What do you consider the strongest part of your preparation at UNI?

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1 What do you consider the strongest part of your preparation at UNI? Business Education Instructional strategies Student Teaching; nothing can prepare you like a real classroom can. Methods class and Business classes Reflection and the focus on the Iowa Teaching Standards. These two things have allowed me to understand and express to others what I am teaching, why I am teaching it, and how I am teaching. The preparation I received at UNI in these two areas has allowed me to be confident in the classroom, with parents, and with administrators. Early Childhood The field experience opportunities that allowed me to work with students and teachers within the classroom. All of the field experiences. Having numerous opportunities to attend and be involved in all of the field experiences were what helped me get a feel for what goes in a classroom. These opportunities provided me with real life experiences that you cannot get from a textbook. Experience in the classroom, small classes to meet students needs as college students. Elementary Education All of the field experiences. Classroom Management (especially through the special ed program) The field experiences. All of the hands on experiences were essential to my success in the classroom. Being in the schools My special education classes...prepared me more for each student. Experiences in the classroom (Level I, Level II, Level III, Phase I, Phase II, and student teaching) management the student teaching I feel that I was well supported by staff. The staff was extremely competent in their field. I knew that I was learning from experienced teachers, not just a book worm. Learning from educators who are up-to-date in the education field was the strongest part of the program. How to use student work to create new lessons. literacy minor course work Reading classes I feel like we got a variety of exposure into area classrooms. Special Education Program (LD) Designing instruction that is aligned with students goals. My student teaching placement in Council Bluffs under the supervision of Kathy Blecha. Kathy helped me see the things I am capable of and the great things I was already doing. Compared to other teachers I speak with that went to other colleges for teaching, I feel UNI prepared me very well. Not only did the have us do projects/bulletin boards, etc, they taught us the content and then had us work on them. It just wasn't arts and crafts, they taught us the guts of the area The reading endorsement program was very thorough and taught me a lot. I feel like I was definitely prepared to teach literacy. My field experiences and student teaching.

2 Portfolios and lesson planning I would consider my work in my endorsement area--special education to be the strongest part of my preparation at UNI. student-teaching, all reading endorsement classes The attention professors gave to students when questions arose, even after graduation. Working with students/teachers in the community. The field experiences Working with other teachers in field experiences. The field experiences. You never know exactly everything that goes into teaching until you see it first hand. good content knowledge Experiences in the classroom with "real" students. My literacy minor was the best thing I did at UNI. It is what prepared me for teaching, not to mention it helped me get my job! The strongest part of my preparation at UNI was getting a minor in Special Education. I think that I learned more in those classes than in a lot of my elementary education classes. The material that was taught in the special education classes is useful for all students. All teachers should have this information due to the laws and requirements now. All teachers are going to have these students at some point in their life and the skills and strategies taught in those classes will be very helpful. My math minor. The instruction was excellent. Being in the classroom field experiences with lesson plans you actually use My literacy preparation in my minor field. The early childhood program is also quite strong time in the classroom Class size, ability to participate, and the variety of classes offered. All of the experience we had in classrooms. The many opportunities to go into different classrooms and to observe different teachers strategies. Special Education I loved that I had so many teaching experiences throughout my special education teachers preparation. Field Experiences Technology Education I do not feel I had a real strong preparation in any area once I started teaching The use of technology, however, none of the schools can afford the equipment that we learned on at UNI All of my classes that involved hands on training in the shop. Which unfortunately were not very many. Physical Education Curriculum and Content The experiences in the local schools. The support of the staff after graduation. The HPELS department at UNI is amazing. Making students teach content that is outside of their comfort area is important. UNI does a good job pushing students to do this.

3 The amount of field experience we got with Price Lab and other schools in the Cedar Valley. I felt that the field experiences were all great, particularly, the Special Needs programs. They put me in the classroom often and for extended periods of time, which gave me the best real experience. The teacher Work Sample was the best tool that allowed me to plan, teach, assess, and reflect. The theoretical information regarding Physical Education. The great schools that I student taught at. Music Playing ability on my major instrument. the many opportunities to teach real students (field experience, etc) Good learning community. The opportunity to perform in so many groups with quality instructors who used a variety of teaching strategies, the teaching opportunities to teach music students, the excellent professors who taught the techniques courses for instrumental education. I am strong in my content area. The music department provided a solid education for the music education students. Content matter The strongest part of my preparation was through the school of music--i.e. content knowledge. Excellent field experience and student teaching placements The amount of time teaching and observing actual classes during field experiences was very strong. My elementary general music student teaching experience with in Sioux, City. This was an invaluable experience - I learned SOOO MUCH from a master teacher. Gen music methods with Dr. Gordon-Hedden. We had a lot of opportunities to teach in front of peers and actual students from nearby elementaries. We got constructive and helpful feedback on our teaching skills. We also had to design our own k-6 curriculum which was a very valuable assignment for me. Schools in American Society with Dr. Fortgang. My Level 1 field experience with Dwayne Holmes Jr. High. I felt I was very strongly prepared on the content area of my field. The music education classes were great and I felt, provided me with most of what I needed to go out into the education sector. Elementary Music Methods Practicum experience at the local schools Art Being able to do paperwork. (Portfolios etc.) field experience Field Experience / Student Teaching English It was during my semester of student teaching that truly prepared me for what would lay ahead in the world of education. I was not only given the chance to work as a classroom teacher, but I was also allowed the chance to work collaboratively with other teachers and parents within the school district. It was also during this time where I was able to bond with a classroom full of students and learn all of their different approaches to learning. When you are a student yourself in a classroom it is difficult to gage whether or not you will enjoy and be passionate about the field that you will be entering into. Without the semester of student teaching I do not believe any student would/could be adequately prepared for teaching in either a public or private setting. The classes I had in my major and all of the field experiences I had. Content area preparation My English classes and the literacy for educators. Field experiences were the most helpful for

4 classroom application. My content area classes were great! This is especially true my classes that were technically content area, but specifically for secondary edu. majors (i.e. adolescent lit.). formal and informal assessments TESOL Lots of practicums and in-school exposure. The opportunity to student teach almost anywhere. Modern Language My experiences in the classroom were invaluable! I am so glad that PLS/NU High is so close and available to UNI students. I know there was some talk about closing the school a few years ago and from a former UNI student, keep it open at all costs! It provided me with such invaluable experience. My field experiences there were far better than those I had in other schools in the vicinity. Student teaching really opened my eyes to what teaching really is. I wish that I had had more exposure before going into student teaching. Mathematics The amount of time we spend in the classroom to help us feel most comfortable in during student teaching. Content area (mathematics). Being able to work with other mathematics education majors as well as with the staff in the mathematics department. Content knowledge and lesson planning Natural Sciences Learning about inquiry based science The science education department classes Drilling of inquiry based education emphasis on philosophy which allows us to be flexible to a variety of different situations instead of just giving us a step-by-step how-to guide The chemistry department, my Level II experience with Karen Couch at PLS, Current Tech for Science Teachers with Aaron Spurr, Berg's Schools and American Society class (although it nearly killed me!), and student teaching in Council Bluffs The field experiences Social Sciences Classroom experience I was well prepared to teach social studies topics. There was a lot of emphasis on reflection and creating a variety of student activities. Exposure to the real classrooms. a lot of experience in the classrooms

5 Dr. Connor's Teaching History Class My methods class in the History Dept. (Prof. Connors) Content knowledge History Department --Dr. Thomas Connors methods class My methods class in history taught by Dr. Connors. Thank God for Dr. Connors. I really was nervous about student teaching since most, if not all, of the preparation that I received in Schindler was geared toward elementary age students. Dr. Connors was the best class in the entire education curriculum that I took. It greatly prepared me for student teaching and for my career as a Social Studies teacher. History History Department --Dr. Thomas Connors methods class My methods class in history taught by Dr. Connors. Thank God for Dr. Connors. I really was nervous about student teaching since most, if not all, of the preparation that I received in Schindler was geared toward elementary age students. Dr. Connors was the best class in the entire education curriculum that I took. It greatly prepared me for student teaching and for my career as a Social Studies teacher. Early Childhood / Elementary Education Working in a variety of classrooms through field experience. Instruction in technology. The field experience and the activities we had to plan under different topic areas Instructional strategies were a great part of learning at UNI. I felt nicely prepared for teaching. The hands on experiences that the programs and professors provided. The content was all meaningful. Nothing that I did at UNI was ever a waste of time. I learned through all the classes, and was prepared for teaching in the real world. UNI really prepared me to reflect on work. Having to do a professional portfolio this year and reflect upon my teaching these past two years, I thought back to all the times at UNI when they kept saying that you would have to reflect when you got out into the real world of teaching. They were right. I felt very prepared to do this. I consider the strongest part of my preparation was the early childhood curriculum and development The experiences that I had prepared me to teach what I am teaching now. I really enjoyed the hands-on teaching that we were allowed to participate in. I also feel that I was very highly educated in Early Childhood Education. I feel like that was one of the strongest and most influential parts of my program. I also feel that the Literacy Minor was very strong and helps me build the fundamentals for my young students to succeed in upper grades. The various instructors field experiences Going into all the schools in the community and doing hands on activities with children and instruction from our instructors. The hands on learning with students including all of the field experiences we completed. The hands-on experiences we were able to participate in outside of UNI's doors. I feel I have a wide range of knowledge in the education field. I have received 2 endorsements through another university since I graduated and I feel what I learned in those endorsements, I learned in my undergraduate work at UNI. I feel I was far more prepared than new teachers from other universities. The strongest part would be the preparation to create within me the necessity for being a reflective educator. Field experiences

6 I have several... Kathy Oakland was a wonderful way to start off the experience of being in the classrooms. She is such a positive asset. Dr. Charles May was the best professor I had. He gave me wonderful pieces of knowledge that I use every day of my career. Student teaching in Des Moines under the supervision of Beverly Reiss was a great strength. The expectations she put on me as a student teacher have carried through into my job every day. Her motto of going above and beyond is part of my mission statement to my parents. I cannot say enough good things about my education at UNI. The in class experiences Elementary Education / Middle School all the classroom time starting with the Level 1 field experience Planning and different methods of instruction The strongest part would have to be the hands on experiences we were given. The classroom stuff was good, but the hands on was 100 times better. Student Teaching Math minor courses, curriculum class The opportunity to be in the classroom right away and have a wide variety of classroom experiences. I also felt that I had a good amount of student interactions. I consider the strongest part of my preparation at UNI was getting into the classroom and actually teaching students. Field experiences at UNI are in abundance and that was the best part of my education, actually taking what I learned and practicing it. Being able to reflect and change instruction based on what is actually happening in the classroom. student teaching and opportunities to work with students I received an excellent foundation in philosophy and educational trends in Schools and American Society taught by Dr. Fortgang. This class changed my definition of education, my outlook on lesson planning and teaching, and my career path. Also, I had the opportunity to participate in the Russia Literacy Collaboration with Dr. Beed and Dr. Edmiaston. This outstanding experience shaped my thoughts about diversity and impacted not only my teaching but also my personal life. Finally, my assessment class was outstanding. I did not realize it at the time... I didn't understand the value of calculating percentiles and histograms for every test. However, this class has been one of the most applicable. In classroom work Confidence to lead a classroom! There were many wonderful things that I learned at UNI to prepare me for the classroom. I was given many great learning strategies and activity ideas. Child development was important and helped tremendously. Having been in classroom experience enough to know what is expected. My middle level management and curriculum courses really helped me learn about middle school students and how to manage, organize, and set up a successful classroom. knowing how to work with others whether you get along or not. Classroom management techniques, integration of technology in the classroom, differentiating/adapting instruction based on student needs Being able to communicate with all children because of being in and out of all different types of schools and ages of children. The more real life teaching time the better of you are at making spur of the moment decisions. Really knowing the teaching standards and how to do portfolios. Being constantly observed and graded by professors, teachers, classmates, etc. This really makes it easier to be observed by your principal and adjust your teaching (constructive criticism). Having to do many variations of lesson plans. reflection aspect of teaching UNI helped me understand students' backgrounds come into play in the classroom. Elementary Education / Physical Education Knowing when and being able to use different teaching styles to meet the needs of different students

7 Elementary Education / Art Student Teaching and Practicums Elementary Education / Modern Languages I think I was well prepared for making connections between my lessons and benchmarks and standards. I was equally proficient in creating structurally sound lessons that kept students actively engaged throughout. Literacy / English Field Experiences offered a great opportunity to get out there and see what was actually happening in the classrooms. Psychology / English Student teaching and having two different sets Social Sciences / Special Education Learning to work with others and appreciate the differences between people that make them unique. Having professors that treated people as individuals was another strong point, I really felt as if some of the faculty cared about me as a person. History / Social Sciences content classes for social studies Instruction about technology I left UNI with a great understanding about assessing formally and informally, different learning styles and how to teach for them, my content areas and many more tools. The many opportunities to go into different classrooms and to observe different teachers strategies. Being in the classroom! interaction with colleagues A number of field experiences, and the literacy minor program was extremely useful

8 What improvements would you suggest in our preparation program? Business Education More real-life situations in the classroom to deal with. Maybe make it a little more relevant. I'm sure that you figure, oh yeah, obvious coming from a secondary teacher to say that the focus wasn't on them, but most of the general education classes really focused on elementary. I felt there was a lot of learning about different theories but not enough what to do with those theories in terms of teaching strategies. My suggestion has to do specifically with the Business Teaching part. This area needs more technology training that the rest of the teaching programs. A lot of the classrooms that business teachers teach in are computer labs. I was not prepared for all of the trouble shooting that needs to be done during a class period as an instructor in a computer lab. A lot of school districts have one technology coordinator per district who has to split time between all the buildings in the district. If their are problems with the computers or the network while the technology coordinator is out of the building, people expect the business teacher to fix the problem. There needs to be more training with computer troubleshooting and network troubleshooting in the Business Teaching program at UNI so that new teachers can spend time preparing for instruction rather than learning how to fix computers. Early Childhood I know this will be difficult, but application activities need to be more realistic. Instead of teacher ed. students creating random lesson plans in their classes, they need to have data (even if it is fake) to use for planning of instruction. There also needs to be more instruction on data analysis and how it affects your planning. All teacher ed. students need a stronger background with reading education, since reading is necessary for all subject areas. More work in the special education field and more exposure to working with IEP's in classes. N/A Everything was great, I feel that just enough field experiences were offered and required. More hands on experiences when learning about child development and early childhood theorists. Elementary Education More instructional strategies. You can never have enough. To require more courses based on special education for all ed majors. When doing portfolios, the focus is on the 12 national standards. I think it should be an option to focus on the 8 Iowa standards if you plan on staying in this area. to get education majors in the classroom as much as possible I think the program is very good, but maybe more reading class requirements would be nice. In today s job market a reading endorsement is almost required. Continue to teach best practice theory--- but do not fail to discuss what is truly happening out in the schools the grads will be working in. I would get another minor in reading. I believe there needs to be more special education classes required for general education teachers. Instead of having Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners required, maybe focus more on making accommodations, collaborative teaching, and how to effectively teach students with learning disabilities. I took a lot of courses where the information overlapped quite a bit. I feel those classes could be

9 evaluated and some cut and, in replacement, put more experience in the classroom because that is where you learn the most. The more you can get the college students in the classroom, the better. Making all of those lesson plans for different classes mean nothing, unless you actually do them with real students. Hands on! Technology plays a big part in curriculum as well as Standards and Benchmarks. I feel that there was not enough expected in technology. Perhaps having the students teach formal classroom lessons (with children) using technology. Just writing about it does not give you the experience of things going right or wrong with technology. UNI needs more classes focused on subject matter and content as well as instructional strategies. What to teach, not just how to teach. I felt that I learned absolutely nothing in the course I had to take on assessment! It was the worse course ever! The text was written by the instructor and he didn't really teach, he more or less preached about how great his printed material was. I took nothing from the class. none I was not prepared for the behavior management in a classroom. We studies theorists but I don't think that helps us run an effective classroom behavior management wise. Strategy and technique instruction What are some activities for reading? I don't know what to suggest. But a lot of the placements for field experiences are not very realistic, and never really prepare you for what you are in for as a teacher. The classes and the information that I learned was great, but applying that to the classroom was not done well. Everything changes when you get your own classroom, and it is difficult to know what it will be like until you actually have one. I don't know how to help that situation out at all, but I did and sometimes still do feel unprepared and I am starting my third year of teaching in January. Help in dealing with extremely disruptive behavior would be helpful. I work in a rural community and have a student with severe behavior issues and don't have the background knowledge to deal with this problem. I see no improvements needed. I think there needs to be more courses/instruction about the diverse learners we have in our classrooms. One 2-credit class that incorporates both Sp Ed and ELP/Tag is not enough to prepare you for a real classroom. I am unsure whether there is still a focus on "thematic units", but those also are not an accurate depiction of any elementary classroom that I have been in/seen. It is important to follow district standards and benchmarks. I think giving students a set of standards or a particular curriculum and have students develop their teaching methods around that. Also making students aware of the many other tasks that teachers are required to take part in: meetings, committees, interventions with students. I feel as though many of my professors at UNI were too disconnected from teaching, they haven't been in a classroom in awhile, sometimes those professors lost credibility pretty quick in the college class. Education is ever changing and even if they just spent a week in an elementary classroom, they would notice some of the changes since they last taught. I think that the subject area I felt least prepared to teach when I started teaching was social studies. I did not feel that my methods course in social studies prepared me well. Have classes focus more on Classroom Management and the politics they may face from administration and parents. I think that more time needs to be spent helping teaching candidates with content and the actual planning of content links to curriculum standards and benchmarks. Get preservice teachers even more involved in the classroom! My biggest problem was having the Spanish teaching minor geared toward high school with not a lot of help to prepare us to teach Spanish in the elementary, which is what I currently teach. Working more with students in a small group setting. I was a reading minor and really had no reading group experience till student teaching. This is something that I still see as a weakness of mine and feel that more preparation could of been done in course work. Also looking back some of my teachers in my classes style of teaching was a little "out dated". none More technology and technology that is used in the schools. Many of the things that we did on the computer are not even available to me as a teacher.

10 none more on how to deal with parents How to deal with challenging parents. Special education-now-a-days, we are required as regular classroom teachers to have the knowledge and experience of Sp. Ed. teachers. Our school has 5 autistic students in just kindergarten and first grade, who are integrated into the classroom. More technology related classes, or at least the use of technology in more classes. Learning more about the standards and how to plan lessons accordingly. Also focusing on differentiation. Stronger teachers that can make stronger real-life based connections to the content classroom management techniques more content in social studies and science I lacked materials and ideas for upper middle school grades Offer classes on co-teaching and/or more special education training for general education teachers. More preparation on using assessment to drive instruction. Prepare for students who come from many different levels, with class sizes getting larger teachers are having to meet many different social levels as well as academic levels in the classroom. Focus on teaching techniques more than the theories, such as KU Strategies/Brain Based Learning/etc. so that the students will be more prepared for their interviews with various districts. Special Education I would have liked to learn more reading strategies to use with struggling readers. Educate general education teachers more about special education Technology Education working the Tech ed department and the education department together In tech Ed. More hands on classes Get students that are going to be shop teachers and put them in the workshop. They need more training in the shop setting. They need to know how to do Maintenance, how to run and use many machines, and learn of to write and search for grant because very few schools will ever have a budget to work with. Physical Education Assessment Just hit more on the licensure process. Tell students exactly what the initial licensure is and also talk about the standard licensure and what you need to do to keep renewing them. Students need much more "real world" teaching experiences. The lab school is unrealistic because of all the amenities it has. Most schools that these students will teach in, will not have those types of resources. Also, it would be nice if students were taught how to take ideas from the internet, books, colleagues, etc and appropriately place them into their curriculum. Also, stop telling students that school districts will have a set curriculum for them. Some still don't, and they may be on their own to develop one using only the standards and benchmarks. It can be quite overwhelming. Let them know that there are resources out there if they run into this situation (such as the Physical Essentials Curriculum). Teach them the importance of networking...alumni associations, conventions, etc.

11 Teach them the importance of being a good substitute teacher in a building before they actually get a real teaching job. Many jobs are won because the teachers and staff at the school you sub at like you. I can't really say there needs to be any improvements. Depending on the day I know all teachers struggle with something new. I feel like it was so long ago that I graduated that I can't specifically remember what I was prepared for the best or what I wasn't prepared for. I think it can be beneficial to not only have a variety of Field Experiences, but to also bring in guest speakers from around the area that are currently teaching the variety of students. It can be beneficial to hear what they have to say about their typical day, the students they work with, struggles they experience, and the successes they are all currently experiencing. More assessment strategies I learned the most by getting into the classroom, so I would suggest getting the teachers into the classroom more. How to deal with poor administration. How to manage class sizes of Diversity. Music Education Reflect on the day-to-day activities that happen; for example, what type reeds to use, DISCIPLINE ideas, working with parents (positive and negative experiences), working with intolerable administrators, and how to personally stay positive when situations bring down your self esteem as a teacher. none More realistic view of what it will be like out here: developing a band curriculum (we just did general), how to make a cohesive music dept. and a k-12 program that meets all national standards. Developing different grading models for band based on community expectations and grade level. All the little things you take for granted when you were a student yourself! In terms of music education, the education department needs to know and realize we are not all elementary majors in our education classes and make the information relevant to all teaching degrees. There are many classes in the Education Department that provide important information but are not geared toward the Fine Arts. Perhaps the instructors could provide more materials for the art and music students. I had a number of professors who would tell the music students that this information really isn't for you, but few shared information that would be applicable to our discipline. In reality, we should be able to use nearly ALL of the information in our classrooms, but we just need to learn how. I think you're doing a great job. The only place where I felt I could've used more help is in the area of classroom management, and I don't think it is because I wasn't prepared, but more that I had to kind of figure out what works best for me. I felt VERY unprepared in having to deal with parents, more specifically regarding students' grades, student behavior, etc. Also, I was very unaware of all the paperwork and administrative responsibilities involved in the job. Spending more time in the classroom earlier in the program I would suggest more instruction on learning disabilities and strategies to mainstream students with special needs. Please make sure that when you are send someone out to student teach that they are placed with an excellent master teacher. The second half of my student teaching experience was terrible. I had to fill out my own evaluations so my CT could sign them. I got little to no time to actually teach during the entire 8 weeks and I didn't learn anything about teaching middle school band. I suggest making some of the 'base' classes in the COE more effective. For example, level 1 class was very boring and not applicable. Level 2 was also a complete waste (with Dr. Upham) - very poorly taught course that had no practical applications in the 'real world' of teaching. Also, meeting the needs of diverse learners was a complete and total waste of time. I learned nothing helpful about

12 accommodating different styles of learners. I wish I could remember the name of the lady who taught it - so she could be fired from teaching the course. She had a special needs child of her own - therefore everything she taught us as far as inclusion and accommodations were concerned were totally biased and not what we needed to learn during that course. It was the biggest 'hoop' to jump through of all. I felt the only COE course that challenged me and made me want to learn was Schools in American Society. It was the only COE course or instructor that I had any respect for as a student. Thank you, Dr. Fortgang. I would suggest trying to find ways to incorporate all types of education majors into the required education courses. I felt that they were mostly geared toward elementary majors. The teacher worksample was a stretch for me. It is only geared toward traditional classroom teachers. (Maybe that has changed since I was there.) I did not feel like the education courses not having to do with music were very beneficial to me in my teaching. Art Teach more technology use. Most schools use Macs, I didn't even know how to start one up. I could have used some real examples of lessons in my content that are considered excellent lessons that include several modifications. I would have also liked to have more in depth specific and effective learning strategies to handle student behavior issues. A video is not enough to teach me about classroom management. Real class sessions with discussions and suggestions on a variety of student behaviors would have greatly increased my confidence in the first year and would have made me a more effective teacher. Also teacher to parent relationships was barely covered. I was never once told how to speak with parents about difficult subjects. Require painting and ceramics for Art Education students, along with an open choice between several 2-D and 3-D classes. Also, more instruction in the Art ed courses about sequencing of instruction, and classroom management. English UNI is mostly geared toward elementary school teaching rather than secondary teaching which I find to be very unfortunate. I believe it would be beneficial to all education majors, elementary and secondary, to take a class concerning classroom management. I also believe a class concerning the various learning styles of students would also be helpful. I do not feel as if I was as prepared as I should have been concerning my students with IEP's or 504 plans. More focus on technology, such as how to set up and use blogs, or chatrooms for a classroom. Perhaps for a book discussion. There needs to be more of a focus for high school level people. Some of the classes in the ed dept. cater to elementary too much. More contact with current teachers and insight into the strategies they use in the classroom. Classes should focus more on lesson planning. Secondary Ed. majors rarely get that because we didn't have the same classes the Elementary people had. I had to learn the majority of my planning/lesson structure on my own, and it would have been nice to have more guidance. Also, the English teaching classes need to be more practical. They were fun classes, but they weren't realistic in preparing for public education. My Teaching of Writing professor taught that we shouldn't give grades- this is unrealistic in the majority of schools. 1. The technology in the classroom class had us doing things that few teachers have time or energy to do on a regular basis. They were neat to know, but I think it would be more beneficial to spend time using programs that are universal. 2. The classroom management course for secondary teachers was a joke! All we did was watch videos on a few behavior problems and write summaries over them. NOT realistic, just a waste of time. practical classroom management techniques; a better understanding of what to expect as a first year teacher handed a curriculum and told to teach it as we see fit

13 TESOL Methods classes in TESOL need to teach us how to teach reading. I knew about many theories and methods of teaching ESL, but they were quite theoretical and primarily for adults. When I became the literacy teacher for our 6th grade ELL students, I had a lot to learn. Modern Languages I would really have liked more instruction in teaching in my content area prior to just the semester before I student taught. I learned so much in those classes, and a lot of the worksheets and units I developed earlier in my preparation program aren't really useful to me now because I know so much more about the science of teaching a language and realize that these activities really could have been designed better. More in-class time to observe teachers and more time to visit with them to embrace what teaching really consists of. Mathematics In the mathematics department how all the major classes we take will relate to what we are trying to teach. The college of education courses for secondary teachers. Everything is geared toward elementary. Having a capstone type class of mathematics that you will see in your classroom. Ideas on activities for management and different learning styles. How to stay organized and prioritize. Natural Sciences More classroom time on management (when I was there we had to watch videos on it) and more examples on exactly what to do. The theory is great to learn - but practical examples help out a lot! More diverse learning training More technology Multiple approaches to teaching, inquiry is not always the most appropriate approach. More classroom management classes For secondary teachers, try to work out something similar to Participation Week that El. Ed. majors did. My only field experience that prepared me for teaching was Level II because I truly got to know the students, their prior knowledge, and the inner-workings of the classroom. It would have been great to have a similar experience just prior to student teaching. I felt that most of my educational classes were geared towards the elementary levels. I would like to see more classes for the high school teachers. Social Sciences Update technology used in Educational Media. We don't use Webquests we (in West Des Moines) use smartboards, moodle, etc. There needs to be more teaching in the area of classroom management. If you do not have that aspect under control you cannot teach anything else. As a secondary education major, I felt that Ed. Media was the only education class that had been geared toward me at all. I was disappointed in most education classes as too elementary. I also had an issue with "busy work" in these very same education classes. Why create 40 lesson plans for one assignment, when I could have showcased my knowledge just creating four or five

14 lessons??? The answer to creating entire units was that we would be creating something that we could use when we got a job. Now I know that is not the case. A potential teacher will never know exactly what they will be teaching until they get into a district, have a textbook, and know what they have to work with. Yes, I have used some of the activity ideas I came up with, but I have yet to touch any of the lesson plans or unit plans I created at UNI. better prep for people going into the secondary field. felt most of my ed classes focused on elementary level stuff Have better preparation for Secondary educators, didn't learn anything even in classes that were supposed to be aimed at the Secondary level in the Education department I did not find any of the classes that I took in the education department beneficial to me as a HS teacher. I really wished that I got a better HS preparation education. I felt like I wasted a lot of time and money on classes that were irrelevant to what I am doing as a HS teacher. More full-immersion field experience, and deeper connection to classroom content/discussions History Different track for elementary and high school students concerning teaching classes, such as education psychology. Such classes are too focused on elementary!! More classes geared towards the level that the teachers are going to be teaching at. I believe that it's more important for a high school teacher should have a class dealing with the developmental process for a middle school and high school student rather than an elementary student. Early Childhood / Elementary Education I would offer more classes, for non SPED majors, regarding inclusion. More and more schools are going to this and teachers without a SPED background have to know effective ways to work with these students also. Also, thoroughly cover the five components of reading and 6+1 traits of writing. These are two areas that we are constantly hearing more about during professional development. I attended the program and at the time I was in the program I would have suggested some of the teacher's making better connections with the students. I believe the early childhood classes need to be strengthened. I feel that Early Childhood curriculum taught by Dr. Holmes taught me nothing of importance Those who get an early childhood degree are endorsed to teach spec. ed. I don't feel like the preparation I got helped me a whole lot. I now teach spec. ed. preschool and I didn't know how to do IEP's and such when I first started. I think more emphasis needs to be placed on this if people are going to receive this type of endorsement with the early childhood degree. It would even be nice if a class could be taught on the basic's of understanding and writing IEP's. AEA staff members would be excellent teachers for this. I feel like this is where I wasn't really prepared. Even though I did get a student teaching experience in special education, I wasn't really taught how to do IEP's. I did get to look at an IEP but by the time I had began teaching it the IEP's were different and I know that there really is no way to predict how they will look when current students get out into the field but at least they will have the basics of what is needed to construct IEP's. Diverse learners is so prevalent in schools now. A few more classes on teaching students with disabilities may help to enhance the education program. I think that students need to be in the classroom much sooner. Having had UNI participants in my classroom that have decided in the midst of their junior year that they don't want to be teaching majors, or that it isn't cut out for them, I feel extremely sorry. I knew that I wanted to be an education major, but I always wanted to be in the classrooms more. Writing lesson plans meant nothing to me without having to actually follow through with it. I think that UNI is really good with teaching what the theories are behind education, but they don't allow enough opportunities to get out there and try those different theories to see what's really for

15 them. I think this is a crucial aspect of the program that needs to be addressed. I would suggest having more time learning about how to manage associates, principles, other colleagues. Learning more how to communicate effectively with others in an educational setting. I think there needs to be more of an emphasis on Special Needs and Special Education. Technology assessment from the instruction, more field experiences More to prepare us for dealing with the districts we work in and all the demands placed on us by them and government laws (NCLB for example) we have to take into consideration. More reading classes to better prepare for the real world. I teach in a reading first school and I was not even aware of the program prior to teaching. More curriculum instruction while in the schools. How to open a manual and use it for a lesson. I would have liked more management strategies. I think APL strategies should be taught at UNI. I went through the APL training my first and second years of teaching and it has helped me more than anything I learned at UNI in management. None More realistic lesson planning...thematic units are not realistic nor practiced in the real world by teachers. I would suggest taking away some of the thematic units that we had to prepare. When you get into a school district, they all have their own set standards and benchmarks, as well as particular curriculum to follow. The use of thematic units are slim to none, at least in Des Moines Public Schools. I appreciated knowing the amount of time and effort went into the preparation of it, but now that I look back, I could have used more on things like differentiating instruction, cultural competency, and collaboration between special education, general education, and Title teachers. I also think that it would be beneficial to look at putting more classes in elementary education majors from a special education view. I went for el. ed & early childhood, but ended up teaching special education. Every general education teacher will have special education students in their classrooms, and I think that UNI should step it up on all of the other universities and require more special education classes to be taken by general education teachers. none Elementary Education / Middle School more information about assessments, especially formative/informal assessments Some more with content in the areas. To make the students see more of the aspects of teaching. From the actual lesson plans to the stuff beyond teaching, the inservices, benchmarks, and standards etc. none Get more hands-on teaching experiences without the help of classroom teachers as much so that you are truly the one dealing with the "problem" behaviors and also having to contact parents. More emphasis on how to find resources for teaching and how to critically assess materials in order to make the best decision for instruction and student needs. I would like to see more classes offered and required to take about meeting needs of all learners. In today s classrooms we must meet needs of multiple learners and as a beginning teacher I wish I had been taught more strategies to use for a variety of learners including those students with physical and mental learning abilities. More classes should be offered and some of those classes offered should be required for every education major to take. I know Iowa doesn't have state standards. But looking at standards and benchmarks and planning lessons based on those. Another thing that is difficult is differentiating lessons and showing students ways to have multi-leveled lesson plans and assignments. more opportunities to get into the classroom and work with students * Emphasize content over methods. I felt like I learned many fun activities in methods classes, which I now never use. On the other hand, it was tough walking into my first classroom struggling to keep up with the students' learning of American history.

16 * Not only did I lack content knowledge, but I did not know how to teach. Like I mentioned, my methods classes were mostly focused on activities and programs rather than the art of teaching. In college, I felt like each of my lessons needed a flashy activity, rather than assessing an actual teaching goal. It was assumed that I could assess an objective, when really I had little idea how to teach and assess. More content for El. ed less for HS and less strategy for El and more for HS General education teachers need more preparation to teach students with learning disabilities and behavior issues. I believe every teacher should do some type of observation with a special education teacher. Especially since we are focusing so much on co-teaching in the classroom. Also I think it is important to talk about integrity and confidentiality when working in a school. None at this time Learning about differentiating learning for students of different abilities, adjusting assessments and lessons for lower special needs kids. I felt like we had one overview class that didn't help me know what to do in the classroom for teaching special education students in my class. teach the real life not the ideal life. Teach that you do not use lengthy lessons for each section everyday. there is just not enough time for that. more content-specific courses so that teachers without a specific minor or emphasis feel even more comfortable teaching the general education subjects; classroom management courses for Secondary Education majors. Making sure that all teacher can use the latest technology that may or may not be provided at their future school. More content knowledge for middle school majors. Focusing on PBS or related types of school instruction. Social skills teaching knowledge. I felt very well prepared. Discuss more about parents who will make your life miserable, examples on how to deal with bullying, and give teachers training in how to motivate unmotivated students. Elementary Education / Physical Education More preparation with classroom management and dealing with very low students or behavior issues Elementary Education / Art I would encourage more Art practicums before student teaching. Elementary Education / Modern Languages I think it would be beneficial to have learned more about using the textbooks as a tool in teaching. We created a lot of lessons but many of them were not based out of a textbook. Textbooks aren't exactly optional in some districts. They are purchased for large amounts of money and it is expected that they are utilized. It is rather overwhelming trying to sort through all of the information provided to create a lesson. This is an area I felt less prepared in. Literacy / English Elementary Curriculum: I would have been served better if I had actually been taught something about the elementary curriculum rather than making my portfolio, which no one looked at in

17 interviews, all pretty and cute. How about preparing us for teaching rather than the hoops we will have to jump through. Valuable instruction is more important than preparing a portfolio for job interviews. We all enter the teaching field knowing that there are certain things, ie. paperwork, that needs to be completed. Psychology / English I seemed over prepared for technology as the school I work at, I cannot even use half of the stuff I learned to use. I also think the reflections were over the top and not necessary at times. I do believe some reflection is important, but the amount I had to do seemed more like busy work than anything else. Social Sciences / Middle School More field experiences with greater accountability placed on the student. History / Social Sciences Have secondary teachers work on portfolio's and make sure that they understand how school's work. separate primary and secondary education majors More field experience in various environments prior to student teaching. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT!!! My first year in teaching was a hard one! I understood that not all classes were going to be a walk in the park, but after experiencing a highly difficult class with IEP's for behaviors, etc., I struggled! I know you can't prepare us for specific things, but I could have used many more tricks and ideas! I also had to deal with some very challenging family issues on a daily basis. Again you can't teach for specifics, but I wish I would have had some things to fall back on to help me through! Prepare for students who come from many different levels, with class sizes getting larger teachers are having to meet many different social levels as well as academic levels in the classroom. Focus on teaching techniques more than the theories, such as KU Strategies/Brain Based Learning/etc. so that the students will be more prepared for their interviews with various districts. Even more time in the classroom! more hands of opportunities I really don't have many suggestions for improvement. When I entered my teaching position, I felt very prepared to teach. The variety of field experiences and the projects from my classes were all very relevant and pertinent. The only thing I didn't feel well prepared to teach was math - and that's not the fault of UNI, that's my own insecurity. I have heard other teachers say (from a variety of universities) that they felt very ill-prepared in the area of content knowledge. However, curriculums/programs vary so greatly from state to state, that it is silly to expect to walk away from a university knowing everything there is to know about electricity and magnetism or the Southern region of the United States. I have had field experience teachers from ISU, and I am amazed at how much better prepared I was to walk into a field experience and present a lesson. The greatest thing about the teacher prep program at UNI was the number of instructional strategies I walked away with, and how to differentiate instruction.

18 Other Comments: Business Teaching UNI did a great job of preparing me for a teaching career, to their ability. Nothing can prepare you well enough to react like a veteran in the first couple years. I was about as well prepared as I could have been, I feel. High School teachers need to work more with standards and benchmarks in their specific areas. Early Childhood Education I enjoyed my experience at UNI and feel I was well prepared for my first couple years as an educator. Elementary Education I loved being a student at UNI and have been looking into going back. Everyone was always very supportive and I felt extremely prepared to be an educator. UNI has a great program and I enjoyed my time at UNI. However, no one can truly prepare you for the job. I am very proud I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. I wouldn't have wanted to receive my degree from anywhere else. I believe I had a solid foundation that helped me become the teacher I am today. My school district requires us to do a portfolio in our 2nd year and I already feel "portfolioed out" from UNI and my reading minor. I have since gotten my special ed. endorsement, at a local small college. I taught sp. ed. for 2 years and had to switch to 1st grade this year due to low #s in sp. ed. I am loving first grade as well. I miss UNI, I had the time of my life! Now I am experiencing a new journey as a teacher, what I wanted to do since I was a little girl. I am in my 4th year of teaching and it would have been helpful to have more preparation in communicating with parents. How to establish and maintain those relationships. Also simple strategies to differentiate instruction in classroom would be beneficial. none I wish I would have learned more specific skills like making a realistic week long lesson plan that you could really follow for a whole week. We were always making units that now seem were unrealistic. I loved my experience at UNI!!! GO PANTHERS!!! I value my UNI education and have a deep sense of pride in attending UNI. I still actively volunteer for UNI and I was very active as an undergrad student. I recently started my graduate studies at Drake University since there was not an option to attend my masters program through UNI in Des Moines. I really think that UNI is missing a huge market share by not offering a teacher graduate program in the Des Moines Metro area. I have heard from many educators that they would attend a UNI program, but don't want to take it through ICN. I have mentioned this to workers in Admission, Alumni, and President Allen himself. The University of Iowa offers a very successful MBA program by having professors travel to Des Moines a few times a month, I think such a program would be successful for UNI as well. There are not many options in the area here-drake and ISU. Overall, I had a great experience while at UNI. I feel that UNI is one of the best teacher preparation programs. The best learning on how to teach takes place by doing! I was a nontraditional student and the one thing that was hard for myself was that many classes that I needed I had to take at night. More time working with teachers and students in school settings. I really enjoyed my learning experience at UNI. I felt that it prepared me as well as it could of but

19 there is so much more to learn when you get that first job. Students who are thinking about becoming teachers need to be aware of the actual amount of time spent on planning and instruction the first few of teaching. It is WAY more than you expect. Work with students to know exactly what jobs their degree will actually get them. Many people did not know that in order to teach lower grades many districts will expect you to be Early Childhood, even if the Elementary degree will technically cover K-6, and they also expect a reading endorsement. Special Education No comments given. Technology Education Having the education department have a better understanding of the Tech ED program and the student teaching aspect used in Tech ED UNI is a great school and I would and have recommend to many students but if I wouldn't have worked construction in the summer or been exposed to a variety trades I may not have been as good of a teacher. Physical Education I would recommend UNI to any high school student that is looking into becoming a teacher. I believe the teacher to student ratio and the atmosphere at UNI is second to none! I would love to see students taken from the first day of teaching and all that goes with it. Setting up the program, curriculum, equipment room, gymnasium, office, schedules, etc. All the things that we don't learn in college are the things we have to deal with the most. I loved my experience at UNI. Flaws and all it is still the best teaching school around. The fact that there is a survey asking alumni for input shows the commitment UNI has to its programs. Go Panthers! I didn't start teaching right after graduation so I think the parts I have struggled with are because I wasn't in the classroom for three years. I think I forgot a lot of different strategies in my time away. I really felt VERY prepared after graduation. It's the "use it or lose it" issue, I guess! All of the theory about Physical Education is great, but they professors need to understand that the students don't act according to theory. What may be the best practice to do something according to a book, does not always match with what actually goes on in a classroom. Music It seems that UNI did a very nice job motivating me to be a teacher, but they did not teach us how to handle difficult personal experiences that happen; specifically with parents and administrators I loved my education at UNI and think it is the best school for music and education degrees in the state!! This survey is proof - you are always trying to make it better. Thanks! Many of the answers I chose in the questions above were not necessarily a reflection on the Education Department. While I do not feel that the Ed. Department is bad, I do feel that the Music Education courses I took were more beneficial to my teaching. This is because they were more specific to my discipline. I do feel that the music education courses are an extension to the Education

20 Department and the curriculum is well written. I did receive a great education at UNI in both the Music and Education Departments. I am proud to be a UNI grad! When I began interviewing for teaching jobs I was amazed by the comments from the administrators. Each principal commented on my degree from UNI. Each of those principals were happy to see UNI on my resume. UNI produces great teachers and great people. Thank you for providing me with a GREAT education! I felt very well prepared and the first four years of my teaching career have been very positive. I even came back to UNI to earn my master's degree, and I feel that has made me a more effective teacher as well. Thanks, UNI!! I think UNI has done a great job in preparing me for my career. I'm still glad I made the choice I did. Art I miss college! English Overall, I feel very well prepared, but that was because I studied and worked hard on my own in college. I'm sure people who didn't focus on school as much are having a harder time and feeling more overwhelmed. UNI does a good job, but I think Secondary Ed. majors are overlooked by the College of Education. You need to focus on making sure that we are getting the same quality of classes that the Elementary people are getting, not just the general requirements for education majors. eliminate the course where we spent 6+ weeks making handwritten histograms that I have not and will never use. We do not need old-school methods that are no longer accepted practice in a technologically conscious society. TESOL Continue to give students many hours in real schools every semester. Also, continue to offer opportunities to student teach almost anywhere. The opportunity I had outside of Iowa was invaluable and probably didn't exist inside the state. Yet after I year and a half, I'm back in the state teaching. Modern Languages No comments given. Mathematics NA I really enjoyed my time at UNI and had a great experience. Thank you Cathy Miller for all your help. Natural Sciences