Teacher Education Institute*

Graduate School of Education
379 Baldy Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260
(716) 645-2461
Fax: (716) 645-3631
Web: Teacher Education Institute*
Kim Truesdell, Interim Director
Ann Marie Lauricella, Associate Director
Barbara Blood, Coordinator of Field Experiences

*A nondegree certification program only

The Program
The Teacher Education Institute's program is designed to offer students holding a bachelor's degree in an academic content area a sequence of professional education courses leading to New York State initial teacher certification in early childhood, childhood, middle childhood and adolescence education. Beyond providing professional knowledge and instructional strategies essential to teaching, the Teacher Education Institute (TEI) collaborates with local school districts and teachers to prepare students to be problem solvers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners who strive to self-reflect, evaluate, and improve their teaching. In addition, the TEI program seeks to prepare teachers who can work effectively with students with a wide variety of abilities and needs, and students from various cultures.

Acceptance Criteria
Registration in the teacher education program is open only to students who formally apply and who receive confirmation of acceptance prior to registration. Admission to the university does not ensure that those interested in teaching will be admitted to certification programs.

Applications for admission to the teacher certification sequence must be filed with the TEI office by February 1 in 379 Baldy Hall. Applications must include official transcripts from every institution attended.

Admission is based on the applicant's academic preparation, GPA, and extracurricular experiences. Applicants are required to participate in an on-campus extended admission process, which includes a writing exam, interviews, and content examinations (math and science applicants). Furthermore, students must be matriculated in a related graduate department before the beginning of the program.

Letters of acceptance into the program are sent in April. When accepted, students must notify the TEI office regarding their intent to complete the program as outlined in the acceptance letter.

Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for admission. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the program.

Certification Programs

Adolescence, Grades 7-12
All students must complete an undergraduate degree with a 30 credit hour major appropriate to the certification field. In addition, all students must have the following courses in the undergraduate distribution:

• one arts course (dance/music/theater/visual arts)
• two history/social sciences courses
• one humanities course (philosophy, English literature, classics)
• second-semester language other than English
• two mathematics courses
• two science courses
• second-semester writing (English composition)

Additional non-course requirements:

• communication (TEI writing sample)
• information retrieval (UB Library Skills Workbook online)

Certification areas, approved majors, and special requirements (if any):

Teaching of English
Approved Major: English

Teaching of Foreign Languages
Approved Majors: French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, or Spanish
Special Requirements: It is recommended that students participate in an academic program abroad prior to the student teaching experience. In addition, students should take courses in culture and civilization, advanced grammar, and applied linguistics within their language specialty.

Teaching of Mathematics
Approved Major: mathematics
Special Requirements: Must include two approved courses in calculus, two approved courses in algebra, an approved course in geometry, and an approved course in science.
Note: Approval for coursework is given by the program advisor in the Department of Learning and Instruction (LAI).

Teaching of Sciences
Approved Majors: biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and earth science
Special Requirements: 30 credit hours in the area of certification plus 3 credit hours in the other three content areas.
Note: All programs lead to certification to teach in the subject area of the student's major and in general science. Certification to teach in an additional science subject requires a minimum of 30 credit hours in that science.

Teaching of Social Studies
Approved Majors: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology
Students majoring in African American studies or American studies may be accepted into this program if their coursework is approved by a program advisor from the Department of Learning and Instruction.
Special Requirements: Students must have 21 credit hours in history and/or geography, and at least one class in economics and one class in political science. Additional requirements include 12 credit hours in U.S. civilization (at least 6 of which are in U.S. history), 6 in Western civilization, and 12 in world civilization. Also required are two courses in each of three social science areas (political science, geography, economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology). Up to 12 credit hours of these may also fulfill any of the above requirements in U.S., Western, or world civilizations. Students are encouraged to check their history and social science distribution with an LAI advisor before applying to TEI.
Note: Philosophy and psychology may be used to fulfill the social science requirements, but are not acceptable as majors leading to social studies certification.

Course Sequence
Prior to student teaching, through university coursework and school visits, students learn about interactions between students and teachers, as well as schools and communities. The courses are devoted to observing and studying students' psychological development and learning, the organization of schools, and the nature of the communities they serve. School-based fieldwork, including participation in a reflective inquiry project, provides an opportunity to examine these ideas in action. All students will also have two courses in literacy.

During the spring semester, two full-time student-teaching placements give students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their teaching skills. One of these placements will be in a school designated high needs by the state of New York. Student teachers are required to follow the time schedule and the calendar of the assigned schools. Students also attend a weekly seminar on campus. No courses outside the teacher-education sequence should be taken during this semester. The courses require academic excellence, maturity, and commitment. The total certification program will be 33 credit hours.

Course Descriptions

CEP501 Educational Psychology (3) (F)
Psychological principles and research relevant to educational practice: human growth and development; the learning process; educational measurement; individual differences; mental health in the school. LEC/REC

ELP548 Sociology of Education (3) (F)
Sociological aspects of education; the school in relation to the society; participation in various activities on campus, in communities, and in the schools. LEC

LAI514 Language, Cognition and Writing (3)

LAI522 Middle Childhood - Adolescent Literacy (3)

LAI595 Student Teaching II (6) (Sp)
Prerequisites: minimum GPA of 3.0 in TEI, approval of department for student teaching
Six weeks of full-time, supervised teaching in a local school district; students are responsible for their own transportation to and from assigned schools. Calendars of assigned schools followed. LAB

LAI667 Field Experience (4) (F)
Prerequisite: admission to a TEI certification program
Observation and study of schools through visits to urban and suburban elementary, middle, and senior high schools. Analyzes administrative and organizational structures and regulations; curricular offerings; support services; teacher responsibilities. LAB

LAI668 Student Teaching I (3) (Sp)
Prerequisites: minimum GPA of 3.0 in TEI, department approval for student teaching
Nine weeks of full-time observation and supervised teaching in a local school district; students are responsible for their own transportation to and from assigned schools. Calendars of assigned schools followed. LAB

LAI674 Seminar in Teaching (3) (Sp)
Prerequisites: LAI402, LAI426 (concurrent enrollments)
On-campus seminars concerning issues of importance for future educators, information on certification. SEM

LAI698 Instructional Strategies in Secondary Schools (3) (F)
Prerequisite: admission to a TEI certification program
Focuses on the realities of teaching, techniques and application linked to theory, planning, implementing, and evaluation of teaching. LEC
Note: Students living in university dorms must make other housing arrangements for periods when the dorms are closed, because vacation times will not coincide with those of the university.

One of the following methods courses:

LAI616 Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages in Secondary Schools (3) (Sp)
SEM

LAI617 Methods of Teaching English in Secondary Schools (3) (Sp)
SEM

LAI618 Methods of Teaching Mathematics in Secondary Schools (3) (Sp)
SEM

LAI619 Methods of Teaching Science in Secondary Schools (3) (Sp)
SEM

LAI620 Methods of Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools (3) (Sp)
SEM

Note: Early childhood, childhood and music education are also available as graduate programs only, leading to a master's degrees and New York State certification. Contact the Teacher Education Institute in 379 Baldy Hall for information.

Academic Affairs

Phone: (716) 645-6003

Fax: (716) 645-2549

Last updated: Thursday, 09-Dec-2004 15:21:20 EST