Welcome to Social Studies Education! This website is for all social studies education majors, which include the following majors:

  • History Education
  • Psychology Education
  • Political Science Education
  • Geography Education
  • Economics Education
  • Sociology Education
  • Anthropology Education

 

FAQ's

You have picked a great time to become a social studies teacher! Schools in Delaware and across the nation are scrambling to replace a wave of retired or soon to be retiring teachers. In other words, you are in demand!

Schools are seeking to hire well trained, versatile, and creative teachers who know how to teach to State and National Standards. The University of Delaware is an outstanding place to learn how to become that teacher! The Social Studies Education Program at the University of Delaware is a program that is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). It is a rigorous four-year program that prepares you to gain state certification to teach Social Studies courses in middle school and high school (grades 7-12).

In 2003 the National Council of Social Studies gave the highest possible rating to the University of Delaware's Secondary Education Social Studies program. NCSS considers the program to be a model for Secondary Education programs nationwide.

Over the course of this program, we will help you make the transition from being a college student (Year 1) to being an engaging and effective social studies educator for scores of children (final semester of senior year). Effective social studies teaching requires extensive content knowledge about different areas of social studies as well as knowledge about teaching and learning in secondary schools. This means that you are required to complete extensive content core courses and professional education classes while maintaining a GPA of 3.0 in your major and 2.75 overall. In addition, you will spend over 56 hours observing in Delaware secondary schools. You may begin observing middle school and high school classes as early as your sophomore year.

You must apply for student teaching in February (deadline is usually during first 2 weeks of February) of your junior year -- one year before you student teach. If you are accepted for student teaching, you must take HIST491 (Planning a Course of Instruction) and HIST467 (Planning a Course of Instruction) the Fall semester of your senior year, and you will student teach in the Spring semester of your senior year.

REMINDER: HIST491 and HIST467 is only offered in the fall semester; student teaching can only be done after taking HIST491 and HIST467.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

In the course of this program, you will pass through four stages of professional development; each stage will move you out of your "student's seat" and up to the front of the class!

STAGE ONE
During years one through three of the program, you will complete your General Education course requirements as well as complete most of your related coursework. You will begin your Learning Portfolio during your freshman year and complete it in your senior year. During stage one, your main responsibility as learner and future teacher is to accumulate the essential content knowledge to teach Social Studies.

STAGE TWO
In years two and three, you will begin the transition from college student to teacher/educator. This is the time to learn about the psychological and cultural make-up of adolescent students in middle and high school. During this time, you will focus on questions, such as: (a) Why do adolescent students feel, think, and behave the way they do?; (b) How do adolescent learners learn?; (c) How does diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and academic strengths affect adolescents' motivation, learning, and behaviors?; (d) How do teachers effectively instruct, engage, and manage adolescents with diverse backgrounds? During this time, you will take the following three courses: (1) EDUC413, (Adolescent Development and Educational Psychology), (2) EDUC414 (Teaching Exceptional Adolescents), and (3) EDUC419 (Diversity in Secondary Education). Your first classroom observations will take place in EDUC413 and EDUC419.

STAGE THREE
You will take EDUC420 (Reading in the Content Areas), HIST491 (Planning a Course of Instruction) and HIST467 (Planning a Course of Instruction Lab) during the Fall semester of your senior year. HIST491 is your "Methods" course. In this course, you will begin to put the pieces together from stages one and two. You will learn how to create course materials and lesson plans that meet State and National standards. You will develop effective teaching strategies that reflect your acquired content knowledge plus your understanding of adolescents and how they best learn. Through classroom observations, you will also learn more about the learners and classes you will be teaching during the Spring semester. You have now moved to the front of the classroom!

STAGE FOUR
During the Spring semester of your senior year, after you have completed the Methods course (HIST491 & HIST467) during the Fall semester, you will spend fourteen weeks student teaching in a middle school or high school classroom, EDUC400 (Student Teaching: Social Studies). You will work closely with your cooperating teacher, your supervisor, and your Methods professor. At the same time, we will prepare you in your student teaching seminar, HIST493 (Problems in Teaching History and Social Studies), to seek out and get that perfect teaching position---to get a job at last!

Faculty

Will Scott, wrscott@udel.edu
History & Social Studies Education
Coordinator
Professor of History

Joseph Pika, jpika@udel.edu
Political Science Education Advisor
Professor of Political Science
   

Barry Joyce, bjoyce@udel.edu
History & Social Studies Education
Advisor
Professor of History

James O'Neill, oneillj@be.udel.edu
Economics Education Advisor
Professor of Economics
   

Jonathan Russ, jruss@udel.edu
History Education Freshman Advisor
Professor of History

Beth Morling, morling@psych.udel.edu
Psychology Education Advisor
Psychology Department
 
   

Erica Armstrong, era@udel.edu
History Education Sophomore Advisor
Professor of History

Kimberly Dasch, advisement@psych.udel.edu
Psychology Education Advisor
Psychology Department
   

Peter Rees, rees@udel.edu
Geography Education Advisor
Professor of Geography

Karen Rosenberg, krr@udel.edu
Anthropology Education Advisor
Professor of Anthropology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University of Delaware
Teacher Education
University of Delaware