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Show Education Teacher Education OVER-VIEW OF THE PROGRAM Description: The major purpose of the professional education curricula is to prepare teachers for the elementary and secondary schools. Programs are also provided for preparation of teachers of the academically handicapped and for later specialization in such fields as administration, supervision, counseling, and special education. All programs for elementary and secondary teachers are approved by the Utah State Board of Education and are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). A campus-wide representative Council on Teacher Education assists in developing policies and procedures relating to teacher education and serves as a coordinating body on all matters relating to the program. The teacher education program at Weber State is widely recognized for its excellence. Education: The preparation for teaching falls academically within three major categories: general education, subject specialization, and professional education. I. General Education RequirementsIn selecting courses to satisfy the General Education requirements, students should note the General Education courses recommended and/or required in their major program outline. II. Subject specialization is required of all prospective elementary and secondary students. Subject specialization for the prospective junior or senior high school teacher consists of completing a teaching major and a teaching minor field, both of which are currently being taught in Utah Secondary schools. The program outline lists acceptable subject specialization areas and requirements. III. Professional Education courses help the prospective teacher learn about children, the nature of the learning process and how to provide desirable learning experiences. These courses are reserved largely for students of junior and senior standing. Students will be permitted to take professional courses during the latter part of the sophomore year, but not more than two courses required for certification will be permitted in a student's first 90 credit hours of college work. To meet certification requirements, secondary school candidates are required to complete a minimum of 37 quarter hours of professional course work; 43 quarter hours are required of the prospective elementary school teacher. Employment Outlook: Elementary education offers many exciting challenges in meeting the educational needs of today's children. Placement of Weber State College graduates in elementary education in teaching positions is very high. Graduates in early childhood education and elementary education majors who have completed special preparation to receive a learning disabilities endorsement continue to be in demand by school districts. Placement in secondary education continues to be good in most areas. Those students completing a minor in reading with a learning disabilities endorsement have especially enjoyed excellent success in placement. Related Careers: Teacher education continues to be a good preparation for many vocational pursuits in business, industry, church, government, allied health and community education. INDIVIDUALIZED PERFORMANCE-BASED TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM The Individualized Performance-based Teacher Education Program (IPT) is designed as a response to the need for a greater relevance in teacher education and to permit a student to proceed at his own rate through the use of instructional units called WILKITS (Weber Individualized Learning Kits). The program is oriented toward a student's ability to perform rather than his ability to remember. Under the IPT Program students are encouraged to register for one block at a time, but substantial flexibility is allowed. In the event a student is unable to complete a course block within a given quarter, a grade of "no credit" 112 Education Teacher Education (NC) is reported for that course and it is not computed in the grade point average. It is necessary to register for the uncompleted course in a subsequent quarter in order to receive credit. Under IPT, the student begins at the point he had reached in his previous registration and is not required to start over from the beginning. In the event a student completes a course block in mid-quarter, in most cases he has the option of beginning immediately on the next course block in his program. All grading under the IPT program is on a credit, no credit basis. The faculty of the School of Education believes that the IPT program represents a very significant innovation in teacher education. Since it is a departure from familiar practice in higher education, it is suggested that students contact a faculty adviser for additional information before beginning their studies in teacher education. STANDARDS FOR ADMISSION AND RETENTION To be accepted as a candidate for teacher education, a student must complete an application for admission to Teacher Education. Normally this should be done during the quarter when the student is enrolled in Education 195. All applications will be considered by the Admissions Committee. Formal admission is contingent upon the candidate's meeting the following minimum standards: 1. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25. 2. A composite score of 19 or above on the ACT College Admissions test or successful completion of the Education Admissions Test. Students will be required to do remedial work if they demonstrate weakness in any particular area. (Math, Social Studies, Science, Composition and Spelling) 3. Successful completion of Communication 102 or an approved equivalent. 4. Good physical and mental health. 5. High moral and ethical conduct. A student may not proceed beyond Education 300 until he is admitted to the teacher education program unless granted special permission by the Director of the Teacher Education Admissions Committee. Graduate students who desire to earn teacher certificates will need to meet the following requirements: clearance by the chairman of the Elementary or Secondary Education Department; completion of the regular teacher education admission procedures; and, for secondary education candidates, clearance with the department chairman responsible for their major and minor teaching subjects. STUDENT TEACHING One quarter of teaching shall be completed in the junior or senior year in selected public schools under the direction of cooperating teachers and college supervisors. Assignments are made in cooperation with the district, the professional association, and the college. Consideration is also given to the qualifications of the personnel in the cooperating school as well as the needs of the student teachers. All arrangements for student teaching are to be made in the office of the Director of Professional Field Experiences. Student teaching is to be completed prior to the student's final quarter. Advanced students, who have completed the prerequisites, will be permitted to do student teaching the last quarter of the junior year. Students are encouraged to have at least one of the field experiences in the teacher education program in a school classified as an "inner-city" school. Elementary Education 488. Teaching Practicum in Elementary Educationa full day of school experiences and related professional course work for a quarter in an elementary school. Prerequisites: Education 195, 300, 324, 325, 326 and 360. 113 |
