TEACHER CERTIFICATION
Swarthmore offers a competency-based teacher preparation program
for students who seek certification from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Competency is judged by an interdisciplinary committee
of the faculty whose members include education faculty and faculty
from the majors in which we certify students. The Teacher Education
Committee has established criteria for certification in biology,
chemistry, English, French, German, mathematics, physics, Spanish,
and social studies that meet both the "General Standards" and
"Specific Program Guidelines for State Approval of Professional
Education Programs." Individual student programs are designed in
conjunction with departmental representatives and members of the
education staff. All students seeking certification must meet
Swarthmore College's distribution requirements in the humanities,
natural sciences, and social sciences and the requirements for a
major or special major. Students are formally admitted to the teacher
certification program in the spring semester of their sophomore year.
All students seeking teacher certification must meet grade-point
averages for entry and exit from the program as specified in PA 354
as well as complete college-level math and English courses before
being admitted to the program. They must also pass the specific
PRAXIS exams required by Pennsylvania for their certification area,
either before or after they complete the teacher education course
requirements at the College. A full description of the Swarthmore
teacher education requirements (in education and in specific content
fields/majors) is available on the Program
in Education Web Site.
Ninth-semester option: Students who have completed
all the requirements for certification in their discipline and in
education, except for Student Teaching (EDUC 016) and Curriculum and
Methods Seminar (EDUC 017) may apply to return following graduation
to complete the teacher certification program during a ninth
semester. During this semester, they take EDUC 016 (2 credits) and
EDUC 017, and they pay for a total of one course of tuition and
student fees. They are not eligible for campus housing. Further
information on the ninth-semester option is available in the
Education Office.
REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHER
CERTIFICATION
Students planning to seek certification should take EDUC
014: Introduction to Education by the end of their sophomore year and
enroll for EDUC 016: Practice Teaching (a double-credit course) and
EDUC 017: Curriculum and Methods Seminar in their senior year or
during a ninth semester. In addition, they must complete the
following sequence of courses:
EDUC 021. Educational
Psychology
An additional elective course from the following:
1. EDUC 025.
Counseling: Principles and Practices
2. EDUC 026. Special Education
IssuesandPractice
3. EDUC 042. Educating the Young Learner
4. EDUC 045. Literacies and Social Identities
5. EDUC 061. Gender and Education
6. EDUC 063. School and Society
7. EDUC 065. Environmental Education
8. EDUC 068. Urban Education
An Honors seminar in education may be substituted for the
elective course.
Students will be admitted to the certification program after
submitting their sophomore paper and taking EDUC 014: Introduction to
Education. To student teach, students must be recommended by their
major department, by their Cooperating Teacher in Introduction to
Education, and by members of the faculty in education who have taught
the student. Placement of students for practice teaching is
contingent on successful interviews with the director of the
Education program and with appropriate school personnel.
Elementary Certification
Option
Swarthmore College does not offer certification in elementary
education. However, if students complete the Swarthmore courses,
listed below, and enroll for two courses
at Eastern College (Communication Arts for Children and Teaching
of Reading), they can receive elementary certification through
Eastern College. The required Swarthmore courses for elementary
certification are Introduction to Education; Educational Psychology;
Developmental Psychology; Teaching the Young Learner; Practice
Teaching; Curriculum and Methods Seminar; and a series of workshops
in Math, Social Studies, and Science Methods.