MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

CONTACT PERSON:

• Dr. Mark Storz (216) 397-3070
  

ACCREDITATIONS:

• NCATE
  
• National Middle School Association

The teaching fields have been reviewed and approved by:

• National Council of Teachers of English
  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  National Science Teachers’ Association
  National Council for the Social Studies

The Middle Childhood Licensure Program develops expertise in working with children from ages eight through fourteen and grades four through nine. The program prepares middle child educators in two of four content areas: language arts, math, science, and social studies. The middle child candidate may also qualify for the Middle Child Generalist Endorsement through additional coursework and licensure exams.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

The Middle Childhood Educator will:

1. Develop a substantive background in the liberal arts and humanities through the University Core, as well as depth of content knowledge in two academic areas.
2. Develop theoretical, pedagogical and practical knowledge and experiences in understanding the nature and learning styles of the young adolescents.
3. Have multiple theoretical, clinical and field experiences in the planning of developmentally appropriate lessons for specific subject areas and for interdisciplinary lessons.
4. Be sensitive to the preparation of effective, developmentally appropriate learning situations which foster respect, creativity, problem-solving, inquiry, collaboration and intellectual challenges, conducive to the learning styles and needs of the young adolescents.
5. Understand the characteristics of the young adolescent and be able to demonstrate this through planning, instruction, advising and involvement in extra-curricular activities.
6. Be able to use a variety of instructional strategies and capable of selecting appropriate strategies for specific learning activities and for specific student learning styles.
7. Understand the role and function of formal and informal assessment strategies (a) as an opportunity for reflecting on the teaching and learning process; (b) as an opportunity for authentic assessment; and be able to critically analyze appropriate assessment strategies for specific learning situations.
8. Have facility in the use of appropriate communication techniques for a variety of situations: classroom teaching, collaborative interdisciplinary teams, student interactions, parent interactions, and Intervention Assistance Teams.
9. Understand the nature of the young adolescent and the Middle School environment and have a philosophy conducive to appropriate learning situations for all learners within and outside of the classroom;
10. Understand the value of life-long learning as an essential element of the Middle School teacher’s personal and professional responsibilities.
11. Understand that effective Middle School programs extend beyond the classroom and into the community, through home-school interactions, service learning, and community resource relationship.

Interested students must make application for and be accepted in to the teacher education program prior to registration in upper-division education courses. An applicant must have taken, or be enrolled in, ED 100, 186 and 253 before, or at the time of, application for admission. Students may not take any additional coursework beyond ED 100, 186, and 253 unless they are formally admitted to teacher education. Those accepted into the AYA or MA licensure program must also be accepted into a departmental major, e.g., History.

For undergraduates, application is normally made during the semester in which ED 253 is taken, usually in the sophomore year. Application forms are available from the department office. Post-baccalaureate students are evaluated at the time of admission to the Graduate School and need not make a separate application. An interview is required of all students, undergraduate and graduate.

The professional year is a unique aspect of the professional development of pre-service candidates at John Carroll University. All candidates participate in a full academic year clinical experience in one classroom for Pre-Student Teaching (first semester) and Student Teaching (second semester). Pre-Student Teaching opens the opportunity to reflect, question, and continue with weekly experiences in a classroom which culminates in Student Teaching and the daily opportunity to continually challenge perceptions in light of the present. As a function of the Pre-Student Teaching and Student Teaching semester, the candidates meet on a regular basis in conference with the cooperating teacher and university supervisor to discuss present teaching capacity, provide feedback on areas for improvement, and continue to address the development profession for becoming an educator.

PROFESSIONAL and PEDAGOGICAL STUDIES
Professional and pedagogical studies provide a planned sequence of courses that develop knowledge about education, for example, its social and historical foundations, and foster understanding and use of the principles of effective teaching practice. The following courses are common to all licensure areas (EC, MC, AYA, and Multi-Age):

ED 100 Introduction to Education (2 cr.)
ED 186 Instructional Technology (2 cr.)
ED 201 Assessment, Learning & Individual Differences (3 cr.)
ED 253 School and Society (3 cr.)
ED 255 Literacy Across the Curriculum (3 cr.)
ED 350 Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (3 cr.)
ED 405 Seminar in Teaching (3 cr.)
ED 444 Student Teaching (3 cr.)

Specifically required for Middle Childhood Education
ED 330 Middle Childhood Education Philosophy and Instruction (3 cr.)
PS 262 Adolescent Development (3 cr.)
ED 355 Language Study and Phonics (3 cr.)
ED 456 Reading Assessment and Intervention (3 cr.)
ED 457 MEthods in Reading Education (3 cr.)

CURRICULUM CONTENT or TEACHING FIELD
Middle Childhood Licensure requirements (2 curriculum content areas, ranging from 25 to 38 semester hours in each)
The middle-child faculty advisor will advise middle-child students as to required education coursework and content-area coursework for the two teaching areas, which include:

Language Arts (32-38 semester hours from ED 333 and coursework in EN and CO)
Mathematics (25-26 semester hours from ED 334 and coursework in MT and CS)
Science (27 semester hours from ED 335 and coursework in BL, CH and PH)
Social Studies (24 semester hours from ED 336 and coursework in EC, PO, SC, and HS)

NOTE:
*An overall GPA of 2.7 or higher must be maintained in content-area coursework for Middle Child, AYA and Multi-Licensure.

*Undergraduate candidates who complete less than one-half of content-area coursework at John Carroll will be required to pass PRAXIS II in the content area as a prerequisite for student teaching, Middle Child, AYA or Multi-Age Licensure.

*Post-baccalaureate candidates must pass PRAXIS II in the content area as a prerequisite for student teaching, Middle Child, AYA or Multi-Age Licensure.