Being a teacher comes with intrinsic rewards and dynamic opportunities that await future educators. Explore the vibrant and invigorating experiences within the classroom and the transformative approach of Pacific Oaks College in our Early Childhood Education program, which prepares graduates to work with children from birth through age 8. Other of our Education programs prepare graduates to work in K–12 schools.
If you’re interested in pursuing a teaching career, learn more about the multifaceted nature of different classroom settings, the profound impact they have on educators and students alike, and how an education from Pacific Oaks College can put you on the path to becoming the kind of teacher you dream of being.
Why Is Teaching a Good Career?
Not only is teaching a good career for those drawn to education, but there are also several benefits of being a teacher that you may not have considered. Teaching is a rewarding journey fueled by a love of learning and a passion for helping others thrive academically. Future educators have the incredible opportunity to make a lasting impact on countless lives while forging meaningful relationships with students and their families.
There are a host of perks of being a teacher, such as access to dynamic classroom settings and creative teaching styles. Creative teachers work to make education an impactful, long-lasting experience for students.. As a teacher, you can inspire and empower the minds of tomorrow while finding joy and fulfillment in every lesson taught. The ever-changing nature of teaching promises new challenges and moments of triumph, making it a fulfilling profession within a nontraditional work environment.
Curating Teaching Methods for Your Students
Creative teaching methods provide an exciting opportunity for students to develop a deeper understanding and a motivation to learn by captivating their interests. Whether it’s through interactive lectures, small group activities, student-centered approaches, hands-on projects, probing questions, or immersive activities, creative teachers tailor their methods to suit diverse learning styles and preferences.
- Interactive lectures: Engage students to take part in deeper learning by involving them through questions, activities, or responsive modeling such as repeating the information back. This approach can have the teacher explain concepts and assign individual work, then regroup to share what the students learned.
- Small group activities: Encourage students to develop a thorough understanding of material by working together, learning from peers, explaining their unique points of view, and finding agreement with each other.
- Student-centered approaches: Teach students to lead, speak publicly, and improve decision-making by thinking of how to achieve desired outcomes. This makes the teacher’s role both instructive and consultative, allowing students to decide how to apply what they learn.
- Hands-on projects: Give students opportunities to practice their skills in research, critical thinking, collaboration, and even presentation. Teachers often use this approach to follow up on a lecture from a previous lesson, offering students a chance to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
- Probing questions: Encourage students to think critically and apply lessons to real-life situations by making connections through exploration and high-level questioning.
- Immersive activities: Empower students to make decisions and have a desire to learn through interaction with the lessons and practice through play. Teaching engaging lessons is a blend of the Montessori and cooperative learning approaches.
- Creative classroom organization: Foster deeper learning and higher student engagement. An inclusive classroom layout can help students focus on the teacher at the front rather than hiding behind others or breaking off into separate conversations. The benefit for the teacher is being able to see all the students, monitor their work, and reduce distractions found when students are sitting in large, separated groups.
Arranging the students’ desks in a horseshoe layout, for example, makes them feel included and connected to their peers. This allows the students to openly face their peers rather than seeing the backs of their heads.
By embracing these creative teaching approaches, teachers cultivate an environment where they and their students participate actively and engage in the learning process. Teaching becomes an invigorating journey filled with joy and excitement for everyone involved, making the classroom a place where learning is enriching and enjoyable.
Pacific Oaks College’s Dynamic Teaching and Learning Environment
Curated teaching methods are taught at Pacific Oaks in our Education and Early Childhood Education programs. Pacific Oaks embraces experiential learning, emergent curriculum, conflict resolution, and antibias approaches to education.
- Experiential learning: Hands-on learning experiences are encouraged through our clinical hours, allowing our ECE or Education students to learn from experienced teachers in their mentored experience. We offer a Teacher Residency Program with increased student-teacher hours in local classrooms and growing responsibilities in their role.
- Emergent curriculum: Students are encouraged to reflect on their life experiences and help guide classroom discussion to relate theories to each individual. This helps them relate the material to their future students from diverse backgrounds.
- Conflict resolution: Conflicts are opportunities to teach children problem-solving skills applicable to real-world situations. Pacific Oaks teaches students in our Education programs to help children respect different points of view; communicate to express their needs, wants, and emotions; and anticipate others’ reactions to help guide their approach to conflict.
- Antibias approaches to education: Pacific Oaks College and Pacific Oaks Children’s School both enforce anti-bias education. Pacific Oaks is committed to providing progressive teacher credential programs that help prepare future teachers to think critically about diversity and creatively about teaching. We promote understanding and respect for diversity and value differences such as language, traditions, abilities, and interests. We seek to provide inclusive learning conditions for all students, teaching them to foster a similar environment in their future classrooms.
Start Your Teaching Career With a Degree in Education
Pacific Oaks values a transformative approach to education, grounding our education programs in theory, research, and hands-on experience. Our ECE and Education students emerge with cultural competencies that pave the way for leadership roles in educational environments.
Our Master’s in Education programs are built in accordance with the educational requirements for either the Preliminary Education Specialist Teaching Credential or the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential to help prepare graduates for administrative or teaching careers in California.
Our Early Childhood Education program includes courses in collaborating with educational administrators and leaders on projects including program evaluation, business process, and creating and implementing policies and practices at all degree levels. Our ECE program offers a bachelor’s and master’s degree in person and online as well as an online Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education degree. As you further your ECE education, the courses go deeper into analysis, research, and theory application preparing you for a wide array of education-related careers.
