Pursuing the appropriate qualifications to achieve a successful career is a path that many educators proudly choose to follow – after all, life-long learning is an important aspect of Education. The International Certifications is a broad category to explore and to discuss exams in general; a generous number of options is – thankfully – available in the market.
Education is a rather organic system with constant updates. It is key to keep the ongoing curiosity to study new tendencies in order to observe how learners are progressing over time – constantly rethinking and reshaping their learning preferences. Educators should be aware of how to make the best use of approaches and techniques when helping students building up knowledge and shaping the citizens they will become.
The right certification can point directions to where professionals may want to go, and which skills they’d like to improve. It is important to remark that, depending on the field chosen, there are courses to help reaching different goals on the path a person wishes to follow: being certified a proficiency level, training teachers regarding lesson planning; systematizing different approaches and methodologies in the beginning of their careers, or even training experienced teachers to become teacher educators. Nevertheless, going through the process of having an international certification brings positive aspects not only for the professionals themselves, but also for the company they work for and, of course, for the students.
Taking an educational institution’s point of view into consideration, it is important to highlight how employees tend to feel more satisfied once they realize the company they work for is investing on their professional development. It is likely that a happier group of teachers will stay longer in a school, for instance, since a great number of institutions carries professional development as part of their mission, vision and core values. Here at International School, the search for constant professional growth is visible through regular opportunities to study and reflect on views of teaching, learning and education itself.
Regarding a teacher’s perspective, it is paramount to keep in mind that having a knowledge/skill growth is an amazing academic benefit since teaching is one of the activities that values constant learning the most. It’s always possible to learn a new tool, a different method or even to be exposed to new ideas on the process of building knowledge. Living these experiences keeps one motivated and rewards them with professional credibility.
Besides that, it is important to mention how a certification can boost efficiency and productivity. Someone who’s highly prepared can perform better when facing day to day challenges, getting the most out of new technologies. Certain exams evidence awareness of key learning fundamentals; that leads to evolving the competence to learning new approaches and investigating/practicing how to apply them using technology, enhancing the educational experience. Owning this kind of recognition can make a teacher a great asset to any team and, therefore, increase their earning potential.
All in all, having an international certification thoroughly describes to educators where they stand when reflecting on their development and what they need to do or where they can focus in order to improve their knowledge. So going through a process like that is much more than just passing an exam. The labor market and the daily teaching practice open the door to gaining experience and to experience theory being put into practice. However, certifications can provide an opportunity for acquisition and better understanding of relevant and meaningful theories and approaches that can help us upgrade the learning experience in and out of class. These benefits shine a light on the school or company as a whole: students, pedagogical team, stakeholders.
What about you? Have you ever considered taking an international exam? Do you know which exams are available for your segment? Tell us all about it!
By Murilo Berti and Claudia Caleff
Murillo loves traveling, playing volleyball, discovering new restaurants and doesn’t like having a birthday on Christmas Day. He is passionate about music, and collects key chains from the places he has visited. He has a degree in Language Studies (Portuguese/English) and has 10 years of experience in education. While still at university, he wrote a children’s book, was part of the coordination of an English language teaching project and developed a pedagogical project on discussing gender and diversity in schools. He worked in regular schools as a teacher and in language schools as an instructor and a pedagogical coordinator.
Claudia Caleff is an Educational Developer at International School. She has a degree in Brazilian Portuguese and English Language Studies, having worked as an English Teacher and Coordinator for 14 years. Since 2018, she has focused her studies and projects on Bilingual Education, advising schools which are implementing the International School Bilingual Program. She is also currently post graduating in Bilingual Education and Cognition at Instituto Evangélico de Novo Hamburgo.
