Middle Grades Education, Bachelor of Science
| REQUIRED MAJOR HOURS |
26-31 |
| REQUIRED MINOR HOURS |
38 |
| TOTAL PROGRAM HOURS |
64-69 |
| PRESCRIBED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: LANGUAGE ARTS CONCENTRATION: ENGL 211, ENGL 212, ENGL 231, ENGL 232, OR ENGL 251; MATHEMATICS CONCENTRATION: MATH 105, MATH 110, MATH 150, OR MATH 151; SOCIAL STUDIES CONCENTRATION: SSCI 205, ECON 203, AND HIST 245; SCIENCE CONCENTRATION: BIOL 104 OR BIOL 111, CHEM 103, GEOL 105, PHYS 103, OR PHYS 104 |
Middle Grades Education is designed to prepare candidates to become teachers in grades 6-9 in Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and/or Science. The candidate is required to choose one concentration but may choose additional concentrations. The candidate chooses the content area(s) in which to concentrate. The program follows the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards. Candidates pursuing this major will be prepared to teach in a middle grades setting. Candidates will investigate current educational theory, educational philosophy, and middle grades methods. Multiple opportunities will be provided for candidates to observe and teach in PK-12 schools. Candidates must meet the requirements listed in the catalog for entrance into Teacher Education and for entrance into the Professional Semester.
Students who graduate from the Middle Grades Education program will demonstrate proficiency in the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards (NCTCS) as follows:
- Teachers demonstrate leadership;
- Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students;
- Teachers know the content they teach;
- Teachers facilitate learning for their students; and
- Teachers reflect on their practice.
Proficiencies will be met as students exhibit competency in the following goals and learning outcomes:
Student Learning Outcomes
(Subject to change based on data collected and analyzed by the Middle Grades Education faculty.)
- Candidates will be able to demonstrate leadership skills to assume leadership roles in an educational setting; (NCTCS I)
- Candidates will be able to apply leadership skills to assume leadership roles in an educational setting; (NCTCS I)
- Candidates will be able to demonstrate the ability to adapt instruction for the diverse needs of learners; (NCTCS II)
- Candidates will be able to differentiate instruction in an effective and appropriate manner; (NCTCS II)
- Candidates will be able to demonstrate advanced content knowledge related to core concepts in their specific discipline or disciplines; (NCTCS III)
- Candidates will be able to implement processes relative to their specific discipline or disciplines; (NCTCS III)
- Candidates will be able to use formative and summative assessment data to inform instruction; (NCTCS IV)
- Candidates will be able to integrate reading practices and assessments to design and implement appropriate lessons and units; (NCTCS IV)
- Candidates will be able to implement management processes in an educational setting; (NCTCS IV)
- Candidates will be able to reflect critically on performances of others and/or self for the purpose of improvement; (NCTCS V)
- Candidates will use research and data to adapt instruction; (NCTCS V)
- Candidates will be able to design instruction to meet the needs of digital-age learners; (NCTCS V) and
- Candidates will be able to demonstrate professional dispositions in varied settings with regard to all members of an organization. (NCTCS V) recommended).
Program Requirements
Required Major Hours (Language Arts Concentration)
| ENGL 211 | British Literature Survey I | 3 |
| OR | |
| ENGL 212 | British Literature Survey II | 3 |
| | |
| ENGL 231 | American Literature Survey I | 3 |
| OR | |
| ENGL 232 | American Literature Survey II | 3 |
| | |
| ENGL 251 | World Literature Survey I | 3 |
| EDUC 306 | Literacy and Language Arts for K-9 | 4 |
| ENGL 363 | Structure of the English Language | 3 |
| ENGL 391 | Workshop in English I | 2 |
| ENGL 483 | The Teaching of Writing | 3 |
| Literature Electives | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Required Major Hours (Mathematics Concentration)
| MATH 105 | Fundamentals of Statistics and Probability | 3 |
| MATH 110 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 150 | Precalculus | 3 |
| MATH 151 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 204 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| MATH 205 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II | 3 |
| MATH 230 | Foundations of Higher Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 331 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MAED 330 | Math Methods in 21st Century Schools | 3 |
MATH
| Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 31 |
Required Major Hours (Social Studies Concentration)
| ECON 203 | Principles of Economics I (Economics and the Free Market System) | 3 |
| GEOG 101 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| HIST 245 | Survey of United States History from 1877 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 332 | Twentieth-Century Europe | 3 |
| HIST 345 | North Carolina History | 3 |
| Non-Western History (e.g., POLS 351) | 3 |
| GLST 202 | International Relations and Comparative Politics | 3 |
| SSCI 205 | Global Understanding | 3 |
| SSED 307 | Social Studies Methods in 21st Century Schools | 3 |
| Social Science Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
Required Major Hours (Science Concentration)
| BIOL 111 | General Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 104 | Environment | 4 |
| CHEM 103 | Introductory Chemistry | 4 |
| GEOL 105 | Oceanography and Meteorology | 4 |
| PHYS 104 | Astronomy | 4 |
| PHYS 111 | General Physics I | 4 |
| OR | |
| PHYS 203 | General Physics for Scientists and Engineers I | 4 |
| Science Elective (BIOL 101 is recommended) | 3-4 |
| SCED 330 | Science Methods in 21st Century Schools | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30-31 |
Required Minor Hours
Professional Education Minor
| EDUC 250 | Teaching in the 21st Century Schools | 4 |
| EDUC 312 | Practicum in Literacy (K-9) | 3 |
| EDUC 316 | Teaching Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 |
| EDUC 350 | Diverse Populations in 21st Century Schools | 4 |
| EDUC 410 | Introduction to Curriculum Integration and Assessment | 3 |
| EDUC 435 | Facilitating Learning in 21st Century Schools | 4 |
| ESOL 335 | ESL Methods/Practicum 6-9 | 2 |
| PSYC 303 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
| EDUC 450 | Student Teaching | 12 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 38 |
Total Credit Hours: 64-69
Additional Requirements for Transfer Majors
None.
*EDUC 312 and EDUC 435 must be taken the semester prior to student teaching.
**EDUC 450 must be taken the final semester and no other courses may be taken concurrently. Students may not be employed during this semester.
Candidates must choose one area of specialization (two are recommended).
The School of Education admission process is different than the Gardner-Webb admission process. The School of Education interview is a secondary admission process specific to the School of Education.
The North Carolina State Board of Education has adopted new teacher standards and required all Teacher Education programs to be revisioned. All candidates starting their teacher education program with EDUC 250 in the fall of 2010 must complete the new program regardless of the catalog under which they entered Gardner-Webb University. Candidates who are already in Teacher Education can choose to complete the current program or the new program.
A non-licensure track for qualifying elementary and middle grades candidates is available. Please consult the Professional Education Committee (PEC) Handbook for details.