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General Info |
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Student Teacher Handbook |
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Praxis Exams |
The Department of Educational Studies at Swarthmore aims to enable students to investigate educational theory, policy, research and practice from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and to prepare students to enter the teaching profession, to work in the areas of educational research or policy and/or to do graduate study in Education or a related field. The Department encourages undergraduates to think critically and creatively about the processes of teaching and learning and about the place of education in society. The Department is also committed to preparing undergraduates to equitably and responsibly meet the needs of all students in an era of rapidly increasing racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity and technological change. To this end, both its introductory and upper level courses draw on the distinctive disciplines of Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, Political Science, Philosophy, Economics and History. Because students major in one of the traditional disciplines, courses in Education offer students an opportunity to apply the particular skills of their chosen field to a new domain and the chance to interact with other students whose disciplinary approaches may differ significantly from their own. Students interested in Education at Swarthmore may complete the requirements for teacher certification and/or design a Special Major in Education and another discipline in either the Course or Honors Program.
Students who choose to complete the requirements for Pennsylvania certification work to master the competencies listed in Topics in the Professional Sequence, in Appendix A at the end of this handbook. The main goals of the teacher certification program at Swarthmore College are to develop reflective teachers who can effectively plan engaging and challenging lessons for a range of students; manage a classroom in ways that promote individual and group learning for all students; assess student performance and provide feedback on student progress; and work with colleagues and parents to create a positive learning environment.
All students planning to complete requirements for teacher certification, which is offered in secondary Biology, Chemistry, Citizenship Education, English, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Social Science, or Social Studies must take the following Education courses: Introduction to Education, Education 14, should be taken by the end of the Sophomore year. Exceptions will be made if student decides to be certified after this point in their academic career. Practice Teaching, Education 16, and the Curriculum and Methods Seminar, Education 17, are regularly taken first or second semester senior year, or in a ninth semester after graduation. In order to be certified, students must attain an overall grade point average of 3.0. They must also have a grade of B- or better in Education l6 and l7, Practice Teaching and the Curriculum and Methods seminar. Applicants admitted to the certification program must also present evidence of having completed 6 credit hours, or the equivalent, in college level Math courses and 6 credit hours, or the equivalent, in college level English courses. In the case of the Math requirement, courses outside of Math that fulfill the Natural Science Division distribution requirements can be substituted. AP credit for scores of 4 or 5 in English Literature, English Composition, Calculus AB or AB/BC or Statistics will be accepted as the equivalent credit for one Swarthmore College course. Math Scores of 560 or better on the SAT II Math Level 1C or IIC exam and scores of 600 or better on the SAT II Writing exam will be accepted as the equivalent of three credit hours in the respective areas. Subject Area Requirements for Certification Biology All students certified in Biology must complete the requirements of a Biology major. This includes a minimum of eight Biology courses (starting with Bio 1 and 2) and at least one course or seminar selected from each of the following groups: I. Cell and Molecular Biology; II. Organismal Biology; and III. Populational Biology. They must also take at least one advanced course or seminar in Biology and satisfy the general College requirement of a Senior comprehensive examination, Bio 97, or Senior Honors Study, Bio 199. In addition, all Biology majors must take Introductory Chemistry, at least one semester of Organic Chemistry, and two semesters of college Mathematics (not Math 1 or 3). One semester of Statistics is strongly recommended. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the major, students who wish to be certified in Biology must take at least one Physics course and Evolution, Biology 34. They are also strongly encouraged to work as a Biology Clinic tutor or Lab Assistant for a semester, contingent on the needs of the department. Chemistry All students certified in Chemistry will complete the requirements of a Chemistry or Biochemistry Special Major and include the following courses in their program. a) Chemistry 10 - General Chemistry In addition all students being certified in Chemistry are required to take Biology 1 and 2 and assist in the instruction of the laboratory of an introductory Chemistry course one afternoon per week for two semesters. Citizenship Education Students completing certification in Citizenship Education will complete a major in History, Political Science, or Economics. (Students majoring in Sociology/Anthropology or Psychology will complete Social Science certification.) The History major consists of at least nine credits, including at least one course or seminar from each of the following categories: a) courses before 1750, including relevant courses in Classics, and b) courses in areas outside of Europe and the United States, specifically Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East. In addition majors will complete the Senior comprehensive exam, History 9l, the Senior Research Seminar. For additional information, see the College Catalogue. The Political Science major consists of eight or more credits, including at least one course or seminar in each of the following three fields: 1) American politics, 2) comparative or international politics, and 3) political theory. In addition, majors will complete the Senior comprehensive exam, normally the Oral Thesis, but in cases where a student has an A- average in the department, they may elect to do a written thesis, Political Science 95. For additional information, see the College Catalogue. The Economics major consists of at least eight credits, including, Economics 11 and 21, and 31 or 53. Math 5 and 6 are also highly recommended. In addition, students must complete the Senior comprehensive exam. For further information, see the College Catalogue. As a part of their course work, all
students seeking certification in Citizenship Education are required
to include in their preparation: A History or Classics course whose focus is pre 1750 is also strongly recommended. English All students being certified in English will complete an English major. The English major consists of a minimum of eight units of credit in the department, beginning with one of the introductory English courses, numbered 5C-5T. Three units of credit must be in literature written before1830 and three in literature written after1830; one credit must be a course that includes critical theory. In addition, English majors must complete the departmental comprehensive examination, the Senior Essay or Senior Honors Study and Honors exams. For certification in English, a student?s program must also include one course in American literature and one course in Shakespeare among the eight units. In addition, students being certified must take Linguistics 1. A course in theater or film and a creative writing or journalism workshop are also highly recommended. (Admission to writing workshops is at the discretion of the course instructor.) Certification candidates are advised to choose a balanced program from a variety of different authors, genres, and periods. Foreign Languages All students seeking certification in Foreign Languages (French, German and Spanish) will complete the major in Modern Languages and Literatures. This includes at least eight credits in advanced language, literature or culture courses (courses numbered 4 and above) and completion of the comprehensive examination requirement. Courses numbered ll or above emphasize the study of literature and culture, as well as competence in the spoken and written language. (See the College catalogue for specific requirements for majors in the specific languages). In addition, all majors are required to spend at least a semester abroad in a country that speaks the target language. The College sponsors a program in Grenoble, France, but information about a variety of other foreign study programs in French, German and Spanish speaking countries is available from the Foreign Study Advisor. The normal sequence of courses for a student preparing to teach a foreign language begins with courses in the language itself, including 4 or 4B, which prepares the student to express him or herself fluently in writing and speaking. The sequence culminates in advanced literature courses. Exceptions to the initial course requirements are made for those who show initial competence in the language of specialization. Students who pursue certification in a foreign language must also take Linguistics 1, in order to develop the basic knowledge of language structures. Prospective teachers are also highly encouraged to supplement work in the department with work in other disciplines, such as History, Art History, Music, and Sociology/Anthropology, which enhance the candidate's knowledge of the culture, history and geography of countries where the target language is spoken. They also should make every effort teach for at least a semester in the after school language programs at the elementary school level in the local school district. Mathematics All students seeking certification in Mathematics must complete a Mathematics major, which consists of 10 credits in mathematics or statistics. Every math major must complete or obtain credit for or place out of the following courses: Mathematics 5 or 5s, 6A-6B or 6C, 16 or 16 H,18 or 18h, 47 and 49. At most, five of the ten credits can be in courses numbered 25 or lower. They must also take the departmental comprehensive examination, Math 97, the Senior Conference. Students seeking certification must
include among their electives: In addition, students seeking certification are strongly advised to take further mathematics courses emphasizing modeling and applications, and/or to take at least one course in the Natural or Social Sciences in which mathematics is significantly used. They are also highly encouraged to work as a tutor in the Math clinic or to do individual tutoring for a semester. With respect to the Mathematics' Department recommendation, we will not allow a student to be certified who has not received a grade of C or better in all mathematics courses. Physics Students completing certification in Physics or Astrophysics must fulfill the requirements for the Physics major, which include: Physics 6 The Character of Physical
Law In addition, they must obtain credit for, or place out of Math 5, 6, 16, and 18 and take Engineering 72A, Electronic Circuit Applications. Students being certified in Physics must also include Physics 63, Chemistry 10 and Biology 1 or 2 in their programs. In addition they must serve as a lab assistant or demonstration coordinator in physics for at least one semester. Social Science Students completing certification in Social Science will complete a major in Psychology or Sociology/ Anthropology. (Students completing majors in Economics, History or Political Science will complete Citizenship Education certification.) The Psychology major consists of at least eight credits, four of which must be courses numbered in the 30s. In addition, students must fulfill the Senior comprehensive examination. Students who have at least a B+ major in Psychology, may also choose to do a two credit thesis, Psychology 96-97 in lieu of the comprehensive exam. (For further information, see the College Catalogue.) The Sociology/Anthropology major consists of at least eight credits. A Sociology/Anthropology course numbered 1-20 is the entry point for further work in the department. A two credit Senior thesis, S/A 96-97 is required. In addition, S/A 21B and Statistics 2 or 2c are highly recommended. (For further information, see the College Catalogue.) The programs of all students seeking Social Science certification must include Psychology 1 and at least one course in each of the following categories: For Anthropology, Sociology/Anthropology 22B, 23B or 29B; for Sociology, Sociology/Anthropology 2B, 7B, or 8D. All programs must include at least one course that focuses on non-western or non Anglo content and one course that addresses cross cultural issues. In addition, in order to be employed to teach Social Studies in states other than Pennsylvania, students are strongly recommended to also complete: History 5a and either History 5b or 5c, History 3, Economics 1, Political Science 2 Swarthmore College does not have a state-approved elementary certification program. However, if students complete the following courses at Swarthmore (Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, Developmental Psychology or Child Psychology and Practice, Teaching the Young Learner, Curriculum and Methods, and Elementary Methods Workshops in Math, Science and Social Studies), and complete a twelve-week practice teaching placement in an elementary school, they can receive certification through Eastern College, with which Swarthmore has a collaborative arrangement. In order to be certified by Eastern College, students take two additional elementary methods courses at Eastern College Summer School (from mid May?late June) for a total cost of about $1,800. The State of Pennsylvania requires that students applying for secondary certification take the following PRAXIS Exams: PPST Reading, PPST Writing, PPST Mathematics, and the appropriate Specialty Test(s) in their area of certification. Elementary cetification candidates take Reading, Writing, Math, Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge, and Elementary Education PRAXIS exams. If possible, we ask that students take these by end of their senior year or the 9th Semester in which they practice teach, so that students can be recommended for certification as soon as they have completed the Department of Educational Studies' requirements and student teaching. Certification Options for Nontraditional Students The teacher certification program is normally only available to fully matriculated Swarthmore undergraduates. However, the College offers routes to certification for individuals who are employed by the College or faculty or staff spouses. In most cases they will already have completed their undergraduate degree at another institution. After consulting with each individual certification applicant and the necessary department at the College, a course of study is determined by the Chair of the Department of Educational Studies. Each case is examined on its own merits, and each individual is advised as to the course of study necessary to fulfill requirements for certification. In each case, the Department first reviews the applicant?s coursework and experiential credentials in relation to the professional competencies required for certification. The prospective student?s credentials are then reviewed by the academic department to see if the courses they have taken meet the Specific Subject Standards and approximate the departmental requirements for certification at Swarthmore. Once the student?s credentials have been assessed, the candidate is told the course and field work in Education and the subject field that he or she will need to complete to be certified. In most cases, students are required to do the entire Education sequence and occasionally they must also do another course or two in their subject area. These students then proceed to take courses, usually one a semester. (As College employees and faculty or staff spouses, individuals are entitled to one free course a term.) The Department of Educational Studies offers graduates of the College, who by graduation have completed all of the required course and field work for certification except for Practice Teaching and the Curriculum and Methods Seminar, the option to return to the College to do a ninth semester, on a space contingent basis. The Ninth Semester Option is attractive to students, often those in Honors, students with Double majors or those who study abroad, who are not able to fit a term of student teaching into their schedule. While students doing a ninth semester are enrolled for three College credits, or 12 units, they are required to pay for only one course credit. STUDENT TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES Student teaching at Swarthmore is a two-credit, twelve-week experience which helps students integrate prior theoretical and practical work in Education and their discipline. It is an opportunity to work cooperatively with practitioners, to assume a range of teaching responsibilities in a classroom and school, and to reflect on processes involved in teaching, learning, and schooling. Except in unusual circumstances, which require special approval, students practice teach in their Senior year or a 9th Semester. Student teachers must have the approval and recommendation of their major department, approval of all of the Education faculty with whom they have worked and recommendations from teachers in whose classrooms they have done field placements. All students who want to student teach interview with the Chair of the Department of Educational Studies, who, then approves them for student teaching and arranges the school placement for student teaching. Student teaching is a demanding experience that requires a great deal of commitment and energy. We recommend whenever possible that students reduce or eliminate other responsibilities (course requirements, work, co-curricular commitments) during their student teaching semester. In no case are students permitted to take more than one additional course during the semester in which they practice teach. Placements Student teaching placements are determined the semester prior to practice teaching. Placements are made by the Chair of the Department of Educational Studies in consultation with the student teacher, Cooperating Teachers, and school administrative personnel in the public and private schools in which we place students. When possible, students are given placement options and the opportunity to observe before a placement decision is finalized. In all cases, students meet with their Cooperating Teacher(s) the semester before their placement begins. Within the first full week of practice teaching, the College Supervisor, Cooperating Teacher and Student Teacher meet to discuss student teaching requirements and expectations and to review the schedule/procedures for the upcoming semester. Occasionally, student teacher placements are changed during the student teaching semester as a result of a) request by the Cooperating Teacher or school to be relieved of the responsibility of the student teacher, b) recommendation by the College Supervisor that such a change is in the best interest of the student teacher, or c) unforeseen events such as illness, strikes, etc. If such a change is necessary, it is done as early in the semester as possible and, when necessary, the student teacher teaches beyond the required twelve weeks in order to demonstrate competency in the new school setting. Responsibilities/Requirements 1. Student teachers will spend twelve
weeks full-time in the school. They will begin by observing their
Cooperating Teacher and other teachers within and outside of their
discipline and across grade levels. Secondary student teachers
will assume responsibility for two classes by the end of their
second week and will, under the direction of the Cooperating Teacher
and College Supervisor, assume complete responsibility for at
least three classes (or more if the situation permits) by the
ninth week of practice teaching. Elementary student teachers will,
by the end of the second week, take responsibility for teaching
a group or the whole class in a particular subject area. They
will assume increasing responsibility in the classroom and at
some point become the primary teacher in the class for two (not
necessarily consecutive) weeks.
Midway through the semester and at the end of the semester, the student teacher, the Cooperating Teacher, and their College Supervisors fill out the Student Teaching Competency Checklist This checklist becomes the basis of an evaluation conference which focuses on the student's development, areas of strength, and plans for continued work. Following the final conference, the Cooperating Teacher and College Supervisor write letters of evaluation which become a part of the student teacher's dossier; the dossier is then reviewed by the Teacher Education Committee. In addition, the College Supervisor assigns the student a grade which reflects his or her development in relation to the stated competencies. Students must receive at least a B- in student teaching in order to be recommended to the State for certification by Swarthmore College. At the end of the academic year, the Teacher Education Committee meets to review student teachers' files. The Teacher Education Committee consists of College faculty from departments involved in certification, Department of Educational Studies faculty, and local school personnel. Each student's file consists of letters from the following: Cooperating Teacher, College Supervisor, Department Chair, the faculty member in their department who observed their teaching, and an additional faculty member who can be from inside or outside of the student's major department. The Committee also review the student's transcript. After reviewing the student teaching dossier, The Teacher Education Committee determines whether the student should be recommended to the State for certification. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COOPERATING TEACHER Cooperating Teachers play an extremely important role in the student teaching program, working closely with student teachers on a daily basis in the classroom and the school. The State of Pennsylvania requires that Cooperating Teachers to have a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience, at least one of which is in the school in which they will supervise. Cooperating teachers must also be certified in the area in which the student is seeking certification. We look for teachers who are interested in working with a student teacher, who serve as models of successful teaching, and who will allow a student teacher to experiment with a range of methods and styles within the bounds of classroom and school requirements. Students come to the student teaching situation with strong preparation in the discipline in which they seek certification. This preparation may be fairly broad or it may be more concentrated in subfields of the discipline. In all cases the courses in their major meet the Pennsylvania specific content standards in their subject area. They have also taken a series of Education courses, described earlier, most of which include a field experience component. In Education courses, all students have done field observations, worked as tutors, and/or served as a teacher's assistant or a student researcher. In many cases they also have extensive experience with elementary or secondary students outside of the classroom as camp counselors or volunteers in various social service capacities. For the most part, however, students have had limited experience in taking on complete responsibility for a classroom. Cooperating Teachers help guide students in developing competence in the process of planning, teaching, and assessing students in the classroom setting. Responsibilities 1. The Cooperating Teacher will coordinate
the student teacher's work in the classroom, with the goal of
giving increasing responsibility to the student teacher. By the
end of the second week of practice teaching secondary student
teachers should have primary responsibility for two classes. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COLLEGE SUPERVISOR The College Supervisor, in collaboration with the Chair of the Department of Educational Studies, is responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing the student teaching experience. The College Supervisor serves as the link between the Department of Educational Studies, the student teacher, the Cooperating Teacher and the school, once student teaching begins. The College Supervisor is either a regular member of the faculty of the Department or an adjunct faculty member who typically has a master's degree or higher in Education and has had experience as a classroom teacher. Frequently College Supervisors are retired teachers or administrators. College supervisors remain in close contact with the Department Chair and with the faculty member teaching the Curriculum and Methods, conferring with either and/or both of these Education faculty members several times during the semester regarding the development of the student teacher(s) with whom they are working. At least once during the semester, all faculty supervising student teachers that term also meet as a group with the faculty member teaching the Curriculum and Methods seminar to discuss areas of common concern or interest and to provide feedback regarding the student teaching progress and problems. Responsibilities 1. The College Supervisor will meet
with the student teacher and Cooperating Teacher during the first
full week of the student teaching semester to discuss and coordinate
responsibilities, roles, and requirements. The College Supervisor is, for the student, a critical source of information and support during the student teaching semester. He or she will be in the classroom frequently, assuring that the experience is working for the student and providing appropriate feedback and guidance. Student teachers who experience any difficulties in their school assignments or are facing other personal or academic problems that affect their ability to function effectively in the classroom should discuss these matters with their College Supervisors. The College Supervisor will function both as a facilitator and mediator to help student teacher development proceed in a safe and empowering environment. EVALUATION OF STUDENT TEACHING Midway through the semester and at the end of the semester, the student teacher, the Cooperating Teacher, and their College Supervisors fill out the Student Teaching Competency Checklist This checklist becomes the basis of an evaluation conference which focuses on the student's development, areas of strength, and plans for continued work. Following the final conference, the Cooperating Teacher and College Supervisor write letters of evaluation that become a part of the student teacher's dossier; the dossier is then reviewed by the Teacher Education Committee. The College Supervisor also completes (at midterm and at the end of student teaching) the state evaluation form, PDE 430 and reviews it with each student teacher. In addition, the College Supervisor assigns the student a grade that reflects his or her development in relation to the stated competencies. Students must receive at least a B- in student teaching in order to be recommended to the State for certification by Swarthmore College. There are array of resources available to student teachers as they begin to look for teaching and teaching-related jobs. We recommend that students have a resume and letter ready to send out by March of the year in which they will be certified and that they gather letters of recommendation for the Career Planning and Placement Center from their Cooperating Teacher, their College Supervisor, an Education faculty member and a faculty member from their major department , as well as other faculty members or employers who can attest to their character or suitability for teaching. Career Office The Career Planning and Placement Office at Swarthmore College has job and internship listings, information and workshops on resume and letter writing, and application materials for placement agencies such as Independent Education Services and Education Resources Group. They also bring placement agencies and some school district personnel to campus to conduct interviews. They will read and review resumes and letters, conduct mock interviews, and discuss short and long term goals with students. The Career Office will also keep a dossier of a student's letters of recommendation that students seeking teaching positions can ask them to send out to prospective employers. Department of Educational Studies In both the Spring and Fall Semesters, the Department of Educational Studies conducts a Job Search workshop that provides additional information on how to look for a teaching position. They discuss ways to identify schools with openings, writing a teaching resume and cover letter, interviewing strategies, and use of a portfolio in the job search process. Information about local job fairs, as well as job fairs in other areas of the country, job fairs for students of color, and job fairs for students hoping to teach abroad, is distributed at the Job Search workshop and posted on the Department website. Education faculty members also provide individual guidance about the job search process throughout the year and into the summer. Many students find jobs during the months of June, July and August, when the College is not in session, and students are encouraged to call for advice and help from Education faculty during this period. The Department of Educational Studies receives a number of job listing bulletins and education newspapers which are kept in the Education Materials Center. Individual job listings sent to the Department are posted on the Department website: http//www. . Because our graduates teach around the country, we often receive information about job possibilities in schools in which our graduates are teaching that we pass on to current students. Swarthmore students who are certified to teach also have access to a job placement website developed by the Consortium for Excellence in Teacher Education web site (http://www.princeton.edu/teacher/cete/). (The Consortium for Excellence in Teacher Education is a group of eighteen private liberal arts colleges and universities in the Northeast that was formed in l983 to support the efforts of teacher educators and students in the member institutions as well local school personnel with whom the faculty in the CETE institutions work.) |
Student teaching at Swarthmore College involves close collaboration between the College and the school and among the student teacher, Cooperating Teacher, and College Supervisor. This Handbook aims to provide all those involved in the process with a common framework for the student teaching experience, one that allows for the most successful approach for each beginning teacher. The Handbook describes the program taken by students who pursue student teaching and the roles and responsibilities of student teachers, Cooperating Teachers, and College Supervisors. We recommend that each member of the student teaching team read the Handbook as a way of understanding how the Department and the people in it work together to provide a strong foundation for new teachers.
