new teacher articles

UFT Teacher Center helps teachers help kids

Aug 13, 2009 9:20 AM

The UFT believes mightily in the value of good professional development. It’s one of the surest ways to raise academic achievement, improve student performance and help you get the personal satisfaction of a job well done.

That’s why the union has consistently fought the “sink-or-swim” approach to inducting new teachers, by advocating for essential support for programs like mentoring, and by establishing its own unique educational arm, built around the Teacher Center.

The UFT Teacher Center models the kind of professional development programs that deepen teachers’ content knowledge, enhance their pedagogical skills and enable them to become the best teachers they can be at every stage in their careers.

For newcomers, the UFT Teacher Center sponsors a host of affordable graduate courses, including some master’s degree programs, in collaboration with area institutions of higher learning. You can take these to achieve a master’s degree, qualify for permanent or professional state certification or upgrade your teaching skills. For a full description of these options and registration instructions, see the UFT Fall Courses Catalog. Register early because these offerings fill up quickly.

Especially for New Teachers

To get you off to the best possible start, the UFT Teacher Center will host “Beginning the Journey,” a citywide conference especially for new teachers on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, in Manhattan.

The featured speaker at this conference will be Julia Thompson, author of “The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide,” who will inspire and guide you with her extensive experience and insights. You will also get preparation for the realities of the classroom by examining research-based best practices on planning instruction, maintaining a positive learning environment, managing your time, motivating students, running an orderly classroom and much more. To register for this conference, look for the coupon on page 20 of the August issue of New York Teacher.

Following up on this conference, the UFT Teacher Center invites you to participate in two borough-based interactive networking series called “Especially for New Teachers: The Road to Success.” These series create peer support groups for new teachers, networking newcomers in each borough. The newcomers learn to problem-solve together, and receive instruction from the pros. Each session focuses on enabling participants to successfully tackle the challenges all new teachers face, from classroom management and lesson planning to building partnerships with parents, and whatever other issues come up.

The first series meets in each borough office after school or on weekends starting in September. For exact dates, times and locations, call your borough office.

These and other professional learning opportunities for educators are listed in the UFT Teacher Center publication “Networks, Conferences and Seminars,” available from chapter leaders, at all UFT borough offices and at all school-based Teacher Center sites. Also, check the Newer Teacher pages in each issue of the New York Teacher for announcements about upcoming offerings.

A full range of learning opportunities

The UFT Teacher Center is also the hub for professional development in more than 250 city schools and numerous outreach locations. Wherever they go, UFT Teacher Center staffers support student achievement by integrating professional development into the daily life of educators.

Here’s what educators can do at a Teacher Center:

• Plan standards-based instruction, lessons, units and projects.
• Use multi-media equipment to prepare for interdisciplinary teaching.
• Problem-solve classroom management situations.
• Learn about assessment in standards-based work.
• Use computers and do research online.
• Review and borrow professional materials and resources.
• Consult with colleagues about day-to-day work.
• Join a study group to practice and refine new strategies.

If you are lucky enough to be in a school with a Teacher Center, be sure to make the most of it. For more information, call 1-212-475-3737 or visit www.ufttc.org.

Look at the “Newcomer Checklist” for upcoming professional development activities.