Holy Family College - School of Education Teacher Education Competencies

The hallmark of the teacher prepared at Holy Family College will be the ability to replicate in their own classrooms the atmosphere modeled for them throughout their professional program.

         Competencies for the programs are specified in the course outlines for each course.  These competencies are developed, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis based on the criteria listed below and the standards provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Holy Family College teacher certification candidates will be expected to demonstrate:

1. Initiative as an active learner

• Comes prepared for class (readings and assignments)

• Attends each class and arrives promptly

• Sets goals for own learning

• Is open to new ideas

• Demonstrates willingness to take risks through involvement with children, colleagues, faculty, and supervisors

• Participates actively in class discussions and group work

• Demonstrates creative thinking

• Displays ability to think critically and engage in problem solving

2. The ability to listen, speak, read, write, view, calculate, and compute at the college level

• Demonstrates characteristics of an attentive and engaged listener

• Communicates ideas fluently and accurately and uses standard English

• Prepares appropriate written materials free from mechanical, logical, and organization errors

• Reads, views, analyzes, synthesizes, and interprets selected course materials

• Demonstrates the ability to use mathematics appropriately

3. Respect and care for all children

• Demonstrates understanding of the cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and moral development of children

• Sees relationship between human development theories and best practice in the classroom

• Identifies differentiating characteristics of learners and the laws and policies affecting both teachers and students

• Identifies basic components of culture and recognizes how students share and vary in these components based on cultural background

• Creates inclusive learning environments that promote equal access to education for all people regardless of culture, ability level, or educational needs

4. Knowledge of content and content-related pedagogy

• Engages in continuous learning to insure current knowledge in the content areas

• Knows and teaches accurate content to students

• Plans learning experiences that encourage students to integrate ideas from a variety of content areas

• Selects and organizes content effectively according to prescribed standards

• Adjusts pedagogy for specific content presentations

5. Knowledge of constructivist pedagogy

• Believes that the most valuable types of learning occur when people discover links among experiences, ideas, and concepts they already possess and the experiences, ideas, and concepts expressed by others

• Understands the importance of a warm, safe, and respectful learning classroom community

• Develops knowledge of democratic classroom management

• Learns a variety of grouping and behavior management strategies

• Acquires the ability to lead discussions

• Develops questioning techniques that promote exploration of ideas

• Identifies methods to assist students in thinking creatively

• Develops knowledge of multiple teaching strategies to respond to student needs

• Understands multiple approaches to learning

• Acquires ability to develop meaningful learning experiences to engage all students

• Develops knowledge of authentic assessment strategies (e.g., observation, portfolios, informal interviews, rubrics, tests)

• Identifies methods to assist students in thinking critically

• Acquires problem solving methods

6. Knowledge of technology

• Evaluates and selects appropriate educational software to support instructional goals

• Displays ability to use word-processing, data base, and spreadsheet software

• Demonstrates knowledge of uses of a database

• Exhibits proficiency in use of e-mail and other communication tools

• Demonstrates ability to use a variety of multimedia tools

• Evaluates and appropriately uses internet sites and other technological resources in support of instructional goals

7. Planning and preparation for constructivist instruction

• Plans instruction based on students’ needs, interests, and abilities

• Plans instruction which provides all students with the opportunity for involvement in constructing knowledge through hands-on, minds-on learning

• Develops instruction based on instructional goals

• Plans instruction in which students demonstrate creativity

• Develops and uses appropriate materials and resources to promote student thinking

• Prepares for flexible grouping strategies

• Identifies management strategies based on democratic principles

• Adapts instructional and management strategies based on student needs

• Plans instruction in which students can demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving

• Creates plans which integrate technology across content areas

8. The ability to implement constructivist instruction

• Demonstrates enthusiasm for the content, for teaching, and for learning

• Implements instruction based on students’ needs, interests, and abilities

• Creates safe, respectful, learning classroom community based on democratic principles

• Provides for flexible strategies to achieve educational goals

• Facilitates effective discussions that help students explore ideas related to educational goals

• Uses effective questioning techniques that promote exploration of ideas

• Demonstrates instructional creativity and promotes students’ creativity

• Uses multiple teaching and management strategies in response to student needs

• Engages all students in meaningful and challenging hands-on, minds-on learning experiences

• Implements authentic assessment strategies

• Integrates appropriate technology into instruction across content areas

9. The ability to meet professional responsibilities

• Exhibits thoughtful reflection regarding teaching and learning effectiveness

• Accepts and uses constructive input and/or reflections to modify instruction

• Maintains accurate student records

• Communicates effectively with families, colleagues, and supervisors

• Respects confidentiality

• Engages in effective collaboration with peers, faculty, and cooperating teachers

• Demonstrates a sincere desire and the necessary commitment to become an effective, classroom teacher

• Demonstrates emotional maturity, cooperation, good judgment, promptness, dependability, initiative, effort, and self-reliance

         Faculty Commitment to these goals

Faculty is dedicated to the principles of a constructivist classroom as outlined below

• Teacher and student questioning that promotes exploration of ideas rather than rote learning

• Students who summarize their own learning whenever possible rather than listening to the summaries of others

• Lecturing limited to those situations where it is most appropriate to the material and the learning context

• Discovery learning experiences

• Flexible grouping in which students are grouped for a variety of purposes, not solely by ability

• An emphasis upon the structure of ideas and the relationships that exist between and among ideas

• Adjustments to instruction based on student need rather than programmatic considerations

• Some opportunity for students to pursue their own interests and make their own choices

Faculty pledge to model these goals for students.

Faculty will provide on-going assessment of these goals.

Faculty will strive for continuous improvement of the education program at Holy Family College.