Education Schools : How to Become a Teacher

The ideal candidates for education school programs are patient, organized, and effervescent individuals. Education schools prepare students to apply these qualities to advocating the importance of education. Education schools can offer a variety of qualifications leading to teacher certification or to other employment positions. There are certificates for specific services, such as Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); associate’s degrees which can serve as a foundation for a career in education; bachelor’s degrees in which teachers are required by all U.S. public elementary and secondary schools to hold a bachelor’s degree; master’s degrees, which are becoming a common prerequisite for higher paying positions; and PhD’s, often necessary to work as a policy-maker, superintendent, or higher education teacher.

The most common degree held by education professionals is the bachelor’s degree, including:

  • Bachelor of Education
  • Bachelor of Teaching
  • Bachelor of Pedagogy

Bachelor’s degrees in education are sometimes taken as part of a double major with another subject. Additionally, to prepare secondary school teachers to teach particular subjects, programs often allow for specializations in topics including:

  • Math
  • Science
  • English
  • Foreign Language
  • History
  • Music

Many degrees also offer concentration in specific niches including:

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Adult Education
  • Educational Management
  • Multicultural Education
  • Teaching in Urban Environments
  • Teaching Exceptional or Special Needs Students
  • K-12 Education

Master’s degrees will normally provide more room for specialization than bachelor’s degrees. PhDs are the most highly specialized programs. There are certain subjects that are commonly studied at all levels, emphasized for evolving policies and changing standards. To give an idea of the sorts of subjects that are frequently given focus in an education program, here are some sample course descriptions:

  • Educational Psychology
    This course introduces students to the discipline of psychology, its theories and practical applications, focusing on educational psychology – for example, different types of learners, the developmental process, learning theories and ways of motivating students to succeed.
  • Exceptional Students
    Exceptional students, sometimes referred to as special needs or disabled students, need to have their education approached in a different way than most. In this course, educators learn about various kinds of physical, psychological, cognitive, and emotional disabilities and strategies for engaging and teaching students that are challenged in these ways.
  • Child Growth and Development
    This course offers an understanding of the physical, emotional, social, moral, and cognitive development of children. It stresses the important roles that educators play in this development process and provides holistic strategies for encouraging the healthy development of all a child’s academic faculties.
  • Measurement and Evaluation
    This course familiarizes students with different methods for measuring and evaluating students’ progress: with a historical understanding of how current standards of evaluation have developed, and with contemporary debates regarding the efficiency of these methods and standards.