Prospective STEM Education Students
Q: What long term commitments do I make if I enroll in the Step 1 course?
A: None. Step 1 and Step 2 are courses in which you get a chance to explore the profession of teaching and get some hands-on experiences teaching students in elementary and middle schools. We hope that you will determine that teaching is a wonderful profession and decide to complete the UTeaChattanooga program, but you make no long term commitment to do so.
Q: Can I graduate with a degree in science or mathematics and be prepared to go into a science or mathematics profession if I decide not to pursue a teaching career?
A: Absolutely. You will earn a degree in mathematics or science that is equivalent to that earned by all other mathematics and science majors. The difference is that you will also be prepared to complete the process for certification as a high school teacher. In the experience of other UTeach programs, a large majority of students who finish the program do teach after completion, but others have gone to graduate schools or medical school.
Q: How is UTeaChattanooga different from traditional teacher preparation programs?
A: In several ways: as a student in the program you will gain much earlier experience in classrooms, starting from your first semester in the program; several courses, including Step 1 and 2 and Apprentice Teaching, are taught by excellent public school teachers, our master Teachers, who have many years of first hand, real-life experience that they pass on to our students; all the courses specific to UTeaChattanooga are designed specially for prospective teachers of mathematics and science; and after students complete the program they continue to get support from the program faculty and staff as they get their feet on the ground during their first two years in the classroom.
Q: When, how often, and in what kinds of classrooms will I be teaching?
A: In Step 1 you will be teaching three times with a partner in a nearby public elementary school classroom and in Step 2 you will be teaching three times with a partner in a nearby middle school classroom. In later courses you will be teaching in an area high school classroom.
Q: What support will I have when I go into the classroom?
A: You will be supported by the classroom teacher, a mentor teacher who will help you understand the students and their needs, and your partner. You will also have the support of your Master Teacher.
Q: What other types of courses are in the program?
A. The other courses in the program are listed and described under the link "Courses" on the left side of this web page.
Q: Will I also be doing “student teaching” at the end of the program?
A: Yes. Your last semester in the program you will be doing your Apprentice Teaching with the support of both the mentor teacher in your classroom and your master Teacher. Before you arrive at this point you will have had many classroom teaching experiences and will be well prepared to take on this challenge. See the Apprentice Teaching course under the "Courses" link on the left side of this web page for further information.