Residency Year
The Residency Year is based on an intensive four-quarter (one year) clinical experience—the residency—that is complemented by methods coursework and a seminar in professional teaching. Residents are assisted in securing jobs in Chicago Public Schools during the final quarter of the program.
Residents will begin their residency year as teachers in a two-week summer school program while taking additional pedagogical and content-area coursework.
As in Foundations, the center of the Residency Year is the year-long, day-long Professional Teaching Seminar, which creates a space for residents to deepen and extend their learning about pedagogy across all content areas, strengthen their understanding of classroom community and management, and engage in collaborative problem solving, inquiry, and reflection.
Residents work alongside UTEP-selected master teachers, called Clinical Instructors, in two half-year placements in CPS neighborhood, magnet, or charter schools for four days a week observing, teaching, and assessing student learning using the instructional best practices learned in content-area and methods coursework. As the placement progresses, residents assume increasingly more complex teaching tasks and day-to-day responsibilities.
Learn more about the course offerings in the Residency Year below:
Residency Year—Summer Quarter
| Course Number | Course Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
| UTEP 33001 | Differentiation |
This course is designed to prepare you to meet the needs of multiple different types of learners in inclusive classroom settings. We will explore the role of the general educator and cover collaboration practices with school colleagues including the special educator. The course will cover varied differentiation and co-teaching strategies and techniques to address a vast range of readiness level, learning preferences and learning styles in your classroom. Specific disability categories, effective and appropriate accommodations and modifications, Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) and the MTSS process will be examined in depth. This course will analyze assessment in a differentiated classroom, focusing on ethical grading practices, variations in assessment opportunities, and the purpose and process of grading. |
|
UTEP 35514 |
Science Content for Teaching II |
This course, coupled with the winter and spring term courses, addresses many topics related to teaching science and engineering in elementary and middle school classrooms, including disciplinary content knowledge, goals and benefits of K–8 science education, instructional models and approaches, instructional materials, use of technology and other resources, and integrating science with literacy and other subjects. As with the winter and spring courses, you will engage in a unit of study as learners; the summer unit will be an engineering unit. The summer course will also be closely linked with your summer science teaching experience, including dedicated and supported opportunities to plan and reflect on summer science learning experiences. During the summer course, you will work with peers and instructors to consider and discuss science education through a social justice lens. |
|
UTEP 42000 |
Reading Practicum I |
This course is designed to give UTEP students the opportunity to apply all that they have learned throughout their Foundations Year in UTEP. Rising UTEP Residents will modify, create and implement coherent lesson plans in Literacy and Math and make changes based on feedback through observation and coaching by course instructors. UTEP Students and a fellow cohort member will be responsible for leading instruction for a small group of students. They will work together with their students to create a classroom environment to support their learning. |
Residency Year—Autumn Quarter
| Course Number | Course Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
| UTEP 48000 | Teaching and Learning I: Building and Managing a Classroom Community | This course presents best practices in classroom and behavior management for the general education classroom. Practices include organizing time, materials, and classroom space; managing individual and large group student behaviors, transitions, lab activities; and other arrangements for classrooms. Basic federal and state laws as they pertain to the legal procedures for all teachers, including teachers of students with disabilities and ESL students, will be presented. |
| UTEP 47000 | Practicum I: Instruction & TPA | Candidates concentrate on four domains of professional practice: planning, preparation, and assessment; instructional delivery; classroom environment and learning community; and professional responsibilities. They reflect on their classroom practice through video analysis, lesson study, journal sharing, group debriefing, and review of student work. |
| UTEP 37100 | Foundations of Bilingual and ESL Education | This course studies the historical and legislative foundations of bilingual and ESL education, the types of bilingual programs, their advantages, and the principles of bilingual education. Additionally, this course will also study the conceptual, linguistic, sociological, and political foundations of bilingual and ESL education. |
Residency Year—Winter Quarter
| Course Number | Course Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
| UTEP 47100 | Practicum II: Using Formative Data to Improve Teaching | This course provides an introduction to theoretical and practical applications of data-driven decision making to improve classroom instruction and learning. Students will apply the components and organization of an effective curriculum utilizing the backward design process. Students will apply generally accepted data-based decision procedures for generating, analyzing, and interpreting educational data. The course will outline procedures for designing or selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting a variety of formal and informal assessment measures for use in schools. |
| UTEP 48100 | Teaching and Learning II: Reading and Writing Across the Content Areas | This course will provide opportunities for residents to explore the impact of urban environments on the local culture, language, and the ability of students to read and write. Residents will also have opportunities to delve into research and theory related to understanding how learning environments support individual motivation to read and write particularly in content area subjects. |
| UTEP 35543 | Social Studies Content for Teaching | Interns will familiarize themselves with key topics in social studies instruction including local and US history, geography, civics and government, and local, national, and international economics from the lenses of school teaching and learning. In addition to delving into key topics, students will analyze topics from a critical lens using the works of individuals such as Howard Zinn and Joel Spring. |
Residency Year—Spring Quarter
| Course Number | Course Name | Course Description |
|---|---|---|
| UTEP 47200 | Practicum III: Unit Assessment | Candidates explore the development of curriculum from the perspectives of the advancement of knowledge in the discipline itself; classroom instruction; educational reform measures; instructional materials development; local, state, and national standards; and equity of social and economic opportunity. The course also addresses the theory and practice of assessment, both as a tool to evaluate student learning and an instrument for teaching, and 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, such asquestioning, problem-posing, analysis of student work, identifying and addressing misconceptions, and self-assessment strategies; and reporting progress to students, parents, and leadership. The course includes a curriculum-evaluation conversation, which provides the opportunity to study and evaluate current instructional materials. |
| UTEP 37200 | Methods and Materials for Teaching ESL |
This course will give an overview of the underlying principles, characteristics, and applicability of various methods for teaching English as a second language (ESL). It will explore the historical and current trend of instructional approaches, methods, and techniques. This course will also explore methods and techniques for teaching specific language skill areas, and look at current issues in language teaching, including language assessment, standards. |
| UTEP 48200 | Teaching and Learning III: Integrated Classroom Management |
The half day Residency Seminar that accompanies student teaching ensures integration between academic coursework and the residency, and provides ongoing professional development in pedagogy. |