Our Vision
The Teacher Education Program’s vision is to produce caring, collaborative, and effective educators. This vision reflects our program values:
- Caring: We value practice that is professional, ethical, and continuously improving.
- Collaborative: We value practice that is team-oriented and community-based.
- Effective: We value practice that is standards-based and learner-center.
Our Mission
The Teacher Education Program realizes its vision of producing caring, collaborative, and effective educators by carrying out its mission:
- To continuously improve access for nontraditional and underrepresented students from local communities by providing high-quality, learner-centered, flexible teacher preparation pathways that support the growth of effective, caring and collaborative educators who are prepared to achieve, continue their education, and/or seek meaningful employment thereby addressing areas of critical teacher shortage.
Our Goals
The Teacher Education Program’s mission is represented by six program goals, which are designed to align with and support Leeward Community College’s mission and values and the University of Hawai’i’s Community College’s (UHCC) 2015-2021 strategic plan. These 6 program goals serve as the guiding framework from which all program decisions are made by program faculty and staff.
- To improve access to teaching for nontraditional and underrepresented students from local communities.
- To improve access to teaching by offering alternative teaching certification and degree pathways through multiple modes of delivery.
- To prepare and support students with the knowledge, skills and dispositions of the Hawai’i Teaching Standard Board (HTSB) teaching standards to develop caring, collaborative, and effective educators.
- To create responsive community partnerships and to partner with local schools to provide field and practicum experience.
- To ensure completion of certificates or degrees leading to transfer or employment.
- To systematically review program goals to ensure a high quality program.
Our Learning Outcomes
The Teacher Education Program's student learning outcomes for all of its degrees and certificates are determined by the ten Hawai’i Teaching Standards Board (HTSB) teaching standards and organized into Caring, Collaborative, and Effective themes in order to clearly communicate to students the program’s vision for quality teaching. At the end of each program, the successful Teacher Education Program completer will demonstrate the following ten HTSB learning outcomes within the context and subject matter of each specific program. At the end of the CTE and SPED licensure programs, the successful completer will demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills in his or her content area.
CARING TEACHER (HTSB Standard #9)
#9 Professionalism: The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
COLLABORATIVE TEACHER (HTSB Standard #10)
#10 Leadership and Collaboration: The teacher seeks 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.
EFFECTIVE TEACHER (HTSB Standards #1 - #8)
#1 Learner Development: The teacher analyzes how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
#2 Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
#3: Learning Environment: The teacher works 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 Content Knowledge: The teacher analyzes the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s). He or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
#5 Application of Content: The teacher describes and demonstrates 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 Assessment: The teacher develops and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor the learner’s progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
#7 Planning for Instruction: The teacher plans 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 Instructional Strategies: The teacher develops and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
#2 Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
#3: Learning Environment: The teacher works 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 Content Knowledge: The teacher analyzes the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s). He or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
#5 Application of Content: The teacher describes and demonstrates 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 Assessment: The teacher develops and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor the learner’s progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
#7 Planning for Instruction: The teacher plans 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 Instructional Strategies: The teacher develops and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
CONTENT EXPERT (CTE & SPED TEACHER LICENSURE PROGRAMS ONLY)
The teacher demonstrates proficiency in the knowledge and skills of his or her content area.
