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Western Governors University |
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| Program: Dual Licensure, Special Education and K-8 |
| Posted on November 15, 2009 by Joy |
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In my first semester, according to my mentor, absolutely everything that
could go wrong, did go wrong. Assessment schedules, computers not working
during assessments, misunderstandings and misinformation on both sides.
I am SO Glad I didn't let those first glitches detour me. During moves
related to my spouse's employment, I've attended several brick & mortar and
online universities. Only WGU has a model that really works for a
committed student who needs to have an online environment that isn't tied
to a time frame. Once I got started, I was able to accelerate without
cutting into the quality of the educational experience. I was even able to
tailor my own preclinical experiences to match my interest in international
schools overseas. Wouldn't have been able to do that anywhere else!
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| Posted by Nikki on February 1, 2011 |
Joy,
I would love to hear more about your preclinical experience geared towards international schools. I am embarking on the Early Childhood Education track and would like to teach aboard soon after completion.
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by Joy on February 18, 2011 |
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It is nice to hear from another Joy. I am seriously thinking about going
for my Special Ed/elementary education degree through WGU. I heard about
your shaky start and appreciation later. Did you have any problems finding
a school for student teaching? Were you able to obtain a position in the
public school system. These are my two biggest worries. I would
appreciate any information you could give me. |
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by Joy on August 28, 2011 |
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Send a response and i'll send a link to the blog that records this
experience. |
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| Posted by Kristin on March 25, 2011 |
| I am alos worried about what school will except me for student teaching and jobs with a WGU degree |
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by Joy on August 28, 2011 |
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WGU has a demonstration teaching service - the office personnel were very
supportive. Although I wasn't sure where I would end up doing my Student
Teching - because I was coming back to the states just a few weeks before
the start of the cohort - the WGU staff had two locations arranged. I was
able to do student teaching in an public school inclusion 3rd grade and as
a resource teacher in a public middle school. I also had additional
opportunities in another state that I declined (because these two
internship were close to family). I understand the concern - I was worried
as well - but it turned out great. And my student teaching supervisor was
FANTASTIC ! She was always available by phone and person - and worked with
me in the classroom to make sure I had everything arranged that I needed to
pass the assessments. |
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| Posted by School Superintendent on August 28, 2011 |
Worthless Greedy Uni?
sorry but did they actually give you any courses like morphology or phonology?
For Christ's Sake... What did you learn before your teaching practicum or graduation thesis?
-_- ya... two pals got shyed away from due to WGU degrees, doesn't really provide a proper foundation in teaching literacy or any real core subject for high school. |
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by Joy on August 28, 2011 |
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Dear "School Superintendent"
You ask "did they actually give you any courses like morphology or
phonology?" Good Question!
In my WGU courses on teaching reading, I gained more essential knowledge
and skills - as outlined by research done and standards set at The
National Reading Panel - than I had at any of the other teachers colleges I
had attended (regardless of illustrious reputation).
In fact, while I was attending a brick & mortar teacher's college (listed
as a top school by US News & World Report) I was told by the head of the
elementary education department that phonetics had no oral or aural
components - and that I could anticipate failing her mandatory course if I
disregarded her instructions and marked the exam according to what was very
soon thereafter to become 'best practice'. Now, that was a lesson I won't
easily forget!
The complete list of what I (and every other teaching candidate) had to
prove competent in - prior to advancing to teaching intern - is spelled out
clearly and in specific detail on the WGU website. (See course
competencies: "The candidate will ..." ) At WGU, these are not suggestions
or the typical 'pick and choose 80% to pass". ALL must be passed to
standard in order to move on to teaching internships. So... Yes, WGU does
'provide a proper foundation in teaching literacy or any real core subject'
regardless of grade level.
Note: With the strong emphasis on written communication at this online
university, if your two pals who 'were shyed away from' also depend on
expletives to frame an idea, or struggle in forming coherent sentences ...
then maybe it was not where they earned their degree that was problematic.
In that case, the dozens of papers required for each course at WGU could
have only been beneficial! |
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| Posted by Laurie on September 6, 2012 |
| Hi Joy, would you please send me the link to your blog regarding your experiences in student teaching and obtaining a teaching position after graduating from WGU? Thanks! |
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