Kean University – College of Education



Kean University – College of Education

Initial Teacher Certification

Report Card – Spring 2009

Art Education Comments

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

• Plenty of field experience

• Do not excel in any area

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

• Academic advisement

• If GPA is above a certain point, students should have the option to register without advisement.

• Teaching Performance Center needs much improvement and better organization.

• Classroom management; interview skills

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

• More special education preparation

• Practical preparation in the area of grades, paperwork, etc.

• Courses on how to complete a unit/lesson plans

• How to observe student learning more

Early Childhood Program

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

FACULTY

• Some very helpful staff (Dr. Knight)

• The College of Education has always excelled in having professors who are highly qualified and whom have provided resources (textbooks, worksheets, lesson plans) which I will use throughout my career.

COURSEWORK

• Providing a variety of teaching methods

• How student develop and learn

• There are a lot of resources provided by the university

• Preparation for the Praxis

• Plato lab – very helpful

• Science & World Languages

• Most education classes were really helpful, and I learned a lot.

• Kean offers a nice variety of classes to choose from.

• Preparing students to understand the way children learn

OTHER

• Diversity

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

FACULTY

• Evening office hours

• Communication to students needs major improvement

• How advisement sessions are used to select courses

• Dr. Long should be the only teacher to teach EC3000. His classroom management techniques are the most effective that I’ve learned.

COURSEWORK

• By having more information on TWS, also more examples

• Focus less on theories and more on what really happens, i.e. classroom management

• TWS preparation

• Teaching real-life scenarios as opposed to teaching from the text

• Have a class all about the Praxis

• The TWS – everyone should follow the same format. Teachers and supervisors should be on the same page.

• The co-requisite classes with the field experiences and the course regarding disabilities in children have better prepared me for my professional experiences.

• Providing classroom management courses for all education majors

• Providing a basic or introductory course to create/develop lesson plans

FIELDWORK

• I think student teachers would benefit from more hands-on classroom experience.

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

COURSEWORK

• Course on classroom management

• Lesson planning

• The classroom management training would have been much more helpful early in the semester.

• If Kean offered a class that focused on classroom experiences, especially classroom management strategies, it would help students in the classroom.

• Classroom Management

• EC3000, EDUC4400 for one year can fully give the real experience needed

FIELDWORK

• I learned a lot while doing my preprofessional field work.

• I think there should be more field work.

Elementary/Middle K-5/5-8 Program

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

FACULTY/OTHER

• *Kean@OCC has some truly remarkable professors. I had a very successful experience despite all the problems that arose and the professors made the difference.

• Teaching Performance does a great job in placement and support.

• Teaching staff is great, especially professors who have been classroom teachers and are able to share their experiences and explain how to apply what is learned in class to the classroom.

• Teaching Performance Center

• *Professors that have their student’s best interest at heart.

• Professors in education courses were extremely helpful.

• *The tuition is what kept me in this program. Georgian Court is double the price.

• *The professors are very knowledgeable about their areas of study and what they teach.

• *Most professors were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, enthusiastic.

COURSEWORK

• *Spanish major requirements should include more grammar classes and more ways of showing how to teach a foreign language.

• Special Education

• Most education courses were extremely informative.

• *I feel my classes have given me the knowledge I need to write effective lesson plans and I have an understanding of the different types of learners.

• Classes were great.

• I like the education major curriculum and biology curriculum.

FIELDWORK

• The field experiences have been memorable and educational experiences for me.

• The field work is where the majority of learning takes place and the TPC does a great job of placement.

• Field experience. All the schools I have been placed in for field experience have been very welcoming and useful.

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

FACULTY/OTHER

• Advisement. I have been here for 5 ½ years and the reason is that I haven’t ever been completely advised or guided in this major.

• Better communication skills

• Make sure everyone is on the same page – every person is told something different

• Helping students with needs

• Advisors need to be more useful.

• *Get all the staff on the same page regarding important information given to students. Organization & Communication need to improve.

• Some history professors do not take course seriously and I realize now that it hindered my performance.

• Advisors are not available for students. If advisor is on sick leave, then student should be assigned to another advisor.

• *Teachers need to be more knowledgeable about the progression of coursework within majors and what is expected in the TWS.

• *Become more organized – different people tell you different things; better communication between departments & Kean@OCC & Union campus.

• *Some of the teachers seem to be below standard

• *More information for students – often here things third-hand and then have to confirm.

• *More advisement and supervision

• *A better understanding of what’s expected

• *Better advisement; better advisement for TWS

• *Program is run very, very poorly.

• More communication among faculty – no inter-departmental communication; better advisement

• *Provide better staff at the college up in Union. Not everyone was aware of Kean@Ocean. People do not return phone calls in a timely manner. TPC not very helpful.

• Parking, Parking, Parking

• *Advisement – didn’t know who my advisors were yet I needed BOTH approvals before signing up for one class. They were NOT available. Signing up for classes was horrible.

• Have answers for our questions especially at Kean@OCC

COURSEWORK

• Provide a class in resumes and interview techniques

• Having a different lesson plan format for every teacher. There should be a standard lesson plan format.

• More taught on classroom management, differentiated instruction and parent communication

• *Add a variety of classes to OCC Campus

• More classes on “How-to Teach” certain subjects. There is not enough practice teaching content at the college.

• *More time should be spent constructing the TWS.

• *More classes available at Kean@Ocean campus.

• *More class options: more day classes

• More class options

• *Have more online classes, more sections of classes, more varied schedule for classes

• *Provide a separate class for the TWS

• *More online classes, more sections of classes at more convenient times for those with part time jobs

• *Need more class options and days & times at Kean@Ocean

• I would like to see classroom management class offered.

FIELDWORK

• More programs involving student teachers’ best practices – we can learn from one another

• *Easier process of field experience

• Provide more time within the classroom for the junior field. One day is not enough!

• Make junior field either twice a week or 2 full weeks training out in field

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

COURSEWORK

• Classroom management classes

• A math course that teaches us how to teach math

• Classroom management

• Methods in teaching middle school math. I felt I was having to reteach myself most of the material when I entered the classroom.

• *Take preprofessional field with an actual class that focuses on the TWS. It should not be part of Math/Science Elementary Ed.

• Coursework concentrating on classroom management

• A course on the TWS would be a good idea, even if only 4-5 weeks of semester.

• *A TWS class or seminar explaining the whole process (as soon as Kean can figure it out)

• *There could be a seminar to discuss the TWS in depth, rather than just at the meeting before the field experience.

FIELDWORK

• Preprofessional field experience should be two times a week for fewer weeks. This way we can feed off the lessons we teach rather than jump into something new each week.

• *Junior field experience really does not prepare me. One time a week is totally inadequate.

• A one week session Monday-Friday for junior field

• More real life application instead of theories

Elementary Education K-5

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

FACULTY

• Some professors go above and beyond to increase student achievement. Certain faculty go out of their way to advise accordingly.

• *Caring staff & professors who truly want us to succeed.

• Staff faculty are extremely helpful. Instructors are knowledgeable for the most part.

• *All teachers in the program should be on the same page; lots of different information

• Information given to students; blogs are a great experience

• Use of technology in the classroom

• Knowledge of the Spectrum Model

• Good professors and supervisors

COURSEWORK

• Courses are always available.

• *Teacher Work Sample

• The 3 EMSE core curriculum classes (Social Studies, Language Arts, Math/Science) were excellent in preparing me to design fun, hands-on, dynamic lessons in all subject areas at the elementary level.

• Hands-on learning in areas that involve social studies, English and tests/quizzes

• EMSE 4900 offers a lot of emotional support for those in student teaching

FIELDWORK

OTHER

• *Tuition rates

• *Creating a positive learning environment; encouraging reflection

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

FACULTY

• The university has inefficient communication with the students.

• *More advisors and better communication.

• *Advisement is sketchy at best. Students need to know the whole picture; what they need to know should be addressed thoroughly during appointments/meetings.

• Make all staff/faculty more aware of what goes into the TWS. I received very little help until I reached the capstone course.

• *Better advisement, more communication between professors and staff.

• *Advising needs work. Constantly being told different information in academic advising. I feel as if many curveballs are thrown at Kean@OCC students.

• Communication can be improved immensely between advisors, teachers, students, etc.

• Communication between departments

• More communication between supervisor, EMSE4900 teacher and student

• Lack of communication

• Communication with the students

COURSEWORK

• *More class selection including online classes

• *Improvement in class availability

• *More focus on TWS

• Have at least one or two teachers visit classroom with real-life experience

• *Assessment tools

• Classroom management

• Have more programs on evaluating student work and classroom management

FIELDWORK

• Junior Field: It is not realistic to write a TWS for a unit when we go to the class once a week. We do not experience or teach the unit from pre to post assessment.

• More days of junior field experience

OTHER

• *Better book sale and buy back process; more registration information

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

COURSEWORK

• Perhaps a methods course on what to expect in the classroom

• A class specific to classroom management.

• Coursework that is more realistic or a workshop that would better prepare me for my field experiences.

• *More education classes, more seminars, class for Teacher Work Sample

• *Courses on lesson plan writing and TWS

• A class on classroom management

• More classroom management

• An entire course on classroom management would help.

• *Technology, assessment

• Classroom management; dealing w/students with disabilities

• More classroom management courses

• Classroom Management

• Coursework that involves more classroom management

• Coursework that works more closely with the NJCCCS

• Less coursework during professional internship so you can focus more on your classroom every day

• Full term class in classroom management

• Offering more math classes that enable us to learn how to teach it.

• Course on classroom management and assessment

• Assessment, classroom management, questioning

FIELDWORK

• Sophomore field

•

Health & Physical Education

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

• The school excelled in the values department and diversity

• Preparation for physical education courses

• Lots of resources and nice facilities

• Teaching concepts

• Lesson plan writing was sufficient

• Professional Development Day on Classroom Management was very useful.

• Advisors and teachers were always available

• Field experiences

• Advisement

• Reminders of due dates and workshops

• Preparation for field work

• The anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanics courses are very good and informative.

• The knowledge I gained will allow me to be an outstanding teacher and has given me the confidence to be in front of a class.

• Great student teaching program

• Plenty of classes were provided that assist in the development of a soon-to-be professional

• Field Work

• The program has very capable instructors. Field experiences are impressive.

• Small class size, providing more access to professors

• Hours of field experience

• Accessibility of counselors and their willingness to help with questions or concerns related to the field, lesson plans, applications, etc.

• Providing support and guidance

• Providing real-life situations and a positive learning experience

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

• Need to find more professors that care and challenge their students.

• The TPC needs to screen the schools and teachers they are sending students to. I have had too many poor experiences with bad co-op.

• I am graduating now and have yet to see how a proper class is run.

• Require classes that teach us all about conflicts that occur in the school setting.

• Offering driver education courses

• Need more health experience and health strategies and more time in the classroom

• Rather than doing ½ semester of one sport class, can incorporate a few different classes to get more of a variety.

• Offer Drivers Ed

• More time in the field before junior & senior field

• Professors in the education department need to be observed become some need to leave the university.

• Health Education

• Providing strategies instead of teaching theories in coursework such as motor learning, biomechanics, kinesiology

• Implementing a Driver Education program

• More classroom experiences during the preprofessional Junior 1 & 2.

• Classroom Management Seminars during preprofessional & professional experiences

• Alignment between departments

• Cooperating teachers should better understand student’s needs

• Computer lab space

• Offer more courses throughout the day, particularly in the evening

• Start fieldwork sooner (when education courses start)

• Require more for both sophomore and junior field

• Have information on certification requirements to teach out of state

• Better help in administration

• Courses did not teach students how to actually teach skills, games, etc to a class.

• Classroom Management

• Do away with TWS. No one in the “real world” reads it.

• Spend more time on practical issues, i.e. classroom management

• It would be helpful if all supervisors had a background inside the classroom and were more consistent with each other.

• Need more classes on how to break down skills, to teach them, to learn different games we can use in class.

• More in-depth coverage on Teacher Work Sample

• Some educators need to be more realistic when giving assignments; perfection is unrealistic.

• Hire professors with more field experience.

• Many of the education classes covered exactly the same material in each one. Design of the curriculum should be modified. PE has two capstone courses. Maybe get rid of one?

• More field work is the best way to improve

• More experience time in the classroom with children. Some of the science classes are not needed.

• On individual and team sport courses, I think there needs to be more time spent on how to teach that particular sport, how to create lesson plans for games in that sport and go back to the fundamentals of the sport instead of jumping right into the playing.

• Instead of classes that we participate in, we should be the teachers and learn to handle classroom situations

• Need more classes based on teaching a health curriculum

• Making courses more relevant to actual classroom teaching

• Provide information for students who want to be certified out-of-state

• More help in administration

• More time in the field earlier in the program and cut some of the workload required so that this can take place

• Hold supervisors to better qualifications

• Provide for health education and classroom management classes. I feel they don’t provide you at all for teaching, researching and educating in a health classroom.

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

• Classes that taught the laws that affect education and teachers.

• Classes that taught how to properly plan a year’s lessons

• How to properly evaluate students

• Should be in the field freshman year. Junior I & II should be more in the field for my credits.

• More health and health related courses

• Classroom Management

• Field work is a major aspect of becoming a teacher; the more field work the university can offer the better.

• Driver Education – I had to go to another school to get certified in it.

• Require more sports-related courses

• More Praxis reviews

• More activity classes

• Less busy work, more classroom experiences

• Many public schools do not have a good PE program (too lax)

• With the number of breaks and days off at each school, I think that 8 weeks is not enough time for field work.

• A field experience in all the grade levels

• Methods and Materials of Health Education with Susan MacLaury – great class. She is a great teacher. I feel so much more confident teaching health in all grade levels.

• More field work and less course work

• My junior field work classes could have been longer with more required minutes.

• Should be more than 8 weeks at each level of educational field work. It doesn’t give us enough time to get the full experience of teaching.

• A class based on teaching a progression of skills rather than participating in what it seems – a high school gym class.

• More field experience hours

• Better explanations/ideas about assessment and discipline

• Health, class management

Social Studies Education

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

• History 3000 Praxis II Prep course

• I believe the program is set up well for teachers to grow and develop as educators. Also, in the area of field experience. I also feel the professors offer a wealth of knowledge.

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

• Better education professors. My experience has been that the professors are not practicing what the preach. (There are a few exceptions.)

• Be more flexible to the students! If a student has a professional field experience lined up in a school they graduated from eight years ago and the teacher has 20 plus years experience, let the student go! I feel this rule is extremely wrong and short sighted.

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

• More subject/education courses such as social studies K-12 course but during senior field

• A course for Post-Baccalaureate students on how to complete the teaching portfolio would be very helpful.

Teacher of Students w/Disabilities Education

1. In which areas and in what ways do we excel?

FACULTY

• The majority of professors are wonderful – They know their subject matter and are very helpful.

• Good academic professors – very knowledgeable

• Dr. Lee is phenomenal. She teaches what you really need to know to become an effective teacher. Her guidance is what has made me successful.

• Dr. Lee’s advisement was excellent and she was very knowledgeable.

• Wonderful supervision. Dr. K has supported us for the entire year.

• The professors are highly knowledgeable and encourage growth as a professional educator.

• Small class size allowed personalized attention, encouragement and support from teachers. Teachers modeled good teaching methods.

• Special Ed advisement was wonderful!

• Helping to keep students informed

COURSEWORK

• Teaching classroom management. I successfully implemented the strategies taught to me through my coursework.

• Classroom Management and lesson plan instruction and modifications for student learning

• Classroom management

• Kean’s SPED program helped me greatly with classroom management.

• The SPED department at Kean has a great program. I feel I have been taught in all the proper areas that will help me to become an effective teacher.

• The variety of teachers and classes

• Have all the teachers on the same page. I get different information from different teachers.

• Variety of classes

• Excellent special education program

• I excelled in my teaching ability.

• Knowledgeable information to help in classroom success

• Classroom management, professionalism in the classroom and modifications

FIELDWORK

• Field work

2. In what ways do you think we can improve?

FACULTY

• Better advisement with everything regarding all teaching experiences. Students should get a teaching advisor to help them through paperwork and deadlines.

• Advisement, organization, communication, availability

• Definitely need to have better communication at Kean. It was frustrating and unnecessary when I needed something done and was sent from person to person and told different things.

• Advisors shouldn’t be so nit picky.

• I think that some of the professors that I’ve had for soph & Jr field did not give me adequate information and preparation for my experience as a teacher.

• More special education classes

• Advisement

• Some semesters I took only Earth Science courses and others education courses only. I would still have to get approval from both advisors. This was difficult for an evening student.

COURSEWORK

• Make sure the professional education courses are better. One of my classes (Math & Science) was taught by an adjunct and did not prepare me at all to teach Math or Science.

• Having a cohesive lesson plan format.

• An example of the TWS would help everyone improve and have a better understanding of what the school expects.

• No journals

• More classes concentrating on IEP’s, behavior modification

• There could be a separate course or the specialized areas (such as math) to teah how to get materials across to students.

• More training on IEP’s and learning disabilities

• Have more classes in which we teach the class

• Include more classes that deal with assessment and modalities in the special ed field

• More classes about disabilities

• Give a written example of the TWS so we have a better idea of what is expected.

• Need more on classroom management and surviving in real world

• I would like more knowledge on how to teach different types of learners.

• By having more references

• More special ed classes and more seminars for students in the education program

• More knowledge about the TWS

FIELDWORK

• Providing more time in the field during junior field work

• More field work, longer junior field or more days

• I would like senior field to be longer

• Junior field should be changed to a deeper, more in-depth experience.

• Better qualified cooperating teacher

3. What particular coursework or field experiences would have better prepared you for professional experiences?

FACULTY

• Dr. Strigari’s classroom management course was essential in preparing me to teach. The strategies and skills I gained in that class were excellent.

•

COURSEWORK

• More on classroom management.

• How to teach grammar

• How to modify activities for special ed students

• I believe that being a SPED major I think as a future educator. I would like to be better prepared in all the aspects of SPED during practicum experiences. For example, I would like to have seen all types of settings – autistic, MD, downs, self-contained and inclusion. I don’t know if I’m prepared to teach an autistic class and I don’t believe that was discusses thoroughly.

• More special education courses, IEP

• More strategies for encouraging unmotivated students to want to learn

• Better classroom management course

• More information about autism

• A sign language class would definitely help when teaching special education.

• A class on disabilities and how to teach them.

• More information in prior classes for TWS

• More training on IEP’s and behavior management

FIELDWORK

• More time in junior field

• Our senior field experience should be for an entire year instead of one semester.

• More than one day per week for junior field

• More field experience hours during sophomore and junior years

• Senior field really prepares you. I think sophomore field should be like junior field and junior field more like senior. More experience the better!

• I think I would be better prepared if I had gotten the opportunity to take over the classroom.

• Being in the classroom has taught me the best. Getting students into the classroom more and possible for a longer period will benefit the students.

• Job experience should count towards your preprofessional field. For example, paraprofessionals should have fast track program to become teachers.

• I wish I would have done more observations my sophomore year. More levels/grades for field for short periods.

• Junior field was a little rough. As a student from the SPED department, we were at our jr field placement once a week. It was hard for the kids to adjust and to prepare lessons for the following week.

• More than 1 day in junior field experience

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