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The Liberal Arts Teacher Education Program at Lyon is an innovative program, created in response to a national concern about the preparation of teachers. Its design is the result of collaboration between and among teachers, school administrators, college faculty, students and members of the community - all committed to assuring that those who will teach our young are well prepared to do so.
So what's so distinctive about Lyon's approach? And why, in this case, is different better?
First, you have to understand why the traditional approach to teacher education in America is coming under attack today as a failed system. For one thing, the old approach discourages many promising young teachers who simply aren't willing to go through years of mind-numbing courses in pedagogy. And even among those who stick it out, polls show that beginning teachers frequently feel their education courses left them ill prepared. This may account, in part, for the high turnover among rookie teachers in American schools.
And while schools are crying out for teachers with more subject knowledge, traditional programs continue to turn out teachers who know more about how to teach than they do about what to teach.
Lyon's program, quite simply, was designed to remedy these serious flaws in the way America teaches its teachers.
How Different is Different?
Lyon has reshaped the traditional way of educating teachers in several important ways. At Lyon, prospective teachers complete a major in one of the liberal arts or sciences. In the senior year, they also complete a concentration in elementary, middle school, or secondary education and, simultaneously, serve a year-long internship in one of Lyon's partner school districts. Compare this with a traditional teacher education program, and you'll see some important differences:
Difference #1:Education students at Lyon don't major in Education.
Reflect for a moment on the good teachers you've known - their breadth of knowledge, creativity, and passion for learning - and you'll understand that teaching is not simply a set of vocational skills like plumbing or housepainting. Yet, for years teacher education has been treated as vocational training. Many education programs have required students to take year after year of methods courses. In many cases, the requirements account for half to two-thirds of students' total college hours, leaving little time for the kind of well-rounded education a teacher needs.
At Lyon, you will major in one of the liberal arts and sciences, such as psychology or music, history or biology. You will hone your thinking and communication skills, explore the depths of your major field, and broaden your mind through the Core and your choice of electives. You can do this because at Lyon, we concentrate our education curriculum into a shorter, more intense experience that combines a longer teaching internship with courses designed to bring working public school teachers into the college classroom.
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Difference #2: Lyon's year-long teaching internship offers more hands-on preparation for the "real world" of teaching.
You can't learn to skate without getting out on the ice, and you can't learn to teach without stepping to the front of a classroom.
Most teachers will tell you that their teaching internship was the most intense period of practical learning in their lives. Yet, at many colleges, that vital internship lasts only twelve weeks and doesn't begin until all coursework is concluded. At Lyon, student teachers spend their entire senior year as half-time students, half-time teachers. This means a student may learn about a teaching method one day, try it out the next, and talk it over in class the day after. It also means that Lyon students have the opportunity to work with a teacher-mentor and a class full of students throughout an entire school year.
Lyon graduates consistently rate this aspect of the program as priceless.
"Student teaching for a full year made a huge difference, as I see it, in my readiness to take over and be at the helm of a classroom," says Beth Neely, a recent graduate. "It prepared me for the real world of teaching. After I did my lesson plans for the first week my mentor looked at them and said, 'How did you learn to do this?' I told her I'd been doing them all year! I can only imagine what a first-year teacher coming out of a traditional program must experience."
Difference #3: Lyon knows future teachers need a serious and challenging curriculum.
Let's face it. Traditional teacher education programs have not been known for either the selectivity of their admissions or the rigor of their curriculum. Lyon's program, however, is designed for students who understand that teaching is a serious endeavor, students who want to be well versed in the subjects they will be teaching. Because of that, we are the first to say our teacher education program is not for everyone. and because we are selective, you can be assured that you will be challenged not only by your professors, but also by the capable and motivated students with whom you will be sharing the classroom.
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YOU CAN'T LEARN
TO SKATE WITHOUT GETTING OUT ON THE ICE, AND YOU CAN'T LEARN TO TEACH WITHOUT STEPPING TO THE FRONT OF A CLASSROOM |
The Results Speak For Themselves
This combination of a liberal arts or science major, a more focused curriculum in teaching methods, and a year-long internship has captured a great deal of attention nationwide. The Winthrop Rockerfeller Foundation backed the program with a special grant, and columnist Paul Greenberg, a long-time critic of teacher education in America, has called the program, "a splendid new beginning".
With a major in something other than education, it is clear that Lyon students are learning more about what to teach. but the evidence is also growing that Lyon's concentrated practical approach is more effective in teaching them how to teach as well. In recent years Lyon's education graduates, none of whom has a major in education, nevertheless have averaged well above the 90th percentile on the standard pre-professional tests for teachers.
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LYON'S PROGRAM
IS DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS WHO WANT TO BE WELL VERSED IN THE SUBJECTS THEY WILL BE TEACHING |
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Concentrations and Certification
Lyon's accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education assures students who complete our program not only of the opportunity to become licensed to teach in Arkansas, but of reasonably hassle-free certification in any of the twenty to thirty other states that recognize NCATE approval as the standard of excellence.
Lyon offers three education concentrations leading to teacher certification:
These concentrations vary in size from 25 to 28 credits, including 9 credits for the year-long student internship, and are completed in addition to a major of the student's choice. In the case of middle school, candidates should emphasize either English/Social Studies or Math/Science, majoring in one and having at least 24 credits in the other. In secondary concentrations, the major would normally be in the teaching field in which the student plans to certify. |
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Admission to the Program
The Liberal Arts Teacher Education Program at Lyon is designed to be selective, and for good reason: Lyon's goal is not simply to produce teachers, but to produce highly effective teachers who will become leaders in the renewal of America's public education system.
There are two stages of admission to the Liberal Arts Teacher Education Concentration at Lyon:
1. Identification Admission: Since actual admission to the program normally does not occur until the junior year, this preliminary admission process was designed to identify as early as possible (usually during the sophomore year) those students who are interested in pursuing an academic program in teacher education and to establish an advising program to assist them. To be eligible for Identification Admission, students must have performed satisfactorily in two introductory courses: EDU 201 Education and Culture in the 20th Century and EDU 202 Overview of Teaching
2. Student Internship Admission: For most students the second stage of admission occurs in the spring semester of the junior year. During the period of time between Identification Admission and Student Internship Admission, the student - under the guidance of a teacher education advisor - assembles a personal portfolio and submits it to the Admissions Committee. The portfolio contains a range of indicators of academic ability, motivation, and teaching ability, including test scores on pre-professional tests, transcripts, an interview, character references, and a 15-20 minute video of the student working with young people.
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Is Lyon Right for You? Are you a good student with a desire to be challenged during your college career? Do you want to be the kind of teacher who is known for being especially well versed in the subject matter that you are teaching? Do you want teaching to be your profession, not just your job? If you answered yes to these questions, then Lyon may well be the right place for you. We encourage you to schedule a visit to Lyon, to meet other students whose primary goal is to teach, and to discuss your interests and concerns with one of our teacher education faculty. |
IF YOU ANSWERED
YES TO THESE QUESTIONS, THEN LYON MAY WELL BE THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOU. |
Program Quality and Performance: