<p>@Rolemodel32 – So far, I am only taking the exams for my original placement. I do remember seeing somewhere in our info that TFA might suggest an additional exam but the way it was worded, it seemed like it would be optional if they did…Maybe it’s not.</p>
<p>@rolemodel32, I am required to take two exams in my region (Oklahoma). My assignment is ELL so I will take that exam and also English. Oklahoma has its own exams as well but they do accept Praxis. I’m trying to decide which I will take. Are there pretty good study materials for the praxis?</p>
<p>The Praxis is the most common I assume has existed the longest. I haven’t taken the ones for my subject area yet, but I’ve heard their practice materials do help. Honestly, the best help you can get for these exams is a practice test so you can determine which areas you need to study the most. The Praxis study guide offers one practice test. I don’t know about the Oklahoma exam but Michigan sells practice exams so I will primarily use those to study.</p>
<p>I was thinking of preferencing a different content area anyways, but if TFA is already mandating that I do this, I suppose I mind as well preference them on my form so I can hopefully have some choice in the matter. I wouldn’t mind taking an extra test, but the thing I would be more concerned about would be any accompanying classes I may have to take since those would add up in cost. My certification is in 7-12 Social Studies too so I imagine I’ll have to add another certification. But I don’t mind because it will make me more marketable and versatile, especially since SS isn’t exactly in high demand as I’m sure you are well aware of.</p>
<p>And Tinitafish, I would personally take the Praxis if you have a choice. Like Rolemodel said, there are a lot more study materials out there for it since it is a pretty common test. Also, if you decide you want to continue in education and teach out of state, Praxis is probably much more versatile and accepted in other states than a standard state test. </p>
<p>But I should just focus on getting accepted into TFA before worrying about certifications haha. Onto planning that 5 minute lesson!</p>
<p>@RoleModel32 I also have to take two Praxis tests as well. One in my primary placement but one in my secondary placement as well to make me more marketable and to ensure hiring. I’m guessing most regions give you a primary and secondary placement to ensure you’re place. Since I don’t have to take the Praxis I it’s not so bad I just have to actually focus on the specific subject areas.</p>
<p>I was placed into Secondary English; they did mention that it might be wise to certify in a second area for marketability though they didn’t make any suggestion as to what that secondary certification/placement should be…</p>
<p>And my 2 cents on the greatest final interview stressor for me - the 5 min sample teach… </p>
<p>I echo what’s been said already. I’d add that in my group of 12, I was the only person without a handout or any other extra materials but that didn’t negatively affect me. I’d say there were 2 people who did significantly better than me, and another 6 that were at my same level. The best 2 people had the most engaging activities that also incorporated some physical activity. 1 person described the motions of the digestive track by having us dance each motion (like a dancing game of telephone). The other person did a lesson on measurements using a cartoon that we drew - Gus the somebody, whose body was a gallon, fingers were something else, arms were something else, etc…</p>
<p>Honestly, the role play was a very insignificant portion of my day. The interviewer just asked how would I approach the situation. I gave a 1 sentence response and she said that was fine.</p>
<p>@toots it sounds like the role play was really variable then… mine was like a solid 10 minutes or so of back-and-forth! I wish it had been less time for me because I was running out of things to say… Oh well, I guess it doesn’t play too large of a role either way because it didn’t negatively impact me too much!</p>
<p>Mine was more like 5 minutes. Oh well. I think we all know what its purpose is.</p>
<p>Did anyone do the webinars about high priority subjects or regions? Were they helpful? I was going to do the regions one tonight, but I am working so I couldn’t see it.</p>
<p>@pastaholic, I watched the one regarding high priority subjects. I thought it was extremely helpful in understanding which subjects I preferred. I’m interested in the high regions webcast, haven’t seen it on the blog yet.</p>
<p>I wished the webcasts were on the blog. I had classes and work during all of them :(</p>
<p>I hope everyone is having a fantastic Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Be safe!</p>
<p>@stressedgrad8 they are on the admissions blog now! I think they posted yesterday. The webcasts are linked within the blog post. </p>
<p>I have a question for those of you that have completed your final interviews. I’m trying to prepare the material without knowing what type of writing space I will have. Did you guys write on posters and tape them up or did you prepare for any kind of writing surface? Do you think just using posters is a bad idea? Any advice would be appreciated :)</p>
<p>@sarabea126 I see them now!!! YAY! Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Don’t forget to submit any documents, coursework, preference forms, etc. today! It’s the deadline for 3DL! I can’t believe interviews are next week! I’m a little nervous because it’ll be my first time interacting with TFA staff since I didn’t have a recruiter nor did I have a phone interview.</p>
<p>@sarabea126 I think the best advice is to follow what they tell you t expect. You should only expect a whiteboard or chalkboard to write on and a marker, and you shouldn’t expect anything else. In my entire interview group, no one used a poster. I think people use the poster because they’re scared of the 1 minute prep time. Although they will stop you and start your lesson time if you go past the minute of prep, I found that you can write all your information as long as you prepare yourself well. In my group, people ran out of time during their prep because they either didn’t have their papers ready, spent too much time handing out multiple copies to everybody, or had an over complicated objective. I was able to finish because I gave all of my handouts to someone in the back of the room and asked them to pass them to everybody while I went to write my info on the board. If you’re really concerned, bring a poster to calm your nerves but you can definitely make it if you practice before and manage your time well. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>@Pastaholic Don’t be nervous. Although you can’t expect everybody to act exactly the same, your interviewers will try to make the process as accommodating as possible. My interviewers were very relaxed and kind. They know how stressful the entire process has been since most of them had to go through the same thing before. I haven’t met anyone who had a bad experience with them. The only problem is that they can tend to be too nice, so it’s hard to judge whether or not you did a good job!</p>
<p>What is the best piece of advice you can give someone who is an introvert for the group part of the interview?</p>
<p>@sarahbea… I freaked out about how I was going to be as prepared as possible so I prepared a lot of posters with my notes on them so I didn’t have to waste time writing them. I wanted to display two at a time so I could have a visual going that supplemented the steps of the lesson. Because I didn’t know if I would have something to rest the posters on, I brought two collapsible easels, but I was able to use a whiteboard ledge and it worked really well (I used foam board posters). Another girl in my group tried taping her posters up, but the tape didn’t stick and they kept falling. Since I relied on my posters so much, I even had some correct answers that I had students provide me hidden behind pieces of papers attached with white velcro. I thought this worked really well, but it definitely took a lot of construction on my part.</p>
<p>I did also write my name, grade level, and objective on a foam board so I didn’t have to waste time writing it down. This made me a lot more comfortable during my set up, and I was able to start early.</p>