The University of St. Thomas

School of Education

Course of Study for the K-12 Teaching Licensure

Program Stages

The program coursework and field experiences are designed to assist you in attaining the knowledge, skills and dispositions to ensure your success as an educator. 

 

Stage One: Exploring The Foundations of Education and Teaching

The Foundations Block is the same regardless of the program you are entering.  These courses designed to help you think about whether you really want to become a teacher and why you will do the things you will do as a teacher.

Education’s Place in Society (EDUC 210 - 4 Credits)

  • Critically analyze the place of education in today’s rapidly changing society.
  • Recognize the similarities and differences in the major philosophical positions and evaluate their impact on current educational practice.
  • Focus on understanding the historic and social perspectives of education including a guided, reflective, in-school field experience.

Field Experience: Introductory (K-12) (EDUC 211- 0 Credits)

  • Field experiences range from 15- 30 hours in a classroom with a supervising teacher.

Human Relations and Multicultural Education (EDUC 212 -4 Credits)

  • Engage teachers in a dialogue concerning the issues of cultural diversity in schools, its impact on the learning process and the construction of human relations.
  • Emphasis will be placed on an education that is multicultural, gender fair and disability aware. 
  • Examine issues such as racism, sexism, oppression, prejudice and discrimination.
  • Equip the participants with pedagogic practices and instructional techniques that respond to social conflicts and stresses within the classroom and that will enable them to create productive learning situations for all students.
  •  Fulfill the human diversity requirement in the core curriculum.

Stage Two: Studying Teaching and Learning


Courses in the Teaching and Learning block are designed to help you understand the learners you will be working with and understand how you can affect that learning process.

Psychology for Teaching and Learning (EDUC 330 - 4 Credits)

  • Integrates psychological principles with strategies for effective instruction.
  • Explore the scientific knowledge base that underlies good teaching practices
  • Learn to apply the principles of educational psychology to their own learning and future teaching through reading, discussion, classroom simulations, school observations and micro-teaching demonstrations.

Field Experience Middle Level (5-8) (EDUC 331 – 0 Credits)

  • Field experiences range from 15- 30 hours in a classroom with a supervising teacher.

Reading for the 5-12 Teacher (EDUC 355 – 0 Credits)

 

Stage Three: Content for Teaching

During this term you will be learning how to meet your K-12 students’ needs and how to challenge them with exciting, in-depth, relevant learning.

Elementary Classroom Music Pedagogy (EDUC 260 -4 Credits) For Music (Instrumental and Vocal) Education Majors Only

  • Introduces contemporary elementary music pedagogy to prospective music educators.
  • Address both content and method as students learn to design a curriculum that includes specific objectives and teaching strategies to help students master those goals.
  • Examine specific media, including the child voice, movement, recorder and Orff instruments are used to address the diversity of cultures as well as learning styles and developmental stages present in each class.
  • Explore the artistic teaching and learning of culturally sensitive material at all levels by faculty members who themselves teach children.

Secondary Classroom Music Pedagogy (EDUC 360 -4 Credits) For Music (Instrumental and Vocal) Education Majors Only

  • Learn to design middle- and senior-high-school curricula that include, but are not limited to, performance opportunities.
  • Participation in small ensembles for voices and instruments will be augmented by guitar study as means for developing music literacy.
  • Approach music literature, history and theory from a participatory perspective
  • Learn how to use the material as a resource for individual creative work that speaks to the diversity of environments and cultures represented in today’s classrooms.

Field Experience: Primary (K-4) (EDUC 369 – 0 Credits)  

  • Field experiences range from 15-30 hours in a classroom with a supervising teacher. 

Special Methods for Theater and Dance (THR 375 – 4 Credits) For Theater and Dance Majors Only

  • Focus on teaching theater to children and young people, including sections on working with young actors, selecting appropriate plays and other material, budgeting for theater productions, finding and using school and community resources, and legal and ethical issues.

Physical Education Methods for the Elementary Level (PHED 204 – 4 Credits) For Physical Education Majors Only

  • Orientation to the physical education profession: the nature of the profession, professional opportunities, certification requirements, including current trends and research in elementary physical education.

Physical Education Methods for Middle School (PHED 304 – 4 Credits) For Physical Education Majors Only                                                                                

  • Orientation to the physical education profession pertaining to current trends and research in middle school physical education.
  • Factors affecting adolescent and multicultural students in physical education will be discussed and analyzed.

Physical Education Methods for Secondary level (PHED 404 – 4 Credits) For Physical Education Majors Only                                                                                   

  • Identify the current trends, research, and teaching methods specific to the secondary physical education environment.
  • Discuss the appropriate and effective teaching methods/strategies/curricular choices utilizing the Sport Education Model and the Tactical Approach to Teaching Games.

Physical Education Methods for Aquatics and First Aid (PHED 405 – 4 Credits)  For Physical Education Majors Only

  • Study the biomechanics of swimming, techniques for teaching and analyzing appropriate skill performance for the six strokes, long shallow dive, and standing dive.
  • Address the water safety and victim assistance.

Curriculum and Methods for Specific Discipline (K-12) (EDUC 380 - 4 Credits)

  • Prepare teachers who will effectively engage learners with the curriculum of a specific licensure area.
  • Emphasis is on developmentally appropriate practice for a range of learners in grades K through 12, curriculum content and sources, performance-based assessment strategies, connections with community resources, national and state standards, lesson and unit planning and curriculum and technology integration.
  • Includes a clinical experience.

Stage Four: Reflective Practice Block

During the fouth and final stage of teacher preparation, you will complete the following:

Introduction to Exceptionality (EDUC 456 - 2 Credits)

  • Provide an overview of students identified as gifted and talented, students with disabilities (learning disabilities, mental retardation, emotional or behavioral disabilities and sensory and physical impairments), etiology and appropriate interventions for exceptional students.
  • Disucuss the current issues and research in the field of exceptionality (legal rights, integration and best practices).

Student Teaching and Seminar (EDUC 460 - 8 Credits)

  • Provides the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills of teaching and learning in a classroom setting.
  • Encourage students to reflect upon the experience and to increase the repertoire of strategies for dealing with topical, relevant issues.
  • Student teaching, along with the companion course EDUC 461, Teacher as Educational Advocate, is a full-time, full-semester commitment under the supervision of university and school-based professionals.
  • Students seeking licensure in multiple fields may require additional credits and time in the classroom. 

The Teacher as Educational Advocate (EDUC 461 -2 Credits)

  • A capstone course designed to prepare teachers who will effectively collaborate to advocate for strong educational institutions and for students.
  • Emphasize connections with families and communities, including strategies for working with students and families for whom English is not the primary language, and skill development in communication and teacher leadership.
  • Includes a portfolio presentation by each teacher candidate as the culminating experience.

Refer to our catalog for course descriptions with greater detail.