Program Requirements and Four Stages
Program Requirements
Students who want to teach Social Studies in grades 6-12 can pursue BAs in any of the following programs:
Four Stages of Professional Development
Social Studies Secondary Education at the University of Delaware is a four-year program. All students during this time pass through four stages of professional development designed to move you out of your "student's seat" and up to the front of the class!
Stage 1 - Coursework
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. There are many courses that can count for both! See our Social Studies/Gen Ed Coursework Matrix for courses that satisfy both requirements. You will begin preparing your Inquiry and Analysis Portfolio during your freshman year and complete it in your junior year. Be sure to save all of your work from your History, Economics, Political Science, Geography, and Social Science courses! During stage one, your main responsibility as learner and future teacher is to begin accumulating the essential content and pedagogical knowledge to teach Social Studies.
Stage 2 - Preparing for Practicums
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:
Why do adolescent students feel, think, and behave the way they do?
How do adolescent learners learn?
How does diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and academic strengths affect adolescents' motivation, learning, and behaviors?
How do teachers effectively instruct, engage, and manage adolescents with diverse backgrounds? How do you inspire adolescents to become engaged citizens?
During this stage, you will begin observing and working in schools (practicums). Three courses that you will take during this stage:
HIST 316: Civic Engagement in America
EDUC 419: Diversity in Secondary Education
EDUC 413: Adolescent Development and Educational Psychology
You should begin to take these courses in your Sophomore year. Note that you must complete a PPD test and a Criminal Background check before you can take HIST316, EDUC 419, EDUC 413 and HIST 491.
You may also need to take and pass the CORE (formerly Praxis I). Note: You may be exempt from taking the Praxis CORE exam if you meet certain qualifications such as GPA requirements or achieving a “college ready” score on tests that measure reading, writing and math such as SAT or ACT. The Office of Clinical Studies provides more information.
Stage 3 - Preparing For Student Teaching
You will take EDUC 420: Reading in the Content Areas, HIST 491: Planning a Course of Instruction and HIST 492: Integrating Instructional Technology into Social Studies teaching during the Fall semester of your senior year. HIST 491 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 4 - Teaching and Certification
During the Spring semester of your senior year, after you have completed all of your coursework and have passed your Praxis II exam, you will spend fourteen weeks student teaching in a middle school or high school classroom EDUC 400: Student Teaching - Social Studies, is your 9-credit teaching practicum. 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, HIST 493: Problems in Teaching History and Social Studies, to seek out and get that perfect teaching position---to get a job at last!
Time Requirements
Teaching is a full-time job (plus!) that demands your full effort! Please avoid trying to hold part-time jobs while student teaching. The more successful you are as a student teacher, the better your job prospects are for the future!
EDUC 400 is a 9-credit student teaching experience, which requires 360 hours, with at least 180 hours of actual teaching time.
