INDIANA PROGRAM REVIEW

World Languages

Indiana University – Purdue University at Fort Wayne

Document # 1

A.  UNIT SUMMARY

Program Description

The mission of the Department of International Language and Culture Studies encompasses teaching, research/creative endeavor, and service. The department aims to provide students with linguistic and critical thinking skills as well as cultural knowledge that will enable them to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of other language groups and prepare them to function in other language settings. The department embraces a broad understanding of scholarship/creative endeavor, consistent with Boyer's view that knowledge is created through research, through synthesis, through practice, and through teaching (1990, p. 24). All of the department's faculty will contribute to knowledge in one or more of these areas. The department's faculty will contribute to the effective functioning of the campus through participation in faculty governance and through leadership on behalf of language and culture studies. The department's faculty will contribute to the community and to the profession through service that draws on their expertise in the discipline and/or the classroom.

The department is committed to enabling students to become proficient speakers of the language(s) they study and sensitive to cultural differences. Rigorous study of literary and non-literary texts, including film and other media, is the basis for achieving these goals. Students who complete a four-semester language requirement (or equivalent) will have a basic functional knowledge and a solid basis for further study in the language. Majors will acquire a broad foundation in language, literature, and culture in preparation for graduate studies or for a career where proficiency in a foreign language and international perspectives are important assets. After completing the first four semesters of a language, students should demonstrate speaking proficiency at the survival level as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Majors are expected to achieve the intermediate-high level in speaking and to demonstrate the ability to recognize and analyze grammatical and usage errors in their own and others' writing. Students will develop increased understanding of what it means to belong to a culture, awareness of how culture affects other interconnected issues of identity such as gender, race, class, ethnicity and religion, and how these categories intersect and overlap, the ability to think critically about these issues and how they shape intercultural communication. Candidates who complete the first four semesters of a language will learn to examine stereotypes and to respond in culturally appropriate ways in everyday situations in the target culture. Candidates will be prepared to participate in an educated non-specialist discourse regarding the history, geography, social institutions, politics, literary and other artistic traditions as well as popular culture of the language group(s) they study. Candidates who focus on a Spanish teaching major complete 53 credits in the content area, 45 general credits, and 34 credits of professional teacher education courses. Candidates who focus on a French teaching major complete 46 credits in the content area, 45 general credits, and 34 credits of professional teacher education courses. Candidates who focus on a German teaching major complete 44 credits in the content area, 45 general credits, and 34 credits of professional teacher education courses.

IPFW School of Education Conceptual Framework

In support of our School of Education Conceptual Framework, the World Languages Teacher Education Program in the Department of Educational Studies emphasizes the interrelated aspect of each of the six core components within its curriculum and program delivery. While individual courses may focus on some aspects of the framework more than others, we are confident that our courses and programs as a whole, embrace this central core of teacher training and development. Due to the current national testing and assessment movement, content Knowledge is critical for effective educators to comprehend. Educators need to understand how knowledge is constructed, how the processes of inquiry are applied, how domains of knowledge are established, how disciplines can be integrated, and how this information can effectively be communicated to students. Understanding content knowledge is critical however, it cannot be viewed in isolation from the other five components. Democracy and Community is the second key component that we encourage in the Department of Educational Studies. Educators need an understanding of the moral, cultural, social, political, and economic foundations of our community and society in order to foster democratic concepts within the school community. Effective educators understand that knowledge alone is not sufficient. Within the third component, Habits of Mind, our students practice critical reflection within the context of a compassionate, caring community with the goal of fostering these habits to engage learners in the critical aspects of the learning process. Without an understanding of Pedagogy, our students would not understand the multiple roles of the teaching such as facilitator, guide, role model, scholar, and motivator. Without an understanding of pedagogy, educators would not understand the diverse perspectives of learning and understanding and the social circumstances that they and their students bring to the educational setting. Without rich Experiences both in and out of the traditional classroom, candidate skills would lie dormant and unrefined. The last component, Leadership, provides our candidates the educational and social vision necessary to inspire others, both students and colleagues, to accept the educational challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Unit Assessment System

The Unit Assessment System (UAS) in the School of Education at Indiana University – Purdue University at Fort Wayne was created in response to a professional responsibility to ensure that our programs are of the highest quality. This dynamic assessment system is continually evaluated to insure that 1) instruction and curriculum are aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards (e.g., the Conceptual Framework and Mission Statement); 2) courses, field experiences, and programs are efficient; and 3) content knowledge and the demonstration of teaching that leads to a student teaching experience that reflects the attainment of core concepts.

A key component of the UAS within the World Languages Teaching Program is the systematic review of the on-going teacher candidate portfolio. This portfolio is introduced in our Invitation to Teaching course (F300) and students are provided a copy of the Guidelines for Preparing a Portfolio that they continually refer to as they progress through our program. Instruction in the World Languages Teaching Program professional course sequence is a faculty team effort. Professional Teacher Education courses are currently offered in two clusters with a culminating experience of 16 weeks of a student teaching experience. Faculty teaching in these block courses normally meet at the beginning and end of each semester to discuss levels of organization and changes that need to address emerging issues and improvement of the program. Portfolio checkpoints are located at four distinct locations within the program: F300, at the conclusion of Blocks I, II, and at the exit portfolio during the student teaching semester. At each portfolio checkpoint, candidates are provided feedback to allow them to continually build and revise their portfolios up to their student teaching experience. The World Languages Teaching Program Program engages in a continuous review process and the School of Education Unit Assessment Taskforce receives data from the unit assessment system on an annual basis for review.

The School of Education Assessment System

A candidate record or file is established for all applicants to the School of Education teacher education programs. This school-wide assessment system is structured around several data gathering components. All candidates are assessed at several benchmark points 1) admission to teacher education with minimum grades in specific course, minimum completion hours, minimum grade point average, and passing scores on the Praxis I exam, 2) retention in teacher education based on minimum grade point average, 3) eligibility to student teach, 4) eligibility to graduate and/or complete requirements for licensure (including passing scores on the Praxis II exam), 5) completion of a successful student teaching experience, and 6) the completion of a passing exit portfolio discussed above.

Teacher Education Courses

Below is a list of teacher education courses required of all World Languages Teacher Education candidates. Required content specific pedagogy courses are located in Document # 2. See the following link for campus course descriptions. http://bulletin.ipfw.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=5

EDUA F300 EDUC M201 EDUC P250

EDUC H340 EDUC M445 EDUC P253

EDUC K201 EDUC M470 EDUC W200

EDUC K206 EDUC M480 EDUC X401

EDUC M101 EDUC M501

Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a beginning teacher as outlined by the INTASC Standards.

Program Field Experiences Chart

Course #/Title or Program Requirement / Purpose of Field Experience / Number of Required Hours in P-12 Classroom / Candidate Required Tasks
M101 (with W200) / Facilitate the use of technology hardware and software with children. / 3 / Plan, implement, and reflect on using technology (internet activities and software) with children.
M201 (with P250) / Supervised field experience during which candidates apply knowledge gained in the college classroom. / 30 / Use observational data to experience and address the candidates’ understanding of the physical, social, and intellectual environments of secondary classrooms. Demonstrate evidence of applying INTASC standards as well as all information gained in coursework.
M201 (with P253) / Supervised field experience during which candidates apply knowledge gained in the college classroom. / 30 / Use observational data to experience and address the candidates’ understanding of the physical, social, and intellectual environments of secondary classrooms. Demonstrate evidence of applying INTASC standards as well as all information gained in coursework.
M401 (with M445) / Supervised field experience during which candidates apply knowledge gained in the college classroom. / 30 / Plan and implement content experiences; perform formal and informal assessments; other tasks as assigned by Cooperating Teacher. Demonstrate evidence of applying INTASC standards as well as all information gained in coursework.
M470 (ms practicum) / Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a beginning teacher as outlined by the INTASC Standards. / 6 weeks FT / Candidates engage fully in the planning, implementing, assessing (e.g., student learning), and evaluating of the effectiveness of their teaching. Demonstrate evidence of applying INTASC standards as well as all information gained in coursework.
M480 (student teach) / Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a beginning teacher as outlined by the INTASC Standards. / 10 weeks FT / Candidates engage fully in the planning, implementing, assessing (e.g., student learning), and evaluating of the effectiveness of their teaching. Demonstrate evidence of applying INTASC standards as well as all information gained in coursework.