Mission and Tradition

The Conceptual Framework is a guiding construct for LC State’s Division of Teacher Education and Mathematics that summarizes our philosophy of teacher preparation. The Conceptual Framework reflects current research about individual development, cognition, and best practice that meets the anticipated needs of the 21st Century.

The framework’s goal is "Preparing caring professionals who teach for understanding in communities of learning." This means that we attempt to prepare individuals who care deeply about children and youth. We seek to develop professionals — individuals who have mastered a body of specialized knowledge and skills and who adhere to a professional code of ethics. We strive to provide instruction that results in teachers and learners who operate at higher levels in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. We acknowledge the social dimension of teaching and learning and value opportunities to collaborate in ever expanding environments that value learning.

To prepare effective teachers requires that we address fundamental objectives organized around knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The successful teacher must possess general as well as pedagogical knowledge, the skills to apply this knowledge effectively, and the dedication to care for the well-being of students, to maintain professional standards, and work together with students to help them construct their education.

Our integrative themes include technology and diversity. We integrate technology throughout our program. We model for our candidates and, in turn, encourage them to value and respond appropriately to intellectual, physical, and ethno-cultural diversity.

The Teacher Education Program is performance-based. Candidates must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions specified by the State of Idaho through course work and products, two iterations of a comprehensive performance-based assessment (PBA), a portfolio, and formal program interviews. Our evaluation model operates throughout the four phases of teacher education at the course, program, and division levels.

1. You will understand how learners grow and develop, recognize that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and be able to design and implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
2. You will use your understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
3. You will work with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
4. You will understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) you teach and will know how to create learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
5. You will understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
6. You will understand and use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, monitor learner progress, and guide the decision making of both teacher and learner.
7. You will know how to plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
8. You will understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, as well as build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
9. You will know how to engage in ongoing professional learning and use evidence to continually evaluate your practice, particularly the effects of your choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community) and adapt practice to meet the needs of each learner.
10. You will develop a desire to seek appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.
11. You will be able to distinguish between each of the federally recognized tribes with respect to the retention of their ancestral lands in Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Nez Perce Tribe, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes. You will build capacity in learners to utilize the assets that each learner brings to the learning community based on their backgrounds and experiences.
12. You will understand the Code of Ethics for Idaho Professional Educators and its place in supporting the integrity of the profession.
13. You will know how to use digital technology to create lessons and facilitate instruction and assessment in face-to-face, blended, and online learning environments to engage students and enhance learning.
14. You will understand the importance of automatic word recognition, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and motivation to read; the impact of vocabulary knowledge in oral and written language comprehension; and factors that contribute to deep listening and reading comprehension.
15. You will understand the benefit of incorporating writing in the content areas. You will know how to incorporate ethical and credible research practices into instruction.
16. You will understand how reading and writing difficulties vary in presentation and degree. You will understand the characteristics of struggling readers and writers, know how to identify appropriate accommodations, and adapt instruction to meet student needs.

In addition to the above, Elementary Educators will also: 

1. You will gain knowledge of the foundational concepts of literacy instruction and their typical developmental progression. You will understand that learners with reading difficulties require code-based explicit, systematic, sequential, and diagnostic instruction with many repetitions.
2. You will understand formative literacy assessment concepts, strategies, and measures.  You will know how to use assessment data to inform and design differentiated literacy instruction.