Why Should You Major in Urban Learning?
Teaching in an urban school demands teachers be well-prepared to manage the challenges and opportunities that urban schools present. Teachers must be well-prepared to teach children with a wide range of learning needs that grow from cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity, special needs, changing patterns of immigration, changing federal and state education policies, and more. Our teacher education programs a focus on pedagogy, developing and understanding the context of teaching that urban teachers need.
The Charter College of Education offers students a new approach to teacher education: one that prepares students not only to be skilled teachers but teachers who are literate in the advantages and demands of the urban teaching experience. It is the ideal degree and teacher preparation program for students who want to dedicate their careers to teaching in urban schools, and especially for those who want the opportunity to return to their own urban communities to teach.
Students in the Urban Learning program are prepared in culturally responsive pedagogy, an approach to teaching that grounds students' education in the context of their own individual cultural experiences, be they ethnicity, language, disability, gender, sexual orientation or more. Our students are taught by a diverse faculty of professional educators who bring their own experiences as teachers and learners to their instruction.
Program Goals
A graduate of the Urban Learning program will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and either a preliminary Multiple Subject credential, eligibility for an Education Specialist internship credential, or both the multiple subject and education specialist credentials in our Accelerated Dual Credential Program. The graduate will also be subject matter competent by enrolling in CTC approved coursework to earn the elementary subject matter waiver that will provide broad preparation to teach diverse learners in an urban environment.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the needs and demands of diverse students in urban schools and communities.
- Students will develop and model critical thinking skills for themselves and the students they teach.
- Students will connect subject matter and pedagogy to meet the educational needs of all students.
- Students will build on the diverse languages, cultures, capabilities, and experiences of their students to assure them the optimum opportunities to grow and develop academically.
- Students will develop curriculum and instruction that integrate the urban students’ strengths, including their languages, cultures, learning styles and communities.
- Students will demonstrate collaboration skills needed to work as a member of an instructional team in the urban school environment.
Developing Ethnic Studies and Anti-Racist Practices
Prospective ULRN students enroll in a series of courses that prepare them in the areas of anti-racist teaching and Ethnic Studies pedagogies. These courses are integral to preparing highly qualified urban educators. The following is a list of courses that are a part of the new ULRN curricular redesign.
Urban Learning Program