Transantlantic Educators Dialogue: sharing the experience

Transantlantic Educators Dialogue:

sharing the experience

Julie Gyftoula, MEd 3rd Primary School of Zografou

What is TED?

• The Transatlantic Education Dialogue (T.E.D.) is an online platform for educators in the United States and the European Union to collaborate in an online format to explore and examine other countries, and in particular, their own country. The Transantlantic Educators Dialogue is sponsored by the European Union Center and the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• 4 years of TED• Elluminate/Blackboard

Collaborate

Who can participate?

Participants wanted for FREE on-line Transatlantic Educators Dialogue with US teachers!

Are you interested in talking to other teachers in the US about educational issues beyond classroom management? If so, we invite you to join a free 12-week online program: “Transatlantic Educators Dialogue, 2013″. Please register online by January 25, 2013.Please contact TED coordinator Lucinda Morgan (lmorgan4@illinois.edu) if you have questions about the program.For more information: http://www.euc.illinois.edu/TED/

Look for the ad on your

e-Twinning desktop …

Topics of discussion

• EU Infrastructure & US Structure

• Impressions of the "Other"• Approaches to Teaching• Evaluation & Assessment

Systems• Youth Culture• Immigration• Rural & Urban Situations• Opportunities for International

Collaboration• The Future: Where are the EU

and US going?

Meeting every Sunday from 8-9.30 pm

Moments from our Sunday meeting

Discussion forum

Our Facebook group

Going back to … kindergarten!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO4X8_c80kg

Being a teacher in the States ….

………There are programs in place, nationally (Teach for America for example) that allow anyone with a university degree to join, 'teach'/intern during summer school, and be placed as a regular classroom teacher for the upcoming school year without any education background. These teachers participate in a cohort and are closely monitored and assisted. So, in effect, it is similar to a paid internship, which is another option available to teachers and replaces standard student teaching. Interns and teachers with Alternative Certification are held to the same requirements as a regular certified teacher.  Certification/Highly Qualified status is obtained by passing whichever test your state chooses as acceptable, Praxis, for example.

The Praxis test

In US it depends on private or public school. To teach at a private

school you do not need a teaching credential. Salary is low,

benefits scarce, but you get smaller class sizes and parental

involvement (sometimes excessive but oh wow). To teach at a

public school, one needs a teaching credential, which you can get

either by enrolling in the teacher prep program at a

college/univeristy, or by just taking a test. System is bizarre. I have

Master's from one of the leading universities in the US. In order to

get in, one have to take GRE exams which requires some high level

math, logic, and good knowledge of English. The teacher

certification test is ridiculous, and I cannot figure our why they

want me to take it since I clearly passed my GRE. Many foreigners

who teach at US end up in this situation.

The saying goes - if you cannot do anything with yourself, go teach. ….

I wish there was a way to change the way teaching is perceived…..

Masha Serttunc, US teacher says ….

Did you also know that …?

My gains

New tools to be used while teaching

Platforms/groups for teachers

New friends abroad

Some more history or geography …

1. The US Educational system

75 million students in school year 2005-2006

6.8 million teachers from Kindergarten to college

878 billion $ a year

School attendance is compulsory for students through age 16

K = Kindergarten at the age of 5

K1-K5 or 8 (depends on the State) Elementary school

K9-K12 High School 14- 18 years of age

45- or 50-minute classes

2. The evaluation system

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LoaidrMJ6wk#!

3. Hot potatoes worldwide …

Family structure

Racism

The use/overuse of technology

Immigration

Global recession

The future of education

4. New trends in the trade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGuLuipTwg

Chances of international partnerships

Looking for a partner from the Stateshttp://linoit.com/users/juliegy/canvases

/US%20partner%20wanted%21

…. And proposing a projecthttp://www.capzles.com/#/93fae7d6-9213-4555-b6b9-4438f740c263/

Trying to fund a meeting of TED 2013 participants

http://padlet.com/wall/p4m65x0kyi

Keep spirits high! Have a nice summer holiday!

Thank you!