Education
In conjunction with the Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development, Albion’s Teacher Education Program helps develop the skills, knowledge, and dispositions needed to teach all students regardless of academic ability, ethnic or cultural background, home environment, or socioeconomic status. The Teacher Education Program at Albion College offers an Education Concentration, not a major. This reflects our commitment to strong content area preparation at elementary, secondary, and K-12 levels in all subject areas.
Students are meaningfully engaged in public school classrooms in every education course, beginning with the introductory courses which are offered in the sophomore year. EDUC 201, Processes of Learning and Teaching, places students in a diverse K-12 classroom setting and immerses them in four essential processes for effective teaching: Observation, Inquiry, Reflection and Creativity. EDUC 202, Foundational Contexts of Education, requires hands-on participation working within a special education setting. Subsequent education coursework requires development and implementation of original lesson and unit plans for small and whole group instruction. Albion’s signature interdisciplinary methodology course, Boundary Crossings in Elementary/Secondary Schools (EDUC 396/7) is taken junior year, prior to student teaching. This course enables students to partner with a local classroom teacher throughout the semester and live on campus for three weeks in order to teach their own interdisciplinary unit and experience the daily life of a teacher. The intentional connection of theory and practice throughout the program allows our students to enter the final student teaching semester with confidence.
Faculty and staff in the Education Program are knowledgeable in their fields and with connecting the liberal arts to pre-service teacher development. They are excited to help future teachers learn about the many wonderful opportunities available in the field of K-12 teaching.
Please Note: In order to remain responsive to the needs when educating children in the 21st century, and the Michigan Department of Education, requirements for teacher certification may be subject to change. Always consult with the Albion College Education Department for the most current information.
