Job Discussion Forums

[leeroy]

Ah, the old "degree" vs "no degree" debate. Brilliant!

A couple of years back I was of the "degrees & qualifications don't matter that much" camp.

However I'm now in the second year of university (BA in Language Studies) - and have finished my DELTA. Perhaps unsurprisingly, my attitude has changed somewhat.

On average, I believe that those who have relevant qualifications make better teachers than those without. Yes! There are exceptions, this does not mean the same thing as "People with no qualifications can't teach".

For most people, regardless of their natural abilities, a little formal study in both what and how language is taught will not be a waste of time. It is also proof to your employer, yourself and your students that you are serious about your job.

But I will stop short of condemning unqualified teachers (not least as I still am one!). As previous posters have said (implicitly or otherwise), sometimes schools don't really want 'professionals' in the true sense of the word. This is just as well, because there aren't enough to go around anyway...

[guest of Japan]

This debate really boils down to two really simplistically idealed factions.

One is jealous of the opportunities of the other.

The other is protective of the opportunities they've earned.

As a moderately qualified and experienced teacher I'll just say that there are jobs for the unqualified and they can have them. The more effort you put in the more reward you get back.

If the time comes when qualified and experienced professionals don't get their just desserts, then I will forever depart from the profession.

[Otterman Ollie]

Hi

I have always thought that those who come from a University direct into a job ,any job with very little experience but letters after their name expect to get paid more than those of us who have done the job for a long time without mishap or adventure, and then we are told to train or "re-educate" this new shining academic half wit. I have yet to meet someone in this game that has an MA or PHD or pgce that is any better at teaching . I understand the motives for the pursuit for excellence but really teaching kids to count and tell the time is hardly rocket science so who needs all this stuff .
The bottom line is employers will take on ANYBODY that is willing to do what we do regardless of their ability or qualifications .
Someone said earlier a well adjusted ill qualified teacher of English is a better bet than someone with all the necessary bits and pieces but he or she is a social misfit ,I wholeheartly support that view there are too many of that sort and usually they put themselves up as a tefl guru and the people over here swollow it hook line and sinker ,we all end up being tared with the same brush not just because of the backpackers . The one guy who really impressed me when I first started was a bloke called Arthur with zero qualies but a hell of a lot of energy and flair for teaching ,he was producing his own material and I watched him teach a class of unruly 14 years olds at least 40 I remember ,he was a dream to watch ,he had them in the palm of his hand and just took them to the place they had to go I have never seen anything like it since and I have seen a few so called "well qualified " people teach . Most of these academics leave me cold not only socially but professionally as well .

[dmb]

How would an unqualified teacher know what to look for in a good teacher?

[Mike_2003]

[dmb]

Maybe I am blinkered and I've been brainwashed by UCLES, but how does a non qualified teacher judge teaching ability. When I observe teaching 1001 things go through my little brain.
Does the teacher activate schemata?
Concept check?
Is there a pre listening task?
A post listening task?
Do the Ss deduce meaning from context?
Is this evident in the planning?
What are the interaction patterns?
open p/w?
closed p/w?
How much eliciting is there?
Is s/he considering the 7(8?) intelligences?
Visual learners?
Aural learners?
kinisthetic learners?
NLP?????????
Guided discovery Vs Inductive Vs deductive?
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

What does the non qualified teacher think about when deciding what is a good teacher.
.
.
.
.
OR DOES IT REALLY MATTER?????

[johnslat]

It's amazing how often this subject comes up. And the results are inevitable: anecdotal "proof".
"Non-qualified" teachers tell about "qualified bozos" and "qualified" teachers talk about "backpacking incompetents". Well, there are always going to be some "non-qualified" teachers who are darn good and some "qualified" ones who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. But, GENERALLY SPEAKING, who can deny that a "qualified teacher" is more likely to do a better job? (Silly question - there are sure to be some/many who'll STILL dispute it).
Regards,
John

[dmb]

Dear John,
As usual you speak the GENERAL TRUTH

[Mike_2003]

[dmb]

I think the whole debate centres around awareness.

You can lead a horse to a water...

You can lead a Scotsman to a pub.....

You need that initial introduction

[Mike_2003]

600th post. Congrats!

Maybe the indication of a good teacher is that he/she will spend his/her evening planning lessons and not mucking around on the net like ourselves...

[dmb]

Tomorrow at 6.30 in the morning I will introduce Frank Garret to the students. Remember him? OLD repeat old Headway( how much planning does that take?)

[denise]

We should also keep in mind that there are different types of teaching, different types/ages/levels of students, etc. A few posts ago, someone said that teaching 4-year-olds how to count wasn't rocket science (and presumably didn't require qualifications). Fair enough. But what about teaching 20-year-old college-bound students how to write research papers? Paraphrasing, citing, not plagiarizing, synthesizing information, etc., etc. It's a whole 'nother ballgame.

d

[Guest]

I think if you are young, which most of you are on Daves, the more qualifications you obtain - the better. In my case, back in the dark ages, I did not have the opportunity to gain a higher education and therefore my working life has not been as financially rewarding as it could have been.

There is no doubt that a "qualified teacher" will do a better job of teaching here in China, however there are not enough of them to go around, which leaves the door open for people like me and has given me a great opportunity and a new lease on life.

I have no problem settling for lower money than the qualified teachers and no problem recognising their value, but until the market tightens up in China, there will be opportunities for just about everyone and I still think that is a good thing and not a bad thing. I know some of you will not agree with me.

[Celeste]

THis whole thread reminds me of the old Charles D ickens book Nicholas Nickleby.