Education

You'll be expected to achieve a minimum passing score stipulated by the N.H. Department of Education on the PRAXIS™ Core Academic Skills for Educators tests. Those who intend to transfer to a college in the University System of N.H. must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.7 in addition to passing the PRAXIS Core Skills exam. NHTI also has transfer affiliations with Granite State College, New England College, Plymouth State University, Rivier College, and Southern New Hampshire University.

Health, Character, and Technical Requirements

Candidates are encouraged to explore health requirements associated with employment in a school setting.

Character Expectations

• The health and safety of children, adolescents, and other learners is of paramount concern. Applicants for teaching positions in public and private schools in N.H. should be aware that background checks through the N.H. Department of Safety must be completed by potential employers prior to employment.
• Applicants who have been in difficulty with the law, depending upon the nature of the problem, may not be employable or even eligible for practica. Applicants need to discuss these issues in an interview or meeting so future goals will not be compromised.

Technical Standards

These have been established to provide guidance to students about the skills and abilities required to function successfully in public and/or private school classroom as teachers. Applicants who think they may not be able to meet one or more of the technical standards should contact program faculty members. Department faculty will give serious consideration to all academically qualified candidates as long as technical standards can be met with reasonable accommodations. Students in the Education program must have sufficient strength, stamina, and motor coordination to perform the following:

• Hearing and visual acuity to ensure a safe environment and respond quickly in the event of emergency
• Verbal ability to express and exchange information and interpret important instructions
• Writing skills to record students’ daily progress and milestones as well as a variety of reports
• Emotional health to work with frequent interruptions, respond appropriately to unexpected situations, and cope with extreme variations in workload and stress levels

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program of study the NHTI education student will:

• Demonstrate knowledge in the area of learner development by demonstrating an understanding of how learners develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary, and demonstrate the ability to facilitate developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences based on the unique needs of each learner.
• In the area of learning differences, demonstrate an understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities and demonstrate the ability to create inclusive learning environments that allow each learner to reach his or her full potential and the ability to employ universal design principles and assistive technology.
• In the area of the learning environments, demonstrate the ability to work with learners to create and
  access learning environments that support self-directed individual and collaborative learning and demonstrate the use of learning environments not limited to the classroom but extended into the larger community and virtual experiences.
• In the area of content knowledge, demonstrate an understanding of the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of his or her discipline(s) through demonstration of the creation of learning experiences that make the discipline(s) accessible and meaningful for learners and demonstrate innovative applications using differing perspectives to engage learners in critical and creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving related to authentic local and global issues.
• In the area of learning facilitation, use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, document learner progress, provide learner feedback, and inform the educator’s ongoing planning and instructional practices.
• Plan for learning facilitation, as demonstrated by being an active member of a learning community, to draw upon knowledge of content area standards, cross-disciplinary skills, learners, the community, and pedagogy to plan learning experiences that support every learner in meeting rigorous learning goals.
• Demonstrate learning facilitation strategies, as demonstrated by an understanding and use of a variety of strategies and tools to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections to other disciplines and an ability to build skills in accessing, applying, and communicating information.
• In the area of professional responsibility, demonstrate being a reflective practitioner and using evidence to continually evaluate his or her practice, particularly the effects of choices and actions on students, families, and other professionals in the learning community, the ability to adapt practice to meet the needs of each learner, and the ability to collaborate, as a member of the larger learning community with learners, families, colleagues, other professionals, and community members to leverage resources that contribute to student growth and development, learning, and well-being.