Teacher Preparation

A study of essential dimensions of learning and teaching, including learner characteristics and needs, organization and structure of educational institutions, development of curriculum and lesson plans, alignment of instructional goals with evaluation and assessment, design of subject and level specific methodologies, and classroom management techniques. Required course work includes 22 hours of site-based field experience and evening laboratory sessions. Students should have one morning of unscheduled time available each week to allow for school visits. The course is open to any student who has an interest in teaching.

Principles of psychology relevant to the theory and practice of education. Through selected readings, discussion, and classroom observations, students study theories of development, learning, cognition (including literacy), motivation, assessment, and the social psychology of the classroom. Individual and group differences in these areas are addressed. The course focuses on how learning by children and adolescents at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels is influenced by their own characteristics and experiences and the various contexts in which they learn: family, school, community and culture. One three-hour seminar.

TPP 403 is designed to complement TPP 404: Clinical Practice. The course is structured around four themes: The Learner and Learning; Content Knowledge: Planning Instruction and Assessment; Instructional Practice and Pedagogy; and Professional Responsibilities. Major course assignments address these themes by focusing on the application of research and practice on meeting the diverse needs of learners. The course is designed to help students connect theory and practice, become self-reflective practitioners, use data from formative and summative assessments to inform instruction, and prepare for being a classroom instructor.

TPP 404 is taken concurrently with TPP 403 and is a 175-hour, 12-week assignment as a student teacher in a local middle or high school. Students work closely with a host teacher for approximately 20 clinical hours per week, and the experience culminates with the design and delivery of a small unit of instruction. Assignments include research on the classroom and school context, instructional unit and lesson planning, and an analysis and reflection of the unit of instruction taught in the final weeks of the semester. The course carries two units of course credit and is typically taken during the spring of senior year.

TPP 405 is taken concurrently with Practice Teaching (TPP 406). The seminar is designed to support students' TPP 406 student teaching experience. It covers three broad themes: the cultural dimensions of teaching and learning; planning, assessment, and academic language; and foundations of education, including policy, philosophy, and curriculum theory. Readings focus on both theoretical and practical aspects of teaching. Seminar discussions are designed to assist students in applying concepts and skills to their TPP 406 student teaching experience and to develop foundational knowledge to support professional decision-making.

Supervised practice teaching (a minimum of 12 weeks) in a local school. Teaching is done under the supervision of an accomplished teacher and a program staff member who regularly observes and discusses the student's practice teaching. Students gain firsthand experience in developing teaching strategies, planning and differentiating instruction, assessing student learning, and classroom management. Must be taken concurrently with TPP 405. TPP 406 counts as two courses by the University.