As the mission statement indicates, The Newberry College Teacher Education Program provides candidates the opportunity to become highly qualified teachers who are caring, reflective, life-long learners with the education, experiences, and dispositions necessary to instruct future generations of students.

Knowledge, skills, and dispositions that form the foundation for the Teacher Education Program are derived from the Conceptual Framework and state and professional standards. The Newberry College Conceptual Framework is multi-dimensional and contains outcomes that represent the evolution of the teacher candidate at four stages of progress:  Emerging, Developing, Practicing and Becoming a Professional and across five Guiding Themes: Technology, Diversity, Collaboration, Ethics and Best Practice and within four learning domains: Planning, Instruction, Classroom Environment and Professionalism. Key performance assessments are currently being identified to assess mastery of all teacher education candidates on critical outcomes at each stage across guiding themes. In order to accomplish this mission, the unit has set up 4 transition points (called Stages of Progress) to allow for appropriate and multiple assessment of candidates throughout the program.

During the first stage of progress, called Emerging as a Teacher, candidates explore the teaching profession by completing the first 3 education classes, taking core classes and exploring introductory classes in their respective majors.  Every candidate in this stage spends a minimum of 52 hours in the field. When a candidate applies for admission to the teacher education program, he is asking to move from the emergent stage to the developing stage. Before allowing a candidate to do so, faculty make thoughtful decisions about whether or not this candidate is ready to proceed. 

The second stage of progress is called The Developing Stage. During this stage, candidates who have already been admitted to the Teacher Education Program have the opportunity to participate in methods classes and field experiences designed to prepare them for actual classroom teaching. During this phase, all teacher education candidates experience a minimum of 48 hours in the field prior to entering the next phase. 

The third stage, The Practicing Stage, is the internship semester and candidates are placed in two different placement for 7 weeks each. Exiting this stage and progressing to the final stage involves successful completion of the internship.  The internship involves multiple assessments. In order to complete the internship semester, the candidate must have received passing scores on the internship final evaluation, the Unit Work Sample and the Culminating Portfolio.

The fourth stage is when a candidate exits the program and becomes a professional teacher. At Newberry College, exiting from the program requires completion of all courses and degree requirements, passing the internship semester, passing required PRAXIS II exams for the major, maintaining positive dispositions and having a 2.5 GPA.

 

CF Guiding Themes

1.  Best Practice:  The teacher candidate applies appropriate current research and various methodologies to teaching in his/her field of specialization.

2.  Collaboration:  The teacher candidate works with all stake holders to provide a safe, nurturing, and positive learning environment for every student.

3.  Diversity:  The teacher candidate recognizes differences inherent among individuals and cultures and adapts subject matter and instructional techniques to provide for the interests and needs of all learners.

4.  Ethics:  The teacher candidate accepts responsibility for his/her choices, respects the worth of each individual, develops self-confidence and appropriate self-esteem, refers students to appropriate support services, maintains confidentiality of information, and interacts ethically with colleagues, students, and parents.

5.  Technology:  The teacher candidate makes appropriate and creative use of technology and other communication tools to promote inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.