Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education
Undergraduate Program in Middle Grades (6-9)
B.S. Degree
Designed for:
Students who wish to pursue an undergraduate degree in Middle Grades Education and earn teaching licensure for Middle Grades Language Arts, Math, Science, and/or Social Studies for grades 6-9.
Program Description:
Middle grades education majors in the Professional Development School (PDS) program at UNCG combine a rigorous academic program with extensive clinical practice in our PDS partner sites. Students assigned to a Middle Grades Inquiry Team take courses together and have 10-hour a week internships in Professional Development Schools. Three internships are required prior to student teaching. New Middle Grades Inquiry Teams begin in the Fall semester and continue for four consecutive semesters. UNCG faculty work closely with public school faculty, who we call On-Site Teacher Educators (OSTEs) to plan a range of "theory into practice" experiences.
Conceptual Framework:
The mission of professional education at UNCG is to prepare and support the professional development of caring, collaborative, and competent educators who work in diverse settings. This mission is carried out in an environment that nurtures the active engagement of all participants, values individual and cultural diversity and recognizes the importance of a strong knowledge base, reflection, and integration of theory and practice. The UNCG professional education programs are guided by shared commitments to:
- equity and excellence in teaching, research, and service
- integrity and ethical deliberation in working with students, their families, and university, school and community colleagues
- construction of a professional knowledge base through collaboration and collegiality
- dissemination of professional knowledge, skills and dispositions through the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, principals and other school personnel
We believe that caring, collaborative and competent professionals possess a strong knowledge base comprised of five types of knowledge:
- content knowledge
- professional knowledge and skills
- pedagogical content knowledge
- socio-cultural knowledge
- critical and reflective knowledge and skills
Professional education programs at UNCG emphasize dispositions that drive application of the knowledge base and we believe that we must model and monitor these dispositions as conscientiously as we provide opportunities for building the knowledge base. Candidates should display behaviors that are:
- reflective
- ethical
- self-efficacious
- receptive to feedback
- inclusive
- engaged in and committed to professional practice
- dedicated to life-long learning
- affirming of diversity
- professionally responsible
- collaborative
Program Goals:
Graduates with a B.S. in Middle Grades Education must be able to demonstrate four major accomplishments:
- Academic content for teaching in their field of choice - Language Arts, Math, Science, and/or Social Studies.
- Understanding the philosophy and mission of middle grades education.
- Understanding human growth and developmental implications for middle grades education.
- Generating strategies for curriculum development and teaching methodology.
- Developing personal competencies for leading and teaching at the middle level.
While the primary goal of the Middle Grades Education programs is to prepare teachers to teach academic core subjects (language arts, math, science, and/or social studies) in grades 6-9. To qualify for initial licensure, candidates must meet the eleven basic goals of UNCG’s Middle Grades Program listed below.
Students will :
- Become involved in the identification of issues in middle grades education and the search for solutions.
- Become critical thinkers capable of effectively expressing themselves in oral and written communication.
- Develop self-awareness and an understanding of their own world view and how that perspective influences their own learning and teaching.
- Understand the cultures of middle-level schools and classrooms and the professional roles of teachers in those cultures.
- Understand cultural differences and appreciate the rich cultural heritage that each young adolescent brings to the classroom.
- Understand the unique learning characteristics, needs, and capacities of young adolescents of different cultural and language backgrounds and of varying exceptionalities.
- Gain a deeper understanding of multiple ways of knowing, and understanding what it means to know something well.
- Develop a knowledge base in the content areas that middle grades teachers must deliver.
- Develop skills in observing students' development and learning strategies and in creating appropriate learning opportunities and managing instruction responsively.
- Use educational technology in innovative ways to enhance classroom learning.
- Develop a perspective of the teacher as researcher and gain confidence in their own ability to contribute to theoretical and pedagogical discussions on the nature and development of learning in the middle grades.
Admission to Teacher Education (Middle Grades Education):
Admission to the University does not guarantee acceptance into Teacher Education with a major in Middle Grades Education. A student who seeks admission to the Middle Grades Education major is expected to achieve:
- A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 at UNCG;
- A grade of C or better in TED 250;
- Completion of all courses needed to fulfill the General Education Requirements; and
- Satisfactory scores on the PRAXIS I.
Requirements for Middle Grades Education Majors:
See requirements listed in the current Undergraduate Bulletin at http://www.uncg.edu/reg/Catalog/current/CUI/majorBSelemed6-9.html
Additional Requirements for Middle Grades Education Majors:
Second Academic Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)
Students must complete a coherent course of study of 24 semester hours in two basic academic disciplines. Depending on the academic discipline selected, a maximum of 6 hours of the second major may be counted toward the General Education Requirements.
- The following second academic concentrations have been approved for Middle Grades Education: Biology; Chemistry; Classical Studies; English; Geography; History; Mathematics; Physics; Political Science; Special Programs in Liberal Studies
- Any student choosing a social science as a second major must take HIS 347: North Carolina History; an economics course; and a political science course.
- Any student choosing a science as a second major must take a course from each of the other two sciences.
- Specific courses will be approved by the student's advisor to fulfill North Carolina Licensure requirements.
Licensure Process:
- Completion of Program of Study
- Successful completion of Technology Portfolio
- Acceptable scores on any required PRAXIS II exams
- Application for licensure through UNCG Certification Officer
Contact Person:
Student Advising
Curry Building, Room 323
(336) 334-3410