Education

As an education major at Dordt, you will be prepared to teach confidently and skillfully. Your education will be broader than just classes; you’ll also get hands-on experience working in local schools and programs. Dordt education graduates are highly sought-after in the teaching world; principals and administrators tell us that they put Dordt graduate resumes at the top of the pile.

At Dordt, you’ll learn to teach from a biblical perspective. In a world where culture is constantly changing and challenging your faith, you’ll learn the fundamentals that will help you remain true to your faith and adapt and stay relevant in the classroom.

To learn more, you can also view the program strengths and learning outcomes for this program.

Dordt’s education program is approved by the Iowa Department of Education. Graduates are eligible for Iowa licensure, which is highly respected and has reciprocity in many states and provinces. Our program will prepare you to teach confidently and skillfully, from a biblical perspective that you can take with you into your career.

The Teacher Preparation Program (TPP) is the professional program that Education students at Dordt enter in order to earn a teaching license from the state of Iowa. All graduates from the program, if they fulfill all requirements, will earn both a Dordt diploma (degree) and licensure from the state of Iowa.

The TPP has specific requirements in addition to the Dordt requirements all students must meet, including minimum GPA standards, English and Math competency scores, and professional portfolio expectations. There are three levels of the TPP, with checkpoints including acceptance, approval for student teaching, and licensure. You will be walked through all the elements of the program in your Education courses.

Each Teacher preparation candidate will take some general class and choose classes from one of four major emphases.

Core Classes

• Introduction to Education: Designed to introduce students to the domain of education and to induct them into an initial understanding of teaching and the teaching profession. Emphasis is on the development of a distinctively Christian approach to education. Education 101 is a prerequisite to all other education courses.
• Educational Psychology: This course introduces you to the fields of educational psychology and developmental psychology as they help us figure out the teaching and learning environment. This course studies the growth and maturation of children and adolescents, including examination of physical development and activity, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual development. We will also look at different roles teachers play such as teacher-as-researcher, teacher-as-observer, and teacher-as-facilitator. This course introduces you to developmental theories and learning theories that impact PreK-12 education today.
• Learner Differences: Examination of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities-ethnicities, SES, immigrant, cognitive (SPED and TAG), gender, learning profiles, as well as English language learners. Focus on designing inclusive learning environments to meet high standards.
• Learning Environments: Focus on designing and implementing developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences. Creating individual and collaborative learning environments including competency-based, cooperative learning, technology-supported, experiential, and other environments.
• Service Learning-Tutoring: A 25-hour field-based experience to be taken concurrently with Education 201 or 203 in which candidates tutor assigned K-12 students. Graded on a pass/no record basis.
• History and Philosophy of Education: This course examines how our societal perspectives and personal core beliefs affect the ways we “do school,” see students, plan teaching and learning, and make curriculum. Students will draw on a variety of resources – those from the tradition of Reformed, Christian education, some more broadly Christian, and those from outside faith-based education thought, to construct a statement describing their own educational philosophy. While this course meets a requirement in the Teacher Preparation Program, it does not assume a background in teacher preparation. Students from outside teacher preparation are welcome.
• Service Learning Field Experience: A field experience, designed to be taken in conjunction with Education 335/336/337 during the student’s senior year. Students assist in classrooms for a total of 60 hours. Experiences gained in the field are addressed in the concurrent education courses.
• PDS Internship: A 240-hour field experience designed to develop your content expertise, pedagogical skillset, and teaching dispositions. You will have the opportunity to apply the teaching and learning strategies examined in the methods courses taken concurrently with Education 369. The course includes reflective observation and practice in P-12 classrooms. Participants will observe classroom instruction by qualified teachers as well as co-plan and co-teach lessons to gain the practical experience necessary to reflect, evaluate and improve upon their teaching effectiveness.
• Senior Seminar I: Education 381 is scheduled in the fall semester prior to the student teaching internship. Emphasis is on developing professional skills including communication with the home and colleagues, motivation techniques, effective classroom management, and understanding legal and ethical issues applicable to the teaching profession. Graded on a pass/fail basis.
• Senior Seminar II: Education 382 is scheduled in the semester concurrent with the teaching internship. Emphasis is on developing a coherent biblical philosophy of education, appropriate motivation techniques, effective classroom management, and understanding legal and ethical issues applicable to the teaching profession. Graded on a pass/fail basics.

Elementary Subject Area Sequence Emphases

• Planning, Instruction, and Assessment in Elementary Schools: Spring This course introduces students to an understanding of instructional theory at the elementary school level. Focus is on the planning process and the integral role of instruction and assessment. Emphasis is on the development of a distinctively Christian approach to teaching and learning. Various perspectives on the instructional process are critically examined.
• Content Area Literacy: The emphasis of this course is on using instructional strategies in the various content subjects to developing reading, writing, and studying skills to benefit all learners in today’s diverse society. As children progress from elementary to middle and high school levels, much of their learning depends on how well they are able to read in the various subject areas. Responsibilities of the Christian educator in helping students develop their potential in reading in content areas will be addressed.
• Applied Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers: Examines the unique emotional, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of elementary students. Emphasis on developing a biblical view of the student through developmentally appropriate differentiation. Significant focus on the development of positive learning environments utilizing appropriate motivation and classroom management strategies.
• Applied Educational Psychology for Middle School Teachers: Examines the unique emotional, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of early to mid-adolescence. Emphasis on developing a biblical view of the student through developmentally appropriate differentiation. Significant focus on the development of positive learning environments utilizing appropriate motivation and classroom management strategies.
• Introductory Statistics: An introductory course in statistical techniques and methods and their application to a variety of fields. Topics include data analysis, design of experiments, and statistical inference including confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Exposure to statistical software and a substantive student project are also part of this course.

Vertical Sequence Emphases

• Planning, Instruction, and Assessment in Elementary Schools: Spring This course introduces students to an understanding of instructional theory at the elementary school level. Focus is on the planning process and the integral role of instruction and assessment. Emphasis is on the development of a distinctively Christian approach to teaching and learning. Various perspectives on the instructional process are critically examined.
• Planning, Instruction, and Assessment in Secondary Schools: This course introduces students to an understanding of instructional theory at the high school level. Focus is on the planning process and the integral role of instruction and assessment. Emphasis is on the development of a distinctively Christian approach to teaching and learning. Various perspectives on the instructional process are critically examined.
• Planning, Instruction, and Assessment in Middle Schools: This course introduces students to an understanding of instructional theory at the middle school level. Focus is on the planning process and the integral role of instruction and assessment. Emphasis is on the development of a distinctively Christian approach to teaching and learning. Various perspectives on the instructional process are critically examined.
• Content Area Literacy: The emphasis of this course is on using instructional strategies in the various content subjects to developing reading, writing, and studying skills to benefit all learners in today’s diverse society. As children progress from elementary to middle and high school levels, much of their learning depends on how well they are able to read in the various subject areas. Responsibilities of the Christian educator in helping students develop their potential in reading in content areas will be addressed.
• Applied Educational Psychology for Middle School Teachers: Examines the unique emotional, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of early to mid-adolescence. Emphasis on developing a biblical view of the student through developmentally appropriate differentiation. Significant focus on the development of positive learning environments utilizing appropriate motivation and classroom management strategies.
• Introductory Statistics: An introductory course in statistical techniques and methods and their application to a variety of fields. Topics include data analysis, design of experiments, and statistical inference including confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Exposure to statistical software and a substantive student project are also part of this course.

See the course catalog for more information.

Education facilities in the Ribbens Academic Complex include:

• Three model classrooms for language arts, math, and social studies.
• Model science and computer labs.
• Classrooms with moveable furniture, allowing for multiple configurations for teaching and learning.
• A lounge area for informal learning.
• A teacher workroom furnished with technology, equipment, and supplies needed for pre-service teachers and professors.