Competency and caring at heart of new lesson plan for student teachers

After nearly three years in development, Illinois College has unveiled an innovative, results-oriented teacher preparation program that measures achievement, emphasizes service, embraces diversity, and utilizes a collaborative effort linking all of the College's liberal arts traditions.

Dr. John Fritsche, chairman of the Illinois College Education Department and director of the Teacher Preparation Program, said the goal is to position students so they become successful classroom teachers and, as a direct result, have a significant impact upon the academic performance of their pupils. The Teacher Preparation Program also provides the College's growing number of education majors with personalized instruction, greater opportunity to study and learn beyond the campus, and quantitative results that measure their ability to effectively teach pupils at the pre-Kindergarten-through-12th grade levels. The emphasis, according to Dr. Fritsche, is to develop classroom teachers who demonstrate caring and competency while preparing each for careers of leadership and service.

Fritsche, who has helped coordinate a community-wide peer review system, said much of the rationale behind the unprecedented effort stems from new standards at the state and federal levels that call for sustainable improvement on the part of all school-age children. In addition to every member of the Illinois College faculty, the effort drew upon the support of current IC students, alumni and educators across the Jacksonville area, both at private and public institutions. Fritsche said their contributions have helped the College create a model for how students at a liberal arts college can become effective leaders in their professional lives as classroom teachers.

"We formerly certified students based upon the courses they completed and by watching their performance," Dr. Fritsche remarked. "Now, they are certified on the basis of their ability to teach, and cause learning to occur."

Dr. Karen Dean, who chairs Illinois College's teacher preparation committee, said the College's historic emphasis upon the liberal arts gives the new program its distinctive character and supplies a dimension that sets it apart from other programs that prepare tomorrow's teachers. The courses of instruction now in place for teacher candidates reflect a commitment to the value of diversity and community service, and place special emphasis on effective communication, respect, openness, fairness, integrity and service.

"Illinois College has always believed that the best preparation (for a teacher) is a solid, liberal arts education," Dr. Dean remarked following a review of the program by a team commissioned by the Illinois State Board of Education. She said the eight-member ISBE team praised the new program after completing a five-day, on-campus review October 5. The team's visit was the culmination of a three-year effort that involved Illinois College faculty, staff and students with local school district personnel, alumni and educational officials statewide. Dr. Dean, who worked closely with members of the education department in advance of the ISBE review team, said the strength of IC's liberal arts curriculum extends throughout the teacher preparation program and weaves the college's mission statement together with the goals of the new program.

"One of the program's distinctive features is its close alignment with the mission of the College, along with its emphasis upon service and its commitment to diversity," Dr. Dean added.

The program also reflects the emerging role of assessment data as a valuable tool in measuring student achievement. Procedures now being put in place will, according to Dr. Fritsche, provide valuable assistance when it comes to measuring performance and effectiveness.

"This is in the fine tradition of training effective teachers," she remarked, adding that the effort underway at Illinois College reflects the cutting edge of program development that links research and assessment, and it ranks among the "best practices" now in place among the nation's teacher preparation programs.

Dr. Dean, a 20-year member of the Illinois College faculty, said the parallels between the new program and the college's liberal arts traditions are striking. The program draws upon Illinois College's strength as a liberal arts institution, and it utilizes the close, working relationship that develops between students and professors.

"This is what we do best," the professor said of features that bolster the quality of each student's campus experience and provide them with invaluable experience to help them when they begin their teaching careers. She also feels the innovative new program has the potential to become one of Illinois College's signature programs and become a model for how liberal arts colleges prepare teachers.

"Our graduates are better prepared to meet the growing challenges of America's classrooms," Dr. Dean stated. Diverse field experience and service learning opportunities are among the components that tomorrow's teachers must be exposed to as part of their preparation, and the program now in place at Illinois College places a premium on both.

 

   

 

Illinois College
1101 West College Avenue
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217.245.3030

Web Site Powered by
ActiveCampus
Software by LiquidMatrix