History & Social Studies Secondary Education Program

The faculty in the Department of History at Northern Arizona University place a high

value on the teaching and learning of history and social studies at all levels of education.

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The History Department’s innovative Bachelors of Science Education – History and Social Studies Secondary Education (BSEd – History/Social Studies) program at Northern Arizona University (NAU) prepares future educators for the challenges of the 21st century classroom by developing an inquiry approach and a deeper understanding of teaching and learning history and social studies.

The BSEd – History/Social Studies program steers students through a series of methodological courses on critical thinking, teaching and learning history, geography, government, and economics. Teacher preparation courses are offered at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels and weave together content, pedagogy, and practice. This includes actual practical experience in secondary history and social studies classrooms.

Students learn to think more seriously about teaching as a profession during their sophomore year with a historical methods course and classroom practicum. During their junior year, students complete a course on teaching and learning history and geography along with a longer and more focused classroom practicum. Finally, in their senior year, students take a course on teaching and learning government and economics, and complete their student teaching. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in content coursework to enter the new program and student teach.

During the course of the program students will:

Learn content & content application Design Learning Plans for a variety of learners that are aligned to professional standards,

require rigorous content, application, inquiry, engaging strategies, meaningful assessments, technological literacy, and relevance

Practice teaching Create e-portfolios Gain professional skills and dispositions

BSEd – History/Social Studies Program Summary

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HIS 205: Historical Inquiry – Introduction to historical discipline, theories, historiography, and historical thinking skills. This course encourages students to think about the teaching and learning of history, making transparent course design, teaching strategies, and evaluation of learning. Co-Requisite with HIS 206. HIS 206: Historical Inquiry and Teaching Seminar – Introduction to social studies teaching and learning, with visitation to secondary schools and public history venues. Includes discussions, collaborative work, practice teaching, and analysis of middle and high school student learning, and 20 hours in middle or high school classrooms. HIS 330: Teaching & Learning History and Geography – This course focuses on the disciplinary practices of history and geography, critical thinking skills and habits of mind needed for each discipline, as well as ways of teaching middle and high school history and geography classes. Content is interwoven with evidence-based pedagogical strategies, evaluation, standards, dispositions, and practice. Required of all secondary education majors preparing to teach history and the social sciences. Contains an assessment that must be passed to be eligible to register for student teaching. Co-Requisite with HIS 306. HIS 306: Practicum in Schools – Field experience including a minimum 45 hours of work in a middle or high school classroom and the teaching of a lesson, guided reflections, observations, and collaborative learning design and implementation. HIS 430: Teaching & Learning Government and Economics – This course focuses on the teaching and learning of government and economics, critical thinking skills, and ways of teaching secondary school government and economics classes. The content is interwoven with pedagogical strategies, evidence-based evaluation, standards, dispositions, and practice. Required of all secondary education majors preparing to teach history and the social sciences. Normally completed the semester before student teaching. Contains an assessment that must be passed to be eligible to register for student teaching. HIS 408: Fieldwork Experience: Internship in Teaching and Learning Social Studies - Individualized supervised field experience in an appropriate agency or organization. Department consent required and optional for the program. HIS 491C: Supervised Teaching: Secondary – Directed teaching in secondary schools and secondary school content areas; directed and cooperative preparation, teaching, and evaluation; conferences on the theories, issues, and practices in cooperation with the classroom teacher and university supervisor. Candidates must satisfactorily complete the key assessment in this course to be eligible to complete the program.

BSEd – History/Social Studies Required Course List in Teaching and Learning

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I am interested in the BSEd – History/Social Studies program. What do I need to do next?

We will work closely with you to make sure this program works to your benefit. Schedule an advising session by contacting one of the program’s BSEd – History/Social Studies advisors to determine what you need to do next. Please also see the advising checklist on our website (http://nau.edu/CAL/History/ Degrees-Program/BSEd/) for a complete list of required courses for the degree.

Do I have to apply for admission into the Professional Education Teacher Program?

Yes, this is still a requirement. Typically this happens at the beginning of your sophomore year. See the program’s website: http://nau.edu/CAL/History/ Degrees-Program/BSEd/

Do I still take College of Education (COE) classes?

Yes, EDF 200, BME 200, BME 437, EPS 325, and ESE 304 are required.

Will transfer credits be accepted?

Yes, some courses will transfer and meet requirements. Work with an advisor to determine which apply.

How does the BSEd – History/Social Studies program affect teachers and schools?

We work closely with you and your colleagues in an effort to assist our pre-service teachers in gaining the best possible education they can before entering their own classroom. Your help is greatly appreciated as we collaborate to create a learning environment for pre-service teachers that allows for them to witness your teaching style and classroom, while they are formulating their own teaching philosophy, and gaining essential practice teaching. This experience will help students to understand the challenges and rewards of being a teacher. Please see our handbook on what we expect from our students in their fieldwork experiences. This handbook is available to you upon your request.

Who should I contact to organize a practicum student or student teacher?

Your partnership is incredibly important to the success of our program. We hope that you are interested in helping future teachers gain more experience and knowledge about the world of teaching. If you are interested, please contact us.

BSEd – History/ Social Studies

Program Questions &

Answers:

Students Teachers

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Linda Sargent Wood, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History Director, BSEd – History/Social Studies Program Director, Northern Arizona History Academy http://nau.edu/CAL/History/Faculty-Staff/Sargent-Wood/ Linda.Sargent.Wood@nau.edu

Leilah Danielson, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History and BSEd – History/Social Studies Advisor http://nau.edu/CAL/History/Faculty-Staff/Danielson/ Leilah.Danielson@nau.edu

Michael W. Childers, Ph.D. Lecturer and BSEd – History/Social Studies Advisor http://michaelwchilders.com/ Michael.Childers@nau.edu

Christi Carlson, B.A. Instructor and BSEd – History/Social Studies Advisor Christi.Carlson@nau.edu

BSEd – History/Social Studies Faculty and Staff

Kathy Zimski, M.A. Instructor and BSEd – History/Social Studies Mentor Teacher Kathy.Zimski@nau.edu

History & Social Studies Secondary Education Program

For more information on the BSEd – History/Social Studies program, please contact the History Department Office, Liberal Arts Building Room 213 at (928) 523-4378 or send an email to the History Education Curriculum Office, Liberal Arts Building Room 217, at HistoryEd@nau.edu. For further information on the BSEd program see: https://cmswork.nau.edu/CAL/History/History-Social-Studies-Education/Undergraduate-Program/