SIUC is one of four universities in Illinois to receive a three-year, $630,000 U.S. Department of Education grant that is underwriting efforts to develop a pilot curriculum for middle-grade teacher preparation.

Illinois is expected to follow the lead of 42 other states by passing new legislation requiring prospective teachers to specialize in middle-school education in college before they would be qualified to teach courses to fifth- through ninth-graders. 

At present, only 10 percent of Illinois' middle-school teachers have this sort of preparation, says Jan Waggoner, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at SIUC who is directing the project.

"There is a tremendous need for specialized training to reach and teach students 10 to 15 years old," she says. "Kids in that age group are unique in their social needs, in their attention spans, and in their emotional as well as their academic needs."

What sort of instruction and experiences do future teachers need to best reach the middle-school set? Waggoner has recruited 32 teaching professionals from eight area middle-grade schools, four community colleges, and six SIUC departments to answer that question. 

Four groups of teaching experts—guided by math, science, history, and language arts experts from the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences—are drafting suggestions for beefing up the content preparation for future middle-school teachers in those subject areas.

Education professors will begin phasing in Internet components and some online courses to make teacher-education instruction at SIUC more accessible. They’re also creating Internet-based self-instruction modules to coach future teachers on the nuts and bolts of classroom management, from setting up grade books to handling classroom bullies. These modules would help new teachers hit the ground running and give practicing teachers a resource for new ideas.

Other changes will include starting teacher preparation in freshman year and offering beginning teacher education classes in community colleges.

SIUC also is looking for novel ways for universities to work with poor, rural school districts, which historically have found it difficult to recruit and retain the best teachers.

The Illinois legislature will provide $250,000 annually for middle-school teacher preparation at SIUC. The project’s recommendations will result in a new middle-school teaching major here and will drive initiatives to improve teacher education at other universities in Illinois and nationwide. 
 

Fall 2002 Contents | Perspectives Home | SIUC Home

Comments: Perspectives Webmaster
Copyright © 2002, Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University | Privacy Policy