Teacher Education Program Information

The demand for ever-better public schooling to produce ever-better results for society is a recurrent theme in U.S. history. Although it is unrealistic to expect schools or teachers to solve all social problems, the William Jewell College Education faculty has determined that teachers prepared here will be part of the solution. Jewell produces teachers who are intentional, professional teachers. Our graduates have both content and pedagogical knowledge bases and the ability to reflect on that knowledge. Thus teachers prepared at Jewell are able to acquire new knowledge and skills to produce learning in every student they teach.

To achieve this result, the Jewell teacher education curriculum is designed to create intentional teachers:

"Intentional teachers are those who are constantly thinking about the outcomes they want for their students and about how each decision they make moves children toward those outcomes. Intentional teachers know that maximum learning does not happen by chance . . . to really challenge students, to get their best efforts, to help them make conceptual leaps and organize and retain knowledge, teachers need to be purposeful, thoughtful, and flexible, without ever losing sight of their goals for every child. In a word, they need to be intentional." (John Slavin, The Intentional Teacher) 

Linda Darling-Hammond and John Bransford articulate the knowledge/skills that an intentional teacher needs to possess in their 2005 work, Preparing teachers for a changing world, and Jewell’s teacher education program is designed on those guidelines. Jewell prepares teachers who use:

• developmentally appropriate practice (including language development in multilingual settings) and differentiated instruction for individual achievement within a social/teaching context;
• culturally appropriate practice that empowers every student to learn and fosters a broader understanding of culture;
• curriculum standards/theory/application/vision that give every student access to meaningful information/power while responding to governmental mandates;
• educational policy as it influences teaching and learning daily – making choices that benefit students and their learning;
• meaningful assessment connected to instruction connected to curriculum connected to standards that produces useful achievement gains for the students; and
• culturally sensitive classroom management that produces a positive learning environment to facilitate individual achievement.

Teacher education students here come to recognize that these are not discrete theories, pieces of knowledge or skill sets but that all these ideas and skills must be intertwined in the practice of teaching. In other words, teacher education students at Jewell are expected to understand the intersection of content knowledge, teaching methods, the social context of education, and student needs in order to be able to teach each (and every) student effectively. 

Brief information about the William Jewell College elementary (1-6) and secondary (9-12 or K-12) teacher education programs follow but additional information can be obtained by contacting us at education AT william.jewell DOT edu.

Elementary Education
The Elementary Teacher Education program at William Jewell College prepares students to teach grades 1-6. It is designed to provide students with learning opportunities, which build their knowledge and understanding of how young children grow, develop and learn, how schools are structured and operate, and effective teaching methods to facilitate that growth and learning. Elementary teacher education students then apply and expand upon this knowledge by utilizing skills learned in coursework in multiple field experiences throughout the program.

Teacher education students acquire teaching knowledge and skill developmentally by completing a carefully sequenced program of course and fieldwork experiences. Elementary education majors gradually understand and master increasingly complex content and pedagogical knowledge and skills until they are prepared to effectively teach elementary students. The elementary education sequence is as follows:

BS in Elementary Education (59.5 hours)

Advising:  All elementary teacher education majors must be advised by an elementary education advisor once each semester in order to work in all degree and teacher certification requirements. Besides the Education content described above, elementary education majors must possess the knowledge/skills described in the categories below.

General  & Elementary Content Knowledge: In addition to William Jewell College CTI Core Curriculum, elementary education students are required to complete one additional course in each of the following content fields: science (ordinarily Science 101, Integrated Science for Elementary Education), Diversity in the U.S., art or music, geography, economics and health.

Writing Standard: All teacher education students must demonstrate written communication competence. In addition to successful completion of CTI 102, Written Communication, the student must continue to exhibit strong written communication skills in education course work. If student is not demonstrating competence the instructor should require the student to seek services from the Academic Achievement Center and put a note so stating into the student’s file and file a Care Team form.

Oral Communication Standard:  All teacher education students must demonstrate oral communication competence.  Competence will be evaluated on the sophomore oral qualifying examination. If the student does not demonstrate oral communication competence during the exam (as assessed by an oral comm. rubric) the student will be required to satisfactorily complete Com 100, Fundamentals of Speech Comm. If an instructor notes an oral communication issue in any course or fieldwork he/she will file a Care Team form and a plan will be devised which may include taking Com 100.

Numeracy Standard: All teacher education students must demonstrate basic mathematical competence. In addition to successful completion of CTI 103, Math Model Building (or equivalent), the student must continue to exhibit knowledge/use of mathematics in education course work.  If the student does not demonstrate those skills the instructor will file a Care Team form and the student will be counseled.

Failure to exhibit knowledge or skill competence in any of the areas above will result in either denial to or release from a teacher education program.

Area of Concentration:  In addition to the above requirements all elementary majors must complete a 21 credit area of concentration, with at least two upper-level classes, course of study OR a recognized MINOR in one of the following fields: Communications, English, Fine Arts (music, theatre, and art), History and/or Political Science, Math, Psychology, Science, Spanish. No more than two William Jewell College courses with a CTI prefix may be counted toward the area of concentration. 

Secondary (9-12 or K-12) Education
Secondary teacher education at William Jewell College is designed to provide students with learning opportunities which build knowledge and understanding of how adolescents grow, develop and learn, how schools are structured and operate, and effective teaching methods to facilitate that growth and learning. Secondary teacher education students then apply and expand upon this knowledge by utilizing skills learned in coursework in multiple field experiences throughout the program.

William Jewell College secondary teacher education programs prepare students to teach a specific content subject in either grades 9-12 (English, Biology, Chemistry, Math, Social Studies, Speech and Theatre, Physics & Physical Education or K-12 (Art, Music, French or Spanish). Due to the way that teacher certification rules are structured, teacher education programs which lead to teacher certification in grades 9-12 or K-12 are considered to be Secondary Teacher Education programs at William Jewell College even though the latter do include instruction in methods to teach at all levels and field experiences at a minimum of two different grade levels (1-6 and 9-12). 

Secondary or K-12 Education (42.5 hours)

Advising: Secondary/K-12 Education majors must be double majors and MUST be advised by both content and education advisors each semester in order to make sure that all degree and certification requirements are met. Besides the Education content described above, secondary education majors must possess the knowledge/skills described in the categories below.

Content Knowledge:  Secondary Education majors must double major in education and in the field in which they desire to be certified to teach. William Jewell College offers teacher certification in the following fields:  Art, Biology, Chemistry, English, French, Mathematics, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Social Studies (History), Speech and Theatre, Spanish, Physics or Physical Education.

General Knowledge:  In addition to the William Jewell College Core Curriculum, secondary education students are required to complete a U.S. Diversity course.

Writing Standard:  All teacher education students must demonstrate written communication competence.  In addition to successful completion of CTI 102, Written Communication, the student must continue to exhibit strong written communication skills in education course work. The William Jewell College Education Department Rubric for Professional Writing will be applied to all writing assignments; if student is not demonstrating competence the instructor should require the student to seek services from the Writing Center and put a note so stating into the student’s file and the Care Team file.

Oral Communication Standard:  All teacher education students must demonstrate oral communication competence.  Competence will be evaluated on the sophomore oral qualifying examination. If the student does not demonstrate oral communication competence during the exam (as assessed by an oral comm. rubric) the student will be required to satisfactorily complete Com 100, Fundamentals of Speech Comm. If an instructor notes an oral communication issue in any course or fieldwork he/she will file a Care Team form and a plan will be devised which may include taking Com 100.

Numeracy Standard: All teacher education students must demonstrate basic mathematical competence.  In addition to successful completion of CTI 103, Math Model Building (or equivalent), the student must continue to exhibit knowledge/use of mathematics in education course work. If the student does not demonstrate those skills the instructor will file a Care Team form and the student will be counseled.

Failure to exhibit knowledge or skill competence in any of the areas above will result in either denial to or release from a teacher education program.