Teacher Education Program

Dr. Paula Sable Director, Teacher Education Program

     The Teacher Education Program at Bradford College is approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is accredited by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC). These approvals qualify students who successfully complete Bradford's Teacher Education Program to receive a Massachusetts teaching certificate at the Advanced Provisional level. This certificate allows Bradford graduates to be hired as elementary education (grades 1-6), secondary English, or secondary Social Studies classroom teachers and to begin pursuing graduate work toward the attainment of a standard certificate.
      Massachusetts teaching certificates are reciprocal with approximately thirty other states. A Massachusetts certificate at the Advanced Provisional level is commensurate with the initial teaching certificate in states that are part of the Interstate Certification Compact.
      Admission to Bradford allows students to begin their course work in the Teacher Education Program in their first year of study at the College. The program is intellectually challenging! Eligibility for the Teacher Education program requires students to attain grades of B- or better in required education courses and to maintain specified cumulative grade point averages throughout the program. Requirements are described in a Handbook that all students receive when they begin study in the program.
      Students seeking certification in secondary English or Social Studies take most of their courses at Bradford. In their senior year, these students take collaborative courses with students at nearby Merrimack College .
  

           Bradford students may opt to work toward certification in three areas: elementary education (grades 1-6), secondary English, or secondary Social Studies. A key feature of Bradford’s Teacher Education Program is that each required education course includes fieldwork in area schools. This hands-on interaction in real classrooms helps students to solidify their understanding of what they are learning in courses. It also provides them with many opportunities to test their aptitude for teaching early in the program. The final fieldwork requirement in the program is a semester-long practicum (five full days each week)in an assigned classroom. Students have ample opportunity early on at Bradford to test their choice of career through observation and participation at cooperating schools.

 

     Earning teacher certification in any one of the specific certificate options allows one to become a classroom teacher in that area. Elementary teachers may teach in public or private schools in any grade, 1 through 6. Secondary English teachers are qualified to teach high school English (grades 9-12); earning a certificate in secondary Social Studies allows one to teach high school history, civics, social studies, or a related course.
     Depending on the student’s major, other careers may also be considered. For example, a major in the creative arts with a concentration in dance and elementary teacher certification might teach dance to young children; a person with certification in social studies might work in the education department of a museum of natural history. Service agencies like the Peace Corps are eager to give assignments to people who hold teaching certificates. Many, many opportunities exist for those who have a teaching certificate.
 

     Students in Bradford’s Teacher Education Program engage in field work in a variety of schools and educational settings. Students in each methods course are assigned to a classroom for several hours each week; they work with individual and small groups of students, eventually teaching formal lessons to the whole class. These classroom assignments vary each semester so a student will have a chance to experience various teaching styles and a range of instructional settings, from inner city classrooms to suburban and specialized settings. In several other courses, students visit alternative schools and special programs where they usually have opportunities to interact with teachers and learners.

 

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Course of Study