Major in Middle School Teacher Education

Students interested in teaching Middle School students (Grades 4-9) should contact the Department of Secondary & Middle School Education. Students select two content areas from the following: English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies/History, which leads to Maryland State Teacher Certification in Middle School in both of the content areas selected.

Mathematics Content Required Courses

 Science Content Required Courses

 Social Studies Content Required Courses

 English Content Required Courses

In addition to the two content areas, and satisfying university Core Curriculum requirements, students must complete the courses listed below (which may be integrated into Core Curriculum courses.)

Required Professional Education Courses for Middle School Education

Students are required to have a 3.00 GPA in professional education courses.

The Professional Year and Full Time Internship

All teacher candidates conduct their internship in Professional Development Schools (PDS). These are schools in which there is a partnership between the schools and the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education (SMED) in the College of Education (COE). All students wishing to enroll in their internship courses must meet with their Middle School advisor to receive permission to register. Students will not be admitted to the internship without prior approval of an advisor.

Students must meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.75 in order to enter the full time internship semester.

Suggested Four-Year Plan

Based on course availability and student needs and preferences, the selected sequences will probably vary from those presented below. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices.

1. Young Adolescent Development. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Understand the major concepts, principles, and theories of young adolescent development intellectual, physical, social, emotional and moral;
(b) Understand the range of individual differences of all young adolescents and the implications of these differences for teaching and learning;
(c) Know a variety of teaching/learning strategies that take into consideration and capitalize upon the developmental characteristics of all young adolescents;
(d) Understand the implications of young adolescent development for school organization and components of successful middle level programs and schools;
(e) Understand issues of young adolescent health and sexuality;
(f) Understand the interrelationships among the characteristics and needs of all young adolescents;
(g) Understand that the development of all young adolescents occurs in the context of classrooms, families, peer groups, communities and society;
(h) Know about how the media portrays young adolescents and comprehend the implications of these portraits; and(i) Understand the philosophical foundations of developmentally responsive middle level programs and schools.
2. Middle Level Philosophy and School Organization. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Know about historical and contemporary models of schooling for young adolescents and the advantages and disadvantages of these models;
(b) Understand the rationale and characteristic components of developmentally responsive middle level schools;
(c) Know best practices for the education of young adolescents in a variety of school organizational settings (e.g., K-8, 5-8, 7-12 organizational plans);
(d) Understand the team process as a structure for school improvement and student learning;
(e) Understand that flexible scheduling provides the context for teachers to meet the needs of all young adolescents.
3: Middle Level Curriculum and Assessment. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Understand that middle level curriculum should be relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory;
(b) Understand the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge and how to make connections among subject areas when planning curriculum;
(c) Know about local, state, and national middle level curriculum standards and of ways to assess the student knowledge reflected in those standards;
(d) Know how to integrate technology in curriculum planning;
(e) Know how to incorporate all young adolescents ideas, interests, and experiences into curriculum;
(f) Understand the integrated role that technology plays in a variety of student assessment measures;
(g) Understand their roles in the total school curriculum (e.g., advisory program, co-curricular activities and other programs;
(h) Know how to assess and select curriculum materials that are academically challenging and personally motivating for young adolescents; and
(i) Understand how to develop, implement, and assess advisory and other student advocacy programs that attend to the social and emotional needs of young adolescents (e.g. mentoring, conflict resolution).
4. Middle Level Teaching Fields. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Know how to use content knowledge to make interdisciplinary connections; and
(b) Understand how to integrate state-of-the-art technologies and literacy skills into their teaching fields.
5. Middle Level Instruction and Assessment. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Understand how to motivate all young adolescents and facilitate their learning through the use of a wide variety of developmentally responsive materials and resources (e.g., technological resources, manipulative materials); and
(b) Know effective, developmentally responsive classroom management techniques.
6. Family and Community Involvement. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Understand the variety of family structures;
(b) Understand how prior learning, differing experiences, and family and cultural backgrounds influence young adolescent learning
(c) Understand the challenges that families may encounter in contemporary society and are knowledgeable about support services and other resources that are available to assist them;(d) Know how to communicate effectively with family and community members;
(e) Understand that middle level schools are organizations within a larger community context;
(f) Understand the relationships between schools and community organizations;
(g) Know about the resources available within communities that can support students, teachers, and schools;
(h) Understand the importance of following school district policies and protocol regarding interagency partnerships and collaborative; and
(i) Understand the roles of family and community members in improving the education of all young adolescents.
7. Middle Level Professional Roles. Do our SCED courses include activities and assignments that provide opportunities for students to:
(a) Understand their evolving role as middle level education professionals;
(b) Understand the importance of their influence on all young adolescents;
(c) Understand the interrelationships and interdependencies among various professionals that serve young adolescents (e.g., school counselors, social service workers, home-school coordinators);
(d) Know advisory/advocate theories, skills, and curriculum;
(e) Understand teaming/collaborative theories and processes;
(f) Understand their service responsibilities to school reform and the greater community;
(h) Understand the need for continual reflection on young adolescent development, the instructional process, and professional relationships; and
(i) Become fluent in the integration of a range of technologies (e.g., film, computers) in their professional roles with curriculum, instruction, and assessment.