Day 2: Cert Pathways + Powerskills Leadership
Lesson Overview
| Time | 50 minutes |
| Objectives | Compare traditional and alternative teacher certification pathways in Texas; complete the Hat Research template for one Education career; practice leadership skills through the Powerskills Leadership social media campaign |
| TEKS | d(2)(A), d(2)(B), d(1)(C) |
| Deliverable | Education Pathway Comparison worksheet + completed Hat Research template + leadership campaign concept |
| Materials | Chromebooks, H&L accounts, H&L Workbook (Ch 6, p. 97 Hat Research; Ch 6, pp. 95-96 Powerskills Leadership), TEA certification site, printed Pathway Comparison worksheet |
Warm-Up (5 min)
WARM-UP: Did you know you can become a teacher in Texas WITHOUT majoring in Education in college? You can major in math, art, history, or anything, and still become a teacher. What do you think of that?
Take 2-3 quick reactions. This sets up the comparison activity. Most students assume "teacher = Education degree", the alternative certification route surprises them.
Activity 1: Two Pathways into Teaching (15 min)
Source: TEA Educator Certification + Teach.org
Walk through both pathways using the projector. Keep this fast and concrete:
Traditional Pathway:
- 4-year Bachelor's degree in Education at a university
- One semester of student teaching (full-time, supervised, unpaid)
- Pass the TExES content exam (subject-specific) and PPR exam (pedagogy)
- Apply for TEA certification
- Total time: ~4 years from high school graduation
Alternative Certification Pathway:
- 4-year Bachelor's degree in ANY subject (math, science, English, history, art, music, etc.)
- Apply to an alt-cert program like iTeach, Texas Teachers, Region 10, or A+ Texas Teachers
- Complete coursework while working as a paid first-year teacher (called "intern teacher")
- Pass TExES content + PPR exams
- Apply for TEA certification
- Total time: ~4 years from HS, but you EARN A SALARY in year 4 instead of unpaid student teaching
Key insight to highlight: Both pathways lead to the SAME teaching certificate. A teacher hired through alt-cert and a teacher hired through traditional are paid the same and treated the same in the classroom. Texas created alternative certification because of teacher shortages in math, science, special education, and bilingual education.
Students take notes as the teacher presents. Then direct students to spend 5 minutes on the TEA certification page to confirm the information.
Activity 2: Pathway Comparison Worksheet + Hat Research (15 min)
Source: H&L Workbook Ch 6, p. 97, "Hat Research" template
Distribute the printed Education Pathway Comparison worksheet. Students complete a side-by-side table:
| Factor | Traditional | Alternative Cert |
|---|---|---|
| Time from HS graduation | ||
| Cost (rough estimate) | ||
| When you start earning | ||
| One advantage | ||
| One disadvantage | ||
| Which subjects have shortages? |
Students use TEA, Teach.org, and BLS data to fill in the comparison.
After the comparison, students complete the H&L Hat Research template for one Education career of their choice.
[H&L PLATFORM] From the workbook (Ch 6, p. 97): "Go to the Hats & Ladders app and click on the Hat Finder. Explore Hats in the 'Education and Training' career cluster. Choose one Hat and fill out the information below." Fields to capture: Name of Career, What Interests You, Brief Job Description, Education/Training Needed, Average Salary, Tools/Equipment/Skills Needed.
Suggest hats to explore: High School Teacher, Elementary Teacher, School Counselor, Principal, Instructional Designer, ESL Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Early Childhood Educator, School Librarian.
Facilitation Tip
For students who insist they don't want to be teachers, redirect them to Instructional Designer or Corporate Trainer Hats — these are Education careers that look more like business or tech. Education is bigger than the K-12 classroom.
DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about WHY Texas created alternative certification? What problem is it trying to solve, and based on what you researched, do you think it works?
Activity 3: Powerskills Leadership Campaign (12 min)
Source: H&L Workbook Ch 6, pp. 95-96, "Powerskill: Leadership"
Transition to the Powerskill activity. From the workbook: "Leadership is about inspiring others, making thoughtful decisions, and working together to be successful. Great leaders show qualities like responsibility, kindness, honesty, and courage."
Read the workbook's key leader questions aloud (Ch 6, p. 95):
- What is the real problem I am trying to solve?
- Who am I trying to help?
- How can I impact this situation in a positive way?
- How can I make sure others understand what I am trying to do?
Student task (from workbook):
Scenario: A recent city election had only 35% voter turnout. The three reasons identified were: (1) Lack of awareness, (2) Feeling uninspired, (3) Inconvenience. Students design a social media campaign to increase voter turnout in the next election.
Step 1: Brainstorm (5 min): Students use the workbook space to write 3-5 campaign ideas addressing the three causes.
Step 2: Determine Campaign Goals (3 min): Write two intended outcomes. How will you know if the campaign worked?
Step 3: Sketch the Campaign (4 min): Draft one social media post (Instagram, TikTok, or X format) that communicates the message. Students will not finish a polished campaign today, they capture the concept.
This activity bridges to teaching because educators are leaders every day: deciding what is important, persuading students and parents, and making thoughtful decisions in the classroom.
DOK 2: Which leadership quality from the workbook (responsibility, kindness, honesty, courage) is most important for a teacher? Why?
Exit Ticket (3 min)
EXIT TICKET (Comparison Matrix) · Printable PDF:
Use my Pathway Comparison worksheet to fill in the matrix.
| Traditional (Education degree) | Alternative Certification | |
|---|---|---|
| Time from HS to teaching | ||
| Cost | ||
| When I start earning (year 4 paid or unpaid?) |
Bottom line: Which pathway fits MY situation BEST, and why? Use one cell from the matrix to back the pick.
My pathway: _____
Why: ____________
ONE leadership quality (responsibility / kindness / honesty / courage) I would need to be a great teacher AND why: (d(2)(A), d(2)(B))
Differentiation
- Support: Provide a partially-filled Pathway Comparison worksheet with one column completed as an example. Students fill in only the alt-cert column. Reduce the leadership campaign to "name one campaign idea and one goal" instead of three.
- Extension: Students research the specific subjects with the worst teacher shortages in Texas (math, science, special education, bilingual) and explain which one they would teach if they became an alt-cert teacher. Or students design a complete 3-post social media campaign for the leadership scenario instead of just one post.
- ELL: Pre-teach: Pathway = Camino, Certification = Certificación, Shortage = Escasez, Leadership = Liderazgo. Pair ESL students with bilingual partners during the comparison research. Allow leadership campaign post in Spanish or bilingual format.