ROUTING AND AUTHORIZATION: (Please do not remove supporting documentation

ROUTING AND AUTHORIZATION: (Please do not remove supporting documentation.)

Department Chairperson Date

Dean of College Date

Chairperson, College Curriculum Committee___________________________________ Date_____________________

Chairperson, Senate Com. on UG or GR Studies Date

Chairperson, Senate Coordinating Com. Date

Secretary, Faculty Senate Date

Date of Senate Resolution Date to be Effective

Registrar Program Code Date

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & International Programs Date

Provost Date

Board of Trustee Notification Date

Revised 02/09/2009 /khs

UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE FORMS

Academic Program Approval

This form is a routing document for the approval of new and revised academic programs. Proposing department should complete this form. For more information, call the Faculty Senate Office at 831-2921.

Submitted by: ___Deborah Bieler_____________________ phone number__831-1973______

Department: ____English___________________________ email address__deb@udel.edu__

Date: __________9/2/09_______________________________________________________

Action: ___________ Revise English Education major ___________________________________________

(Example: add major/minor/concentration, delete major/minor/concentration, revise major/minor/concentration, academic unit name change, request for permanent status, policy change, etc.)

Effective term________________11F_____________________________________________________________________________

(use format 04F, 05W)

Current degree___BA___________________________________________________________

(Example: BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

Proposed change leads to the degree of: __BA_______________________________________

(Example: BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

Proposed name:___n/a_________________________________________________________

Proposed new name for revised or new major / minor / concentration / academic unit

(if applicable)

Revising or Deleting:

Undergraduate major / Concentration:___ English Education – degree BA________

(Example: Applied Music – Instrumental degree BMAS)

Undergraduate minor: __________________n/a_______________________________

(Example: African Studies, Business Administration, English, Leadership, etc.)

Graduate Program Policy statement change: ___n/a___________________________

(Must attach your Graduate Program Policy Statement)

Graduate Program of Study: ________________n/a____________________________

(Example: Animal Science: MS Animal Science: PHD Economics: MA Economics: PHD)

Graduate minor / concentration: _____________n/a___________________________

Note: all graduate studies proposals must include an electronic copy of the Graduate Program Policy Document, highlighting the changes made to the original policy document.

A. List new courses required for the new or revised curriculum. How do they support the overall program objectives of the major/minor/concentrations)? (Be aware that approval of the curriculum is dependent upon these courses successfully passing through the Course Challenge list. If there are no new courses, enter “None.”)

Proposed New Courses

ENGL295 Introduction to English Education 3

Provides an overview of current debates, theories, and promising practices in secondary English education. Students acquire fundamental professional skills, engage in several basic English teaching activities, and participate in a service learning project in a local English classroom.

ENGL395 Literacy and Technology 3

Introduces students to the relationships between literacy practices and technology. Requires students to gain proficiency in multimodal practices and to apply their skills to solving a literacy-based problem in their intended field.

EDUC422 Teaching Reading in Secondary English 3

Focuses on reading comprehension issues and differentiated reading instruction for secondary English teachers. Students learn how to determine the reading level of students and texts, integrate vocabulary instruction, and develop students’ orality as they teach reading.

COREQ: ENGL491

RESTRICTIONS: Enrollment limited to English education seniors.

(Note: This course was formerly EDUC420, a one-credit course required of all secondary education majors at UD. This revised three-credit course is designed specifically for secondary English teachers.)

Proposed Re-Numbering of Current Course Requirements

ENGL396 Teaching Composition in Secondary Schools 3

Emphasizes contemporary theories about helping adolescents learn to write effectively in various genres. Students assist local teachers in conducting writing workshops or assessing student work.

(Note: This junior-year course was formerly ENGL482, offered as part of a senior-year methods block.)

ENGL491 Methods in Teaching Secondary English 3

Prepares students to design instruction that integrates all the English Language Arts, including reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. Students gain instructional experience via a 45-hour practicum in their assigned student teaching classroom.

COREQ: EDUC422

RESTRICTIONS: Enrollment limited to English education seniors.

(Note: This course was formerly ENGL483.)

ENGL492 Seminar in Teaching Secondary English 3 PF

Accompanies student teaching in secondary English. Addresses professional issues, including instructional design, assessment, classroom management, and building relationships with colleagues and students’ families.

COREQ: EDUC400

RESTRICTIONS: Enrollment limited to English education seniors.

(Note: This course was formerly ENGL481.)

Proposed New Requirement

EDUC/ENGL 403 Literature for Adolescents: Multimedia Texts 3

Explores classic and contemporary reading materials and non-print texts pervasive in the lives of adolescents. Addresses selection of texts for middle and high school classes as well as techniques for developing and promoting critical reading and informed interpretation of non-print texts.

(Note: This course has existed for many years but will be a new requirement for this major.)

B. Explain, when appropriate, how this new/revised curriculum supports the 10 goals of undergraduate education: http://www.ugs.udel.edu/gened/

All of the proposed revisions meet at least one of the 10 goals. Below, the appropriate courses are listed in parentheses after each of the goals.

Students will attain effective skills in oral and written communication, quantitative reasoning, and the use of information technology. (ENGL395, ENGL403)
Students will learn to think critically to solve problems. (ENGL295, EDUC422)
Students will be able to work and learn both independently and collaboratively. (ENGL295, ENGL403, EDUC422)
Students will engage questions of ethics and recognize responsibilities to self, community, and society at large. (ENGL295, ENGL395, ENGL491)
Students will understand the diverse ways of thinking that underlie the search for knowledge in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences. (ENGL395)
Students will develop the intellectual curiosity, confidence, and engagement that will lead to lifelong learning. (ENGL295, ENGL395)
Students will develop the ability to integrate academic knowledge with experiences that extend the boundaries of the classroom. (ENGL295, ENGL395, ENGL491)
Students will expand understanding and appreciation of human creativity and diverse forms of aesthetic and intellectual expression. (ENGL395, ENGL403)

9. Students will understand the foundations of United States society including the significance of its cultural diversity. (ENGL403, second multicultural course)

10. Students will develop an international perspective in order to live and work effectively in an increasingly global society. (second multicultural course)
C. Identify other units affected by the proposed changes: (Attach permission from the affected units. If no other unit is affected, enter “None”)

Please see the Appendix for letters of permission and support from members of various populations, below, with interests in this proposal:

1. Department of English: Stephen Bernhardt, Chair

2. School of Education: Kathleen Minke, Acting Director

3. University Council on Teacher Education: Carol Vukelich, Director

4. EDUC420 instructor: Bill Lewis, Assistant Professor, School

of Education

5. Office of Clinical Studies: John Hartman, Director

6. Delaware Center for Teacher Education: Barbara VanDornick, Associate Director

7. English Education university mentors: Bonnie Albertson and Betsey Corrigan

8. English Education majors: Danielle Allen, Natalie Johnson, Kasey Ketterer,

and Kathryn Kummer

9. English Education alumni: Katie (Schmoyer) Medill, Christa Jimerson, and

Casey Patriarco

10. Local superintendent: Steven Godowsky

D. Describe the rationale for the proposed program change(s):

(Explain your reasons for creating, revising, or deleting the curriculum or program.)

We aspire to build a nationally prominent undergraduate English Education program at UD. The rationale for the curriculum revisions outlined in this section is three-fold:

The proposed changes will allow UD English Education majors to meet or exceed all 42 NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) standards and will ensure continuing national program accreditation. Program faculty collected data in conjunction with the NCATE review process from Fall 2005 through Spring 2008. This data includes student outcome scores and sample student work in the 42 required categories over this three-year period. Analysis reveals programmatic weaknesses in both a knowledge of and a demonstrated proficiency in the teaching of the following categories, all of which are addressed in the proposed major revision:

§ reading comprehension and reading process theories,

§ multi-modal and multi-media literacies,

§ adolescent literature, and

§ assessment of student work.

To make room for the sufficient treatment of all 42 required categories necessary for national program accreditation, we have reduced the number of history courses required for the major. English Education advisors will encourage majors not only to embrace the historicity of key literary periods that is provided in their literary coursework but also to take history courses as part of their Group B requirements.

There is a dearth of undergraduate secondary English Education programs at top-tier colleges and universities in the U.S. Among the University’s local, current, and aspirational peers, quality four-year undergraduate certification programs are extremely rare. The proposed revisions will create a unique, carefully scaffolded four-year undergraduate certification program that will prepare UD’s secondary English teachers for both short- and long-term success and that is closely aligned with the core values of the Path to Prominence^TM, which we support and aspire to help advance. Our intent in the proposed program is to produce secondary English teachers who are willing and able to teach well beyond the critical three-year point, by which 33% of new teachers in Delaware public schools quit (Solano, Tinsley, McDuffie, Condliffe, & Raffel, 2008) and the critical five-year mark, by which 50% of our nation’s new teachers quit (Ingersoll, 2002; 2003).

Finally, the most recent empirical scholarship argues that teachers must be better prepared to teach in an increasingly diverse society (e.g., Howard, 2006; Ladson-Billings, 2001, 2005; Lee, 2007; Marx, 2006; Rush, Eakle, & Berger, 2007; Villegas & Lucas, 2002). Many scholars advocate for multiple field placements with diverse student groups and with the guidance of culturally sensitive mentor teachers.

E. Program Requirements:

(Show the new or revised curriculum as it should appear in the Course Catalog. If this is a revision, be sure to indicate the changes being made to the current curriculum and include a side-by-side comparison of the credit distribution before and after the proposed change.)

Please see the next page for the full side-by-side version. Table 1, below, provides an overview of the course subtractions and additions in the proposed curriculum, while Table 2 illustrates the number of credits in various content areas in both the current and proposed major.

DEGREE: BACHELOR OF ARTS

MAJOR: ENGLISH EDUCATION

CURRICULUM CREDITS

See page 90 for University and College requirements.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

ENGL 101 Tools of Textual Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 102 Texts in Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 204 American Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 205 British Literature to 1660 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 206 British Literature 1660-Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

A course in cultural diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(ENGL 202, 214, 215, 344, 345, 348, 349, 376, 378, 380, 381, 382)

ENGL 324 Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 294 English Language: Grammar and Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 394 English Language: Rhetorical and Cultural Contexts . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 376 World Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

A course in writing taken from the following options: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 301-312, 316, 404-415

A course in contemporary literature, taken from the following options:.. 3

207, 208, 209, 210, 212, 341, 342, 345, 348, 353, 356. In addition, the

English Education program will designate variable topics courses

(e.g., ENGL 480) as fulfilling this requirement when the content is appropriate.

The following courses:

EDUC 413 Adolescent Development and Educational Psychology . . . . . . . . 4

EDUC 414 Teaching Exceptional Adolescents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 419 Diversity in Secondary Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 400 Student Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

EDUC 420 Reading in the Content Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

ENGL 482 Seminar in Teaching English I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 483 Seminar in Teaching English II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 481 Teaching English in Secondary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The following courses:

One course in fine arts taken through the Art History, Theater, or Music

Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

One course in public speaking or performance taken from the following

options: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

COMM 251, 252, 212, 350; THEA 102, 200, 204, 206, 226, 360

One course in American history taken from the following options:. . . . . . . 3

HIST 220, 221, 278, 300-328, 459

One course in non-western history taken from the following options: . . . 3

HIST 103, 104, 130, 131, 136-138, 270, 302, 368-372, 377, 378,

380, 381, 391-393, 444, 479

One course in modern sociocultural studies taken from the following options: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ANTH 101, 222-227, 255, 401; BAMS 110, 205, 215, 305, 322, 355,

361, 415; POSC 222, 227; SOCI 201-213, 302, 331, 343, 356, 360,

401; WOMS 201, 216, 222, 2340, 260, 363, 389; IFST 202, 230, 333;

CSCC 355

LING 101 Introduction to Linguistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

A grade of C- or better is required in all required ENGL, EDUC and LING courses. To be eligible to student teach, English Education students must have a GPA of 3.0 in their English major and an overall GPA of 2.75. They must also pass a teacher competency test as established by the University Council on Teacher Education. Students must consult with the teacher education program coordinator to obtain the student teaching application and other information concerning student teaching

policies.

ELECTIVES

After required courses are completed, sufficient elective credits must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.

CREDITS TO TOTAL A MINIMUM OF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

DEGREE: BACHELOR OF ARTS

MAJOR: ENGLISH EDUCATION

CURRICULUM CREDITS

See page 90 for University and College requirements.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

ENGL 101 Tools of Textual Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 204 American Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

At least two of the following three courses in British literature . . . . . . . . . 6

ENGL 205 British Literature to 1660

ENGL 206 British Literature 1660-Present

ENGL 324 Shakespeare

LING 101 Introduction to Linguistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 294 English Language: Grammar and Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 394 English Language: Rhetorical and Cultural Contexts . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 395 Literacy and Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 376 World Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 403 Literature for Adolescents: Multimedia Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

One of the following courses in culturally diverse literature*. . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 202, 214, 215, 278, 344, 345, 348, 349, 378, 380, 381, 382, 386;

FLLT 321, 326, 327, 328, 331, 337, 338, 345, 436

One of the following courses in writing*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 301-316

The following courses:

ENGL 295 Introduction to English Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 396 Teaching Composition in Secondary Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 413 Adolescent Development and Educational Psychology . . . . . . 4

EDUC 414 Teaching Exceptional Adolescents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 419 Diversity in Secondary Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EDUC 400 Student Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

EDUC 422 Teaching Reading in Secondary English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 491 Methods of Teaching Secondary English** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 492 Seminar in Teaching Secondary English** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The following courses:

One course in Art History, Theater, or Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

One of the following courses in public speaking or performance* . . . . . . . . 3

COMM 212, 350; THEA 102, 200, 204, 206, 226, 360

A second approved multicultural course that focuses on the study

of issues of ethnicity/race, gender, and/or class in contemporary

society (includes cross-listed HIST courses)*: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

(e.g. ANTH 210-212, 225, 228-230, 245, 255, 261, 310, 313, 314, 316,

333, 337, 351, 360, 375, 380; BAMS 110, 204, 205, 215, 220, 309,

322, 333, 350, 351, 361, 373, 381, 415, 418, 439; IFST 331, 402;

JWST 345, 377; POSC 355, 411, 450, 452; SOCI 204, 206, 211, 213, 215,

302, 305, 319, 331, 341, 350, 356, 361, 407; WOMS 200, 201,

202, 216, 222, 260, 310, 312, 315, 316, 323, 324, 363, 389, 415, 439)

* The English Education faculty will approve other courses to fulfill these requirements when the content is appropriate.

** ENGL491 and ENGL492 are methods courses and do not count toward

the 45-credit limit on ENGL courses.

A grade of C- or better is required in all required ENGL, EDUC and LING courses. To be eligible to student teach, English Education students must have a GPA of 3.0 in the major and an overall GPA of 2.75. They must also pass a teacher competency test as established by the University Council on Teacher Education. Students must consult with the teacher education program coordinator to obtain the student teaching application and other information concerning student teaching policies.

ELECTIVES

After required courses are completed, sufficient elective credits must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.

CREDITS TO TOTAL A MINIMUM OF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

References

Darling-Hammond, L., & Soto, M. (2006). Keeping good science teachers: What science leaders can do. In (J. Rhoton & P. Shane, Eds.) Teaching science in the 21^st century (pp. 177-196. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

Howard, G.R. (2006). We can’t teach what we don’t know: White teachers, multiracial schools (2^nd Ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Ingersoll, R. (2002). The teacher shortage: A case of wrong diagnosis and wrong prescription. NASSP Bulletin, 86: 631.

Ingersoll, R. (2003). Is there really a teacher shortage? Philadelphia, PA: The Consortium for Policy Research in Education.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2005). Beyond the big house: African-American educators on teacher education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Lee, C.D. (2007). Culture, literacy, and learning: Taking bloom in the midst of the whirlwind. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Marx, S. (2006). Revealing the invisible: Confronting passive racism in teacher education. New York, NY: Routledge.

Rush, L.S., Eakle, A.J., & Berger, A. (2007). Secondary school literacy: What research reveals for classroom practice. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

Solano, P.L., Tinsley, A., McDuffie, M.J., Condliffe, S., & Raffel, J. (2008). Teacher retention in the state of Delaware, 2001-2006. Newark, DE: Institute for Public Administration.

Villegas, A.M. & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A coherent approach. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Appendix: Letters of Permission and Support

May 29, 2009

To whom it may concern:

The English Department submits for Faculty Senate approval these proposed course and curricular changes to our major in Secondary English Education (XEE). The changes are intended to strengthen the preparation of future teachers by providing a strong introduction to the field; more coursework in reading, literacy, and technology; and a smoother sequence of work across the undergraduate years.

These changes will create a program that is more responsive to accreditation standards as articulated by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The program will allow our students to gain required competencies and allow the University to document performance across the full range of standards. We have attempted to create a program that will serve students who begin on the main campus, as well as those who begin with an Associate of Arts degree or who transfer from other universities. Most importantly, the proposed changes will create a model curriculum for teacher preparation, one responsive to the new literacies that characterize the experiences of adolescent learners today.

These changes have been discussed with key constituencies. The proposal has the endorsement of the English Department, and the details have been closely reviewed by our Undergraduate Committee and Executive Committee. We have discussed the changes with the University Council on Teacher Education, with the Deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, and with Prof. Joe Pika, who directs teacher education within the College. We have adapted the proposal after discussions with our colleagues in the School of Education, including the Dean.

We welcome comments on the proposed curriculum and the changes described in this proposal. We especially appreciate the support of our colleagues for a program designed to prepare new teachers in the best possible ways.

Sincerely,

Stephen A. Bernhardt, Chair
Department of English

Deb Bieler (2)

Dear Dr. Bieler, April 4, 2009

Please accept this letter acknowledging my willingness to serve as the instructor for the 3 credit version of EDUC 420 that is designed for secondary English Language Arts teacher-candidates. I am willing to begin teaching this course starting in the fall of 2009 and to offer the course annually each fall.

I have been teaching the 1 credit version of the course since the fall of 2004, and in that time I have noticed that some of the course content represents a repeat of information that your students have been provided in their English language arts methods courses. Because comprehension frameworks are crucial to secondary ELA teachers, however, Dr. Alvarez, Dr. Albertson and I have been working to design a 3 credit version that meets the needs of ELA secondary teacher candidates, and enhances and extends the excellent methods work that they have already completed, providing additional practice in planning, teaching, differentiation and reflection.

I believe that this new course will be much better at meeting the needs of ELA teachers than the current general 1 credit offering, and that my work in literacy and comprehension, and my twenty years experience teaching English language arts in secondary public schools will provide a formative experience for your students.

If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to contact me: (717) 215-3930.

Sincerely,

William Lewis Ph.D.

School of Education

134A Willard Hall

University of Delaware

To: Deb Bieler, English Education

Re: Program Review and Update Proposal

Date: April, 20, 2009

Dr. Bieler,

I have reviewed your proposal and agree with the proposed changes. The school district leaders outlined in your proposal are solid partners with the University of Delaware as we collaborate relative to placement of our teacher education candidates in their school districts! Please let OCS know if we can facilitate in any way.

Sincerely,

John M. Hartman, Ed.D.

Director, Office of Clinical Studies

University of Delaware

From: Van Dornick, Barbara [mailto:bvandorn@udel.edu]
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 11:32 AM
To: Bieler, Deb
Subject: RE: Major / Certification question

Deb,

The proposed changes to the English Education program look good. I think they will definitely strengthen the preparation of English Education candidates.

From: Bieler, Deb [mailto:deb@english.udel.edu]
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 2:33 PM
To: Van Dornick, Barbara
Subject: Major / Certification question

Hi, Barb---

Would you be willing to take a look at the proposed major revision that we in XEE are proposing? In the attachment, the side-by-side comparison is on page 6, and there is a crib sheet of sorts on page 5. I really value your read on this since I want to ensure that we will still be on par with certification requirements for DE and all of the surrounding states. We are, for example, removing one course in western literature and adding a course in multimedia literacies (see page 5). Your perspective is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much,

Deb

Deborah Bieler, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of English

Coordinator, English Education program

118 Memorial Hall

University of Delaware

302-831-1973

deb@udel.edu

www.english.udel.edu

April 17, 2009

Dear Dr. Bieler,

I read with great enthusiasm the proposed program changes to the English Education major.

As a student teaching supervisor, and having taught the senior seminar (ENGL 483) and the new course in grammar and pedagogy (ENGL 294), I offer insight into the necessity of these additional changes.

For some time now, students taking ENGL 483 and 484 have complained – justifiably – that there is simply too much content to absorb in only 14 weeks. The recent addition of EDUC 420 and ENGL 294 will help ease the burden placed on 483/4; specifically, lesson planning is introduced in the sophomore-level course 294 (sophomore year is where lesson planning is currently introduced with Elementary Education majors), and the 3-credit EDUC 420 will help relieve the burden of teaching students about reading instruction. Additional changes, however, are critical to the health of our program.

The need for offering a course in 21^st century literacy resources and pedagogy (proposed ENGL 395) seems self-evident. Multi-media skills are essential and there is no place in the existing curriculum to tackle them. Requiring a course in using young adult literature (existing course ENGL/EDUC 403) and non-Western literature is equally imperative. Support for adding these courses comes from several sources: First, the need for these courses has been well documented: mentor teachers and student teachers have consistently lamented the knowledge gap, petitioning for more appropriate course work. The current literature on the state of literacy in the United States has likewise been specific about the aforementioned needs (see, for example, English position papers from NCTE, ALA, IRA; the Carnegie Foundation reports Reading [and Writing] Next; Report from the National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement, and A Nation at Risk). Second, the proposed courses are needed just to be competitive with the curriculum requirements of nearby teacher-education programs (e.g., West Chester University, Delaware State University, Widener University, University of Pennsylvania). Finally, to ignore these courses, or to continue to jam them into 6-9 credits during students’ senior year, is to jeopardize our NCATE accreditation. Ultimately, we will be able to offer our future teachers of English language arts a more comprehensive and 21^st century appropriate program.

As a teacher educator, I look forward to seeing these program changes implemented as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bonnie R. Albertson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of English

Dear Dr. Bieler, April 19, 2009

This letter is to express my enthusiastic support for the changes in course requirements for an English Education major as outlined in your document. In the seven years that I have been supervising student teachers for the University of Delaware, I have seen consistent need for the program changes you have proposed.

There are several main areas in which my student teachers have encountered challenges in the field experience. While they are generally very well versed in content knowledge, they often feel the need for more advanced knowledge of basic reading strategies. Since the teacher of English has primary responsibility for addressing Reading Standards and assisting their students with understanding challenging texts, it would be to their advantage to have a fuller understanding of the many reading strategies that can be incorporated in the Language Arts classroom to assist struggling readers and to address diverse learning needs. EDUC 420, as revised, would accomplish that goal. In addition, the Multimedia Literacies course (ENGL 395) will fill a need for our teachers to effectively use media and technology to provide engaging and educational learning experiences, while also providing valuable differentiated instructional techniques. The course in Adolescent Literature (EDUC/ENGL 403) will assist for teachers in their efforts to incorporate student interests with higher level reading and thinking skills and will also help them use those texts to lead students to an appreciation of traditional texts. Finally, the Introduction to Teaching Secondary English Language Arts (ENGL 295) and Teaching Composition (ENGL 396) courses will allow potential student teachers to have an earlier introduction to application of their content knowledge to the middle and high school classroom and ideally would allow them to experience those classrooms at an earlier point in their college experience. These courses will lead to a fuller understanding of their career choice and an ongoing connection between their college level English courses and the application of their knowledge to the classroom setting.

I believe these course changes and the others outlined in your document will be welcomed by future student teachers and will make them much better prepared for the challenges of the middle and high school classrooms of today.

Sincerely,

Betsey Corrigan, M.Ed.

Temporary Faculty, University of Delaware

Contact information:

1410 Riverview Avenue

Wilmington, DE 19806

302-528-5471

Dear Dr. Bieler, April 12, 2009

After reviewing your program proposal, we are extremely excited for the future of the English Education major at the university. We have found the two new courses, ENGL295 and ENGL395, to be excellent additions to the curriculum. We have also found the revision of making EDUC/ENGL403 a required course rather than an optional course to be beneficial.

Introduction to Teaching Secondary English Language Arts (ENGL295) is a course we feel we have missed out on as English Education majors. Having students engage in English teaching activities and making lesson plans are great ways to expose them to their field. As juniors, we have yet to design and implement a detailed English Language Arts lesson plan, and therefore we feel anxiety over our abilities to student teach in the spring of our senior year. Though we will learn these professional skills in our methods courses, we feel it may be an inadequate amount of time to prepare us for the classroom. ENGL295 will be an especially valuable tool to those students who are unsure of what the English Education major entails; they will be more informed to make important decisions regarding their career choice.

The Multimedia Literacies (ENGL395) course will be an excellent addition to the major. It is extremely vital that we learn to engage with the technology that will be available to us in the classroom. In our Diversity in Secondary Education (EDUC419) course, we were required to create one multimedia project, but we used technology already familiar to us. ENGL395 will give English Education majors the opportunity to translate their knowledge of traditional English Language literacies into multi-modal literacies. They will not only be able to implement technology into their lessons, but also teach their students how to engage with the technology as well. This course will create teachers with the range of skills necessary to be effective in our modern society.

We also wanted to point out that we are currently enrolled in EDUC/ENGL403 with Dr. Lewis. This course was optional to us, but it has been so formative in our knowledge of English Language Arts and the adolescent mind that we cannot imagine not taking it. This course is extremely refreshing, considering we have taken multiple literature courses, none of which included modern works. EDUC/ENGL403 has taught us modern novels have a place in the Secondary Education literary canon.

If you have any questions regarding our letter, do not hesitate to contact Danielle at (609) 680-2336 or Natalie at (609) 744-4578.

Sincerely,

Danielle Allen and Natalie Johnson

English Education majors, Class of 2010

University of Delaware

April 20, 2009

Dear Dr. Bieler,

We would like to acknowledge our support for the restructured English Education academic program. Under the current program, there are gaps between the NCATE standards students are expected to learn and the standards students actually meet. The revised program addresses these gaps.

Specifically, we feel as though we are lacking a good basis in certain content that is relevant to us as future teachers. The current program offers few opportunities to engage in and experience adolescent literature. However, as middle and high school teachers, these are the texts in which our students will find interest, and in many cases, these are the texts that we will be required to teach. Making the adolescent literature course a required English Education course will benefit students in this program immensely. Additionally, the opportunities to engage with “multiple literacies” are a great chance for us as teachers to learn how to connect with our students. The courses in Multimedia Texts and Multimedia Literacies will allow us to learn about teaching through more than just written texts, such as film and the Internet. As we have learned in some of our Education courses, our students will engage in these multiple literacies in ways that previous generations never have, and it is vital that we be able to teach through these media as a way to augment the written texts that we will teach.

Furthermore, as Education majors, it is essential that we not only learn the reading, writing, and interpretation skills that all English majors must learn, but we must also learn to teach these same skills to our students. Having more field placement opportunities and having courses directed precisely to teach us how to plan lessons, create rubrics, and assess our own students’ learning are not only a necessary addition to our University’s curriculum, but are essential aspects of any English Education program that hopes to matriculate well-prepared teachers.

Although this revised program will certainly require dedication, hard work, and a commitment to teaching, we believe that those students who are passionate about education will succeed as teachers if they complete this revised program. Our only regret is that we will not have the opportunity to go through this program.

Sincerely,

Kasey Ketterer and Kathryn Kummer

English Education Class of 2010

Ketterer@udel.edu

Katmk@udel.edu

Dear Dr. Bieler, April 11, 2009

Please accept this letter acknowledging my personal support of the proposed new and revised courses for the English Education major at the University of Delaware.

It my belief that these proposed changes will benefit the undergraduates, the university, the local community, and, most importantly, the future students of the aspiring teachers who complete their degree and certification program at the University of Delaware. Specifically, I believe the changes will create more opportunities for the candidates to be involved in schools earlier in their academic program and in such a way that meaningfully links them more closely to a network of educators.

As a recent graduate (2006), I believe I was very well prepared to enter the field of education. The proposed new course ENGL295, however, offers to students the opportunity to study important content and concepts that I mainly learned through in-service professional development and my continued studies in education such as formative assessment, differentiated instruction, and reflective practice. I believe knowledge of these skills and concepts will be essential for candidates entering the educational field. Furthermore, the knowledge students will gain about effectively incorporating media and technology in the other proposed new course, ENGL395, will be invaluable to teachers who are reaching and teaching 21^st century students.

The revision to the existing course ENGL396 is one that will support the effort to get students into the classroom earlier in their academic program and in more meaningful ways. The meetings during which students may assist teachers with conducting writing workshops seem especially beneficial both to the students and the educators. I know that I would have greatly benefited from the proposed revision to EDUC/ENGL403 in which students explore classic and contemporary adolescent texts. As a seventh grade Language Arts teacher, I spend a great deal of time reading contemporary adolescent literature in an effort to identify texts appropriate for whole-class and small-group studies. It would most certainly be advantageous for future secondary teachers to be well-versed in the myriad adolescent literature available and to have more background knowledge in selecting adolescent literature for various purposes.

Finally, I see the proposed revision to EDUC420 as perhaps the most vital change in the academic program. Reading in the content areas is increasingly becoming a focus for educators of all grades and content areas as districts emphasize reading in all content areas. Teaching reading is no longer just the job of the English teacher; however, English teachers are increasingly sought after by professional colleagues of other content areas for collaboration on ways to integrate reading into their content. EDUC422 will provide teacher education students significant opportunities to practice differentiating instruction to meet the needs of diverse learning populations, especially in the area of reading comprehension.

In conclusion, I support the proposed revisions to the English Education major at the University of Delaware as a proud graduate of a program that continually seeks to improve its services to future teachers. Please feel free to contact me: (307) 461-1653 or medillk@scsd2.com

Sincerely,

Katie R. (Schmoyer) Medill

Sheridan Junior High School

500 Lewis St.

Sheridan, WY 82801

April 20, 2009

To whom it may concern:

We are seniors who will graduate from the University of Delaware English education program in May 2009. We are extremely grateful for the valuable opportunities, experiences, and education afforded to us through the English education program. While we feel adequately prepared to enter the teaching profession, we believe that the changes proposed to the English education curriculum could significantly enhance the overall quality of the program and self-efficacy of the program graduates. We strongly encourage you to consider the proposed revisions to the program.

During our methods courses in the fall of our senior year, we became overwhelmed with learning how to create lesson plans, integrate state standards with instructional planning, apply multiple literacy strategies, and conceptualize a multitude of educational theories. We were simultaneously struggling to find the connection between the course theories and classroom practice. We found that the concepts taught in the methods courses seemed abrupt and disjointed. It seemed the courses were compensating for the insufficient opportunities to learn pedagogy and content-area knowledge in tandem during the early stages of the program. Prior to the methods courses, we had only taken core English courses, multi-disciplinary education courses, and Arts and Science breath requirements. We had not taken any courses designed to illustrate how secondary education theories and teaching practices correspond specifically to the subject of English. In turn, methods courses had the daunting task of advancing our knowledge from the basics of lesson planning to the complexities of teaching English language arts. We wish we had learned these skills and concepts more gradually and in a way that fostered a stronger connection between subject-specific theory and practice.

The changes that are proposed for the English education program aptly address the current program’s shortcomings. Most importantly, ENGL295 is designed to promote early and graduated learning of secondary English theory and promising practices. This course would also assist English education majors with early career exploration and development of important critical inquiry skills. Furthermore, we believe that EDUC422 would better meet the needs of secondary English teachers than the current multi-disciplinary 1-credit adolescent literacy course, EDUC420.

Sincerely,

Cassandra Patriarco Christa Jimerson

English education major English education major

Class of 2009 Class of 2009

cpat@udel.edu cjimer@udel.edu

610-737-2511 (302)750-9356