Curriculum & Instruction

The Curriculum and Instruction Department offers the opportunity to prepare for careers as DPI licensed educators in early childhood (dual licensure), early childhood/middle childhood (EC/MC), middle childhood/early adolescence (MC/EA), and various middle/secondary, or early adolescence/adolescence (EA/A), education programs. In addition to a wide variety of urban, suburban, and rural-school practicum sites in southeast Wisconsin, the department currently provides opportunities for teaching internationally in Australia, Jamaica, and Sweden; programs are currently being established in Mexico and Scotland.

As students move through their programs, they are provided with a strong foundation in liberal arts, a major and/or minor emphasis area, pedagogy and curriculum study, and clinical experiences. The combination of classes and clinical experiences allows students to apply, assess, and adapt theoretical and practical educational principles. Upon graduation, students will have gained extensive knowledge in content and teaching, and will have demonstrated proficiency according to the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure. Moreover, they will have had the opportunity to grow as reflective instructional decision makers, preparing them to be effective teachers in today’s schools.

Faculty and staff teaching in the Curriculum and Instruction Department are highly qualified and committed to teaching as well as professionally active in research and service. The College of Education is accredited by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Curriculum and instruction graduates are well prepared for careers in teaching. Although most graduates seek jobs as teachers, many use their skills in education-related fields in business or government. Teaching careers include the following:

• Art teacher (K-12)
• Business teacher
• Computer science teacher
• Elementary school teacher
• English teacher
• ESL/Bilingual teacher
• Foreign language teacher (K-12)
• Kindergarten teacher
• Mathematics teacher
• Middle school teacher
• Music teacher (K-12)
• Preschool teacher
• Science teacher
• Social studies teacher
• Theatre teacher

Courses are taught by faculty and academic staff, rather than teaching assistants. Faculty and staff are committed to teaching, and they are actively involved in research and service activities. The faculty and academic staff in the Curriculum and Instruction Department are professionally active, serving as review board members, editors of professional journals, consultants, and members of state and national committees.

Preparation for the degree should begin in high school and continue with lowerdivision university courses that build a solid liberal arts foundation. Individuals seeking careers as teachers should take advantage of opportunities to interact with children in paid or volunteer situations. Prospective teachers should also seek opportunities to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and with a variety of learning needs.

Curriculum and Instruction Department members have received recognition from their professional associations for their teaching, research, and/or service activities.

Students in every program participate in at least three clinical experiences: Observation and Participation, field study, and directed teaching. Each offers increased opportunity and responsibility with children/adolescents in classrooms, including understanding and accommodating diversity. Paid internships are limited but exist for all subject areas and levels of teaching in place of the directed teaching experience.

The average starting salary for public school teachers is currently about $27,000 in Wisconsin and about $30,000 nationally. Placement varies by subject area and geographic location. Students in high demand subject areas who are not geographically limited have the highest placement rates.

The Student Wisconsin Education Association (Student WEA) offers all program majors a combination of professional, service, and social activities. Early childhood majors may also choose to participate in the Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). Kappa Delta Pi is an honor society for students in education.

The course of study varies by program. In general the programs are as follows:

Early Childhood Education: Dual License: This program prepares students to teach in regular and special education settings, birth through grade 3. Each fall a cohort of students is admitted to Professional Education to begin their sequence of classes the following spring semester. There is no minor required.

Early Childhood to Middle Childhood: The EC/MC minor focuses on working with children in infant, toddler, and preschool settings, kindergartens, and the primary grades. This program includes an elementary education major that contains extra coursework equivalent to a minor. No additional minor is required.

Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence: The Program includes an elementary education major, an approved minor and a wide range of professional education courses. Special emphasis is placed on fieldwork in schools and developing the skills to work with children who may vary widely in background and educational need. A special methods course in the minor may be required.

Early Adolescence through Adolescence (Middle/Secondary): Academic major(s), minor(s), or broad field areas are complemented by educational foundations coursework, methods courses, and fieldwork, which qualify students for middle/secondary teaching licensure.

K-12 Licensure Programs: The Art Education and Music Education programs prepare students to work in K-12 settings and include field experiences at the elementary and secondary levels.

English as a Second Language/Bilingual-Bicultural: In addition to the basic requirements for licensure, students seeking ESL/Bilingual-Bicultural licensure must complete additional language study and demonstrate second language competence.