Campus News
Grant Funds Alternative Teacher Certification Program
March 18, 2009
A $50,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Education is funding the development of a new program that will offer teacher certification to individuals who have a bachelor's degree and at least three years' work experience, and who aren't able to leave the work force for the time normally required to earn a graduate degree.
Under the new program, the students would spend a month on campus being introduced to key teaching concepts, two months as an intern in a classroom, and then two weeks on campus for follow-up.
Then the student receives a teacher intern license, which authorizes him or her to teach at any secondary school in Iowa. Over the next year, the student completes 12 semester hours of coursework while teaching, plus three months of summer coursework, most of it online. The student then receives an M.A.T. degree and a teaching credential.
"This is how I would do it if I were this kind of person wanting to make a career change," said faculty member Paula Armstrong, who is helping to develop the new program. "It's quicker, more practical, and more hands-on."
Called alternative licensure, this new approach to teacher education is a measure being taken in Iowa and other states to bring more people into the teaching profession. The Iowa Department of Education announced the availability of three development grants as a way of encouraging colleges and universities in Iowa to add this option to their curriculum.
Development of MUM's Teacher Intern Program will entail creating partnerships with Iowa school districts, creating courses, bringing in experts in mathematics and science education and in delivering instruction online via state-of-the-art technology, and becoming proficient with online delivery.
The mentoring component of the program will include a mentor at the school where the person is teaching, a university professor as a mentor, and a weekly online seminar that will provide support.
The MUM program will have a special focus on training math and science teachers, but will accept students with an undergraduate degree in any area in which MUM offers licensure.
Ms. Armstrong said that other programs typically offer the initial training and two-month internship during the summer, which may not give teachers a realistic experience of the classroom. MUM's program will begin in March so that the interns can experience teaching in a regular classroom.
Those who enroll must do their first year of teaching in Iowa, but can then relocate to another state if they choose.
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