Global Arc

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.

TPP 400 Practice Teaching I is a guided field experience intended to provide students with supervised classroom experience in local schools. This initial practice teaching experience consists of a minimum of 175 hours of clinical practice and is designed to provide students with the opportunity to integrate school-based experiences with academic guidance to develop professional knowledge, teaching skill, and the ability to reflect on professional work as an educator.

TPP 403 is designed to complement TPP 404, Clinical Practice. The course is structured by 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 through a focus on the research and practice of meeting the needs of exceptional 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 full-time student teaching.

TPP 404 is 175-hours of student teaching, approx. 20 hours per week, in a local middle or high school. Students assume increasing control of instruction with support of a host teacher. Assignments include research on classroom and school context and an analysis of a small unit of instruction taught in the final weeks of the semester. The course focuses on the role of classroom context in the teaching and learning process; instructional planning; and teacher reflection. TPP 404 counts as two courses and allows students to satisfy University course count requirements for graduation when taking TPP 403 and TPP 404 in spring of their senior year.

The Seminar on Education-Theory and Practice is designed to compliment Practice Teaching (TPP 406). Students will read and reflect on educational research and reflect on how to best integrate theory and practice in the reality of their school setting and content areas with an emphasis on instructional planning and evaluation of student learning. Course topics include asset pedagogies related to culture, language use, and (dis)ability, academic language development, unit planning and assessment, education policy, and the philosophy of education. Students enroll in the seminar concurrently with TPP 406.

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.