School of Teacher Education

Tate Page Hall
Office 328, Phone: (270) 745-5414, Fax: (270) 745-6322
Website: http://edtech.wku.edu/ste

Dr. Sherry Powers, Head and Associate Dean

Professors: N. Atwell, B. Burch, T. Daniel, S. Evans, J. Pierce, S. Powers, J. Roberts, R. Smith, V. Stayton, T. Wilson
Associate Professors: J. Davison, K. Gandy, P. Jukes, B. Kacer, M. Maxwell, J. Moore, P. Petty
Assistant Professors: J. Applin, A. Battles, M. Boman, M. Capper, S. Dietrich, B. Fiehn, C. Houston, J. Huss, L. Maples, M. McDonald, V. Metzgar, J. Montgomery, T. Suzuki, J. Tassell, L. Teuton, P. Whetstone
Instructors:  P. Bertke, N. Button, P. Janoski, G. Jeffries, A. Patterson, J. Randolph, V. Robertson, K. Smith, C. Zippay
Professionals in Residence: E. Cooksey, R. Tyler
Optional Retirees: J. Ferguson, R. Roberts

The School of Teacher Education provides graduate and undergraduate programs in elementary education, middle grades education, secondary education, science and mathematics education, exceptional education, interdisciplinary early childhood education, literacy education, and library media education. Undergraduate majors offered are: elementary education; business and marketing education; exceptional education: learning and behavioral disorders and moderate and severe disabilities; interdisciplinary early childhood education; middle grades education; and science and mathematics education.

Students who declare majors in elementary education, business and marketing education, and middle grades education receive academic advising in the Office of Teacher Services, TPH 408, 745-4896. Students seeking to be certified in an area of secondary certification receive primary advising in their content majors and advising for professional education course work in the Office of Teacher Services. Advising for students in science and mathematics education is provided in the SKyTeach Office, Hardin Planetarium, 745-3900.  Advising for majors in exceptional education and interdisciplinary early childhood education is provided by designated advisors in the School of Teacher Education. Refer to the table in the Teacher Education section of this catalog and the School of Teacher Education website for further information (http://edtech.wku.edu/ste).

Major in Elementary Education
The elementary education program (reference number 527) leads to the Bachelor of Science degree and the Kentucky Elementary Certificate (P-5). The program requires completion of a general education component, related studies component, and professional education component. While students follow university guidelines in completing the general education component, a speech course and biological science course with laboratory are specifically included within this 44 semester hour requirement. The related studies component consists of 36 semester hours and includes the following courses: MATH 205, MATH 206, MATH 308, LME 318, ENG 302, EXED 330, ART 310, MUS 311, MUS 314, PE 354, GEOG 451 or HIST 456, and a computer literacy course selected from CS 145, CIS 141, or LME 448. The professional education component is 46 semester hours and is sequenced as follows: EDU 250, PSY 310, LTCY 320, ELED 345, ELED 355, ELED 365, ELED 407, LTCY 420, ELED 465, ELED 405, ELED 406, EDU 489, and ELED 490. Within the professional education sequence, students are also required to have a minimum of 150 clock hours of laboratory experience in addition to coursework. At least 75 clock hours of this laboratory work will be in field experiences away from the main university campus.

Elementary Education candidates may receive academic advising in the Office of Teacher Services, TPH 408, (270) 745-4896. Refer to the School of Teacher Education website (http://edtech.wku.edu/ste) for additional information.

Major in Middle Grades Education
The middle grades education program (reference number 579) leads to the Bachelor of Science degree and the Kentucky Middle Grades Education (grades 5-9) certificate for teaching English/communications and social studies. The program requires 44 semester hours of general education that should include a biological science course and a physical science course; 40 semester hours of professional education courses (MGE 275, PSY 310, EXED 330, PSY 421 or 422, LTCY 421, MGE 385, 475, 481, 490, EDU 489),  and a computer literacy course which must be CS 145, CIS 141, or LME 448); and 24-30 hours in each of two teaching fields: English/communications and social studies. Students are required to have 150 clock hours of field experiences in addition to the coursework. Middle Grades Education candidates may receive academic advising in the Office of Teacher Services, TPH 408, (270) 745-4896. Refer to the School of Teacher Education website (http://edtech.wku.edu/ste) for additional information.

Certificates and Programs, Grades 5-12
Refer to the table in the Teacher Education section of this catalog for required professional education courses for each of the following programs.

Agriculture Education: offered in Department of Agriculture, Ogden College of Science and Engineering.
Business and Marketing Education: offered in the School of Teacher Education.
Family and Consumer Sciences Education: offered in the Department of Consumer and Family Sciences, College of Health and Human Services.
Technology Education: offered in the Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering.
Industrial (Vocational, Career, and Technical) Education: offered in the Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering.

Major in Business and Marketing Education
The major in business education (reference number 621) requires 128 credit hours and leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. No minor or second major is required.

This major prepares students for certification in all business and marketing subjects in grades 5-12. The program carries the Kentucky Business and Marketing Certification.

Students in this program must complete the program of study in secondary education plus EXED 330. The business and marketing content courses (48 semester hours) are as follows: ACCT 200 and 201; ECON 202 or ECON 203; BE 210; CIS 343; FIN 261 or CFS 310; MGT 210; OST 220C, 255C; BUS 226C or MGT 200; BE 310, 350, 410, and 486; MKT 220 and one marketing elective selected from MKT 321, 323, 324, 326 or 327.

Business and Marketing Education candidates may receive academic advising in the Office of Teacher Services, TPH 408, (270) 745-4897. Consult the Business and Marketing education web site http://edtech.wku.edu/~teached/bused_ug.htm for additional information.

Program of Study in Secondary Education for English and Allied Language Arts (Grades 8-12) and Social Studies (Grades 8-12)
Preparation for secondary certification in the content areas of English and Allied Language Arts and in  Social Studies involves completing the Bachelor of Arts degree and all requirements for a Kentucky secondary certificate (grades 8-12), including a minimum of 31 semester hours of professional education course work. Required courses are SEC 351, 352, 453, and 490; EDU 250 and  489; a methods course for each certification area; PSY 310; and all requirements for the major in English/Allied Language Arts or the major in Social Studies. Required courses for these majors are described in the respective catalog sections for the Department of English and the Department of History.

Students with sophomore standing are eligible to enroll in secondary education courses. They may enroll in EDU 250 by itself or concurrently with PSY 310. Application for admission to teacher education is made during the semester in which EDU 250 is taken. The next two courses, SEC 351 and 352, are junior level courses. The remaining courses (SEC 453, a methods course, EDU 489, and student teaching) are taken during the senior year. Students are required to have 150 clock hours of field experiences in addition to coursework.

Students are expected to work closely with their major advisor and their professional education advisor. Secondary certification candidates may receive academic advising in the Office of Teacher Services, TPH 408, (270) 745-4896. Refer to the School of Teacher Education website for additional information: http://edtech.wku.edu/ste.

Major in Science and Mathematics Education (SMED)
Students who wish to be science or mathematics teachers in middle or secondary schools must complete the major in Science and Mathematics Education (SMED), offered in the School of Teacher Education, and at least one content major from the following list (consult the catalog listing for the respective department for information about the requirements for the content majors):

Students seeking certification in middle grades (5-9) or secondary grades (8-12) must complete both the science and mathematics education program (SMED, reference number 774) and one of the following:  the middle school science education (MSSE) program (reference number 734), the middle school mathematics education (MSME) program (reference number 730), or a teacher certifiable science or mathematics content major.  This combination of programs leads to a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of two majors.  Completion of the two programs, as well as the successful completion of the current requirements to be recommended for certification, will qualify a student for Kentucky middle grades science or mathematics certification (grades 5-9), or secondary certification (grades 8-12) in one of the following approved science or mathematics secondary content fields:  biology, chemistry, earth and space science, mathematics, or physics.  Students seeking admission to the SMED program must earn a grade of C or higher in SMED 101 and SMED 102 and meet requirements for admission to teacher education.

Students seeking academic advising with regard to preparation as a science or mathematics teacher should contact the SKyTeach office, Hardin Planetarium, (270) 745-3900, or refer to the SKyTeach website: http://skyteach.wku.edu/ for additional information. 

The science and mathematics program requires completion of 34 hours of professional education courses.  The recommended general education mathematics course is either MATH 117 or 118.  The required courses are:

SMED 101:  Introduction to Inquiry-Based Approaches to Teaching (1 hour)
SMED 102:  Introduction to Inquiry-Based Lesson Design (2 hours)
SMED 210:  Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science (3 hours)
SMED 320:  Classroom Interactions (3 hours)
EXED 330:  Intro to Exceptional Education:  Diversity in Learning (3 hours)
SMED 340:  Perspectives on Science and Mathematics (3 hours)
SMED 360:  Research Methods for Science and Math Teachers (3 hours)
SMED 470:  Project-Based Instruction (3 hours)
SMED 489:  Student Teaching Seminar (3 hours)
*MGE/SEC 490:  Student Teaching (10 hours)

*MGE 490 for students seeking middle grades certification or SEC 490 for students seeking secondary certification.

Comprehensive Certificates, Grades Primary through 12
Refer to the table in the Teacher Education section of this catalog for required professional education courses for each of the following programs.

Art: offered in the Department of Art - Potter College of Arts and Letters
French: offered in the Department of Modern Languages - Potter College of Arts and Letters
German: offered in the Department of Modern Languages - Potter College of Arts and Letters
Health Minor: offered in the Department of Public Health - College of Health and Human Services
Music: offered in the Department of Music - Potter College of Arts and Letters
Physical Education: offered in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport - College of Health and Human Services
Spanish: offered in the Department of Modern Languages - Potter College of Arts and Letters

Major in Exceptional Education
Learning and Behavior Disorders and Moderate and Severe Disabilities
The program of study leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Exceptional Education, Learning and Behavior Disorders (LBD) and Moderate and Severe Disabilities (MSD) in grades P-12 (reference number 553), is a dual certification program in compliance with 704 KAR 20:235. Required courses are: EDU 250, EXED 330, (Grade of B or higher),LME 318, LME 448, PSY 310, LTCY 320, EXED 331, 332, 333, 334, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 422, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, and 490. The student must meet the general academic proficiency requirement of Teacher Admissions no later than the semester of enrollment in EXED 331, EXED 333, 419 and 432. Enrollment in EXED 332, 334, 415, 416, 417, 418, 422, 430, 431 and 433 is permitted only after admission to both Professional Education and Exceptional Education.

Each level in the program sequence has standards for both the required exhibits for the cumulative portfolio as well as critical performance indicators. Because each critical performance is the foundation for succeeding tasks, the student should take the courses in the following sequence: Semester 1 (in the program): PSY 100; Semester 2: EDU 250; Semester 3: PSY 310; Semester 4: LTCY 320, EXED 330; Semester 5: EXED 331, EXED 333, 432, 419. The student must be admitted to Professional Education in order to be formally admitted to the dual EXED LBD and MSD major and the five course block sequence, EXED 332, 334, 422, 430, 431 and 433. The last sequence of coursework prior to admission to student teaching (EXED 434 and EXED 490) is EXED 415, 416, 417, 418 and 431.

The student must have met or exceeded the standards for both the portfolio and critical performance indicators, and completed all EXED coursework, prerequisite courses EDU 250 (B or higher), PSY 310 and Specialty Coursework – MATH 211, MATH 212, LME 448, LME 318/407, LTCY 320 (with no grade lower than a “C”) prior to enrollment in EXED 434 and EXED 490 (Student Teaching Semester).

Additional information about the EXED major, including the required course sequence and undergraduate information handbook, can be found on the program website in the School of Teacher Education (http://edtech.wku.edu/ste).

Major in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
The major in interdisciplinary early childhood education (reference number 526) requires 68-75 hours and leads to a Bachelor of Science degree.  The major is designed to prepare early childhood educators to work with children, both with and without disabilities, ages birth through kindergarten, and their families.  A grade of “C” or higher must be earned for all courses required for this major.  No minor or second major is required.  Students select either the teacher certification concentration (75 hours, which leads to initial certification for Birth-5 years) or the non-certification concentration (68 hours).

Graduates of the certification concentration are eligible to apply for certification in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE), Birth to Primary.  Graduates of this concentration are prepared for preschool and kindergarten positions in public schools, First Steps, Head Start, and other public and private agencies serving young children and families.  Graduates of the non-certification concentration are prepared for preschool and kindergarten positions in private schools, Head Start, and other public and private agencies serving young children and families; or as a First Steps Service Coordinator.

Both concentrations require the following courses: CFS 191, CFS 192, CFS 295, CFS 296, CFS 294, CD 481, PE 313, EXED 330, EXED 419, EXED 422, EXED 432, LME 318, IECE 321, IECE 322, IECE 323, IECE 324, IECE 325, IECE 326, IECE 421, IECE 422, and LTCY 310.  Students in the certification concentration must take IECE 490 (Infant and Toddler) Student Teaching, IECE 490 (Preschool) Student Teaching, and EDU 489. Students must be admitted to professional education prior to enrollment in IECE 324, IECE 325, and IECE 326. Student teaching occurs during the final semester of the program. Students in the non-certification concentration must take IECE 491 and IECE 489.

Additional information about the IECE major, including any curriculum changes made since the printing of this catalog, can be found on the program web site in the School of Teacher Education, ( http://edtech.wku.edu/ste).

Minor in Library Media Education
The undergraduate minor in LME requires a minimum of 18 semester hours of course work. The undergraduate LME minor does not lead to teacher certification as a library media specialist. Certification as a library media specialist is obtained at the master’s level. The minor does offer the basic level of Kentucky public library certification.

The minor in LME may be used as preparation for a master’s degree.  An ALA accredited master’s degree is appropriate for people who are committed to careers in college, university, or large public libraries.   The WKU master’s degree in LME can be obtained with initial certification as a library media specialist at the graduate level by students who are committed to a career as a school library media specialist, but who do not hold teacher certification at the baccalaureate level. It may also be used for a professional certificate in smaller Kentucky public libraries.

The required courses (6 semester hours) for the LME minor are LME 445 Introduction to Educational Technology and LME 448 Technology Applications in Education.  Elective courses (minimum of 12 semester hours) include LME 318 Children’s Literature, LME 407 Literature for Young Adults, LME 409 Selected Topics, LME 410 Storytelling, and LME 411 Creative Media Experiences for Children.

Courses from other colleges and universities may be transferred with approval of an LME advisor.  Bluegrass Community and Technical College offers online courses in its Library Information Technology Program that may be transferred as additional electives to achieve a 24 semester hour minor in LME. 

Students should contact an LME advisor for further information about the minor, transfer of appropriate courses, and career information about library and information service, or visit the website at http://www.wku.edu/lme/minor.html.

Literacy
Currently there is no undergraduate major or minor in literacy. However, literacy may be an endorsement at the graduate level. At the undergraduate level literacy courses are required for teacher certification in most programs. Further information can be found on the literacy program website in the School of Teacher Education ( http://edtech.wku.edu/ste).