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Why Apply? What Our Students Have to Say
Jalil Bishop, ‘14
Elementary
Rosa Van Wie, '12
Elementary
Becoming a teacher is my first step to
becoming an educator reformer. When I
met students in New York City having their
educational fate decided by a lottery and
students in Vermont going to school in
trailers ---I declared these circumstances
to be a systematic contradiction to my
American ideal of equal opportunity.
Dartmouth's TEP program focuses on
scientific research of the mind and brain,
allowing good teaching to become a
learned skill set rather than an anomaly.
The program is guided by the belief that
teachers are the essential change agents
in education reform.
I chose to join the TEP because I have
wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can
remember. I appreciated that Dartmouth
could provide me with a solid educational
foundation while the elementary ed
program of the TEP provided me with the
skills and support I need to someday
become an exceptional teacher. It was a
wonderful opportunity to take classes with
leading researchers on childhood
development as an undergraduate and
then have the support and advice of top
elementary school teachers from nearby
districts. It has given me a well-rounded
base to gain the experience I need to
become a great teacher.
Toom, A., Kynäslahti, H., Krokfors, L., Jyrhämä, R., Byman, R., Stenberg, K., Maaranen, K., & Kansanen, P.
(2010). Experiences of a research-based approach to teacher education: suggestions for future policies.
European Journal of Education, 45(2), 331-344.
Dartmouth College
Department of Education
Elementary Teacher Education Program
Certification to Teach
in Public Elementary Schools
Ultimately, the goal of research-based teacher education is
pedagogically-thinking, reflective and inquiry-oriented teachers.
This means that the purpose is not to educate researchers or
even teacher-researchers per se. The objective is to acquire an
inquiring attitude to teaching. (Toom et al., 2010, p. 339)
Our Approach
The Dartmouth Teacher Education Program (TEP) takes a researchbased approach to developing teachers who can think analytically
and use research to continuously improve their practice. In our
program, students:
• Read and analyze research about the mind and brain, learning,
child and adolescent development, pedagogy, and their subject
areas.
• Develop research methods that they can use to test and improve
their pedagogy in the field, and produce their own action research
to investigate specific problems of practice.
What We Look for in Elementary Teacher Education Candidates
• Evidence of a strong grasp of key disciplines, reflected in your GPA
and rigorous coursework and wide experiences in the language arts,
social studies, sciences, and math.
• Demonstrated understanding of connections between your work
with children and concepts in cognitive science, developmental
science, neuroscience, social science, and theories of learning (based
on your experiences in EDUC 01 and other Education courses).
• Evidence of curiosity and a love of learning.
• A demonstrated belief that success is based on hard work and
learning.
• Evidence of your commitment to and enthusiasm for working with
children.
• An ability to take - and constructively use - feedback.
• Evidence of your appreciation of the responsibility that comes with
taking care of the growth and development of someone else’s child.
Program Details
Fourth and Fifth Fall Options. You can complete certification
requirements within your four undergraduate years at Dartmouth,
or you can choose to return for a Fifth Fall’ (the Fall term after
you graduate) for your in-classroom student teaching experience
and culminating seminar (EDUC 42, 43, and 44).
Courses Required for Public School Certification. The following
Education courses are required for elementary candidates:
EDUC 01: The Learning Brain: Introduction to Child
Development and Education (Fall, 10A)
EDUC 29: Policy and Politics in American Education (Winter,
10A)
EDUC 50: The Reading Brain: Education and Development
(Spring, 9L)
EDUC 64: Development in the Exceptional Child (Winter, 9L)
EDUC 41: Principles of Teaching and Learning in the
Elementary School: Theory and Practice (Junior Spring if
completing TEP in 4 years, or Senior Spring if
enrolled in the Fifth Fall Track, 10A)
EDUC 42, 43, and 44: Student Teaching and Seminar (Senior Fall
if completing TEP in 4 years, or the Fall after
graduation if enrolled in the Fifth Fall Track, 3A).
The Minor in Education. It is strongly recommended that
elementary candidates also minor in Education.
Applying to the Elementary Teacher Education Program
As part of the application process, you must schedule an
initial meeting with Professor Mandy Bean, Director of the
Teacher Education Program. Applications are available at:
http://educ.dartmouth.edu/teacher-education-program/applyingtep