Secondary Education, A.A.

Teachers change lives by opening new worlds for students and inspiring them to reach their goals. The secondary education degree prepares students to teach in both public and private middle, junior high, and high schools. Western’s teaching preparation focuses on current and innovative teaching theories, including the implementation of a service-learning project, technology inclusion, and project-based learning. The education program also provides an introduction to many important skills and elements of the teaching profession. The development and understanding of these are essential for future success, as well as classroom management, special education, lesson design, and educational psychology. The students experience hands-on what it means to be a secondary education teacher because the program provides them the opportunity to participate in public school classroom activities as a practicum student. These experiences have a four-pronged focus: they introduce theories and pedagogical skills that are learned during classes are applied and reinforced by the teachers, they give students real-world teaching practices, they help students decide about their future teaching careers, and they lay the academic foundation needed before entering a bachelor’s degree program. Students wanting to enter the teaching field must obtain at least a bachelor’s degree in education. Therefore, Western’s education program has specific pathways that will create a seamless transfer to any university in the country upon the successful completion of the associate degree requirements.