School of Education Learning Goals

Graduates of the Westminster School of Education will achieve the following learning goals:

• Education Program

Learners and Their Development:

Teacher Candidates will: 

1. demonstrate understanding of learning as developmental. (Writing and other communication skills; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness) 
2. demonstrate knowledge of multiple theories of learning. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Writing and other communication skills; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
3. with sensitivity to exceptionalities and cultural diversity, evaluate why all children may be responding or behaving in particular ways. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
4. apply systematic inquiry and reflection to understanding student learning. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)

Subject Matter and Curriculum Goals:

Teacher Candidates will:

5. demonstrate knowledge of subject matter. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking) 
6.  develop curriculum that connects knowledge about students to content specific instructional standards. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)

Teaching:

Teacher Candidates will:

7.  develop and implement assessments that measure learning and drive the design of differentiated instruction and intervention. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
8. demonstrate how factors such as exceptionalities, gender, and class affect learning. (Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
9. create and manage a caring, equitable, respectful, purposeful classroom. (Leadership, Collaboration, & Teamwork; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
10. demonstrate multiple effective teaching strategies including the use of technology. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Writing and other communication skills)
11. work collaboratively with peers, K-12 students, colleagues, and faculty to critique each other’s practice with the goal of improving learning. (Leadership, Collaboration, & Teamwork)
12. connect learning to students’ prior knowledge and experiences. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
13. use research and engage in reflection to improve student learning. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking)

Self, Cultures, and Contexts:

Teacher Candidates will:

14. demonstrate how their culture affects their teaching. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
15. demonstrate how to learn about other cultures and language patterns. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
16. work with parents and colleagues to create a shared set of expectations and supports for students’ learning. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Leadership, Collaboration, & Teamwork; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness) 
17.  articulate their philosophy of education. (Writing and other communication skills) 
18.  demonstrate knowledge of how decisions affecting public education are made. (Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
19. Teacher Candidates’ work with students, families, and communities reflects the attitudes and practices expected of professional educators as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. (Critical, Analytical & Integrative Thinking; Global Consciousness, Social Responsibility, & Ethical Awareness)
20. recognize when their own professional attitudes and practices may need to be adjusted and are able to make appropriate changes. (Creative & Reflective Capacities)