UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM #6

OTHER CURRICULAR ACTION


Description of Action:   Change in Licesure Requirement
(to require CIGENRL 470 Student Teaching Seminar in licensure program)
 
Sponsor(s): John Zbikowski and Susan Kidd
Department(s): Curriculum and Instruction
College(s): Education
 
Effective Term: Spring, 2002

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Proposal:

Programs affected:

Elementary BSE
Secondary BSE except for Physical Education


Exact Description:
Require CIGENRL 470 Student Teaching Seminar in licensure program

FROM:

[SAMPLE Program: English Education. Similar requirements exist in the following other licensure areas: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Economics, French, Geography, German, History, Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre.]

LICENSURE - 43 CREDITS

1. SECED 426, SECED 466 AND ENGLISH 310 RLS
2. EDFOUND 243 OR EDFOUND 445
3. SELECT 2 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 210
4. STUDENT TEACHING
a. SELECT 2 OR 12 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 412
b. SELECT 2 OR 12 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 414
5. CHICANO 200 OR CHICANO 201 OR ENGLISH 200 OR ENGLISH 201 OR ENGLISH 345 OR ENGLISH 368 OR ENGLISH 369 RLS
6. EDFOUND 212 AND EDFOUND 425
7. SELECT 3 CREDITS FROM COURSE CIFLD 492
8. SELECT 3 CREDITS FROM SPECED 205
TO:

LICENSURE - 45 CREDITS

1. SECED 426, SECED 466 AND ENGLISH 310 RLS
2. EDFOUND 243 OR EDFOUND 445
3. SELECT 2 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 210
4. STUDENT TEACHING
a. SELECT 2 OR 12 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 412
b. SELECT 2 OR 12 CREDITS FROM CIFLD 414
5. CHICANO 200 OR CHICANO 201 OR ENGLISH 200 OR ENGLISH 201 OR ENGLISH 345 OR ENGLISH 368 OR ENGLISH 369 RLS
6. EDFOUND 212 AND EDFOUND 425
7. SELECT 3 CREDITS FROM COURSE CIFLD 492
8. SELECT 3 CREDITS FROM SPECED 205
9. SELECT 2 CREDITS FROM CIGENRL 470
Justification for action:
Seminars for student teachers have traditionally been seen as a desirable part of professional preparation. In elementary and secondary education programs at UW-Whitewater for the past several years, however, the availability of seminars for student teachers has been inconsistent among majors, with some field supervisors including seminar meetings as part of their supervisory role, others omitting such meetings, and a few others offering large-group meetings for student teachers voluntarily on behalf of the whole department. Making a two-credit seminar course a requirement for licensure will allow the Curriculum and Instruction department to allocate resources necessary to make the seminar experience a component of teacher preparation for all students in elementary and secondary education programs.

The College of Education has adopted "the teacher as reflective practitioner" as one of its themes. Normative study in general education, educational foundations, and methods classes can only partially prepare students to be reflective practitioners. It is while engaged directly in the complex, real-world activity of teaching that prospective teachers learn how to assess situations, make informed on-the-spot decisions, and adjust plans quickly, abilities that characterize a reflective practitioner.

Meeting with other student teachers during the Directed Teaching semester for shared reflection, discussion, and questioning can provide an opportunity for student teachers to become more aware of patterns in their experience, and better able to take action that can be useful in their teaching. Seminars, along with students' written reports and plans, are part of what makes student teaching more than a craft apprenticeship. Through interaction with peers and experienced professionals in a seminar, students gain perspective on their work that would not be available otherwise.