Mission Statement

I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, then the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.
Thomas Jefferson, 1820

The education of its citizens is one of the most important tasks of any society. Linfield's Teacher Education Program prepares students within the context of a strong liberal arts tradition for service in the public schools of Oregon and the nation, schools which have been charged with "informing the people's discretion" in preparation for citizenship in a democracy. Linfield's education faculty believe that teacher education candidates should be able to teach effectively, creatively, and with concern for the broad diversity of abilities, cultures, and personalities present in their students.

The Linfield College Teacher Education Program is committed to developing teachers who:

• accept the challenges of working with socially and culturally diverse student populations.
  Teacher education candidates will be challenged to examine their own beliefs and attitudes about schools, about learning, about culture, and about ability. They will be expected to develop the ability to empathize with those who are different, to accommodate varying learning and thinking styles, and to gain experience working with students from varying groups in society.
  
  
• willingly reflect on their own behaviors and on the teaching learning process.
  Teacher education candidates from the very beginning of the program will be asked to reflect on what they see and what they do in schools, to make informed judgments about those things, and to try new behaviors based on those judgments. They will be expected to exhibit the characteristics of life-long learners, including thoughtful, informed risk-taking, actively seeking out alternative methods which have proven successful, and carefully observing and evaluating their own teaching. They will be expected to become advocates of excellence in teaching.
  
  
• understand the role of public schooling in a democracy and their own role in preparing their students for citizenship in a democracy.
  Building a community of learners is one of the most fundamental aspects of teaching, and teacher education candidates will be expected to demonstrate the ability to include children, staff, parents, community members, and others in a learning community. They will be responsible for modeling and teaching an understanding of the role of the individual in society balanced by the needs of the community as a whole, whether that community is the classroom, the school, the town, the state, the nation, or even the planet.
  
  
• understand child and adolescent development, the constructivist nature of learning, and the holistic nature of knowledge.
  Teacher education candidates will be expected to possess a thorough understanding of their students' developmental capabilities and potential, as well as their own development as a teacher. They will be asked to demonstrate the ability to help each student understand the material at hand through multiple avenues, including reading, writing, speaking, individual and group work, and demonstrations. They should be able to present new material so that their students understand how subjects relate to one another and to the world at large. They should be able to assess their students' learning, they should be able to assist their students to learn to assess their own understanding, and they should use the results of those assessments to improve the teaching/learning environment.