Pedagogical Resources
20 New Teacher Resources
Whether you’re brand new to teaching, switching from K12 to higher education, or just want a refresher on some baseline principles and tips, this collection of articles provides thoughtful advice designed to help you lay teaching foundations worth building on.
Below you will find resources for new teachers (though these resources are helpful for experienced teachers too!):
Resource Highlight: “Find Your Marigold” by Jennifer Gonzalez
“Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers” by Jennifer Gonzalez
This resource from “The Cult of Pedagogy” explores the importance of surrounding yourself with good people in order to improve your teaching skills. The essay is named after a gardening concept known as “companion planting,” which involves placing certain species of plants (marigolds are some of the best for this) near each other to enhance the blossoming of one or both plants.
The following is a short excerpt from Gonzalez’s essay:
“Few teachers will be lucky enough to be planted close to a marigold – being assigned to one as a mentor, co-teacher, or team leader will be rare. You will have to seek them out. You can identify them by the way they congratulate you on arrival, rather than asking why anyone would want this godforsaken job. Or by the way their offers to help sound sincere. Or just by how you feel when you’re with them: Are you calmer, more hopeful? Excited to get started on a teaching task? Comfortable asking questions, even the stupid ones? If you feel good around this person, chances are they have some marigold qualities.
Once you’ve identified your marigolds, make an effort to spend time with them. Having a hard day? Go to your marigolds. Not understanding how to operate the grade reporting system? Go to your marigolds. Confused by something the principal said at the faculty meeting? Marigolds.”
