MARKET YOURSELF

GSP 5203
ASSESSMENT ONE: Part 1. REPORT

Hameeda Mohamed
201000064
Class 004

Table of content
1.0 Introduction...3
2.0 Interview ..3
3.0 Research...4
4.0 Analysis5
5.0 Conclusion5
6.0 References6
7.0 Appendix..6

1.0 Introduction:
Teaching is one of the oldest professions that play an important role in the progress
of society. Nowadays teachers are even more influential in the societies as they in some
ways have a huge contribution in the role of rising the next generation. Therefore, this
report will highlight an understanding of the nature of teaching career.

2.0 Interview:
In order to understand the nature of teacher profession, an interview was conducted in
Bahrain Polytechnic on 19 of October, 2014 with Alistair Lowry, a tutor in the Degree English
course. He has been teaching for over 20 years in different institutions in various countries.
However, he gets his current job at Bahrain Polytechnic via a contact from his previous job in
New Zealand. At the beginning of the interview he identified himself and then began to talk
about the reasons that motivated him to choose his career. Enjoy helping others,
enthusiasm for learning, and desire to give, were the reasons behind this choice.
Additionally, this career has a feature of long holidays that give him the chance to travel.
However, there are some qualifications and skills required for this job. In relation to the
qualifications, Alistair mentioned without lengthening that a college degree in the subjects
that relevant to what he teaching is the main needed qualification. Also, studying additional
courses such as "education psychology" make a person distinct from others. And as for the
skills that he highlighted, Kindness, fairness plus a sense of humor. Nevertheless, having
mixed ability levels in a same class is a difficult problem that needs a great skill to overcome
it. Furthermore, he thinks that knowing when students are bored or not focusing so keep
learning fun is an important strength helps him in his teaching. About teacher
responsibilities, he mentioned planning and delivering lessons, developing, marking, and
giving feedback on assignments. Then, he Spoke about his place of work (Bahrain
Polytechnic) and explained some of the features that attracted him to work in it. Bahrain
Polytechnic offers lots of opportunities for professional development and on-going study,
but still salary and benefits are competitive. At the end he recommended me that the key to
find the opportunity to work as a teacher is the experience, it must work to gain experience
in this area and, of course, after getting the needed qualifications. In short, it is founded that
teaching is the specialized application of skills, attributes, and qualifications designed to
facilitates learning and provide unique service to meet the educational needs (Appendix).

3.0 Research:
In the interview, the dialogue turned to the teacher competences that are evaluated by the
employer. Alistair mentioned many of them, included teacher's skills in the diversification
strategies and teaching methods (cooperative learning method, dialogue and debate), which
helps to increase the effectiveness of the students in the classroom. Additionally, teachers
should be able to motivate students to learn through diversification of stimuli such as,
interesting story or a personal experience to be a start of a lesson. Moreover, being patient
to face learning difficulties among students, especially those category of people with special
needs. Furthermore, mastery of communication skills and classroom interaction with
students, and encourage them to express their ideas clearly and effectively participate in the
classroom activities. However, through research, it is founded that teacher competencies
are much more of what outlined by Alistair and they are classified within categories. Firstly,
competencies of human relations which include building positive human relationships
between teacher and student in the educational process, for example, avoiding ridicule and
derision on student, and able to be fair in the treatment of students. Secondly,
competencies of planning in the preparation of the annual, quarterly and daily lesson plans,
as a selection of appropriate evaluation methods to emphasize the extent to which the
objectives were achieved and these methods include observation, interview, research, and
tests. Thirdly, teaching competencies that consist of organizing educational experiences and
its accompanying activities to employ them in the educational process. For instance, use
different learning resources including audio, visual aids, plus means of communication and
technologies which contribute in the achievement of the topic objectives. Last but not least,
competencies of classroom management through the employment of the personal skills to
be able to clean the chapter without using the language of force. This requires a range of
skills, such as using tones of voice, movement appropriate in the classroom so as not to
stand in a certain angle or a lot of movement dramatically, the use of gesture and looks
expressive and deterrent, and to stand silent in the appropriate places to draw attention and
focus (Al-Edwani, 2011).
Another research demonstrates that teachers are looked at as a cued and knowledge carrier
only. Nevertheless, teachers have a great role in the discipline and upbringing of children,
such as the importance of the role of family at home in the upbringing and education. Is no
longer that teachers are specializing in teaching only, they have other duties, for instant,
they are in charge of supervising the students, the preparation of the activities of descriptive

and non-descriptive, the preparation of research and studies in the field of specialization,
attend courses, processing worksheets, setting exams, corrected, and monitored. These
tasks making a lot of teachers asking in one voice: Where is the time for all this?, especially if
they take into account the responsibilities of their families, homes and other social life,
which must not be neglected (Rosenberg, n.d.).

4.0 Analysis:
By comparing the findings of the interview and research, it founded a lot of congruence such
as, career motivation, qualifications, and skills. However, when Alistair described teaching
profession, it has seemed an easy career, especially when explaining the teacher's
responsibilities and their difficulties, but in fact it is through research found that education
path strewn with obstacles, the overcrowded classrooms, corrections and preparation
excessive, suffocating routine, non-students responders, and low salary were reasons for
many of those who left this profession. It can be a very difficult challenge in schools in big
cities, in most countries. Drugs, crime, morals degenerate, and sometimes indifference
parent's things seriously affect the atmosphere of the school. But in Bahrain since it is a
small country may be less of those crimes, but still there are difficulties, especially the
indifference of the parents which affects the student's discipline and ethics.

5.0 Conclusion:
After exploring this career field, I am even more convinced that it is the job I want. I feel I
am ready and willing to spend the years working in this profession. I have experience in this
area as I have participated in a voluntary program that was followed by Injaz Bahrain, which
enabled me to teach in government primary school. In addition, I am a member in a tutoring
project in my villages which is helping me improving more as a teacher. I think that my
educational qualification (Bachelor of Accounting) and my experience make me a perfect
person to take over this job.

6.0 Referencing:
Al-Edwani, K. (2011, May 19). Social studies teacher competencies. Retrieved from
http://kenanaonline.com/users/kadwany/posts/263584
Rosenberg, D. (n.d.). Teacher: Career Information. Retrieved from
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/teacher.htm

7.0 Appendix:
Interview questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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8.
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10.
11.
12.

Tell me about yourself.

Why did you choose a teaching career?
What are your major responsibilities as a teacher?
What are the qualifications that employer look for in teachers?
What personal strengths do you find especially helpful in your teaching?
What are the key skills that students look for in teachers?
What was your biggest problem in student teaching?
What courses in college help you most in your career? Why?
What are the required competencies to be a teacher?
How did you get your current job?
What is your recommendation to me to get a similar job?
What makes your organization different from others educational institutions?