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Program Distinctives

Whitworth's Department of Teacher Education has a long-standing reputation for having innovative curriculum, competent and caring faculty members, and compassionate and effective graduates. Some of the elements that make the Whitworth Teacher Education Program unique are listed below.

Intercultural Education Field Immersion Experience (EDU 367/368)
Intercultural Education Field Immersion Experience (EDU 367/368)
Since1984, Whitworth teacher candidates have spent a January Term in classrooms working with students who come from very different cultural backgrounds than their own. Whitworth students have traveled with faculty members to Alaska, San Francisco, Taiwan, Mexico, Kenya, and Hawaii or have worked independently in Thailand, Korea, Los Angeles, and numerous other locations around the USA and the world. Students may also elect to stay in the Spokane area and work in school settings with high levels of poverty.
Intercultural Program Coordinators:Suzie Henning (UG and MIT) and Carol Hollar (ETC)

Host Family Project (EDU 320)
Candidates enrolled in the Exceptional Learners course spend time with a family that has a child with a disability. The experience of being with this child in the context of a loving family helps the candidates to understand the child's humanity and to appreciate the perspective of the parents. The Host Family Program was nationally recognized by the Department of Education with a Best Practice Award.
Program Coordinator: Betty Williams

Writing Rally (EDU 445)
Since 1983, young children have gathered at Whitworth to hear a well-known children's author and then to work with local area teachers and Whitworth education students to create their own writing. This annual celebration of reading and writing and children has become an important outreach of the Department of Teacher Education to the children of the Spokane community.
Rally Directors: Les Francis and Lisa Laurier

EDU 321, Intervention for Behavior and Motivation
EDU 321 was designed to assist education candidates in working with children and youth who are considered difficult in the classroom. Whitworth candidates work with an individual student to develop and implement an intervention to bring about behavioral or academic improvement. It is unusual for teacher preparation programs to require all candidates to take two special education courses, but the department faculty believes that this additional preparation will help our candidates be successful in today's classrooms.
Special Education Director: Betty Williams

First Year Follow-Up Visits
Each spring following graduation, a Whitworth faculty member drives around the State of Washington and visits each of the department's first year teachers at their school site. The faculty member interviews the graduate on how well the department did in preparing them for their first year of teaching. Whitworth is one of the few teacher preparation programs in the country that visits its first year teachers. The information collected is an important feedback loop from the recent graduates to the department, and is carefully reviewed by the faculty to determine future curriculum changes.

Extended Placement Curriculum
Elementary education candidates are placed for methods field experiences in one school for two semesters prior to doing their student teaching at that school. Two full semesters at one school allows our candidates to understand the school's culture and procedures and to develop relationships with teachers and students prior to their student teaching semester.

Faculty with K-12 Experience
All of the department's faculty members have extensive experience working in K-12 schools and are in schools supervising students and programs on a continuous basis. Many of the department's faculty members are called upon by school districts for in-service training and for consultation.

Educational Certification and Career Services
Whitworth is unique in that it provides an Educational Certification and Career Services office specifically for its Education graduates. The Educational Certification and Career Services staff members become familiar with the Education students and are also acquainted with many of the school personnel who are seeking teaching candidates. The combination of great students, a high quality program, and a career services office specific to Education students positions Whitworth to be consistently one of the top schools in the State of Washington for its teacher placement rate.
Educational Certification and Career Services Office Staff: Cathy Stephens

Opportunities for Service
Since 1992, Whitworth graduates have lived in a former drug house running an afterschool program called "Homework Helpers." The house is owned by Westminster Presbyterian Church and is located near Holmes Elementary in the lowest income neighborhood in the state. The program, staffed by Whitworth Education students, provides a safe place for learning, friendship, faith, and fun for the children of the West Central neighborhood.

Excellent Teaching
Whitworth's Department of Teacher Education is committed to modeling excellent instruction to its students. Two of the department's faculty members, Dennis Sterner and Doris Liebert, have been recognized with the State of Washington Award for Excellence in Teacher Preparation. Betty Williams, Barb Sanders, and Randy Michaelis have all been recognized with Whitworth's highest award for teaching excellence.