The Department of Education Vision Statement
Striving to be Ohio’s leader in new educator excellence, mentored development, research, and educational thought.
The Department of Education Mission Statement
The Department of Education brings together engaged, independent thinkers and seeks to prepare future educational leaders who are reflective, socially-minded, and influential in a diverse and interdependent global community. We engage motivated students, who value educational inquiry, through a rigorous and dynamic liberal education focused on emerging and progressive teaching and learning, with an emphasis on critical and creative thinking. Through extensive field experiences and dynamic on-campus learning, Wooster teacher candidates are deeply rooted in sound theoretical and pedagogical understanding and distinguish themselves in their ability to ask important questions, research complex issues, solve problems, and communicate new knowledge and insight in both individual and collaborative settings.
The Department of Education Philosophy Statement
The Teacher Education Program is designed to complement the principles and goals of the College’s commitment to the liberal arts, the Graduate Qualities, independent study, and a lifetime of learning. In addition, the Department of Education utilizes the guidelines provided by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), including the Educator Standards Board’s Standards for Ohio Educators, and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to shape, assess, and administer its Teacher Education Program.
The College of Wooster’s Teacher Education Program is designed to reflect and promote current research, best practice in teaching, and collaborative relationships with colleagues and school professionals. Therefore, the Department of Education strives to prepare professional educators with the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed for life and work in an interdependent global community.
The Department of Education Program Goals
The Department of Education program goals reflect careful consideration by and discussion with faculty, College of Wooster teacher education faculty, students (often referred to as candidates throughout this document), stakeholders and school partners such as classroom teachers, and administrators. These program goals help define the teaching standards in which, upon graduation, all candidates in the Teacher Education Program are expected to demonstrate competence. The Department of Education has established the following five goals:
- Students construct deep meaning and show proficiency in the seven departmental/state learning outcomes.
- Provide traditional and alternative licensure pathways that prepare effective, thoughtful, and purposeful educators for work in early childhood, adolescence to young adult, and multi-age classrooms.
- Provide for students with an interest in educational issues (i.e. public policy, law, social work, speech and language, TESOL) an array of coursework, field experiences, and intensive study.
- Construct coursework, field experiences, and related experiences that foster deep and meaningful P–12 partnerships in support of area schools and educational communities.
- Foster the interdependence of the College of Wooster curriculum by encouraging students to connect their work in education to the entirety of the academic experience and to use their experiences in the department to facilitate their growth and understanding of the Graduate Qualities.
The Department of Education Commitment to Diversity
The Department of Education is committed to providing teacher candidates with a broad, but extensive, cross-section of experiences with students and in classroom settings that foster a deep and meaningful respect for the diversity of and cultural competency with the students they teach, particularly those from minority and underserved communities. In addition, the Department encourages teacher candidates to regularly engage in both formal and informal cross-cultural dialogue about issues of diversity in its many forms as well as actively participate in events on campus designed to further their understanding of cultural diversity and to reflect on those experiences in their teaching practice.
The Department of Education Commitment to Technology
The Department of Education believes that technology is a ubiquitous part of 21st-century learning and is committed to providing teacher candidates with ongoing, robust course-embedded experiences that thoughtfully integrate technology in its many forms into effective teaching and learning. Teacher candidates are required to regularly utilize varied progressive technologies both on-campus and in the field. The course-embedded technology model gives our students the most authentic opportunity for active experiential learning relevant to each content and/or pedagogical area and serves as a key assessment throughout the teacher education program. Additionally, the College’s Instructional Technology Department supports faculty and students in the use and integration of technology in course work, field, and clinical experiences.