Education
Member of the Division of Social Studies
Chair(s):
Paul Hutchison
Faculty:
Cori Jakubiak
Stephanie Jones
Jonathan Larson
Deborah Michaels
Courses in Education aim to develop each student’s ability to analyze problems in education, to evaluate proposed solutions, and to act as teachers or citizens in ethical ways that further equity in the schools. The introductory courses (EDU 101 and EDU 102 ) are designed for all students. Students pursuing licensure will major in an academic discipline. They must earn a B average overall in required education courses and major endorsement area. All education courses prepare students for secondary licensure (grades 5–12), except for the ESL endorsement, which is K-12, and students who meet the requirements receive an Iowa license when all requirements are completed. The Iowa teaching license can be transferred to other states per regulatory guidelines.
Students seeking licensure at Grinnell College must apply to enter the Teacher Education Program. This should be done no later than the deadline for declaring a major, usually in the second semester of the second year.
Applications to the Teacher Education Program are reviewed by the Teacher Education Committee, which is comprised of extra-departmental College faculty. Applications for the program are made available on the departmental website each spring.
Licensure can be attained in the following areas:
American history, American government, anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, Chinese, English, French, German, Latin, Russian, Spanish, physics, psychology, math, sociology, and world history. Students seeking licensure should consult members of the department about these requirements as early as possible. Requirements for each license are listed under endorsements on the department Web page. Students can also earn an endorsement in ESL.
Students seeking licensure must have taken courses in all divisions and a course in mathematics, in humanities, in American history or government, and coursework in both a biological and physical science.
For all areas of licensure, the foundation courses are EDU 101 , EDU 102 , EDU 221 , EDU 250 , and one 200-leve EDU elective. Also, students must accrue 80 hours of field-based practicum experience in K-12 schools as part of the EDU core courses. In the upper-level courses, students apply theory and methods of instruction to specific disciplines. The Teacher Education Program capstone experience is a 14-week student teaching practicum, which may be conducted in Grinnell, nearby Iowa public schools, or Minneapolis, MN.
Most students seeking licensure at Grinnell College plan to take nine semesters to do so. Please see Expenses and Financial Aid (Special Fees) section of the catalog.
Students may request permission from the department to complete the requirements for licensure in eight semesters by indicating their ability to complete a major and obtain a strong liberal arts background in seven semesters. Students must also indicate that extracurricular commitments will not interfere with 14 weeks of full-time teaching. If students are able to complete the requirements for licensure in eight semesters and prior to completing their B.A. degree requirements, the 12 credits associated with student teaching (EDU 460 and EDU 469 ) will count toward the 124 credits required for graduation. Any credits completed after a Grinnell bachelor’s degree has been awarded are granted as post-B.A. credits.
