonial times to the present; (5) Describe the major historical events in the development of the American education system.

Assessment:
Each student must write weekly journals which covers a specific topic. They also create projects such as timelines, PowerPoint projects, and oral reports. An evaulation sheet is completed by each student's mentor teacher covering a range of criteria. Each student must also pass a written final exam.

Overall value:
A website enhances student learning as the student is always in touch with the subject and the teacher. Students can communicate with me through this site at any time--at night, weekends, etc. If they miss a lesson, they can find the makeup work online. All classroom update information is posted on this site. Lessons are also taught directly from this site both hands-on and through an Infocus machine.
 
Tips: 
This unit is my curriculum exclusively, and the only other materials I use are novels that my students must read. Not only do students learn about teaching, they also learn about technology at the same time. The Internet provides valuable resources not always found in print or which may be prohibitively expensive to purchase.
 

Kathleen Brady

About the teacher:
Kathleen Brady is a teacher at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

E-mail: 
kathleen.brady@browardschools.com

Subject Areas:    
Business & Careers
Social Studies
School-to-Work
Education                       

Grade Levels: 
11-12