Teacher Education as an All-University Responsibility

Overview

This project which has received partial funding from a UW System PK-16 grant is in its third year. During the first year of the grant a university teacher education council comprised of representatives of the School of Education, the College of Letters and Science, and the local public schools was formed and met two times. This group continued in 2005-06 and is responsible for discussing issues related to teacher education at UW-Madison. In the second year, a joint Mathematics and mathematics education committee also discussed the mathematics content preparation of elementary, middle school and special education teachers. Another aspect of this project includes recvising the Liberal Studies requirements. A joint L&S and School of Education committee completed those revisions in 2005-06. Additional joint committees in the social sciences, humanities and sciences will be formed during 2006-07 to discuss a proposed multidisciplinary middle school minor for Elementary and Special Education students and to discuss the current major and minor requirements in a variety of UW-Madison teacher education programs. For further information about these activities contact Associate Dean Ken Zeichner (zeichner@wisc.edu; 608-262-6136).

University Teacher Education Council

In 2004-05 this new group received its charge from then-Dean Read, School of Education, and Dean Sandefur, College of Letters and Science. The committee serves as a broad based oversight (evaluative and advisory) group to advise the deans on teacher education issues, especially with regard to shared responsibilities between the College of Letters and Science and the School of Education.

Since its inception, the Council has discussed:

• the status of teacher education at UW-Madison,
• teacher education in the current political climate,
• developing post-baccalaureate routes to teacher education at UW-Madison,
• engaging Letters and Science faculty in teacher education,
• reworking the Teacher Education Liberal Studies requirements, including the proposal, approval and implementation processes,
• expanding the 3-credit Global Perspectives requirement into an optional Global Perspectives Certificate,
• possible membership in the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER),
• upcoming review of the Professional Development School Partnership,
• the UW System Urban Institute
• efforts to create a dual certification program in the Elementary and Special Education programs
• new collaborations between the School of Library Science and the School of Education,
• the upcoming internal audit of teacher education programs,
• the results of the Teacher Education Graduate Follow-up Survey,
• the TESOL and Bilingual Education Initiative,
• the spring 2007 Department of Public Instruction's review of Madison's certification programs.

Activities during the 2006-07 academic year will include: developing collaborative content area committees to review the major and minor requirements in relation to the State of Wisconsin's content guidelines, further discussion about NNER membership, the Council's role around DPI's review and expanding the Council to include other schools/colleges on campus.

This standing committee meets 2-3 times annually.

2006-07 UTEC Members

John Coleman, Professor, Department of Political Science

Ivy Corfis, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Spanish and Portuguese

David Griffeath, Professor, Department of Mathematics

Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education

Chuck Kalish, Professor, Department of Educational Psychology

Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor, Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies

Alan Lockwood, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Susan Stanton Messimer, Project Assistant, School of Education Deans’ Office

Ann Niedermeier, Learning Coordinator, Professional Development School Representative, Memorial High School

Mike Olneck, Professor, Departments of Educational Policy Studies and Sociology

Richard Slaughter, Associate Faculty Associate, Director,

Geology Museum

Herb Wang, Associate Dean and Chairperson, College of Letters and Science

David Zimmerman, Associate Professor, Department of English

Ken Zeichner, Associate Dean and Chairperson, School of Education

 

 

Teacher Education Liberal Studies Task Force

The Teacher Education Liberal Studies Task Force was an ad hoc committee consisting of faculty and administrators from the School of Education and the College of Letters and Sciences. It was designed to address timely issues surrounding this portion of the teacher education curriculum. The Liberal Studies requirements had not been reviewed in quite some time and possible revisions were prompted by recent state law changes (PI-34), programmatic and departmental changes within the university, course access issues and student behavior, and the committee’s expectation for a qualified teacher.

In fall 2005, the committe finalized its proposal. During the spring semester, Letters and Sciences deaprtments that would be significantly impacted (e.g., History, Political Science) were consulted. The proposal was shared at the Coordinating Council for Teacher Education (CCTE) and University Teacher Education Council (UTEC) meetings and then shared at School of Education departmental meetings that have effected undergraduate studnets. Departmental suggestions were considered and the final proposal was approved by the School of Education Programs Committee in May 2006. The 2006-07 year is committed to generating lists of classes to meet requirements and preparing for implementation.

Math/Math Education Committee

The committee, which consists of Math Department faculty, math education faculty and Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) teachers, has been active and productive this year. Much time has been spent learning about the significant discrepancy that exists between what Wisconsin requires for its middle school math teachers and what other states require. Wisconsin requires relatively little disciplinary preparation. (Tennessee and Wisconsin are the only states that do not require certification in middle school content areas.) Ideally, the committee would like to increase the state requirements for middle level certification. In the meantime, the group is working to develop an interdisciplinary minor.

The rationale for the minor is as follows. Middle school teachers typically teach all four core areas. Consequently, middle school teachers are typically lacking in content preparation in multiple areas. Again, while this is not the ideal solution, the committee envisions a joint minor totaling 24 credits, 12 from each of two core subject areas (math, science, English, social studies).

The Math/Math Education Committee is creating their 12-credit option with attention to appropriate content, pedagogical content knowledge and sequencing. Current plans call in particular for an emphasis on middle school and high school algebra.

In fall 2006, Math and Math Education faculty from this committee will co-teach some courses in the Math 13x series (required for Early Childhood-Middle Childhood and Middle Childhood-Early Adolescence preserivce teachers).

2006-2007 Committee Members

Amy Ellis, Curriculum & Instruction

Suzanne Folberg, O'Keefe Middle School

David Griffeath, Mathematics

Vicki Hand, Curriculum & Instruction

Eric Knuth, Curriculum & Instruction

Steffen Lempp, Mathematics

Victor Levine, Madison Memorial High School

Shirin Malekpour, Mathematics

Terry Millar, Mathematics

Peter Orlik, Mathematics

Don Passman, Mathematics

Brian Sniff, Madison Metropolitan School District

Paul Terwilliger, Mathematics

Steve Wainger, Mathematics

Barb Williams, Madison Metropolitan School District

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