Year 1: Here’s what to focus on during your first year in the Teacher Education program.

• Meet with advisors- Talk with your First-Year Seminar and Teacher Education advisors to plan your path.
• Join the Student North Carolina Association of Educators- Connect with future teachers at meetings and events.
• Declare your major – Choose your education major by the end of freshman year.

Year 2: Key steps to complete in your second year as you prepare for the program requirements.

• Pass the Praxis CORE exams– Complete the reading, writing and math tests (you may be exempt if your SAT score is 1170 or ACT score is 24).
• Apply to the Teacher Education department– Submit your application to continue in the program.
• Join student educator events– Attend meetings and events to connect with other future teachers. 

Year 3: Important experiences and exams to tackle in your junior year.

• Complete junior internships– Gain hands-on classroom experience.
• Pass licensure exams– Take the required tests to move toward teacher licensure.
• Participate in student educator events– Attend meetings and activities to stay connected with peers.

Year 4: Final steps to finish your program and get ready to start teaching.

• Complete student teaching– Gain full-time classroom experience as part of your final preparation.
• Apply for graduation– Submit your application to graduate.
• Participate in student educator events– Continue attending meetings and activities to stay connected with peers.

All undergraduates participate in internships and service learning during their coursework, providing them with the hands-on application of their learning in real-world, on-the-job situations. Catawba’s Elementary Education majors engage in a year-long internship and mentoring experiences at a local public school. Dual Elementary/Special Education majors participate in an additional semester of internship. Middle, secondary, and special subject majors enroll in content-specific methods classes with internship experiences of 30 or more hours per semester. Enrollment in Internship in K-12 Education allows additional classroom experience ranging from 1 to 40 hours per week of classroom experience.

Students can actively engage in Teacher Education activities outside of the classroom through participation in the Student North Carolina Association of Educators chapter at Catawba.  Activities sponsored by the chapter include community service events in the local schools, Professional Learning Community and Professional Development activities, as well as social events.

Prospective education teachers learn to provide instruction to children with disabilities in courses such as Psychology of Exceptionalities and Adapting Activities for Special Populations. In literacy methods coursework required for all candidates, students receive instruction in best practices for supporting ELL students. Candidates in Learning Environments and Professional Practice and methods classes learn strategies for providing instruction to children with disabilities, children from low income families, and limited English proficient students. Effective strategies for working with students from varied backgrounds are taught in targeted methods courses, which are paired with internship experiences in local schools serving a wide range of learners.

Students enrolled in methods courses are partnered with a mentor teacher where they observe best practices of experienced classroom teachers. Mentor teachers and college supervisors provide oral and written feedback for informal and formal lessons taught by the intern. During the student teaching semester, the student teacher is placed with a cooperating teacher who provides support and gives oral and written feedback throughout the semester. Each student teacher is observed by the college supervisor numerous times and is given written feedback.

The Catawba College Department of Teacher Education has partnerships with Rowan-Salisbury Schools and surrounding county school systems through Memorandums of Understanding. The conceptual framework, Teacher as Reflective Practitioner, provides the philosophical foundation for Catawba College’s teacher education undergraduate programs. Feedback and evaluation about performance are received from college faculty and school-based partners as a candidate progresses through the program. Students complete an evaluation of their internship experience. Program completers have an opportunity to complete the Survey of New Teachers one year after completion. Data from these evaluations is used in guiding program development.