Graduate Teacher Education Program

Deborah Roose, Professor of Education; Andrew and Pauline Delaney Director
Kathy Ganske, Associate Professor of Education
Kathy Jaffee, School Liaison and Lecturer

The purpose of the Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) is to help students develop into knowledgeable, creative, and successful beginning educational leaders who are capable of and committed to: 1) helping all children succeed in schools, 2) engaging in ongoing self-reflection and inquiry, and 3) working toward constructive change in society. GTEP is a one-year program that builds on the mission and strengths of Oberlin College, the Oberlin City Schools, and the local community and leads to a Master of Education degree and eligibility for early and middle childhood licensure in Ohio. The program seeks to promote knowledge, skills and attitudes that allow graduates, as beginning teachers, to bring intellect, curiosity and inquiry to the complex challenges inherent in teaching in the 21st century.

GTEP applications are due at the beginning of February. Applications arriving after the due date will be considered, if there is still space in the cohort. Students considering the GTEP program are encouraged to contact program faculty or staff as early as possible for help in determining eligibility. Additional information is available at http://www.oberlin.edu/teachereducation.

Courses Required for Each Licensure Program

Courses and Credits by Semester

Summer Module I

Summer Module II

Fall

Spring

Entrance Requirements

To be admitted to the Graduate Teacher Education Program, prospective students must:

Hold a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree;
Demonstrate an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater;
Have taken the GRE General Test;
Complete the application form, including the admission essay;
Provide three letters of reference;
Provide a resumé of experience that demonstrates experience in working with children;
Take part in group and/or individual interviews, if asked.

Benchmark Progress Requirements

There are seven critical points in the program at which data are gathered and decisions are reached about whether a student will continue in the program. These critical benchmark points are:

I. Admission to the Program

II. End of Summer Semester

III. Mid-Term Fall Semester

IV. End of Fall Semester

V. Mid-Term Spring Semester

VI. End of Solo Teaching

VII. End of Program

Exit Requirements

To qualify for the Master of Education degree, students must

Successfully complete all course and non-course requirements;
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater.

To be eligible for initial licensure in Ohio (and states that have interstate agreements with Ohio) in Early Childhood Education or Middle Childhood Education, students must also

Achieve a grade of at least B- in all graded courses, with the exception of EDUC 510, EDUC 513, EDEC 530, and EDMC 530;
Successfully progress through all benchmark points;
Achieve a passing score on the relevant Praxis II Subject Assessment Test and the relevant Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching Test.

Student Teaching

Each student has a fall semester internship and student teaching begins in January and ends in May; it includes three weeks of solo teaching. All placements will normally be in one of the Oberlin City Schools, with students assigned to a different grade level for the spring than for the fall internship. Recommendation for student teaching requires approval by program faculty and the fall mentor teacher.

Course Details

Students take courses during two, four-week-long modules in the summer semester and in eighteen-week-long fall and spring semesters. Because understandings gained from the course listing that follows are cumulative, students are expected to take the courses in sequence. Course grading follows the letter-grade system used by Oberlin College. A grading of Pass/No Pass is used for EDUC 538, EDUC 548, and EDUC 555. No other courses in the Graduate Teacher Education Program may be taken as Pass/No Pass.

Students in the Graduate Teacher Education Program pursue a Master of Education degree and initial licensure in either Early Childhood (Grades PK-3) or Middle Childhood Education (Grades 4-9). The program of 43 credits begins in mid-June and culminates at the end of the following May. Students complete coursework each of the three semesters, beginning with summer and continuing through the school year. GTEP blends graduate study with school-based internships that immerse students in the richly diverse Oberlin City Schools. Students work in the schools for two to three days a week during the fall semester and four to five days a week during the spring semester, in addition to their coursework. The intensive nature of the immersion program enables students to concentrate exclusively on the integration of coursework and classroom practice, with experienced teacher mentors from the Oberlin schools and GTEP faculty providing the bridge between disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical practice. Because of its close partnership with Oberlin schools, GTEP follows the schools’ calendar rather than that of Oberlin College.

Enrollment in the following courses is limited to GTEP students. In courses listed with both an EDEC and EDMC number, students spend part of the course exploring topics as a cohort group and also separate into licensure levels (early childhood and middle childhood) for more specialized instruction.