How is this program different than alternative licensure programs such as those offered online or through some school-district “fast track” programs?
If you are going to make the significant commitment and take on the enormous responsibility to teach children, a quality program is much more likely to help you become an effective science teacher. Those who graduate from alternative licensure programs are rarely prepared for the demands of teaching in today’s schools, and are more than twice as likely to leave the profession. Effective science teacher education requires that complex sets of teacher behaviors and pedagogical strategies be modeled and explicitly taught to teacher education students, and that these experiences are coupled with closely supervised field experiences where important support and feedback is provided. Whatever avenue you pursue for science teacher licensure, ensure that you receive multiple science methods courses (not just a general methods class), multiple early field experiences under the guidance of a cooperating teacher, educational psychology, and coursework that is taught by faculty who are both scholar
