Multi-Age Spanish Teacher Education
Overview of the Program:
This program has been designed for students wishing to pursue the teaching of Spanish in grades preK-12. The CWRU Department of Modern Languages and Literature has designed this program in accordance with Ohio Performance-Based Standards, the Ohio Model Curriculum in Foreign Language, and guidelines set by professional organizations such as ACTFL.
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Case Western Reserve University is committed to helping students become informed and liberally educated citizens of a diverse world. By teaching students to participate fully in cultures other than their own, through the acquisition of language skills and cultural awareness, we prepare them for lifelong learning in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world. We encourage study abroad as a means of reinforcing and strengthening language skills, of acquiring new cultural perspectives and appreciation, and of exemplary preparation for a teaching career.
Students participating in the Teacher Education program complete a major in Spanish, including coursework in Spanish language, culture, and literature, and a 34-hour sequence in professional education. Coursework in Spanish begins in the freshman year with a language course appropriate to the student’s proficiency level. It continues until the student has completed a range of upper-level courses and has met the goals of the program.
The Department and CWRU’s Office of Undergraduate Studies have ample information and encourage and advise students to participate in summer, semester and year-long study abroad programs in Latin America and Spain appropriate to their interests, needs, and financial circumstances. During the last 3 years, an average of 25% percent of majors has been abroad in any given semester. In Spanish 311 (Advanced Spanish Conversation) students interact and develop a final project with Hispanic grade school students, becoming familiar with Cleveland’s Hispanic community and some of its experiences of bilingualism, immigration, and education in the U.S. Students wishing to study abroad should seek early advisment to be able to complete the Spanish and Education majors within four years.
Professional education courses can begin in the freshman year and culminate with the student teaching semester.
Dr. Gabriela Copertari
Specialist Education in Spanish Language and Culture:
Students will complete a major in Spanish at CWRU. They will acquire the knowledge and skills associated with being a specialist in Spanish language and culture by completing a coursework in Spanish language, culture and literature of 40 to 45 hours, as described below:
Students entering the program at the Intermediate (200) Level:
• SPAN 201, 202, 310, 311, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 (30 credit hours)
• Five courses selected from: 322, 326, 331, 336, 340, 342, 345, 350, 351, 360, 370, 399 (15 credit hours)
Students entering the program at the Advanced (300) Level:
• SPAN 310, 311, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 (24 credit hours)
• Seven courses selected from: 322, 326, 331, 336, 340, 342, 345, 350, 351, 360, 370, 399 (21 credit hours)
Professional Education of Spanish teacher candidates
- Students will complete a special program in Education, comprising of course work and field and clinical experiences, courses in development, methods, pedagogy and student teaching. This second major requires 34 hours of professional education coursework.
- Prior to their student teaching, students will complete an exit questionnaire/survey, administered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures where they demonstrate an understanding of the goals, areas and standards of the ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning and the Ohio standards. Students demonstrate an understanding of how they can integrate those standards in their instruction and how to select and design instructional materials.
The Professional Education courses begin in the sophomore year, after taking PSCL 101, General Psychology, a prerequisite for EDUC 304, Educational Psychology in the freshman year. The coursework in education culminates in the senior year with the experience of the professional semester.
Coursework in Spanish begins in the freshman year with a language course appropriate to the student’s proficiency level. It continues until the student has completed a range of upper-level courses and has met the goals of the program. Students are strongly encouraged to complete some of their coursework in a Spanish-speaking country.
Sample timetable for students entering the Spanish program at the 200-level:
|Students at the 200-level||Fall Spanish||Education||Spring Spanish||Education|
|Freshman||SPAN 201||PSCL 101||SPAN 202|
|Sophomore||SPAN 310, 311||EDUC 301, 304||SPAN 314, 315||EDUC 338|
|Junior||SPAN 316, 317||EDUC 325EDUC 255||SPAN 318, 320||EDUC 326EDUC 386|
|Senior||Four SPAN 322+||EDUC 340||One SPAN 322+||EDUC 390, EDUC 394|
Sample timetable for students entering the Spanish program at the 300-level:
|Students at the 300-level||Fall Spanish||Education||Spring Spanish||Education|
|Freshman||SPAN 310, 311||PSCL 101||SPAN 314, 316|
|Sophomore||SPAN 316, 317||EDUC 301, 304||SPAN 318, 320||EDUC 338EDUC 386|
|Junior||Two SPAN 322+||EDUC 325EDUC 255||SPAN 322+||EDUC 326|
|Senior||Three SPAN 322+||EDUC 340||One SPAN 322+||EDUC 390, EDUC 394|