Majors and Minors 2012-2013
A description of the Teacher Education Program 2012-2013
Elementary Licensure
A student seeking licensure as an elementary teacher (grades K-6) must complete the Interdisciplinary Studies/Liberal Arts academic major, all other college requirements, and the Elementary Licensure requirements. Students pursuing the Elementary Licensure option must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Students must complete all course work required within the academic major prior to beginning the year of education course work and complementary internship or have documented content and education advisor permission.
The internship experience begins each fall, and students may be placed in more than one K-6 classroom for one full year. Students have in-state or out-of-state placement options. The year-long internship experience begins each August with EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments, taught five days on the Western campus. After completing this course, students will follow the K-6 school year calendar for the school in which they have accepted placement, not the Western State Colorado University calendar (i.e., begin the year on the day that new teachers report to work, take K-6 school holidays, participate in K-6 school professional opportunities, end the last day that teachers are required to report for work for the school year, etc). This schedule extends from approximately the first of August through the first part of June.
Master mentor teachers are selected carefully to ensure that Western interns have strong role models. The potential mentor teacher will self-assess his or her knowledge of the standards and standard elements. Students accepting internship placements are expected to successfully complete the year-long internship. Students who do not successfully complete the internship will be withdrawn from the Teacher Education Program and must appeal to the Selection and Retention Committee for readmittance.
The other education courses in the program are offered online throughout the year. The internship is in K-6 classrooms a minimum of 24 hours per week with experienced mentor teachers. During this year-long internship, the intern is applying and extending the pedagogical knowledge that he or she is learning in the Education courses.
To be recommended for elementary licensure, the student intern must perform at “3, Proficiency” level in all relevant standard/standard elements in the elementary (K-6) classroom and earn a score of “3, Proficiency” on each standard element in the licensure electronic work sample. Student interns must demonstrate the ability to apply the standard/standard element in an elementary classroom setting, assess K-6 student learning, and evaluate their own teaching performance. “3, Proficiency” is the level expected of well prepared, first-year teachers.
The Elementary Licensure Program requires 30 credits of education course work:
EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0 cr
EDUC 340 Brain-based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3 cr
EDUC 400 Foundations for Literacy: Phonology and Linguistics 3 cr
EDUC 401 Assessment for Prevention and Intervention 3 cr
EDUC 402 Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Fluency 3 cr
EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3 cr
EDUC 405 Data-driven Instructional Practices 3 cr
EDUC 408 Teaching Writing with the Brain in Mind 3 cr
EDUC 413 Mathematical Investigations 3 cr
EDUC 459 Elementary Student Teaching 1-6 cr
Secondary and K-12 Licensure
A student seeking licensure as a secondary teacher (grades 7-12) or K-12 teacher must complete an appropriate academic major, all other college requirements, and the Secondary/K-12 Licensure requirements. The secondary academic major may be: Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Geology, Politics and Government, History, or Mathematics. The K-12 academic major may be: Art, Exercise and Sport Science, Music, or Spanish. Students pursuing the secondary or K-12 Licensure option must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Students must complete all course work required within the academic major prior to beginning the year of education course work and complementary internship or have content advisor and education advisor permission. For students taking content courses during the year of education course work and complementary internship, the Teacher Education Internship Coordinator is responsible for meeting with content area faculty members to ensure that all requirements and expectations are met during this year. The internship experience begins each fall, and students are placed in more than one K-12 classroom for one full year. Students have in-state or out-of-state placement options. The year-long internship experience begins each August with EDUC 403 Instruction and Assessment in the Content Area, a five-day course taught on the Western campus. After completing this course, students follow the K-12 school year calendar for the school in which they have been placed, not the Western State Colorado University calendar (i.e., begin the year on the day that new teachers report to work, take K-12 school holidays, participate in K-12 school professional opportunities, end the last day that teachers are required to report for work for the school year, etc). This schedule extends from approximately the first of August through the first part of June.
Master mentor teachers are selected carefully to ensure that Western interns have strong role models. The potential mentor teachers self-assess their knowledge of the standards and standard elements. The principal of the host school completes a checklist documenting criteria for selection of mentor teachers before a student is placed at the host school. Upon receiving an internship placement and prior to accepting the placement, a student is expected to arrange for, and have an interview with, the mentor teachers and observe in their classrooms. Students accepting an internship placement will be expected to successfully complete the year-long internship. Students who do not successfully complete the internship will be withdrawn from the Teacher Education Program and must appeal to the Selection and Retention Committee for readmittance.
The other education courses in the program are offered online throughout the year. The internship is in K-12 classrooms and requires a minimum of 24 hours per week with experienced mentor teachers in the same content area in which the intern is seeking licensure. During this year-long internship, the intern is applying and extending the pedagogical knowledge that he or she is learning in the Education courses.
To be recommended for secondary or K-12 licensure in a content area, the student/intern must perform at “3, Proficiency” level in all relevant standard/standard elements in the secondary or K-12 classroom and earn a score of “3, Proficiency” on each standard element in the licensure electronic work sample. The student-intern must demonstrate the ability to apply each standard and standard element in a secondary or K-12 classroom setting, assess secondary or K-12 student learning, and evaluate his/her own teaching performance. “3, Proficiency” is the level expected of well-prepared, first-year teachers.
The Secondary (with the exception of students seeking Secondary English Licensure) and K-12 Licensure Program requires 30 credits of education course work:
EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0 cr
EDUC 340 Brain-Based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3 cr
EDUC 403 Instruction and Assessment in the Content Area 3 cr
EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3 cr
EDUC 405 Data-driven Instructional Practices 3 cr
EDUC 406 Content Area Literacy 3 cr
EDUC 407 Maximizing Learning Through 21st Century Skills 3 cr
EDUC 408 Teaching Writing with the Brain in Mind 3 cr
EDUC 420 Application of Classroom Strategies to Engage All Learners 3 credits
Appropriate Student Teaching Course:
EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 1-6 cr
EDUC 410 K-12 Student Teaching 1-6 cr
The Secondary English Licensure Program requires 30 credits of education course work:
EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0 cr
EDUC 340 Brain-based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3 cr
EDUC 401 Assessment for Prevention and Intervention 3 cr
EDUC 402 Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and Fluency 3 cr
EDUC 403 Instruction and Assessment in the Content Area 3 cr
EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3 cr
EDUC 405 Data-driven Instructional Practices 3 cr
EDUC 407 Maximizing Learning Through 21st Century Skills 3 cr
EDUC 408 Teaching Writing with the Brain in Mind 3 cr
EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 1-6 cr
