Secondary Education

Core Values

The Department of Secondary Education fosters in its teacher candidates a deep respect for, and understanding of, the knowledge and skills that each of the major disciplines cultivates and advances. Our candidates engage in a sequence of cross-disciplinary seminars that integrate content knowledge with the relevant theories, research, and practices of learning at the secondary level. They apply those understandings in meaningful, active, and practical clinical experiences. Teacher candidates acquire an appreciation for the assets that all children bring to their classrooms and develop the skills for differentiating and educating diverse student populations. They cultivate the dispositions, knowledge, and skills to become educators, leaders, and life-long learners in their profession and in the global community.

We believe in...

Lifelong Learning as a mindset that creates opportunities for growth in all area of life. Learning is a continuous process that occurs both in and out of a classroom through interdisciplinary and collaborative activities.

Professionalism as a reference to both work ethic and moral and ethical standards. Candidates recognize the importance of taking on leadership roles and holding themselves accountable to their profession’s standards and responsibilities.

Inquiry being valued when living and teaching in a dynamic and changing world. Our candidates and faculty continually advance their practice to meet the needs and support the development of children as independent and social learners.

Integrity being valued and shown by true professionals. We believe our candidates and faculty identify and stand for their own beliefs and values in the face of a changing world. Candidates and faculty value empathy and caring, responsibility, and communication as it relates to their lives and the lives of their students.

Open-mindedness to embrace differing perspectives and accepting supportive and constructive feedback. This mindset believes learning is different for all learners, and teachers encourage students to bring their cultural and social perspectives into the classroom and actively seek a inclusive and equitable society.

Program Outcomes

Following the path of our mission and values, graduates will attain:

1. Mastery of Effective Teaching Practices - Graduates inspire learning in all students and are required to master instructional strategies that will engage students in an active sense-making process.
   • Promotes learning in all students
   • Displays evidence of a variety of effective instructional strategies
2. Teacher Knowledge - Development of a deep understanding of content and its integration into practice order to support methods of inquiry in their respective disciplines.
   • Shows understanding of content and content related practices
   • Supports methods of inquiry through teaching practices
3. Leadership Abilities - Graduates are leaders in their classrooms and communities. They cultivate professional dispositions and responsibility to become self-directed practitioners, leaders, and advocates for their students, schools, communities, disciplines, and profession.
   • Demonstrates professional dispositions
   • Communicates effectively and advocates on behalf of students, communities, disciplines, and profession.