Besides the required education courses, they also study learning principles and methods of teaching in the secondary school. Furman offers preparation for teaching in 15 secondary education fields. At Furman, course work for education students is supported by fine instructional facilities that include an education curriculum laboratory and a microcomputer lab. The curriculum lab contains a wealth of materials, including state-approved textbooks and other resources and assessment programs. The microcomputer lab has a comprehensive software collection and is designed to prepare students to use the technology in teaching.
Students often work as teaching assistants in the lab.
In addition, the department sponsors a lecture series that brings to the campus well-known leaders in education. Other opportunities are available for students to assist faculty members in research projects or to participate in summer internships. Several students have traveled to New York to work as interns at a camp for behaviorally disordered students. Experience, the Best Teacher One of the outstanding characteristics of the Teacher Education Program at Furman is the opportunity to gain actual experience in local schools. All students in the program participate in systematic levels of clinical work in the public schools before they begin the teaching component.