Five Reasons Why Becoming an Examiner Will Help Improve Your Teaching

CCEA is currently seeking examiners and moderators across a range of subjects for Summer 2020, but why do teachers take on this additional role on (apart from the extra income)?

Well, there are numerous ways in which working as an examiner over a three-week period between  May and July 2020 could really bolster your teaching career and help improve your delivery in the classroom.

Why Becoming an Examiner Will Help Improve Your Teaching

1. Professional Development
   Whether you’re a teacher with the minimum experience to be eligible for the role, or have been in the profession for many years, spending time marking during the summer examining period shows dedication to your profession and your own development. Examining is incredibly rewarding, but . can be tough and being able to gain skills and knowledge in this area can open up new opportunities to progress in education or within your school.
    
2. Exam insight
   By becoming an examiner, you will receive full training from CCEA on how the level of your subject area is assessed. This will bring you up to date with any  developments in what CCEA expects from pupils. This will allow you to refine your teaching in this area to help pupils communicate the knowledge they’ve accumulated in ways which best meet the assessment criteria. By delivering responses using the techniques examiners are looking for (and which you’ll be trained in), pupils will stand a better chance of achieving strong grades and you can rest assured that you prepared them through first-hand experience.
    
3. Picking up valuable lessons
   Through the process of training and examining, you will come into contact with a wider pool of educators, beyond those you may be used to seeing and working with. Meeting more professionals in your subject area will allow you to exchange ideas and resources, learn about their teaching experiences and perhaps implement new methods to engage pupils at different points in the course. It’s useful to have a network of contacts within any given subject, who you may regularly speak to and discuss any changes to the syllabus or challenges you face.
    
4. Gaining perspective
   Teachers might normally only mark the work of a few dozen of their own pupils at a certain level of a subject, but examining gives access to a vast range of responses from other classes and schools. You’re exposed to answers in which you’ve had no influence, and it can be refreshing to read how different pupils reach their conclusions. Some may use methods you hadn’t considered, while others could produce work which totally invigorates and reminds you of why you chose to pursue the subject yourself.
    
5. Testing yourself
   Becoming an examiner is a great way to brush up on how well you would fare being tested on your subject. By applying the current assessment criteria to your own answers, you can ensure you stay sharp and even further your own knowledge. Success in this not only builds self-assurance, but will boost your self-confidence as a teacher which translates to a more enjoyable experience in the classroom.

Find out now which positions CCEA have available for Summer 2020 by visiting this link. To apply online now go to this page or if you require any support you can contact CCEA on (028) 9026 1243 or (028) 9026 1294 or send an email to ccea.org.uk.