Secondary Methods Instructors
Thank you for agreeing to teach, mentor, and inspire our secondary education students. Your knowledge and expertise is so very valuable in helping to prepare Spring Arbor University education candidates for a successful student teaching experience and becoming a newly hired teacher.
This site is developed to help you teach your course and maintain an understanding and uniform practice of the common learning experiences and assignments associated with secondary methods courses. It is understood that individual courses may require some latitude with aspects outlined for secondary methods courses but the main requirements outlined in the podcasts and the instructor notes are not to be altered without discussions taking place between the course instructor and the School of Education Lead Faculty for secondary methods courses.
Student Background
Prior to coming to a secondary methods course your students have been versed in many aspects of of our teacher preparation program. Your course expands upon these experiences and prepares the secondary student with an understanding of critical knowledge and skills leading to their student teaching. Therefore, we want you to use your subject area expertise to guide students into a working/performance understanding of the curriculum, resources, and best practices (instructional and assessment) they are to develop and use both in your class and in their student teaching. Many of the assignments we require of methods students have a direct link to assignments students will expand upon in their final education course work and student teaching. Every secondary teacher candidate must take EDU 425, a secondary literacy course that has students take the unit plan they created in their methods course and apply literacy principles to it. In addition, your students will soon take EDU 429, a capstone course that formalizes student understanding and practice of instructional practices, assessment, and classroom management. By helping your students to develop their understanding and skills in your methods course you are preparing them for a successful completion of their teacher education program. Our goal for all student teachers is to not only successfully complete their experience, but become “the candidate of choice” in a job interview. In addition, the School of Education guarantees newly hired SAU teachers through the Spring Arbor Promise. Preparation for these high standard begins well in advance of the student teaching semester and your expertise and instruction to our students really does matter.
Main Components and Experiences For All Secondary Methods Courses
- Developing lessons uniform to the SAU Lesson Plan Template (Lesson Plan Template) and assessed using the SAU Lesson Plan Rubric (LESSON PLAN RUBRIC.1.5).
- Students completing 20 hours of field experience hours observing/participating in a secondary subject area classroom specific to the methods course they are enrolled in.
- Students develop lessons that are taught to their peers for practice and feedback. Two lessons, one videotaped with self-analysis in a secondary classroom.
- Student completion of a self assessment using the InTask Standards (2013).
- Engaging in discussion regarding teaching religion in public schools.
- Creating a unit plan complete with lesson plans, materials of instruction, differentiated instructional and assessment methods, technology, and modification for special needs learners. Unit plans need to incorporate principles of Understanding by Design orBackwards Design complete with Big Ideas and Essential Questions.
Additionally, the School of Education depends on secondary methods instructors to collect specific documents required for tracking education candidate’s progress. These include:
- Educator Disposition Assessment (EDA Rubric Cells with All Indicators Edited Version 5-9-2018) – completed by the student and course instructor.
- Charlotte Danielson Framework Evaluations (Charlotte Danielson Framework Eval EDU_ECE_SED_Methods Courses) – completed by the classroom teacher and course instructor.
- Field Experience Form – completed by the student, signed by the teacher for each visit, and signed and dated by the instructor.
- Analysis of Learning Activity (to be added) – completed by the student and read by the professor.
All forms are to be turned in to the School of Education directly at the end of the course.
Secondary Methods Instructor
Additional forms or activities that can be used in secondary methods courses can be found in the secondary methods instructor notes, accompany training PowerPoint presentation and podcasts.
- Secondary Methods Instructor Podcast 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8bTy-WTCHQ
- Secondary Methods Instructor Podcast 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWSZTRPfAJg
Please contact the Secondary Methods Lead Faculty for secondary methods with any questions.
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