College Launches Elementary Ed Major
The job of an elementary school teacher is particularly demanding.
In addition to teaching subject matter, teachers must also impart
social values such as respect and responsibility, help students
develop communication and fine motor skills, and nurture in
students self-confidence and excitement about learning that
will stay with them for a lifetime. A new major in human development,
launched last fall, is giving prospective elementary school
teachers the tools they need to take on that challenge.
The human development major, under the direction of the Department
of Education, brings to 26 the number of major degree programs
available to Washington College students.
“The major serves as a foundation for individuals wishing
to become elementary school teachers, as well as for those students
seeking to continue their studies in allied professions such
as school counseling and social services,” said Peggy
Donnelly, assistant professor of education and the human development
program coordinator. “The class of 2005 will see five
students graduate with a major in human development who will
also be eligible for a Maryland teaching certificate in elementary
education. Among the class of 2006, another dozen are planning
to declare the major.”
According to Sean O Connor, chair of Washington College’s
Department of Education, the human development major is designed
to help students answer the question: “How do children
develop into fully mature, autonomous and self-aware human beings
who are capable of both intimate and public communal relationships?”
Through a multi-disciplinary approach, the major helps students
answer that question both theoretically and practically through
an academic program that includes sequenced study in educational
foundations (the history, philosophy and psychology of education),
a developmental progression of study in pedagogical theory and
practice, a demonstrated knowledge of content in selected liberal
arts disciplines, and courses from the departments of anthropology,
sociology and psychology.
Field experiences and research are essential components of the
major, O Connor added. The major study includes field experiences
in schools or other educational and social agencies; for the
teacher candidate, major study includes a 100-day internship
in a locally based Professional Development School (PDS). Washington
College has PDS partnerships with three local school districts:
Kent, Queen Anne’s and Cecil counties. |
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