2008-2009 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION/ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION FOR TEACHERS79Chart continued from previous pageRequired major: art; English; foreignlanguage (French, German, Spanish);social studies; mathematics; science(biology, chemistry, or earth science).Asreq.ADMISSION TO THEALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATIONFOR TEACHERS PROGRAM (ACT)The Alternative Certification for Teachers program isdesigned to prepare career changers to become classroomteachers. ACT students may choose elementary (preK-6);secondary (6-12) in English, math, science, social studies; orone of the following preK-12 areas—art, foreign language(French, German, Spanish), or music (vocal). Thisinnovative evening program provides the professionalknowledge course work necessary for effective classroomteaching.The applicant must:1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited collegeor university.2. Have had at least one year of full-time workexperience.3. Submit passing scores (as established by the VirginiaDepartment of Education) on Praxis I and VCLA.Certain SAT/ACT scores may be accepted in lieu ofPraxis I. Contact the ACT program for details.Prior to student teaching, the applicant must:1. Earn and maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 at VirginiaWesleyan College.2. Earn a passing score on the Virginia ReadingAssessment (where applicable).3. Earn a passing score on the Virginia Communicationand Literacy Assessment.4. Earn a passing score on Praxis II in the appropriatecontent area.5. Complete all the required content and professsionaleducation courses.The student seeking certification through the AlternativeCertification for Teachers (ACT) Program mustcomplete the required professional education courses aswell as the content courses needed to meet the staterequirements. Transcripts will be evaluated at the time ofapplication to the program. Contact Mr. Tom Farley(757-455-5725) for specific information.EDUCATION COURSES (EDUC)225 Characteristics of the Learner (3)A human growth and development course focusing onthe child from birth through adolescence. Provides anunderstanding of the physical, social, emotional, andintellectual development of children and the ability to usethis understanding in guiding learning experiences andrelating meaningfully to students. The interaction ofchildren with individual differences—economic, social,racial, ethnic, religious, physical, and mental—areincorporated which promote an understanding ofdevelopmental disabilities and issues related to but notlimited to attention deficit disorders, gifted educationincluding the use of multiple criteria to identify giftedstudents, substance abuse, child abuse, and familydisruptions. Offered each semester.319 Reading in the Content Areas (3)Provides prospective teachers with an understanding ofcomprehension skills in all content areas, including arepertoire of questioning strategies, summarizing andretelling skills, and strategies in literal, interpretive, critical,and evaluative comprehension, as well as the ability tofoster appreciation of a variety of literature andindependent reading. For students in secondary education(6-12) and art, foreign language. Offered each semester.320 Teaching Reading and Language Arts (3)Provides prospective teachers with an understanding oflanguage acquisition, development, and reading to include:phonemic awareness, sound/symbol relationships, andexplicit phonics instruction. Students focus on theknowledge, skills, and processes for teaching theEnglish/Reading SOLs. Emphasis is on instructionaltechniques to assist students with disabilities achievereading and comprehension skills. Prerequisite: EDUC225. Offered each semester.321 Diagnostic Teaching of Reading (3) WProvides prospective teachers with strategies forimplementing ongoing classroom assessment, diagnosis andremediation of reading skills through the use of bothinformal and standardized assessment tools. Focuses ondeveloping proficiency in a wide variety of comprehensionstrategies, including fluency and vocabulary development,ability to foster appreciation for a variety of literature andindependent reading, as well as the ability to promoteprogress with SOL end-of-course assessments. Emphasis ison instructional techniques to assist students withdisabilities to achieve reading and comprehension skills.Prerequisite: EDUC 320. Offered each semester.329 Curriculum and Instruction PreK-6 (3)Skills in this course contribute to an understanding ofthe principles of learning; the application of skills indiscipline-specific methodology; communication processes;selection and use of materials, including media andcomputers; and evaluation of pupil performance includinginterpreting and analyzing valid assessments to maketeaching decisions. Another focus includes the teachingmethods for English language learners, gifted and talentedstudents and those students with disabling conditions(PK-6) and is tailored to promote student progress andpreparation for the SOL assessments. Students learnmethods of improving communication and involvementbetween schools and families, including the FoundationBlocks for Early Learning. Prerequisite: INST 202, EDUC225 or consent. Offered each semester.