The Secondary Teaching program uses an interdisciplinary approach by combining coursework from Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS) in a chosen field — such as English, history or math — with School of Education and Social Policy courses on topics such as child and adolescent development, cultural contexts of learning, and methods of instruction.

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Real-World Practical Experience

All teacher candidates complete three practical experiences before graduating. The first is a 30-hour internship with a community organization that students complete while enrolled in the Schooling in Communities course. Recent sites have included 827Chi, Youth Media, and the AVID program at Evanston Township High School.

Usually, in the fall term of senior year, students complete a 100-hour clinical observation at a junior high or high school in Chicago or the northern suburbs. That placement is typically the site for student teaching, a full-time quarter-long experience in the winter of senior year. In recent years placements have included public schools such as Taft High School, Lake View High School, Chicago Math and Science Academy, Niles West High school, and Maine East High School. Other sites include selective enrollment schools like Northside College Prep and Whitney Young Magnet High School.

Coursework

Secondary Teaching students take classes in three different areas. Like most states, Illinois requires teaches to have a liberal arts background. At Northwestern, we meet most of those mandates through the distribution requirements. Additional required courses include two courses in written communication (WCAS freshman seminar courses fulfill these requirements), and an oral communication course such as public speaking or interpersonal communication.

The second area of academic work is in the subject the candidate plans to teach. Teacher candidates can be certified in one of the following areas: