Students take the introduction to the teaching profession course Teachers, Schools, & Society. Students complete 30 hours of fieldwork where they observe a current teacher in a classroom setting.

Students begin taking their educational content and methods courses. They have another fieldwork component where they are expected to interact with K-12 students. 

Students complete their coursework. Fieldwork experiences now involve teaching whole class and/or small group lessons. Additionally, students will receive feedback on their teaching from Southern professors.

Students complete a student teaching experience during their final semester. This provides the opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor teacher in their assigned school. Students gradually work up to the point where they are able to assume all duties of a full-time, classroom teacher.

Students have many opportunities throughout their program to interact with practicing teachers and administrators and to work one-on-one with children.

Students complete fieldwork experiences in urban and suburban settings. Additionally, they take content courses such as Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning and Multicultural Education. All students complete a course on best practices for teaching English Language Learners.

Throughout their programs, students receive mentoring and coaching from professors, advisors and mentor teachers. This culminates during student teaching when they work one-on-one with their cooperating teacher and their university supervisor.

Southern teaching programs are constantly working to see how we can improve by using student surveys, test scores and formal and informal feedback from school systems.