The IB/M program is built upon a foundation of program tenets that reflect state-of-the-art practice in teacher education.
- Tenet 1: A broad liberal arts background with a specific subject area major is part of each pre-professional student’s university program.
- Tenet 2: A common core of pedagogical knowledge is required of all education majors, regardless of their area of specialization.
- Tenet 3: Subject and grade-level specific pedagogical knowledge is tailored to the certification area toward which students are working.
- Tenet 4: Teaching competence is built across six semesters of progressively challenging clinical experiences.
- Tenet 5: Every student participates in clinical experiences in a variety of environments.
- Tenet 6: Analysis of and reflection on the interplay between student characteristics, teacher practices, and the broader issues and concerns of parents and society are essential in preparing educators to be decision makers, leaders, and innovators for the twenty-first century.
Freshman and Sophomore Years: A Liberal Arts Education
All students applying to the program must have a strong grounding in the liberal arts and also complete a subject area major.
Junior Year: A Common Core of Pedagogical Knowledge
In the Junior Year, centered on “Student as Learner,” all students, regardless of grade level and content area specializations, take core courses designed to help them learn about students as learners (e.g., learning theory, assessment, issues of exceptionality, etc.) and about schools as social institutions. These courses are designed to build a solid knowledge base that will be useful to prospective teachers of special and general education, of elementary and secondary students, across content areas. In the first year of the program, the clinic placement is 4 – 6 hours per week at a partner school, where pre-service teachers can learn firsthand about the teaching and learning process. Pre-service teachers participate in a seminar course designed to bridge the gap between the university coursework and the clinic placement.
Senior Year: Subject and Grade-Level Specific Pedagogical Knowledge
During the Senior Year, termed “Student as Teacher,” pre-service teachers begin to specialize their studies and their clinic experiences in their certification area. University coursework is centered on methods of teaching specific content and specific grade levels. During the fall semester, secondary and special education pre-service teachers spend at least six hours per week in a partner school, in a classroom that corresponds with their certification area. Pre-service teachers in Elementary Education do several 3-to 4-day “clinic rotations” with an option for 2 additional days during the fall semester. In the spring semester, pre-service teachers are involved in a full-time student teaching experience, working closely with a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor. During the senior year, seminar courses are centered on supporting the student teaching experience.
Master’s Year: Professional Inquiry and Leadership
In the Master’s Year, termed “Teacher as Leader,” there is a significant change in the level of responsibility and autonomy assumed by the IB/M student as they become graduate students working toward a graduate degree. The twin themes of the final year of the program are leadership and inquiry. The IB/M program in the fifth year encourages pre-service teachers to take on leadership roles in their schools and prepare them to serve as innovators and change agents in the education profession. The clinic experience in the Master’s Year is known as the internship. Pre-service teachers work 14 hours per week in their internships. Internships have been designed and proposed by school district personnel or Neag Faculty to meet the needs and interests of the school district in which the internship takes place. Typically, internships place IB/M students in leadership roles, working collaboratively with teachers and administrators in designing and implementing curricula and special programs. In addition to functioning as a teacher leader in an educational setting, the internship provides an opportunity for the IB/M student to conduct a significant piece of professional inquiry in the form of an inquiry project. Ideally, inquiry projects address issues of genuine concern to teachers and administrators working in the school. University faculty guide the pre-service teachers in the conceptualization, development, implementation, and writing of their inquiry projects. Through the process of completing the inquiry project, students learn how, when, and why to use inquiry as a tool for professional growth.