Unit
Columbia has always offered teacher education courses, although for a while, no teacher education degrees were awarded. Then, in 1990 the Educational Studies Department was established. The Department was specifically established in response to the needs of urban schools, based on the conviction that the educational complexities and needs of the urban community must be addressed by focusing on creative, ongoing reassessment and improving of teaching and learning. The primary goal of the Department’s design was and continues to be to match its students’ strengths and resources with the needs of the public schools.
In 1996 the undergraduate Early Childhood Program was established in collaboration with the Erikson Institute with the goal of preparing early childhood teachers for urban settings using an arts integrated curriculum; approval for this program was granted in 1997. The program prepares candidates to teach pre-kindergarten through third grade, and in Head Start and day care urban settings. In fall 2002 The Erikson Institute notified Columbia of their intention of returning to a graduate-only focus, but of allowing program students who had begun their studies there to complete them if they progressed in a timely fashion. Columbia began phasing the program in-house as Erikson completed its obligation to the students who were enrolled at the time of the notification. Columbia graduated its first cohort of Early Childhood graduates who had completed their entire program at the college in 2006.
In 2007 the graduate programs of the Educational Studies Department and the Early Childhood Program were designated as the Education Department. This unit currently has three initial certification programs: the undergraduate Early Childhood program and the graduate programs in Elementary Education and Visual Arts Education (K-12). The Overview Table shows the current distribution of candidates in the three programs.
The Education Department’s Mission Statements
The mission of the Education Department of Columbia College Chicago is to prepare education professionals who understand and appropriately respond to the needs of students, from birth through twelfth grade, in primarily urban communities; who integrate the arts into their teaching; who continue to strive for personal and professional growth; and who become creative leaders and educational innovators.
The Early Childhood Education Program’s mission is to increase the pool of well-prepared, skilled, knowledgeable professionals who are responsive to, and effective in, meeting the needs of children in a range of urban settings. The Program was developed out of the belief that both a liberal arts education which embraces the arts as central to the human experience and professional preparation in teaching are essential in developing educators.
The Educational Studies Master of Arts in Teaching Programs’ mission is to prepare new teachers and further the professional development of current teachers in order that they may better understand the nature of teaching and learning and thereby be able to not only participate in, but also provide leadership in the improvement of education.
Philosophy and Goals of the Education Department
The Education Department of Columbia College Chicago is an urban community of learners whose students, faculty, and staff reflect the racial, cultural and educational diversity of the urban society. Working collaboratively externally with our major external stakeholder, the P-12 school community, the Education Department’s primary purpose is to prepare teachers who are creative leaders in the educational communities of which they become a part. We believe that teaching is a dynamic vocation which requires its practitioners to be grounded in current knowledge, steeped in pedagogical skills and imbued with a consciousness of self and others that allows them to confidently practice both the art and science of the profession.
The primary goal of all the Education Department’s teacher preparation programs is to create teachers who foster collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and reflection, consciousness of self and of cultural diversity. In particular, the teacher preparation programs have a commitment to support the ongoing development of teachers who are entrusted with the education of urban communities.
Overview of the Conceptual Frameworks
Sharing the Vision
Consistent with Columbia College Chicago’s mission, the education unit of the College believes that competent, caring and qualified practitioners are knowledgeable practitioners, who provide the best and most pertinent instruction for their students. To this end, the education unit’s conceptual frameworks form the vision, foundation and direction for all of the programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, faculty scholarship and service, assessment and program accountability.
The Education Department’s conceptual frameworks were adopted after refinements were made with input from P-12 focus groups, current teacher candidates and alumni, and part and full-time faculty. The vision was shared with major stakeholders and the frameworks were adopted and are continuously assessed by internal and external evaluators (2007 evaluation report) to assure primacy, progress toward goals and accountability.
The conceptual frameworks, according to feedback from our faculty, student teacher candidates, and P-12 partners, are living documents that coherently and appropriately guide the teaching and learning in Columbia College Chicago’s teacher preparation programs. There is benefit to reexamining the document annually, explaining it to new students and faculty, and sharing it with our P-12 partners as our students venture into the educational community outside Columbia’s walls.
Coherence
The teacher that shapes the graduate programs depicts the vibrant interrelationships among knowledge (the College), teacher candidates, and the P-12 school community. The knowledge base is grounded in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) and is organized and delivered according to the four major teaching domains (Domain A: planning and preparation; Domain B: the classroom environment; Domain C: delivery of instruction; and Domain D: professional responsibilities) as defined by Danielson (1996). The faculty is responsible for ensuring that the relevant IPTS are operationalized so that their instruction addresses them and that the assignments/work produced by the teacher candidates ensure the candidates’ mastery of them. The graduate programs aim to prepare teachers who can, armed with mastery of the IPTS, create student learning opportunities that make them “proficient” as defined by Danielson (1996). An overarching goal of the programs is to prepare teachers who are both artists and scientists, able to skillfully blend the artistic elements of the discipline and pedagogy in the dynamic act of teaching.
With the above stated purposes, the major goals of the graduate-level programs are:
* To prepare new teachers and further the professional development of current teachers in order that they may better understand the nature of teaching and learning and are thereby able to participate in and provide leadership in the improvement of education;
* To create teachers who are creative leaders and who foster collaboration, critical thinking and reflection, consciousness of self and cultural diversity;
* To support the ongoing development of teachers who are entrusted with the education of urban communities.
At the undergraduate level, the conceptual framework depicts From Knowledge to Reflective Practice in Educating Young Children. The Early Childhood Education Program prepares educators to provide quality education to young children in public schools through a program that places special emphasis on the arts in the candidates’ general and professional education studies. Each candidate completes a focused area of study in the visual arts, performing arts, or language and culture along with an arts integrated Liberal Arts and Sciences core. Professional education studies begin with candidates’ strengths in an art form while continuing to expose and involve them in a wide range of arts integrated experiences that develop knowledge, practice, and skills in reflection about what it means to be an early childhood educator. Teacher candidates gain an in-depth knowledge of child development, approaches to early childhood education, and methods of teaching that are infused with an understanding of the significance of culture in all aspects of children’s lives. They explore the “many languages” of childhood in a program permeated with study of the Reggio Emilia Approach. Candidates apply, test, and rework their knowledge during extensive practice under guided apprenticeships in classrooms. Finally, they engage in critical reflective thinking about their role as educators.
The major goals of the undergraduate level program are:
* To prepare new teachers of young children who are knowledgeable, have extensive pre-service experience under the guidance of strong mentors, and are reflective about their role as educators;
* To foster both a practical and theoretical understanding of research based, arts integrated education, including that which utilizes technology;
* To foster the desire of Program students to contribute to the education of urban communities and to support their development of advocacy skills.
Professional Commitments and Dispositions
Faculty in the unit provide a variety of instructional strategies, ranging from more traditional approaches (lecture, teacher demonstrations, teacher-led whole group discussions) to more interactive approaches in which students participate actively in the learning process (e.g., activities that address multiple intelligences and learning preferences, including arts-integrated lessons; cooperative learning; responsive journaling, simulations; role playing; field experience reflections. As a result students get first-hand experience with numerous instructional role models). In addition to the various theoretical approaches, faculty in the unit emphasize team building, collaborative efforts, peer feedback, small group learning, and reflective journaling. The instructional strategies used by the unit’s faculty are also indicative of the high degree of interaction between faculty and students. As a result of this modeling of conventional and non-conventional teaching strategies by faculty, students develop dispositions to try the same in their own classrooms.
Commitment to Diversity
Field experience hours are distributed across grade levels, age levels, cultural/ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, and varied geographical communities. This commitment is also evident within course content and assignments.
In 1996 the undergraduate Early Childhood Program was established in collaboration with the Erikson Institute with the goal of preparing early childhood teachers for urban settings using an arts integrated curriculum; approval for this program was granted in 1997. The program prepares candidates to teach pre-kindergarten through third grade, and in Head Start and day care urban settings. In fall 2002 The Erikson Institute notified Columbia of their intention of returning to a graduate-only focus, but of allowing program students who had begun their studies there to complete them if they progressed in a timely fashion. Columbia began phasing the program in-house as Erikson completed its obligation to the students who were enrolled at the time of the notification. Columbia graduated its first cohort of Early Childhood graduates who had completed their entire program at the college in 2006.
In 2007 the graduate programs of the Educational Studies Department and the Early Childhood Program were designated as the Education Department. This unit currently has three initial certification programs: the undergraduate Early Childhood program and the graduate programs in Elementary Education and Visual Arts Education (K-12). The Overview Table shows the current distribution of candidates in the three programs.
The Education Department’s Mission Statements
The mission of the Education Department of Columbia College Chicago is to prepare education professionals who understand and appropriately respond to the needs of students, from birth through twelfth grade, in primarily urban communities; who integrate the arts into their teaching; who continue to strive for personal and professional growth; and who become creative leaders and educational innovators.
The Early Childhood Education Program’s mission is to increase the pool of well-prepared, skilled, knowledgeable professionals who are responsive to, and effective in, meeting the needs of children in a range of urban settings. The Program was developed out of the belief that both a liberal arts education which embraces the arts as central to the human experience and professional preparation in teaching are essential in developing educators.
The Educational Studies Master of Arts in Teaching Programs’ mission is to prepare new teachers and further the professional development of current teachers in order that they may better understand the nature of teaching and learning and thereby be able to not only participate in, but also provide leadership in the improvement of education.
Philosophy and Goals of the Education Department
The Education Department of Columbia College Chicago is an urban community of learners whose students, faculty, and staff reflect the racial, cultural and educational diversity of the urban society. Working collaboratively externally with our major external stakeholder, the P-12 school community, the Education Department’s primary purpose is to prepare teachers who are creative leaders in the educational communities of which they become a part. We believe that teaching is a dynamic vocation which requires its practitioners to be grounded in current knowledge, steeped in pedagogical skills and imbued with a consciousness of self and others that allows them to confidently practice both the art and science of the profession.
The primary goal of all the Education Department’s teacher preparation programs is to create teachers who foster collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and reflection, consciousness of self and of cultural diversity. In particular, the teacher preparation programs have a commitment to support the ongoing development of teachers who are entrusted with the education of urban communities.
Overview of the Conceptual Frameworks
Sharing the Vision
Consistent with Columbia College Chicago’s mission, the education unit of the College believes that competent, caring and qualified practitioners are knowledgeable practitioners, who provide the best and most pertinent instruction for their students. To this end, the education unit’s conceptual frameworks form the vision, foundation and direction for all of the programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, faculty scholarship and service, assessment and program accountability.
The Education Department’s conceptual frameworks were adopted after refinements were made with input from P-12 focus groups, current teacher candidates and alumni, and part and full-time faculty. The vision was shared with major stakeholders and the frameworks were adopted and are continuously assessed by internal and external evaluators (2007 evaluation report) to assure primacy, progress toward goals and accountability.
The conceptual frameworks, according to feedback from our faculty, student teacher candidates, and P-12 partners, are living documents that coherently and appropriately guide the teaching and learning in Columbia College Chicago’s teacher preparation programs. There is benefit to reexamining the document annually, explaining it to new students and faculty, and sharing it with our P-12 partners as our students venture into the educational community outside Columbia’s walls.
Coherence
The teacher that shapes the graduate programs depicts the vibrant interrelationships among knowledge (the College), teacher candidates, and the P-12 school community. The knowledge base is grounded in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) and is organized and delivered according to the four major teaching domains (Domain A: planning and preparation; Domain B: the classroom environment; Domain C: delivery of instruction; and Domain D: professional responsibilities) as defined by Danielson (1996). The faculty is responsible for ensuring that the relevant IPTS are operationalized so that their instruction addresses them and that the assignments/work produced by the teacher candidates ensure the candidates’ mastery of them. The graduate programs aim to prepare teachers who can, armed with mastery of the IPTS, create student learning opportunities that make them “proficient” as defined by Danielson (1996). An overarching goal of the programs is to prepare teachers who are both artists and scientists, able to skillfully blend the artistic elements of the discipline and pedagogy in the dynamic act of teaching.
With the above stated purposes, the major goals of the graduate-level programs are:
* To prepare new teachers and further the professional development of current teachers in order that they may better understand the nature of teaching and learning and are thereby able to participate in and provide leadership in the improvement of education;
* To create teachers who are creative leaders and who foster collaboration, critical thinking and reflection, consciousness of self and cultural diversity;
* To support the ongoing development of teachers who are entrusted with the education of urban communities.
At the undergraduate level, the conceptual framework depicts From Knowledge to Reflective Practice in Educating Young Children. The Early Childhood Education Program prepares educators to provide quality education to young children in public schools through a program that places special emphasis on the arts in the candidates’ general and professional education studies. Each candidate completes a focused area of study in the visual arts, performing arts, or language and culture along with an arts integrated Liberal Arts and Sciences core. Professional education studies begin with candidates’ strengths in an art form while continuing to expose and involve them in a wide range of arts integrated experiences that develop knowledge, practice, and skills in reflection about what it means to be an early childhood educator. Teacher candidates gain an in-depth knowledge of child development, approaches to early childhood education, and methods of teaching that are infused with an understanding of the significance of culture in all aspects of children’s lives. They explore the “many languages” of childhood in a program permeated with study of the Reggio Emilia Approach. Candidates apply, test, and rework their knowledge during extensive practice under guided apprenticeships in classrooms. Finally, they engage in critical reflective thinking about their role as educators.
The major goals of the undergraduate level program are:
* To prepare new teachers of young children who are knowledgeable, have extensive pre-service experience under the guidance of strong mentors, and are reflective about their role as educators;
* To foster both a practical and theoretical understanding of research based, arts integrated education, including that which utilizes technology;
* To foster the desire of Program students to contribute to the education of urban communities and to support their development of advocacy skills.
Professional Commitments and Dispositions
Faculty in the unit provide a variety of instructional strategies, ranging from more traditional approaches (lecture, teacher demonstrations, teacher-led whole group discussions) to more interactive approaches in which students participate actively in the learning process (e.g., activities that address multiple intelligences and learning preferences, including arts-integrated lessons; cooperative learning; responsive journaling, simulations; role playing; field experience reflections. As a result students get first-hand experience with numerous instructional role models). In addition to the various theoretical approaches, faculty in the unit emphasize team building, collaborative efforts, peer feedback, small group learning, and reflective journaling. The instructional strategies used by the unit’s faculty are also indicative of the high degree of interaction between faculty and students. As a result of this modeling of conventional and non-conventional teaching strategies by faculty, students develop dispositions to try the same in their own classrooms.
Commitment to Diversity
Field experience hours are distributed across grade levels, age levels, cultural/ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, and varied geographical communities. This commitment is also evident within course content and assignments.
