Curriculum
This entire teaching certificate program consists of 23 credits (7 courses). Only two of the seven courses are required to be completed to qualify for the Intern Teaching Certificate. You may work as a full-time teacher in PA on the basis of a Intern Teaching Certificate while you complete the remaining five certification program courses. A transcript review of your content courses will be done upon applying to the program.
Teacher Certification
Completion of this program satisfies the requirements for Pennsylvania Instructional I Certification. Students must complete all required pedagogy and content work with a grade of “B” or better, and receive passing Praxis test scores.
Intern Teacher Certification
Students of this program are permitted to obtain a full-time teaching position even before completion of the program and award of the Instructional I Teaching Certificate. The way this is done is following a recommendation to the Pennsylvania Department, issued by Drexel’s School of Education. In order to be recommended, the student must meet the following criteria:
- Gain admission into this program.
- Successfully complete two courses with a grade of "B" of better: (1) EDUC 520, Professional Studies of Instruction, AND (2) either EDUC 526, Language Arts Processes OR EDUC 523, Diagnostic Teaching.
- Complete the EDUC 540 course, Field Experience, earning a grade of “B” or better.
- Obtain the necessary scores on the appropriate sections of the Praxis I & II Exams.
Field experience
All students seeking teacher certification are required to complete EDUC 540 Field Experience. EDUC 540 Field Experience requires the student to spend 5 days per week for 12 weeks with a cooperating teacher in an appropriate elementary or secondary school classroom. All state-approved teacher certification programs include a similar field experience requirement.
* Please Note: U.S. state teacher certification requires U.S. citizenship or a declaration of intent to become an U.S. citizen. Students who are contemplating completing the field experience requirement outside of the United States must make arrangements to student teach in a U.S. affiliated school, such as on an Army base, under the guidance of a U.S. fully certified teacher at the grade level and subject appropriate for the intended area of certification. The cooperating teacher needs to be certified in the U.S. with a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in the area of certification being pursued.
Field Experience Orientation
Drexel highly recommends that all interested students visit the School of Education's in-depth Field Experience Orientation prior to applying. The information presented in this piece thoroughly breaks down the time commitments and prerequisites required to undertake this portion of the program and helps the student gain a better understanding of what will be involved. Placement, site approval, and course requirements are also discussed in the Field Experience Orientation.
Course Descriptions
EDUC 520 — Professional Studies in Instruction
For students who lack professional-level classroom teaching in grades K to 12. Examines and develops skills in instructional planning, pedagogy, motivation, classroom management and discipline, interrelationships among diverse populations within school settings, and identification of instructional resources. Discusses current principles of developmental and learning theories and instructional design applied to teaching.
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EDUC 522 — Evaluation of Instruction
Provides study and experience in quantitative and qualitative assessment. Methods for assessing student learning include informal test procedures such as rating scales, checklists, observations, and student self-assessment and formal test procedures such as essay tests, developmental criteria and rubrics, teacher-made objective tests, and standardized tests. Authentic alternative assessments include journals, portfolios, and performance assessments. Processes and problems in test construction and analyzing, summarizing, and reporting student outcomes are examined. Standards for validity and reliability are studied. Qualitative research includes gathering data through observations, interviewing, documentation, and triangulation in field settings. Includes a field component.
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EDUC 523 — Diagnostic Teaching
Focuses on teaching that attempts to identify the student's level of performance and all the relevant information that contributes to that performance. Involves analysis of material to be learned and implementation of instruction that integrates the learner's cognitive and emotional development with the appropriate part of the knowledge or task to be learned. Investigates various learning styles, including field-dependent/independent, convergent/divergent thinking, right/left brain activity, reflective/impulsive personalities, risk-taking/cautious, and attention to locus of control. Includes analysis and application of generic influences on cognitive, social, emotional, psychomotor, and physical aspects of learning. Investigates curriculum in terms of its psychological nature and selection and development of instructional strategies that enhance learning and prevent learning problems. Provides opportunities to work with elementary and secondary school students in the Drexel Diagnostic Mathematics Learning Laboratory.
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EDUC 524 — Current Research in Curriculum and Instruction
Examines the relationship of curricula and instruction to current research in learning and knowledge construction, developing higher-order thinking in specific disciplines and content areas, and the role of understanding and metacognition in learning. Complex problems of pedagogy are identified and analyzed (e.g., interdisciplinary curricula, team teaching, collaborative learning), with attention to designing learning goals and outcomes with effective instructional strategies.
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EDUC 525 — Multimedia in Instructional Design
Investigates learning theory and its implications for interactive multimedia formats, including the relationship of instructional design principles to selection of media elements (text, video, sound, animation, and graphics) for high-quality design. Examines human-computer interface principles, navigation features, and visual thinking using a wide range of educational software examples. Criteria for software assessment and virtual classrooms are reviewed. Students design and write a software prototype as a group design project. Complex issues and concepts in technology and education are analyzed.
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EDUC 526 — Language Arts Processes
Applies contemporary research to processes and problems in teaching oral and written communication, with the basic assumption that listening, speaking, writing, and reading are integrated processes and should be taught as such. Covers analysis and use of instructional strategies for teaching developmental reading and writing, reading and writing in content areas, written correspondence, research reports, journal writing, poetry, and appreciation of children's literature.
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EDUC 540 — Field Experience
Provides supervised field experience at a cooperating school designed to develop skills in instructional planning, pedagogy, motivation, classroom management and discipline, interrelationships among diverse populations within school settings, identification of instructional resources, and applications of current research on effective teaching.
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