Tag: Massachusetts

Teaching licenses in adult ed. are different from K-12. At least here (Massachusetts), it’s not required for one thing. And there are no college and university programs arranging student teaching and observations and all the things.

Instead, it’s a more DIY endeavor, by teachers who already have the skills, but want or need the credential to back them up. It takes tests, and transcripts, and a binder full of lesson plans and statements about assessments and differentiation and learning objectives. It’s not for the faint of heart.

But (you know you’re a teaching geek when…) I actually kind of like the process. I understand and respect the reasons of the people who don’t, but it’s mostly a process of writing about teaching, and I can talk or write about teaching all day.

And, all that writing gets me a gold star at the end. And writing essays to get gold stars was my favorite childhood sport. We’re playing my game again.

And, I’m mostly doing it on a Friday afternoon, with a group of other teachers (and snacks), helping each other out. And a roomful of helpful teachers is a good thing.

So, writing and gold stars and peers, this I like.

On the other hand, Massachusetts requires two 4-hour standardized tests (MTELs) on a computer screen in a windowless room (with optional sound muffling earmuffs).

I am grateful that my brain and standardized tests formats are mostly ok with each other. But still. 4 hours. And not everyone’s brain likes multiple choice. Or test pressure.

And, the ABE MTEL is a content test.

Covering ALL the subjects one might teach in adult ed.

I answered questions about maps of the middle east and volume of a 3D shape and verb tenses and photosynthesis. And wrote an essay about something.

I am no expert on maps or verbs or photosynthesis. But math, I’ve got.

Which is good, because it’s a quarter of the test, and that’s a stressful thing for some of the talented teachers who’ve been focusing on verb tenses and maps since college.

Massachusetts ABE teachers: you’ve got this. Math is learnable.

And there are more tools today than ever. You could look up the objectives here. You could find the lessons on Khan Academy. Or IXL. Or borrow a book from a math teaching colleague. Or google all the things.

.

But, if you want more structure, like guidance, don’t want to sort through all the tutorials, don’t want to spend more time that you have to, just feel stressed at the thought of studying math, whatever your reason …. I wrote a study guide. And, I’m throwing in the link to my round up of resources pointing you to specific videos, exercises, explanations for each topic.

(You can get it on Teachers Pay Teachers, or download it directly for less)