2024 - 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Department of Teaching and Learning
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 Return to: College of Education
Kisha Bryan Jordan, Ph.D., Department Chair
203 Clay Hall-Education Building
(615) 963-5465
Faculty: N. Arrighi, K. Bryan Jordan, S. Chakraborti-Ghosh, B. Christian, L. Johnson, D. Kang, S. Lin, G. Matthews, U. Newsome, H. Richards, C. Williams, H. Yoo
General Statement
The Department of Teaching and Learning is designed primarily to provide professional education courses for students whose career goal is to become an educator.
Undergraduate professional courses are offered for prospective early childhood, elementary, and secondary school teachers. Programs for Special Education, Reading Specialist, Educational Technology, and ESL are offered at the post-baccalaureate level (see Graduate Catalog).
The education program includes three broad areas of study: general core, academic major, and professional education. The general education courses, required of all departments offering a program leading to a teaching license, are as described in the general academic information section of this catalog. The Professional Education core is presented below.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of courses of study, students are expected to demonstrate content mastery in the following areas:
- Instructional Design: Design and implement instructional plans that reflect sound content knowledge and include meaningful learning for all, utilizing appropriate technology and accommodating diverse needs.
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving: Encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, active inquiry, and cultural pluralism; and differentiate learning opportunities for diverse needs, using human, literary, and technology resources effectively.
- Evaluation: Systematically assess and evaluate learners’ diverse abilities; and in teaching and learning, reflect, adjust for diverse needs, and repeat the process.
- Professional Ethics / Diversity: Demonstrate professional ethics, standards, and responsibilities, including respect for diversity; pursue service and professional growth opportunities, and use technology effectively.
- Effective Communication: Demonstrate effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication abilities in interactions with students, families, and the professional community, while respecting cultural and familial diversity.
- Content Knowledge: Demonstrate and apply thorough content knowledge and effective principles and practices specific to the area(s) of specialization.
Career Options
The immediate career goal of those studying in the Department of Teaching and Learning is to become a K-12 school teacher. Eventually, however, many students pursue advanced degrees and become principals, counselors, supervisors, superintendents, and university professors of education.
The basic pattern of professional education needed for teaching has certain common elements that apply to the challenges all teachers face irrespective of the age level of the pupils who are under their supervision. In addition, preparation for teaching on different educational levels and in various curriculum areas requires specialized training appropriate to the different areas. The basic pattern of professional education, therefore, includes (1) core professional courses required of all persons in teacher education and (2) specialized professional courses appropriate to the different areas (see major for individual licensure requirements).
Core Professional Requirements
In planning the core professional program, attention was given to those areas of study that are considered essential to the development, knowledge, and competencies needed by all teachers.
These areas include:
- Historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations of American education.
- Human growth and development, and the psychology of learning, including an understanding of how children grow physically, emotionally, and mentally, as well as the nurture necessary for wholesome growth. The relationship between growth and learning and new behavior patterns is also included.
- Understanding school organization, administration, and management, and the relationship of the school to the total community.
- Understanding the impact of cultural, linguistic, and ability diversity on teaching and learning.
- Types of measurements used, evaluation methods, and techniques of managing students in the classroom.
- Knowledge of how the curriculum is developed
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- Additional requirements for the secondary education major can be found in the catalog under specific discipline areas.
Specialized Professional Education Requirements
The specialized professional education requirements vary according to the area of licensure in which one seeks certification. All candidates for a teaching license must pass a criminal background investigation and must purchase and use electronic software to demonstrate mastery of professional standards.
The specialized requirements adapted to grades K-6, grades 7-12, grades K-12 include:
- Materials and methods of teaching appropriate to the level of certification, including reading methodology.
- Knowledge and understanding of the learning and behavioral characteristics of children with disabilities.
- Supervised student teaching appropriate to an area of endorsement.
- Specialized requirements as outlined under the area to which they apply
- Teacher education admission and retention requirements as specified in the introductory material included under the general heading: The College of Education.
Admission/Retention Requirements
Teacher education admission requirements are specified in the introductory material included under the general heading: The College of Education.
ProgramsMajorCoursesCurriculum and InstructionEarly Childhood Education (EDEC)EDGE
Reading EducationSpecial Education
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