The University of Northern Iowa College of Education - Summer 2008 - (Page 13)

Teacher Education News All-university professional development day premieres T rior to this day, department faculty have been “mapping” their curriculum – that is, graphically showing what teacher certification standards the courses address and marking gaps or redundancies, Wilson explained. INTASC standards are used (Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium). This national organization’s mission is to ensure that an effective teacher is able to integrate content knowledge with the specific strengths and needs of students to assure that all students learn and perform at high levels. P he first all-university professional development day to improve the Teacher Education Program provided an opportunity to figure out the strengths of the program, needed improvements, and how to make the changes needed, according to Barry Wilson, director of assessment for the College of Education and co-planner of the event. “UNI teacher education faculty care about the quality of teacher we graduate and this day gave them an opportunity to discuss their courses, see how the courses relate to others’, and determine future actions.” Teacher education faculty from departments across campus participated. Mary Herring, program co-planner and interim head of the Curriculum & Instruction Department, says, “We had 109 teacher/educator participants and 20 administrators work to help assess the program in an interdisciplinary setting.” Keynote speaker Karen Smith set the tone for the day in her talk of the need to support faculty and the importance of what they do. Smith is chief operating officer, National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. “All of our courses address a portion of the standards,” Wilson explained, “but as faculty we don’t necessarily know how the theoretical and practical classes we teach connect with other classes or build on other classes. Back-mapping is a way to show what knowledge in other classes faculty are building on or how their course serves as a foundation for other knowledge.” During the day of “Back-mapping to the Future: Listen to the Evidence,” faculty from each of three areas interacted across disciplines - clinical experience/observation classes, foundation/ theory courses and methods courses. Wilson reports that faculty examined four years of data from several sources and were asked to focus on assessment, diversity and classroom management, all of which are the areas of highest need based on UNI’s last teacher education accreditation report. aculty then discussed what they were doing well, where they could change and their next steps for improvement. They looked for answers at the broad university-wide teacher education level, their specific program level, and their individual level as faculty members connecting with others in their area. Herring says that at the end of the day people met by departments to develop a tentative action plan of next steps. “This is a big step in doing something different to make a positive effect in UNI’s teacher education program and the way we teach,” Wilson notes. He also attributes program success to administrative support from Provost James Lubker, President Ben Allen and other administrators across campus. Wilson continues by indicating, “A key thing will be follow-through from the director of teacher education and the Council on Teacher Education to set continued collaboration as a high priority.” F Excellence in Education—Spring/Summer 2008 13

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The University of Northern Iowa College of Education - Summer 2008 Contents PLS Recommended For Statewide Mission Iowa Legislature Funds Regents' Math/Science Initiative School Counselors Reinstated For All Iowa School Districts Human Performance Center Dedicated DVDs Illustrate Early Childhood Education Standards UNI Leads in Solving Shortage of Special Education Teachers Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies Service to Special Olympics Olympic Champ Brings Coaching Techniques to UNI Meet Tomorrow's Promising Educators Len Froyen Multicultural Initiatives in Teaching Program Technology Facilitator Certificate Program Offered in Fall UNI Only Regents University Offering Technology Teacher Preparation Curriculum and Instruction All-University Professional Development Day Premieres Barb Hill - Known to All Teacher Education Majors Teacher Work Sample - A Window Into Students' Teaching Faculty and Student Award Winners Graduates - Where Are They? Career Notes UNI College of Education Receives 1.1 Million Dollar Gift Scholarship Needed

The University of Northern Iowa College of Education - Summer 2008

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