Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Biology - Secondary Education] From Western Michigan University

In the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies at Western Michigan University, our aim is develop educators who are committed to teaching for social justice. Therefore, your course work and field experiences are designed to support you in:

• Understanding and expanding your personal worldview and beliefs.
• Increasing your knowledge of schools and social systems.
• Developing methods to respond appropriately to students from diverse backgrounds.
• Teaching content in culturally relevant ways to engage all students in the learning process.

You will have in-class and out-of-class opportunities to interact with faculty and teachers in the field and your peers in professional learning communities throughout your time in the program. Upon graduation you will have the knowledge, experience, skills and a supportive network to be an agent of social change in your classroom, school and district.

Beyond the classroom:

As a secondary education student at WMU, you will be required to complete multiple classroom experiences, two 70-hour pre-internships and a one-semester full-time teaching internship under the mentorship of selected teachers in partnership schools and teacher educators from WMU. The internship is designed to prepare you not only for your role as a classroom teacher, but as a professional studying your own teaching practice, participating in site-based decision making and coordinating your work with teachers and other members of the school community. Both school and University faculty will work closely together to support and assist you as you progress through the semester.

You can also gain valuable networking and professional development opportunities through student and community organizations, including the Student Education Association, Bigs on Campus, Kappa Delta Pi, the Michigan Education Association and the National Education Association.