Education, Special Education Major

Assistant Professors Kaka, Nobel, Kang

Ohio Wesleyan offers programs preparing students for teacher licensure at the elementary school, middle school, and high school levels. Candidates working toward the Elementary Education, Inclusive Elementary Education, Middle Childhood Education, Special Education, Integrated Science, or the secondary content areas will pursue an OWU major in Education. Candidates pursuing Music Education will complete the Multi-age Education minor.

Learning Outcomes for Teacher Candidates

We believe that becoming a competent, committed, professional teacher for a diverse democratic society requires the following knowledge, skills, and dispositions:

knowledge of disciplines being taught and the ability to organize, integrate, and convey knowledge so that it is comprehensible to all students.
knowledge of human development, motivation, and learning, as well as, the individual and contextual factors which guide one’s ability to develop instruction that is appropriate for all students.
knowledge of classroom organization, management, and curriculum, and the ability to design, implement and manage the learning environment in ways that support active student learning and independence.
knowledge of a variety of instructional strategies and materials, including technology, that encourage students’ problem-solving and critical thinking and the ability to select and implement instructional strategies that account for and adapt to all contexts, learners, and content.
knowledge of a variety of assessments strategies that are embedded in instruction and the ability to use formative and summative assessments to monitor and evaluate student learning, to communicate assessment information to all stakeholders, and to inform one’s own teaching.
commitment to teaching as a viable, honorable profession.
commitment to the importance of fostering collaborative relationships with colleagues, families and the larger community.
commitment to the importance of improving one’s efficacy as it relates to student learning.
commitment to the necessity for ensuring that democratic ideals for a multicultural society are the foundation of all teaching and learning.
commitment to the importance of engaging in reflective practice and lifelong professional development.

Ohio Wesleyan’s programs lead to the following State of Ohio teacher licenses:

Elementary Education License: Prekindergarten to grade five, elementary.
Inclusive Elementary Education License: preparation for teaching Prekindergarten to grade five, elementary and special education.
Middle Childhood License: preparation for teaching grades four through nine. Includes preparation in two of the following content areas:

English/Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies

Adolescence to Young Adult License (AYA): Grades seven to twelve — preparation for teaching in a secondary school setting.

Integrated Language Arts
Integrated Mathematics
Integrated Science
Integrated Social Studies

Multi-age License (MA): Prekindergarten to grade twelve

Drama/Theater
Foreign Language (Spanish & French)*
Music
Visual Arts

Intervention Specialist License: Kindergarten to grade 12

Beginning with their first Education course, EDUC 110: Role of the school, or EDUC 105: Introduction to Early Childhood Education, candidates participate in a field experience working with students in a diverse setting (i.e., Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Columbus Initiative Tutoring Experience at Linden Elementary, Autism Equine Ranch). During EDUC 251: Psychological Foundations of Education, candidates complete their field experience by working with diverse learners in area schools. Students also complete 20 hours in a classroom during EDUC 255: Inclusive Classroom Management. These three placements give candidates over 70 hours of field experience. Candidates then continue their field experiences during their methods courses. In total, candidates will have completed a minimum of 120 hours observing and assisting teachers, and teaching lessons based on ideas developed in their methods courses before they begin their student teaching experience. All candidates seeking licensure student teach for 15 weeks, resulting in a total of over 450 hours in the classroom. Full-time faculty members in the Education department take part in the supervision of student teachers. In addition, teachers at the Early Childhood Center work with candidates in the PreK-5 licensure program and full-time faculty from the arts and sciences supervise AYA and MA candidates in their subject area. Student teachers meet for weekly seminars and receive a minimum of six formal observations during the semester. Student teaching takes place through agreements with local schools.

Education majors are normally admitted to the Teacher Education program by the end of their sophomore year. Minors are normally admitted by the end of fall semester of their junior year. The program admission requirements include successful completion (B- or higher) of foundational courses in Education, (EDUC 105, EDUC 110, EDUC 115, EDUC 120 depending on licensure area), and EDUC 251, ratings of “3” or higher for the field experiences associated with the foundational courses, two positive recommendations from OWU faculty members, a GPA of 2.8 (overall and, for Education minors, in the subject area major), satisfactory scores on the department Dispositional Survey, and “adequate” or above ratings on the application essays. Contact the Education department for a complete description of the admission and retention policy.

Graduates who complete the prescribed coursework in Education and content area fields, student teaching, and other requirements of the State of Ohio, who pass the State-mandated licensure examination(s), and edTPA, are eligible to recommended for the Ohio Resident Educator license. The teacher education program is approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, and it has achieved national accreditation through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Ohio maintains formal reciprocal agreements with 27 other states, thus the Ohio license is recognized by most other states. Candidates desiring a teaching license from another state should consult with the education department early in their junior year to discuss reciprocity and/or organize their programs to meet the requirements of the relevant states.

Student Teaching

Student teaching takes place every spring semester. Students register for 4 units—3 for student teaching and 1 unit for the student teaching seminar. Student teaching is a full-time commitment involving teaching, planning, and other in-school responsibilities, and various assignments originating from the seminar course.

Education Department Policy on Credit/No Entry in all Teacher Education Licensure Programs

Credit/no entry courses may not be taken in the major area of study (elementary or inclusive education, middle childhood education, special education, integrated science for teachers, or specific content classes for AYA and MA majors), nor in any courses to be used for the general requirements in English composition, foreign language, professional Education licensure courses, or for the University distribution requirements.