SOE Header 2

Students

Student Handbooks

 

The vision of the School of Education is a community of lifelong learners who actively reflect on the impact of their values, attitudes, beliefs and practices.

The mission of the School of Education is to prepare pre-service and professional educators who are proactive in nurturing the lifelong learning and development of all learners. This mission will be accomplished by:

  • Facilitating the acquisition of necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions;
  • Cultivating the value of diversity;
  • Encouraging collaborative inquiry, innovation, and research;
  • Promoting collegiality and service in schools and communities;
  • Integrating technology into practice;
  • Providing opportunities for professional growth; and
  • Influencing educational practices and policies at the local, state, and national level.

Teacher preparation at U. T. Permian Basin is a collaborative venture between the University, local public schools, private schools, and other community agencies. This approach is designed to assure that graduates of the program have demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter they will teach and the competence to perform effectively in diverse teaching situations. To acquire certification teacher candidates must demonstrate mastery of the state-adopted Learner-Centered Proficiencies that relate to the following essentials of effective teaching:

  • A knowledge base – experience in the teaching field;
  • Instructional ability – ability to teach in ways that cause children to learn;
  • Communication – skills in relating to others;
  • Diversity – ability and desire to work with all children; and
  • Professional Growth – ongoing growth and development as an educator.

As part of its teacher certification program, the School of Education emphasizes experiential learning modes through field-based applications in which students spend a significant amount of time in public school classroom settings applying acquired knowledge to a variety of learning situations. Candidates for certification must actively demonstrate proficiency in each of the Learner-Centered Proficiencies through assessment strategies such as portfolios, reflective journals, and other performance-based assessment strategies.