Phase I: Freshman - Sophomore Year

Students complete their general education requirements, explore various careers in education, and become immersed in the discipline and culture of teaching and learning before they focus on the methods of teaching specific content during Phase II.

Coursework examines the teacher's roles in facilitating learning at all levels of development and considers the influences of cultural, political, historical and economic factors on students, teachers and schools. Candidates work with students of varying ages through field experiences.

Phase II: Junior Year - First Semester Senior Year

In this phase, focus shifts to the field of middle school Language Arts education. Through coursework and corresponding field experiences, students consider ways to support the development and reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing of adolescents from grades 5 through 9. Each semester during Phase II, students spend at least 20 hours working in middle grades Communication Arts classrooms, helping foster literacy learning in carefully designed field experiences.

Phase III: Second Semester Senior Year

This phase includes a semester-long, full-time student teaching internship. Candidates are assigned to a middle communication arts school classroom for a 10-week period under the mentorship of an experienced master language arts teacher. Candidates spend an additional 6-week period in middle school classrooms related to their secondary endorsement area (e.g., Art, Math, Science, Social Studies).

Phase IV: Induction

Faculty continue to support graduates during their first two years of teaching.