The Department of Teacher Education prepares Urban Professional Multicultural Educators through an integrated program of courses and field experiences. Programs offered are designed for the preparation of future educators. The programs of study center around our commitment to excellence in teaching in today’s diverse society through the investigation of significant educational issues, inquiry into student learning and effective teaching practices, and the use of technology in teaching and learning. We engage teacher candidates in critical reflection upon their practice throughout the program. We foster engagement in schools through our Partnership Schools and other school and agency affiliations. Upon completion of the program, teacher candidates measure themselves against the values of our guiding conceptual framework through the completion of professional portfolios. Values that are part of this framework include: commitment to social justice, critical pedagogy, and positive educational transformation within the context of a Vincentian personalism that honors the dignity of each person.
Students entering the program must be able and willing to devote themselves to a program requiring a minimum of 100-110 hours of daytime field experiences in schools. These school-based clinical hours are completed in conjunction with methodology courses that require students to spend daytime hours in schools. As students will be completing requirements to earn the IB Certificate, a majority of the 100-110 hours will be completed in International Baccalaureate Schools. In addition, the student must spend a minimum of 10 weeks in full-time student teaching.
The program includes five distinctive features:
- Becoming a teacher is viewed as a developmental process continuing at least through the first year of teaching
- Multiculturalism is infused throughout the curriculum
- Field experiences are an integral part of the curriculum
- Students are exposed to a variety of educational theories
- The program includes a research component as a basis for further professional development.
Students lacking undergraduate requirements in the content area they will be teaching will have to complete those requirements prior to student teaching. Both a content area advisor and an academic advisor will guide candidates in planning their coursework.
The program in PK-12 education prepares students to teach children in a variety of urban and suburban educational settings, including public and private elementary and high schools. Students follow a general pattern of study for elementary and high school levels. In all cases, appropriate field experience plays an integral role. The program combines theoretical principles of education and field work with the student's choice of major. Graduates earn the Master of Arts or Master of Education degree and are qualified for PK-12 school licensure. Yet, not all graduates follow a career in teaching. A number of DePaul graduates in World Language work in diverse settings such as museums, corporations, media, and the arts.
Licensure
Illinois Professional Educator License with endorsement in World Language French (preschool-grade 12), an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved program.
Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
---|---|
Degree Requirements (MA) | 60 |
Total hours required | 60 |
Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
---|---|
Degree Requirements (MEd) | 56 |
Total hours required | 56 |
- Understand and apply theoretical foundations of world language education to develop sound instruction and teaching approaches for world language learners.
- Integrate theory and research on second language acquisition into praxis for world language learners.
- Evaluate and understand history and policies of world language education and how historical and policy context affect the education of world language learners.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of various assessment issues that affect world language learners, such as accountability, reliability, validity, bias, special education testing, language proficiency, language supports, and accommodations.
- Understand and apply world language education (ACTFL) standards in unit/lesson planning and instruction.
Degree Requirements
Content Area Courses
All students need to have sufficient knowledge of the subject they will be teaching. Illinois State Board of Education requires a minimum of 48 quarter hours (32 semester hours) in the content area subject. Students should meet with their designated Content Area advisor at the beginning of their program for an official written content evaluation and provide a copy to your academic advisor. Requirements can be satisfied by undergraduate coursework or courses taken elsewhere. Content courses must be completed before student teaching.
Requirements for World Language Education French
All coursework in the content area must earn a grade of C or better and a minimum of 18 quarter hours (12 semester hours) must be coursework at an undergraduate upper level or graduate level.
- Advanced French I
- Advanced French II
- Advanced French III
- Advanced High French I
- Advanced High French II
- Advanced High French III
- Literature/Culture Elective
- Literature/Culture Elective
- Literature/Culture Elective
- Literature/Culture Elective
- Literature/Culture Elective
- Literature/Culture Elective
Course Requirements
Education Courses: 40 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
TCH 403 | CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTHY ADOLESCENCE | 4 |
or SCG 401 | ADVANCED LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT | |
T&L 404 | INTRODUCTION TO ELEMENTARY EDUCATION | 4 |
or TCH 402 | INTRODUCTION TO MIDDLE GRADES AND SECONDARY EDUCATION | |
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY | ||
SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION | ||
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION | ||
BBE 560 | SECOND, WORLD AND HERITAGE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION | 4 |
BBE 570 | LANGUAGE, LITERACIES AND CULTURES | 4 |
BBE 526 | THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING ESL AND WLE | 4 |
T&L 449 | STANDARD AND CONTENT-BASED METHODS OF TEACHING WORLD LANGUAGES K-12 (Secondary) | 4 |
T&L 575 | MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMMING IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES | 4 |
BBE 407 | EQUITY ISSUES IN ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE LEARNERS | 4 |
SER 446 | PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION OF THE EXCEPTIONAL CHILD | 4 |
Education Elective Course: 4 quarter hours are required, grade of C or better required.
Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 60 quarter hours. Choose an Education course in consultation with the Academic Advisor or Content Advisor. Courses must be approved by the WLE Program Director prior to registration and requires graduate level registration.
- Elective Course
Graduate Level Content Area Courses: 4 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.
Either a course in French at the graduate level or an education language course is required; either course must be approved by the WLE Program director. Courses must be taken before student teaching if pursuing degree (not required for individuals pursuing licensure only). Courses must be approved by the WLE Program Director prior to registration and requires graduate level registration.
- FCH 300-600 level French course
Student Teaching: 8 quarter hours required
Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures listed in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete.
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
T&L 592 | WORLD LANGUAGES STUDENT TEACHING (grade of B- or better required) | 6 |
T&L 593 | WORLD LANGUAGES SEMINAR (grade of C or better required) | 2 |
EDU 95 | CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH (non-tuition, PA grade required) | 0 |
Master of Arts (MA) Option Degree Requirements: 4 quarter hours required
This is a Master of Arts degree requirement only. A master’s thesis is written to fulfill the requirements of this course. An oral examination on the thesis is required.
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
T&L 589 | THESIS RESEARCH IN TEACHING AND LEARNING | 4 |
Licensure Tests
All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. World Language Education French majors must complete the following tests:
- Foreign Language: French Content Area Test (test #252) – assesses knowledge of the French language and culture. Test is required before Student Teaching (deadlines apply).
- OPI Test (see below).
- EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.
Field Experiences
Each student seeking licensure from the College of Education/Professional Education Unit must complete supervised field experiences in appropriate settings in conjunction with education courses. The field experiences must include a variety of grade levels, multicultural experiences, and a minimum of 15 hours in special education settings. All field experiences must be completed prior to final approval for student teaching. Field experience hours should be entered by the student into the FEDS system when completing courses with field experience requirements. For details on requirements, expectations, documentation, & courses in your program that require hours, visit the College of Education website.
Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Test
Pursuing licensure in the teaching of a foreign language (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, or Spanish) requires the oral proficiency test – an Interview – before you begin student teaching. You must earn a rating of "intermediate high" or better on the test. It is recommended that the OPI be taken during the first year in the program and in consultation with the WLE content advisor in Modern Languages.
For additional information about the OPI and a link to the test, please consult the OPI section of the College of Education website.