The University of Delaware aims to develop skilled professional educators who integrate complex roles and dispositions in the service of diverse communities of learners. Our programs encourage teacher candidates to believe that all children, adolescents, and adults can learn and to dedicate themselves to supporting that learning. Using developmentally and educationally effective approaches and guided by state and national standards, our candidates create environments that prepare learners to contribute to a democratic society within a global context. Our candidates come from varied professional preparation programs, including elementary and secondary education, early childhood education, special education, and physical education, and they will assume varied professional careers with learners of different ages and abilities.
Reflective practice is the foundation of competence for our professional education candidates.
Their course work, field experiences, and work with colleagues and mentors all emphasize the importance of thoughtful analysis and continual revision of effective approaches to teaching and learning. From Dewey to Schoen, educational theorists have observed that, although content knowledge and instructional skills are essential, teaching cannot be reduced to simple formulas or recipes for success. Rather, the competent educator is characterized by habits of mind that emphasize critical thinking, experimentation, and openness to change. Our field does have extensive knowledge bases to guide decisions about curriculum, classroom management, assessment, and other domains. Our field also encourages candidates to become confident in applying a flexible array of skills that at times may seem automatic.