Ten years ago, Clarke College was one of a handful of small colleges in the entire country to implement an innovative model of teacher education.
More than 100 area educators and administrators gathered at Clarke recently to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the professional development school model of teacher education being launched in Dubuque.
"Clarke was an early adopter of the PDS model and we continue to be a leader in the state and across the country," said Lawrence Bice, chair and assistant professor of education at Clarke. "The PDS model is the core of how Clarke educates tomorrow's teachers.
"It immerses students in the workings and culture of actual schools -- giving them experiences that prepare them to make a greater impact when they become full-time teachers."
The celebration featured guest speakers Elliot Lesson, from the National Association of Professional Development of Schools, and 2009 Iowa Teacher of the Year Linda Heffner.
In Clarke's version of the PDS model, junior-year teaching methods students take a group of courses that are offered in area schools. The students spend at least three hours per day, five days per week in the classrooms.
Students plan and teach lessons, provide tutoring, assist teachers with testing and organize special events or field trips, all while working within the school's curriculum and standards.
Education majors spend a semester at a parochial elementary school and a semester at a public school. Students working toward an endorsement in special education spend an additional semester in a third elementary school, serving children identified for special education. Students who wish to teach at the secondary level work at a middle school.
The current PDS sites are Fulton, St. Anthony and Table Mound elementary schools. There is a middle school site at Mazzuchelli Catholic Middle School.
