High School Certification
Academic Program
Year One: Foundations of Education
Coursework for Foundations Sequence
Year One: Mathematics Content Courses
Year One: Biology Content Courses
Year Two: Internship Year
Year Two: Coursework, Mathematics
Year Two: Coursework, Biology
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Year One: Foundations of Education
The Foundations of Education Sequence is designed to give UTEP candidates an introduction to teaching in urban schools as a profession through multiple lenses. It is designed as a set of academic, clinical, affective and reflective experiences to occur over the course of a candidate's first year in the program. The year long Foundations of Education Sequence integrates the following four strands:
• The Academic Strand, in which candidates complete three courses: The Adolescent Learner, Schools and Communities, and Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools.
• The Fieldwork Strand, in which candidates learn how to be careful observers of schools and classrooms, children, and teachers in the field.
• The Tutoring Strand, in which candidates regularly work with high school students two times per week for an entire year at the University of Chicago charter schools, obtain feedback on their practice, and regularly share their practice (via video) with their peers.
• The "Soul Strand," in which students explore issues of teacher identity as well as the ways in which race, class, and culture affect teachers and students alike.
The Foundations Sequence four strand structure is designed to prepare students for the internship year by providing candidates with insights about the rigorous work of teaching in urban schools. Although demanding, this type of comprehensive approach to a foundational education experience will ensure that candidates gain insight of teaching as a profession in a multi-dimensional manner. This set of experiences will also provide numerous opportunities for candidates to visit schools in different settings, experience a variety of teaching styles and grade levels, and ultimately help them test and strengthen their commitment to working in an urban school. Candidates who demonstrate the necessary prerequisite skills, knowledge, and dispositions for this work are invited to apply for the year-long clinical internship at the end of this sequence.
Coursework for Foundation Sequence
The Adolescent Learner
The Foundations sequence begins with a focus on the continuum of development of the child into adolescence. Candidates will explore this development through the lenses of learning theory, the individual differences among adolescents, and the cultural differences that exist within an urban community. Interns will read both classical and contemporary works on educational psychology. The study will draw particular attention to development in early adolescence in preparation for teaching students in the middle grades, and also to build understanding of earlier developmental factors as they relate to student learning in the later secondary grades. Topics will include: social development and socialization, focusing on urban adolescents; physiological, emotional, and cognitive development as related to success in urban schools; educational implications of recent models of learning, problem solving, and thinking; and current research on relations among cognitive processes, learning, and instruction.
Schools and Communities
This course focuses on communities, families, and the organization of schools from an historical, anthropological, and sociological perspective. Candidates explore questions about why we have public schools, why they are organized as they are-especially in urban contexts-and how these institutions might be reformed. This course is designed to afford candidates with multiple analytic lenses to complement and integrate their field experiences, tutoring work, and soul strand reflections across the year. The culminating project for the course is a school study.
Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools
Candidates survey philosophies of education, especially that of John Dewey, the philosopher who has arguably left the deepest mark on the University of Chicago. This course also includes a look at Dewey's contemporary counterparts, and his critics. Candidates also explore the influence of philosophy on teaching and learning, especially as it pertains to curriculum. For the final assignment, candidates conduct a teacher study and revise their own philosophy in light of course readings and discussions.
Year One: Math Content Courses
This sequence establishes a core of mathematics courses that are not specified as requirements for the undergraduate mathematics concentration, but that are of particular relevance for the teaching of the subject at the secondary level. Mathematics 17500 and 17600 are elective mathematics courses, required for program candidates, which address topics in number theory and geometry. The Situational Mathematics sequence presents an approach to teaching mathematics for the purpose of creating a deep understanding of the roots of the subject for teachers in grades 6 through 12. The major components of the sequence are number, geometry, and algebraic function.
MATH 17500: Basic Number Theory
This course covers basic properties of the integers following from the division algorithm, primes and their distribution, congruence, existence of primitive roots, arithmetic functions, quadratic reciprocity, and other topics. Some transcendental numbers are covered. The subject is developed with many explicit examples. (Prerequisite: Two quarters of calculus.)
MATH 17600: Basic Geometry
This course will cover advanced topics in geometry including Euclidean geometry, speherical geometry, and hyperbolic geometry. The emphasis will be on rigorous development from axiomatic systems including the approach of Hilbert. Additional topics include lattice point geometry, projective geometry, and symmetry.
Year One: Biology Content Courses
This sequence establishes the requirements of science courses not specified as requirements for the undergraduate biology concentration, but that are required for the teaching of the subject at the secondary level and meeting the state teaching standards for secondary science/biology.
BIOS 20185: Ecology and Evolution
This course surveys the basic principles of ecology and evolutionary biology. Topics in evolutionary biology include the evidence for evolution, the history of life, the mechanisms of evolution (e.g., mutation, selection, genetic drift), adaptation, speciation, the origin of evolutionary novelties, the origin of life, and human evolution. Topics in ecology include demography and life histories, competition, predation, and the inter-specific interactions that shape the structure of ecological communities.
Approved course in Geophysical Science (GEOS)
A course in the geophysical science is required for Secondary B.A./M.A.T. candidates to meet the Illinois Common Core of Standards for secondary science teachers, Standard 7: The Earth. Since no coursework related to earth science is explicitly required for a B.A. concentration in Biology, a course in geophysical sciences is added to the course requirements for the B.A./M.A.T. Approved courses will cover a range of topics, including the physics, chemistry, and dynamics of the atmosphere, oceans, and ice sheets; past and present climate change; the origin and history of the Earth, moon and meteorites; properties of the deep interior of the Earth and the dynamics of crustal movements; and the evolution and geography of life and the Earth's surface environments through geological time.
Approved course in Big Problems (BPRO)
"Big Problems" are characteristically matters of global or universal concern that intersect with several disciplines and affect a variety of interest groups. They are problems for which solutions are crucially important but not obviously available. Big Problems courses emphasize process as well as content: learning how to creatively confront difficult intellectual and pragmatic problems wider than one's own area of expertise and to consider how to deal with the uncertainty that results. This often points to the importance of working in groups. If the core curriculum provides a basis for learning and the concentrations develop more specialized knowledge, the Big Problems experience leads to the development of skills for thinking about and dealing with the important but unyielding issues of our time. These courses encourage linkage to B.A. papers, research experiences, or internships. They use interdisciplinary team teaching, seeking to cross disciplines and divisions and to transcend familiar models of content, organization, and instruction. Courses to be approved for B.A./M.A.T. candidates in Secondary Science/Biology will generally have a strong component of the biological sciences integrated with other disciplines. Examples include: BPRO 22500: Medicine and Society: Things, Bodies, and Persons; BPRO 23600: Social Context, Biology, and Health; BPRO 23900: Biological and Cultural Evolution; and BPRO 24900: Biology and Sociology of AIDS.
Summer One: Assistantship
Candidates will work in teaching assistantships in university-based mathematics and science programs for secondary-level students. Assistantships for mathematics candidates will provide opportunities for designing learning activities and facilitating small group instruction in secondary-level topics of mathematics. Science/Biology candidates will also assist in the design of lessons and in small group instruction, as well as in the design and implementation of laboratory experiments.
In addition to these assistantships, all secondary UTEP students will take their first course in the Secondary Education series, namely Learning Theory. Mathematics students will also begin the three quarter Situational Mathematics sequence; Biology students will similarly take the first of three Science Capstone seminars. Each of these courses is intended to have students study carefully the theoretical underpinnings of scientific and mathematical issues raised in secondary classrooms.
Secondary Education I: Learning Theory
This course will explore learning theory as a means of understanding the mechanisms by which students learn, and how those mechanisms develop from early adolescence (middle grades) through late adolescence (upper-secondary grades). Particular attention will be drawn to the development of the content understanding, mental processes, and habits of mind inherent to the study of mathematics and science. Candidates will study and compare the work of a range of theorists as a foundation for developing pedagogical practices that are based on deeply informed reflection about the psychology and philosophy of learning. Major learning theories will be explored as an important theoretical basis for decision-making about various aspects of classroom instruction in secondary-level mathematics and science, including: curriculum and lesson design, delivery style, questioning strategies, assessment methods, problem-posing, student grouping and interaction, and instructional materials selection.
Situational Mathematics I (Mathematics Candidates only)
This course provides an exploration of numbers and number systems, including the real and complex numbers, by connecting the clinical experiences of prospective teachers to a deep exploration of the number theory addressed during those experiences. Mathematical concepts are explored from the perspective of teaching, learning, and mathematical development as it progresses from grades 6 through 12. Specific content in each course session is connected to questions that have arisen in the mathematics classrooms in which the participants are currently working. These questions are discussed in detail by the participants and strategies are developed that will help students in the classroom to understand the mathematics surrounding the inquiry. The mathematics related to the question is explored in depth to provide the participants with a broader and deeper perspective on the material.
Science Capstone Seminar I (Biology Candidates only)
The Science Capstone sequence presents an exploration of science/biology content for the specific purposes of teaching in grades 6 through 12. The three courses in the sequence will facilitate study, discussion, and inquiry in the areas of: 1) connections within biology-related fields and between biology and other fields, 2) connections to local community resources (public and private laboratories, museums, zoos, libraries, etc.), 3) growth of scientific habits of mind through adolescence, and the development of scientific literacy and a critical eye for validity, 4) the historical contexts for scientific discovery, 5) reference to multiple scientific viewpoints and primary-source materials, 6) technological design, 7) the nature and use of scientific inquiry and research in the context of the secondary classroom, and 8) the importance of modern science in contemporary urban society.
Year Two: Internship Year
Chicago UTEP's clinical internship is open only to candidates who successfully complete the Foundations of Education Sequence. Participants in the program will serve as teaching interns in two separate urban schools over the course of an entire school year. The rotations will provide a means for progressive autonomy in the teaching and learning of courses in the subject area of their endorsement and/or designation. The rotations will provide structures and supports for developing reflective and collaborative teaching practices under the guidance of an experienced mentor teacher.
Rotation I
The first internship rotation will extend from the beginning of the school year (including the week of staff preparation prior to the opening of school) until the end of the first semester (CPS) in late January. The focus for this rotation is on the development of an approach to teaching that is reflective, collaborative, and based on evidence of student learning. During Rotation I, interns will spend four mornings per week in their assigned classrooms with their assigned clinical instructors. Two interns will be grouped with a single clinical instructor. This structure will permit participation in two to three class sessions per day, with an hour scheduled before the first class period for reflection on the previous day's lessons and collaborative planning on the subsequent day's instruction. All teaching, reflection, and planning will be supervised and facilitated by the clinical instructor.
Concurrent to Rotation I, interns will participate in the first rotation of the internship seminar. During seminar, interns will engage in structured discussions about planning, preparation, and management strategies. They will also have opportunities for further reflection on their clinical work and its connection to the content and pedagogical theory developed in the coursework. In particular, they will design and conduct a project in practitioner research that is specifically designed to connect the theory established in the coursework with the practicum experience.
Rotation II
The second rotation begins late January at the start of the second semester (CPS) and extends through the end of the school year. As the final full teaching experience before professional placement, the focus for this experience will be on classroom management, organization of instruction and assessment, time management, and the fulfillment of the professional duties of teaching. In this rotation, interns will move into a new school setting with a new clinical instructor. Single interns will now be matched with a single instructor, and interns will follow the daily schedule of the clinical instructor for the entire day, engaging in all professional functions including all scheduled classes, preparation periods, staff meetings, in-service professional development, and required functions throughout the day. Interns will be at their schools four days per week, with the remaining day spent in seminar and/or coursework. Early in the rotation, there will be flexibility in the schedule to allow for attendance in Winter Quarter courses. As interns move into full take-over in the Spring Quarter, they will adhere more rigidly to full participation in the school schedule, including the addition of a fifth day per week to accommodate the full take-over.
Year Two: Coursework, Mathematics
Secondary Education II: Mathematics Curriculum & Assessment
This course addresses the theoretical, practical, and social underpinnings of mathematics curriculum, i.e., the mathematical knowledge and skills that students are expected to attain in grades K through 12. Candidates will explore the development of curriculum from the perspectives of: the advancement of knowledge in the discipline itself; educational reform measures; local, state, and national standards; equity of social and economic opportunity; instructional materials development; and classroom instruction. The course will also address theory and practice of assessment, both as an evaluative measure of learning and as an instrument for learning. Theory and technique will be connected to classroom teaching experiences in the current internship rotation. Related topics will include: issues surrounding the selection and use of instructional materials, integration of technology into the curriculum, the role of reading and writing in the mathematics curriculum, the development of inter-curricular connections, standards-based grading, summative assessment and accountability measures, equity and bias issues in assessment and problem-posing, development of quality classroom assessment tasks, formative assessment methods (problem-posing, questioning, analysis of student work, identifying and addressing misconceptions, self-assessment strategies, etc.), and reporting progress to students, parents, and leadership. The course will include a curriculum materials evaluation project, which will provide an opportunity to study the current development of instructional materials in mathematics.
Secondary Education III: Mathematics Instruction
This course explores methodologies of instructional delivery for mathematics in grades 6 through 12, with particular attention to meeting the needs of learners in urban classrooms. The discussion of instructional methods will connect to the foundation already built in curriculum and assessment, whereby methodologies are constructed as a means to develop the capacities defined by curriculum and demonstrated through assessment. Topics addressed are: the connection of learning theory to instructional delivery, standards-based instruction, the role of accountability measures in teaching and learning, creating an equitable learning community in the mathematics classroom, instructional planning techniques, research on instructional methodologies, instructional technology, methods for teaching reading/writing in the content area, and teaching for proficiency in understanding, computation, application, reasoning, and engagement/motivation in mathematics.
Secondary Education IV: Differentiation for Diverse Learners
Secondary Education IV constitutes the primary course for addressing special education and the exceptional child in the program. The course is designed to deepen understanding of the diverse needs, skills, and backgrounds that individual learners bring to the mathematics and science classroom. In addition to constructing an understanding of the broad range of exceptionalities students bring to the classroom, interns will also build upon the foundation of methodologies developed in the previous course, extending their knowledge and skills toward the differentiating instruction for a broad range of learners. Topics to be addressed are: identification and understanding of the range of exceptionalities; learning theory and differentiation; adaptations, accommodations, and modifications; statutory issues and due process for Special Education; models of inclusion, language support in the mathematics and science classroom for non-native speakers; intervention strategies for under-prepared learners; use of technology to differentiate instruction; providing equal access to the mathematics and science curriculum for all learners.
Situational Mathematics II
This course provides an exploration of plane geometry, three-dimensional geometry, and spherical geometry by connecting the clinical experiences of prospective teachers to a deep exploration of geometry concepts addressed during those experiences. Mathematical concepts are explored from the perspective of teaching, learning, and mathematical development as it progresses from grades 6 through 12. Specific content in each course session is connected to questions that have arisen in the mathematics classrooms in which the participants are currently working. These questions are discussed in detail by the participants and strategies are developed that will help students in the classroom to understand the mathematics surrounding the inquiry. The mathematics related to the question is explored in depth to provide the participants with a broader and deeper perspective on the material.
Situational Mathematics III
This course provides an exploration of algebra and functions, including polynomials, exponentials, logarithms, and trigonometric functions, by connecting the clinical experiences of prospective teachers to a deep exploration of the algebraic concepts and functions addressed during those experiences. Mathematical concepts are explored from the perspective of teaching, learning, and mathematical development as it progresses from grades 6 through 12. Specific content in each course session is connected to questions that have arisen in the mathematics classrooms in which the participants are currently working. These questions are discussed in detail by the participants and strategies are developed that will help students in the classroom to understand the mathematics surrounding the inquiry. The mathematics related to the question is explored in depth to provide the participants with a broader and deeper perspective on the material.
Year Two: Coursework, Biology
Secondary Education II: Science Curriculum & Assessment
This course addresses the theoretical, practical, and social underpinnings of science curriculum, i.e., the scientific knowledge and skills that students are expected to attain in grades K through 12. Candidates will explore the development of curriculum from the perspectives of: the advancement of knowledge in the discipline itself; educational reform measures; local, state, and national standards; equity of social and economic opportunity; instructional materials development; and classroom instruction. The course will also address theory and practice of assessment, both as an evaluative measure of learning and as an instrument for learning. Theory and technique will be connected to classroom teaching experiences in the current internship rotation. Related topics will include: issues surrounding the selection and use of instructional materials, integration of technology into the curriculum, the integration of reading and writing in the science curriculum, the development of inter-curricular connections, standards-based grading, summative assessment and accountability measures, equity and bias issues in assessment and problem-posing, development of quality classroom assessment tasks, formative assessment methods (problem-posing, questioning, analysis of student work, identifying and addressing misconceptions, self-assessment strategies, etc.), and reporting progress to students, parents, and leadership. The course will include a curriculum materials evaluation project, which will provide an opportunity to study the current development of instructional materials in science.
Secondary Education III: Science Instruction
This course explores methodologies of instructional delivery for science in grades 6 through 12, with particular attention to meeting the needs of learners in urban classrooms. The discussion of instructional methods will connect to the foundation already built in curriculum and assessment, whereby methodologies are constructed as a means to develop the capacities defined by curriculum and demonstrated through assessment. Topics addressed are: the connection of learning theory to instructional delivery, standards-based instruction, the role of accountability measures in teaching and learning, creating an equitable learning community in the science classroom, instructional planning techniques, research on instructional methodologies, instructional technology, methods for teaching reading/writing in the content area, and teaching for proficiency in scientific inquiry, laboratory practices, and the development of scientific habits of mind.
Secondary Education IV: Differentiation for Diverse Learners
Secondary Education IV constitutes the primary course for addressing special education and the exceptional child in the program. The course is designed to deepen understanding of the diverse needs, skills, and backgrounds that individual learners bring to the mathematics and science classroom. In addition to constructing an understanding of the broad range of exceptionalities students bring to the classroom, interns will also build upon the foundation of methodologies developed in the previous course, extending their knowledge and skills toward the differentiating instruction for a broad range of learners. Topics to be addressed are: identification and understanding of the range of exceptionalities; learning theory and differentiation; adaptations, accommodations, and modifications; statutory issues and due process for Special Education; models of inclusion, language support in the mathematics and science classroom for non-native speakers; intervention strategies for under-prepared learners; use of technology to differentiate instruction; providing equal access to the mathematics and science curriculum for all learners.
Science Capstone Seminar II & III
The second and third courses in the Science Capstone sequence present the continued development of the themes and outcomes introduced in the first course. (See "Science Capstone Seminar I" above.) Students will engage in these inquiries through case studies, class discussions, research assignments, design of laboratory experiments, and investigation of community resources.
Summer Two
Candidates will work in teaching assistantships in university-based mathematics and science programs for secondary-level students. Assistantships for mathematics candidates will provide opportunities for designing learning activities and facilitating small group instruction in secondary-level topics of mathematics. Science/Biology candidates will also assist in the design of lessons and in small group instruction, as well as in the design and implementation of laboratory experiments.
As a continuation to the Internship Seminars, candidates will also participate in a professional workshop, designed to provide support for final preparations before entering professional practice. The offer candidates collaborative guidance in portfolio completion, development of the resume, video compilation, selection of desired schools for professional placement, the application and interview process, and all final preparations and questions surrounding careers in education.
The First Two Years of Teaching
Research suggests that even teachers with strong preparation need support as they make the transition into the workforce. UTEP whole-heartedly believes that learning how to teach well takes many years and for that reason, all UTEP graduates who receive teaching positions in Chicago Public Schools will receive in-classroom coaching and professional development for two years, free of charge. Our UTEP coaching staff will observe, provide feedback, guide planning, and provide a helpful year as candidates strengthen their repertoires. Additionally, special workshops and professional development opportunities will be regularly offered to UTEP alumni.