Department of Teacher Education

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The Department of Teacher Education offers programs that offer a balance between focus on academic learning and focus on candidates’ ability to respond to each student’s cognitive, social-emotional, and cultural needs. Candidates will become proficient in their knowledge of curricula, familiarity with school communities, ability to apply their knowledge to effectively engage students in learning experiences, and ability to implement effective interventions utilizing a data-based decision making framework. Candidates will be prepared to participate in a profession of practice in which teachers are expert practitioners who know how to use the knowledge of the profession to advance student learning and to build their professional knowledge through practice. Programs offered through the Department of Teacher Education utilize a clinical-based model that closely couples practice, content, theory, and pedagogy.

The Reflective Teacher Model provides the conceptual framework that guides programs in the Department of Teacher Education. Coursework and clinical experiences are designed to assure candidate development in the following areas:

• Knowledge of Self: personal values and interpersonal skills are emphasized
• Knowledge of Students: child development, prior experiences, diversity, learning theories, and values are emphasized
• Knowledge of Schools, Communities, and Families: the nature and function of schools is emphasized
• Knowledge of Curriculum: interdisciplinary, subject specificity, and liberal education are emphasized
• Knowledge of Pedagogy: classroom context, student-focused curriculum, differentiated instruction, data-based assessment and management, and instructional technology are emphasized

Because teaching is a profession of practice, the Department of Teacher Education focuses on preparing expert practitioners who know their students, their subject-area content, and pedagogy. Effective practitioners learn these abilities through professional study and by mastering the profession’s knowledge base, skills, and dispositions of practice. Clinical practice provides robust opportunities to develop practitioners through expertly mentored experiences in the field and through pedagogically designed practical experiences. A clinically based approach gives teacher candidates the opportunity to integrate theory into practice, to develop and test classroom management and pedagogical skills, to hone their use of evidence in making professional decisions about practice, and to understand and integrate the standards of their professional community.

The Department of Teacher Education offers the following programs:

• the undergraduate majors in early childhood education, elementary education, and special education
• the professional education component for secondary and allgrade teaching majors
• minors in special education, reading, early childhood education, and instructional technology
• the Associate of Science degree program in early childhood education
• Master of Science degree programs in elementary and secondary education
• licensure in educational leadership building-level administrator

The teacher education programs have been approved by the Indiana Department of Education Office of Educator Licensing and Development, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Graduates of the University who successfully complete teacher education programs, pass the licensure exams, and meet any other requirements specified by the Office of Educator Licensing and Development are eligible for teaching licenses in Indiana and other states that recognize the completion of a program approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education as a basis for licensure.

Procedures and Regulations for Students in Teaching Programs

Procedures and regulations that govern students pursuing teacher education programs are described in this section. More detailed information may be obtained from the Department of Teacher Education.

A series of four gateways are required as students progress into and through the Teacher Education programs. These gateways are designed to assure clarity in program requirements and the proficiency of teacher candidates licensed by the University of Southern Indiana.

Gateway One: Admission to the Exploration Phase

• 24 credit hours of coursework with a 2.75 GPA
• Demonstrated proficiency in critical reading, writing, and mathematics (Indiana’s Office of Educator Licensing and Development standards and benchmarks will be followed.)
• Grade of C or above in all courses applied to the candidate’s degree
• Completion or co-enrollment in EDUC 221 - Diversity and Equity in Education 

Gateway Two: Admission to the Analysis Phase

• Approved application for admission to teacher education submitted on the Tk20 Data Management system
• Grade of C or above in all courses applied to the candidate’s degree
• 2.75 GPA
• Completion of admissions interview
• Meets target level expectations on all Exploration Phase artifacts and dispositions

Gateway Three: Admission to Synthesis Phase

• Approved application for student teaching submitted on the Tk20 Data Management system
• Demonstrated proficiency on specialty area examinations in their major (primary) and minor (supporting) teaching fields, as required by the Indiana Office of Educator Licensing and Development (currently Praxis II)
• Grade of C or above in all courses applied to the candidate’s degree
• 2.75 GPA
• Interview and graduation checkout
• Meets target level expectations on all Analysis Phase artifacts and dispositions

Gateway Four: Approval for Licensure

• Confirmed acceptable dispositions for licensure
• Meets target level expectations for Teaching Candidacy Placement
• Meets target level expectations for Synthesis Phase artifacts
• Successful completion of all licensure coursework
• Submission of Licensure Application
• CPR Certification (Required by the Indiana Office of Educator Licensing and Development)

Current information regarding application procedures and downloadable forms are available on the University web site under Teacher Education at www.usi.edu.

Clinical Practice and Field Experiences

Clinical practice and field experiences provide opportunities for students to obtain extended realistic experiences in schools. The full-time program of co-teaching makes possible meaningful contacts with all aspects of the teacher’s work.

Clinical practice and field experiences provide opportunities for prospective teachers to work in classroom settings during their entire teacher education program. These experiences are provided in conjunction with each phase of the teacher education programs.

Teacher candidates participate in classroom teaching, faculty planning, extra class activities, and school-community enterprises. The co-teaching program is designed to help the teacher candidate develop a working philosophy of education and acquire the basic skills needed to enter the profession of teaching. Co-teaching requires admission to the Synthesis Phase and application for school/clinical site placement.

Application for Student Teaching

At the beginning of the spring semester of the year preceding the year in which a student plans to student teach, the student is required to file an application for student teaching. Information is available on the University web site under Teacher Education.

University Core Curriculum Requirements

For baccalaureate degree programs in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Special Education, students complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. Exceptions to these requirements include the following (contact the department office for further information):

Teaching Minors and Content Areas: Elementary Education

The following minors and endorsements supplement the elementary teaching licensure and may be recorded on the license.

• Early Childhood Education Content
• French
• German
• Instructional Technology
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Reading
• Science
• Social Studies
• Spanish
• Special Education
• Fine Arts

The student is directed to the minor pattern as described in the appropriate department.

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