Teacher to Teacher
During the senior year, elementary, secondary, and languages teacher candidates form a cohort for their professional education requirements. The "senior block" is an integrated set of team-planned, team-taught, and team-supervised courses and practicum field experiences.
The elementary senior block is comprised of a practicum in teaching and three courses: Assessment for Planning and Instruction; Diverse School Cultures: Teaching, Learning, and Management; and Integration of Curriculum and Technology. The faculty consists of four or more professors and one practitioner who is shared between one school district and Furman University.
The secondary/languages senior block consists of a practicum in teaching and two courses: Curriculum and Methods of Teaching in Grades 9-12 and a content methods course specific to the area of certification being sought.
At the end of the senior block year, candidates graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education (elementary) or in the major related to secondary or languages certification. They may be eligible to be employed as induction teachers in classrooms following fall or may complete certification requirements at the graduate level during the fall of the fifth year.
All course work centers on discussion of, reading about, and demonstration of best practices, along with a Teacher Work Sample Project that documents impact of the teacher on student learning. The state adopted ADEPT system of performance-based assessment and evaluation of teaching and the standards promoted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) guide the presentation of best practices and flow into the Inquiry and Research in the Classroom course.
The goal of this unique program is the development of not only competent but also confident teachers who are scholars and leaders in the profession. The partnerships created between Furman University, Spartanburg School District One, Spartanburg School District Six, and Greenville County Schools portray a collaborative model of the most effective strategies to assure success in meeting this goal.
Teacher to Teacher Programs of Study: