secondary education

Become an effective middle and high school educator who understands the challenges of today's classrooms. You will be prepared to teach all content subjects in grades 6 through 12, leading to a license in secondary education. You also have the opportunity to focus your interest with one of nine approved content majors.

UW-Parkside offers you coursework leading to a license in Secondary Education (early adolescence-adolescence, grades 6-12). A Secondary Education license enables future teachers to teach specific content in grades 6-12. Secondary Education majors must choose from one of nine approved content majors for a double major:

Biological Science
Chemistry
English/Language Arts
Geography
Geosciences
History
Mathematics
Political Science
Sociology

You will develop a knowledge base in the content major, including methods for teaching in the content major, participate in co-teaching clinical placements, conduct action research, become familiar with a variety of educational technology, and gain firsthand teaching experience in secondary classrooms. This program maintains separate GPA and admission requirements and requires a background check. This program culminates in a semester-long, full-time, school-based residency experience.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

CO-TEACHING MODEL

The Teacher Education program has adopted a collaborative model called co-teaching to support your development as a future teacher. From the first semester to the last, you, as a teacher candidate, will work with a mentor teacher to support student learning in an area PK-12 classroom. The goal of the co-teaching partnership model is to support you, as a teacher candidate, attain a high level of success during your clinical placements and in your first job.

Teacher Candidates collaborate with school professions and are actively involved and engaged with PK-12 students to improve student outcomes.

Mentor Teachers commit to supporting and developing a teacher candidate’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions about what it means to be both a teacher and a learner.

University Faculty cooperate with both the mentor teacher and teacher candidate through communication and observation to support the co-teaching partnership model.

Three circles overlapping referencing the teacher candidate, faculty and mentor teacher, Co-teaching model

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the clinical hours work?
Teacher candidates (you) work alongside a professional educator (a teacher) to support student learning at area schools. Depending upon your major, you will serve clinical hours at different developmental or grade levels. Initial EDU courses for all majors require 20 clinical hours per course, which comes out to about two hours a week that you’ll be spending time in a classroom.

How will I fit clinical hours into my semester schedule?
By learning and utilizing time management skills, you will be able to work these hours into your semester schedule. On average, 20 hours a semester works out to be about two hours per week in the classroom; upper level classes have more required clinical hours, which equates to more hours per week in the classroom. This doesn’t include your travel time to and from your clinical placement. We recommend keeping one or two mornings a week open so you have this time to go to your school placement to help you complete the required clinical hours. The teacher edcuation advisor is available to work with you to learn time management skills.

What if I don’t end up liking teaching?
Don’t worry! Exploring is very important to help you learn what you like or dislike about any degree program. EDU 100 is a good class to introduce you to the teaching profession. If you decide that teaching isn’t for you, you can work with the teacher education advisor to change your major or continue exploring your options.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Coursework in this program can lead to a license in Secondary Education. Teachers with a secondary license are qualified to work as classroom teachers in a specific content area in grades 6-12. Further education at the graduate level can lead to such careers as school principal, counselor, educational specialist, or instructional program coordinator.

OTHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Education Programs

Elementary Education Major
Special Education Major
English as a Second Language Minor
Bilingual Education Certification

Licensure Opportunities

Elementary Education
Secondary Education
PreK-12
Technology + Pre-engineering
English as a Second Language Minor
Bilingual Education Certification

See what our students have to say.

PROGRAM CONTACT INFO

Mary Henderson | 262-595-2180 | teachereducation@uwp.edu

Faculty Highlights

Dr. Gregory Cramer
Assistant Professor
cramer@uwp.edu

Dr. Gregory Cramer taught ESL and Bilingual Social Studies—World History, U.S. History, World Geography, and Civics—for 15 years in Milwaukee Public Schools. He also taught drama and music and led student plays and musical groups. His areas of research interest are bilingualism and biliteracy, graphic novels for bilingual/ESL students, and immigrant students in U.S. schools.
Dr. Dana Ryan
Director of Advanced Professional Development
ryand@uwp.edu | 262-585-2309

As the Director of Advanced Professional Development, Dr. Ryan partners with local school districts to create engaging and timely workshops, courses, and programs for educator professional growth. She has spent over ten years in higher education preparing educators at the undergraduate and graduate levels and teaches educator preparation seminars and courses in literacy methods and assessment at UW-Parkside. Her research interests include children’s independent book choice and the development and maintenance of classroom libraries.

Instructor Profiles