Integrated Language Arts
(grade 7 through grade 12)
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Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study

Fall down Alice’s rabbit hole into a wonderland where the adventures are grand, the people distinctive, and the language wondrous strange. Become an integrated language arts education major at Defiance College.

At Defiance College, integrated language arts students get excited about speech and creative writing, and they enjoy discussing the world of literature, film, and other aesthetic experiences. While English and communication arts professors work closely with students to develop their thinking, writing, and creative abilities in a context that is sensitive to current trends in the discipline as well as to the larger, media-driven world, education professors work to turn students into teachers who can pass along these skills.

The integrated language arts major is designed for students who wish to teach secondary language arts in public and private schools. Students who complete this 65-hour major will be licensed to teach English, speech, reading, and journalism in grades 7-12 and will hold an Ohio teacher's license for those four areas.

This program is unique in that the student graduates with a license in four concentration areas rather than one, and is thus more employable. While designed for students who wish to teach at the secondary level, other possible careers include journalism, editing, technical writing, public relations, textbook consulting, speech writing, professional development, or tutorial services.

But this is just the beginning of the rabbit hole.  Now fall all the way down.

A Rich Tradition

Defiance College has a rich teacher education heritage. For more than 100 years, the College has prepared and graduated teachers who not only teach, but become principals and superintendents as well. The success of Defiance College education graduates rests in part on the rapport established with area schools and the caring, personal attention given to each student by the experienced faculty. In addition to exceeding state minimum requirements, the program has many other strengths.

Holders of an Early Childhood License or Adolescent and Young Adult License can add a Middle Childhood License in one content area with the appropriate content and education course work. See the Head of Teacher education for details.

Integrated Language Arts is a major for those who:

• Are compelled to read cereal boxes, the fine print on t-shirts, and billboards.
  
  
• Experience the visual and the verbal as one and the same.
  
  
• Get excited when a word looks or sounds good.
  
  
• Believe that the form itself matters as much as content.
  
  
• Get sidetracked by unfamiliar words when surfing the internet.
  
  
• Peel back the multiple meanings of words like peeling an onion.

The Teacher Education Program
All education students should be aware that the requirements for graduation are extensive, and that careful planning is necessary. Students admitted to the College who wish to be licensed as teachers must be admitted to the teacher education program and should indicate their desire to become a licensed teacher upon entering the College. Early and continuous monitoring of students helps assure success in completing the program in a more timely manner. Students may not take upper-level education courses until a review of lower-level field experiences and coursework has been successfully completed and the student has obtained minimum scores of 176 in reading, 174 in writing, and 175 in math on the Praxis I. Each applicant seeking teacher licensure is considered on the basis of criteria formulated by the Teacher Education Council and continuance in the program is dependent upon approval by that group. The senior capstone experience for all education majors is a semester long internship.

Education Accreditation
The Teacher Education Program has been reviewed and approved by the Ohio Department of Education using the teaching education standards by the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Ohio Education Licensure
Since the Ohio Department of Education periodically changes teacher licensure requirements, the College reserves the right to modify its programs and requirements to meet changing state standards. The professional courses and the teaching fields outlined will meet the current state standards for teacher licensure in Ohio. Students interested in teaching in another state are advised to contact that state's department of education to determine if the Ohio teaching license will transfer to a comparable license in that state.

Field experiences in schools, an important part of the program, begin as early as the first semester of the sophomore year, continue through a variety of classroom settings, and culminate in a supervised student teaching experience during the senior year. Studies in teaching diverse student populations are part of the program.

Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study

Field Experiences

Defiance College is fortunate in that it has developed a sound rapport with area schools. This type of partnership provides excellent opportunities for students to receive “hands-on” experience under the guidance of highly qualified school teachers or coaches. These field experiences are an important part of the instructional program and they culminate with a supervised student teaching experience. These experiences will be provided through opportunities in the classroom or gymnasium activities, as well as through local coaching experiences.

A Unique Opportunity

Minor in Autism Studies
The Hench Autism Studies Program is designed to educate students about the unique needs of persons with autism and their families. Additionally, students receive training on effective strategies for successful integration of persons with autism into education, vocational, family and community settings. Students are encouraged to apply these strategies in a supervised practicum setting. The minor in Autism Studies may be combined with any major.

Report on the Quality of Teacher Education

As part of the Title II Higher Education Act, all colleges and universities with teacher preparation programs where students receive federal assistance under Title IV of that act must report assessment data on their teacher education “program completers.” Program Completer refers to anyone who completes all requirements for any of the approved teacher education programs. This year’s data is based on a group of 35 students who completed programs during the 2007-2008 school year. The overall pass rate for these students on state required tests was 100%. The students in this group who completed the programs in Early Childhood Licensure, Middle Childhood Licensure, Adolescent and Young Adult Licensure and Pre-K –12 Multi-Age Licensure Programs, had a pass rate on state required tests of 100%. Those students were required to pass the state required content test prior to their student teaching/internship and the state required test on teaching principles before applying for licensure.

After College - What's Next?

Defiance College graduates are very successful, both in the classroom and in administrative roles. A high percentage of classrooms in northwest Ohio schools are staffed by well-trained Defiance College graduates, but our graduates are often sought by school districts from many parts of the country. Graduates have also been selected into the Teach for America program. With additional training, many graduates also work as principals, superintendents, and in specialty positions such as guidance counselors and program coordinators. Many have entered careers in public relations and journalism, while others have entered graduate school programs and are now teaching in secondary schools and at the college and university level.

Graduate Programs

Master of Arts in Education
Teacher leadership, the theme of the program, is implemented through four goals:
1. Teacher leaders will model effective planning and delivery of instruction.
2. Teacher leaders will engage students in learning and accurately evaluating
     the students’ performance.
3. Teacher leaders will be committed to collaborative faculty improvement
     through mentoring and coaching.
4. Teacher leaders will demonstrate the use of scientifically based research to
     solve classroom and school problems.

Graduate programs offered in education
- Master of Arts in Education
- Master of Arts in Education/ Adolescent and Young Adult Licensure
- Master of Arts in Education with Coaching Concentrations
- Master of Arts in Education Intervention Specialist
- Master of Arts in Education with Ohio Reading Endorsement

Evening and summer classes are available.

The Faculty

Professors of this major write and think constantly about literature and actually enjoy revising their work. When they are not helping students understand nuances of literature and writing, they are engaging students in publishing, poetry readings, and dramatic performances.