Teacher Education – Middle Childhood

The B.A. licensure in Middle School Education is offered in partnership with Lourdes University. Faculty from Lourdes University teach all the education coursework on Tiffin University’s campus. 

Students earn degree requirements from Tiffin University while also earning licensure requirements from Lourdes University. This partnership offers you the strengths of two universities, with the opportunity to learn from experienced faculty from both universities. 

This program will provide you with a Bachelor of Arts degree and the necessary coursework to become a licensed middle school teacher for grades 4-9. Middle school teachers earn credentials in 2 of the following content areas: social studies, math, and science. 

• Nationally accredited (CAEP, 2022) 

• Consistent rating of “Effective,” Ohio’s highest ranking for teacher preparation programs 

• Field experiences range from one-day observations in the first education courses to 15-weeks during student teaching 

The middle childhood program for grades four through nine helps teacher candidates learn how to engage young adolescents in active and purposeful learning, which is challenging, exploratory, integrative and relevant in an environment that is safe, inclusive and supportive of all. 

The curriculum is based on contemporary research and the most current standard requirements of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). 

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING 

• The licensure in Middle School program leads to state licensure within Ohio to teach grades 4-9 in two identified content areas. 

• Courses are taught by professionals working within the field who have earned state licensure in the area in which they teach. 

• You’ll gain professional experience in the school setting – starting with your first education course. 

• Field experiences and clinical hours are built into each semester of the program. 

• The program offers field experiences in a variety of teaching environments, including public, private, rural and urban settings. 

• Tiffin University schedules special events for our TU students to mentor middle school-aged students, to build community and to model educational experiences. 

• TU’s Education Club and education events connect you to campus and help build close community. 

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Clinical and field experiences are incorporated throughout all four years of the student experience. The work builds upon prior knowledge and gets more hands-on as you continue in the field. You’ll move from observing classes to building and teaching lessons within a variety of classroom settings, using knowledge gained from your content and education coursework.

Within your program, you’ll build a strong foundation of knowledge in your two chosen subject areas (i.e. Science, English, Language Arts, History, or Mathematics), making connections between theory and practice. You’ll gain insights into student development (psychology/sociology) and learning styles and needs. You’ll learn about assessment, accommodations, modifications, diversity and integration of technology within unit planning.

At the end of your program, you’ll carry away career-ready skills, including:

• Lesson planning
• Assessment
• Time management
• Communication
• Organization
• Classroom Management
• Collaboration
• Differentiation

Experiential learning is the essence of teaching. Without the experiences of being in the classroom observing and teaching, you would be ill prepared mentally, emotionally and academically to teach in a real-world setting.

During your program, you’ll practice lessons in your college classroom on your peers, work with peers to build unit plans and assessments and engage in discussions around scenarios to help prepare you for the classroom setting. You’ll then take what you’ve learned and teach these lessons to students in the grades 4-9 setting as a classroom leader.

Bringing Knowledge to Practice

• You’ll gain professional experience in the school setting – starting with your first education course.
• Students can be placed in different schools settings, such as urban, suburban, rural, private or public schools.
• You’ll take a course focusing on diversity along with a course that introduces you to challenges within the inclusion and special needs setting.
• You may volunteer to work in local schools, libraries and community education programs.
• You’ll have the opportunity to tutor students within the Tiffin University community.
• You’ll use an e-Portfolio as a digital repository for your work in content area courses and in your education work at Lourdes University.
• The Education Club provides you opportunities to meet other students and participate in various activities and events.

Education is a growing field and due to COVID many teachers have decided to retire, creating many openings within the middle school environment. This program will provide you with a Bachelor of Arts degree and the necessary coursework to become a licensed middle school teacher for grades 4-9. Middle school teachers earn credentials in 2 of the following content areas: social studies, math, English Language Arts, and science.

WHERE TU GRADS HAVE WORKED

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District
• Horizon Science Academy
• Indianapolis Private Industry Council Inc.
• Ohio Virtual Academy
• Renhill Group Inc.
• Springboro Community City Schools
• Tiffin Inc.
• Toledo Public Schools
• Vermilion Local Schools
• Warren County Educational Service Center
• Winchester Public Schools

Learn about Tiffin University’s online Master of Education programs