Vol. 38, No. 18

1-18-2005
By: Joni Bentz Seal

School of Teaching and Learning encourages diversity, interdisciplinarity

Housed in the College of Education, Ohio State’s School of Teaching and Learning has a strong commitment to teaching, research and public service, according to Director Peter V. Paul.

“We are dedicated to improving the education of all children, including children with disabilities in inclusive or general-education classrooms,” Paul said. “Our mission is to prepare exemplary teachers for all the licensure areas. We’re serious about teaching, so we make sure we have good programs to prepare teachers by supporting the scholarship, professional practice and development of our faculty, staff and students.”

The school primarily offers graduate degrees in three sections: Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL); Language, Literacy and Culture; and Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. Master of Education (M.Ed.), which leads to teacher licensure, Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in each of these sections are offered on the Columbus campus. In addition, the M.A. in ITL and the M.Ed. in Early and Middle Childhood Education are offered on the regional campuses.

The school also houses two undergraduate majors: one in Technology Education, which on the Columbus campus offers either a licensure or non-licensure option; and one in Early and Middle Childhood Education on the regional campuses, which prepares students to pursue the respective M.Ed. program that leads to teacher licensure. The school also collaborated with the Arts and Sciences Colleges (ASC) on the development of a Middle Childhood major, which is housed in ASC and includes a minor in education. This interdisciplinary major/minor provides a natural path for the Middle Childhood M.Ed. teacher preparation program, Paul said.

He explained that state licensure changes in the past few years required the college to restructure its programs: the former Elementary Education (grades K-8) now consists of Early Childhood Education, serving grades Pre-K–3 and Middle Childhood Education, grades 4–8; Grades 7–12 are now considered Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) and there is also a multi-age category for grades Pre-K–12, with teacher licensure for both through the M.Ed. program.

Interdisciplinary minors
Although students typically enter one of the school’s graduate programs with an undergraduate major in one subject area or discipline, Paul said the Personalized Study Program is also a popular choice because it allows students to create a course sequence — often including minors like Disability Studies — that helps focus their area of study and satisfies the prerequisites for graduate level programs.

“The trend is to encourage students to plan ahead and decide early in their college career which graduate specialization to pursue, allowing them to finish all the prerequisites in four years as part of their undergraduate studies and then complete their master’s degree in just one year,” he said.

With the university’s interest in supporting the development of new minors, Paul said the school is eager to work with other departments and colleges to create new interdisciplinary undergraduate options. Two minors — in deaf studies and “sensory” (vision and hearing) studies — are on the drawing board, Paul said, although their names have not been fully vetted. A track involving deaf studies may be an avenue to realize a minor in American Sign Language, a growing course sequence for majors and for non-majors looking to satisfy GEC language requirements.

Competitive enrollment
As part of Ohio State’s College of Education, which is ranked among the top education programs in the country, the School of Teaching and Learning boasts a highly competitive program. In fact, the school can only accept slightly more than half the 1,000-1,200 students who apply each year, according to Teri Roberts, director of the school’s Office of Academic Services.

“Our programs in elementary and secondary education are ranked in the top three graduate programs in the nation, according to the 2004 U.S. News & World Report. In 2002, our Social Studies and Global Education program received the American Associate of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Best Practice Award for teacher education in global and international education,” she said.

To assist its faculty in becoming well known in their areas of research and securing more external grants, the school has established funds for travel and conference expenses. Both faculty and students are encouraged to present their research at conferences at the national and international levels.

Paul, who has a profound hearing loss himself and whose son, Peter Ben, has Down Syndrome, autism and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also offers special support to those who pursue knowledge or research on disabilities. “Most of the programs in this school are for general education, so I tried to find a way to put children with disabilities on the map because they tend to be low on the totem pole in society,” he said. “My son reminds me every day that I need to push for this. The school is noted for diversity and I feel it’s important to promote all children, and I believe all should mean all, and that includes children with disabilities.”

To extend its reach even further, the school houses a number of centers and outreach collaboratives devoted to sharing instructional best practices and raising the achievement of the ultimate beneficiaries — children. The OSU Reading Clinic, the Office of International Development and Research Support, the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education, the Literacy Collaborative and Reading Recovery are among the most prominent.

For more information about the School of Teaching and Learning, its programs and centers, visit its Web site at www.coe.ohio-state.edu/edtl/index.htm.

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