Bachelor of Arts in Education
The education department embraces the mission of the college fully; in fact, the mission provides the foundation for the purposes in preparing teachers to transform the lives of their future students. The Teacher Education Program at Holy Cross College has the following goals:
- To prepare competent minds and compassionate hearts of future teachers so that they can transform the lives of their future students;
- To prepare teachers who are passionate, life-long learners that see teaching as a vocation;
- To prepare teachers who are compelled to act on behalf of all children, especially those marginalized by society
Holy Cross College Principles of Teaching
Folded into these principles are the following:
- INTASC Standards
- NCATE Elementary Education Standards
- Indiana Standards for Teachers of Early and Middle Childhood Generalist
- Indiana Standards for Teachers of English as New Language
- Indiana Standards for Teachers of Bilingual/Bicultural Students
The Holy Cross principles are organized into three domains:
Passionate Teachers;
Content Knowledgeable Teachers; and
Reflective Professionals.
Graduates become...
Passionate Teachers
- Candidates view teaching as a vocation
- Candidates develop compassionate hearts for teaching
- Candidates value the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of their students
- Candidates embrace action on behalf of all children
- Candidates foster Gospel values in secular and parochial ways
- Candidates see themselves as teachers who serve those marginalized by society
- Candidates promote acceptance and understanding of cultural and language diversity in the school and community
- Candidates create high and positive expectations for all learners, including those for whom English is not their first language
- Candidates integrate the disciplines to create meaningful curriculum
- Candidates provide all learners with access to learning opportunities
Content Knowledgeable Teachers
- Candidates develop their minds within a liberal arts tradition
- Candidates know their content well
- Candidates understand second language acquisition and development and can adjust instruction and assessment tools to promote interaction and learning for English language learners in their classrooms
- Candidates create challenging and engaging curriculum for all children
- Candidates set learning goals, create instruction, and develop a variety of assessments for children that show command of the subject matter and respect for students’ primary cultures
- Candidates model effective communication, writing and speaking effectively
- Candidates use a variety of media and technology, multiple strategies, and effective materials to engage students, including those for whom English is not their first language
- Candidates encourage students to see, question, and interpret ideas
- Candidates use appropriate classroom procedures
- Candidates create collaborative, supportive environments for all children to learn
Reflective Professionals
- Candidates make effective decisions and solve problems in the best interest of students
- Candidates see themselves as lifelong learners
- Candidates review their performance constantly to improve
- Candidates seek help from other professionals as needed
- Candidates collaborate with families and community as needed
Education Program:
Elementary Education and English as a New Language (K-6)
The curriculum in the teacher education program is designed to prepare beginning teachers for public, private, or parochial schools. The program has defined its core beliefs to establish the competency base of its graduates. Competence is also demonstrated by the completion of academic requirements as well as field requirements necessary to be considered a novice professional ready for a teaching career.
The Elementary Education Program will prepare candidates for a dual license in teaching children in grades K-6. The inclusion of the second area of English as a New Language (ENL) reflects the acknowledged need for beginning teachers to be culturally competent in working with children from all language backgrounds.