Teacher Education at the University of Northern Iowa 

This We Believe 

The Teacher Education Program at the University of Northern Iowa is dedicated to providing a personalized learning environment in which students can develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to engage in caring, reflective and effective teaching practices. Students build their knowledge, skills and dispositions through their study of a strong liberal arts curriculum, high quality content area majors and minors, best practices in content area pedagogy and assessment, and a professional education curriculum that emphasizes the integration of theory and practice in actual school settings. The Teacher Education Program is committed to preparing each teacher education candidate to meet and exceed national and state standards for high quality teaching. Our graduates are characterized by their ability to engage in effective practices in deeply caring, collaborative, and ethical ways as they work with their colleagues, children and youth, their families, and their communities.  

Unit Theme:

Educating for reflective and effective practice 

We believe all effective educators exhibit the following traits:

1. Cultivation of character;
2. Advancement of learning;
3. Reflective inquiry; and
4. Engagement in community.

The welfare of human society depends upon the cultivation of character and the advancement of learning. Wisdom in action comes through the integration of compassion, integrity, and trust with a deep understanding of an expanding knowledge base. Reflective inquiry, an honest and diligent examination of one’s practices and beliefs, is essential to the on-going development of the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to help all students learn well. Engagement in the broader community is critical for educators because student learning is deeply influenced by a wide array of family and community factors. Teachers cannot be effective unless they can respond meaningfully to the lives of their students, while also actively working to reduce educational inequity and discrimination that limit the potential development of children and youth in our highly diverse society. It is essential that teachers prepare themselves and future citizens for effective and productive interactions with those different from themselves.

Thus, the concept of CARE encapsulates our guiding philosophy as teacher educators. We model these traits for our students while seeking to encourage the development of these same traits in our students.