Biology Teaching Major (B.A.)

Students who wish to earn teacher certification for secondary grades 6-12 must complete the Biology Teaching Major. Students must maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA to qualify for licensure in the state of Idaho. Before student teaching, students must pass their required Praxis exams. Students should consult with Education Department faculty early in their program to ensure they are on a proper pathway toward licensure.

Major Requirements

92-94 credits

Biology Core (16 credits)

Complete the following courses and their associated labs.

BIOL-2201	Molecules to Cells	4 credits
BIOL-2202	Organismal Biology	4 credits
BIOL-2203	Ecology, Evolution and Diversity	4 credits
BIOL-3316	Genetics	4 credits

Chemistry, Math, and Physics (12 credits)

Complete the following courses and their associated labs.

CHEM-1011	General Chemistry I	4 credits
-
PHYS-2001	General Physics I	4 credits
-	or
PHYS-2071	Analytical Physics I	4 credits
-
MATH-1025	Data Analysis and Statistics	4 credits
-	or
MATH-2025	Multiple Regression Analysis	4 credits

Physiology (4 credits)

Complete one physiology course and its associated lab. Courses used to satisfy the physiology requirement cannot be counted toward other program requirements.

BIOL-3350	Plant Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity	4 credits
BIOL-3374	Animal Physiology	4 credits
BIOL-3376	Neurophysiology	4 credits

Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (4-6 credits)

Complete one of the following courses and its associated lab or preparatory course.

BIOL-3317	Stream Ecology	4 credits
BIOL-3319	Ichthyology	4 credits
BIOL-3322	Field Botany	4 credits
BIOL-3326	Coastal Marine Ecology	4 credits
BIOL-3331	Evolution	4 credits
BIOL-3340	Zoology	4 credits
BIOL-3345	Ecology	4 credits
-
BIOL-3346	Tropical Ecology	2 credits
-	and
BIOL-3347	Field Biology	4 credits
-
BIOL-3350	Plant Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity	4 credits

Upper-Division Biology Electives (8 credits)

Complete at least 8 additional credits of BIOL coursework at the 3000 or 4000 level. At least one upper-division elective biology course must include a lab.

BIOL-

Elective BIOL coursework, 3000- and/or 4000-level

8 credits

A maximum of credits of BIOL-3996 or BIOL-4996 may count toward this requirement.

Biology Capstone (4 credits)

BIOL-4080	Senior Comprehensive Examination	0 credits
BIOL-4990	Biology Capstone Seminar	4 credits

Secondary Education Core (32 credits)

EDUC-1000	Introduction to Teaching	4 credits
EDUC-3040	Literacy in Content Areas	4 credits
EDUC-3060	Writing Instruction, Process, and Assessment	4 credits
EDUC-3100	Foundations of Schooling	4 credits
EDUC-3200	Teaching Exceptional Children	4 credits
EDUC-4030	Teaching in a Diverse Society	4 credits
EDUC-4050	Curriculum and Instruction	2 credits
EDUC-4055	Instructional Methods and Assessment	2 credits
PSYC-2010	Developmental Psychology	4 credits

Student Teaching (12 credits)

Complete one semester of full-time student teaching at a local school.

EDUC-4581	Secondary Student Teaching	10 credits
EDUC-4590	Student Teaching Seminar	2 credits

Outcomes

The Learner and Learning

Standard 1: Learner Development. The teacher candidate understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard 2: Learning Differences. The teacher candidate uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.

Standard 3: Learning Environments. The teacher candidate works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

Content

Standard 4: Content Knowledge. The teacher candidate understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.

Standard 5: Application of Content. The teacher candidate understands how to connect concepts to use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Instructional Practice

Standard 6: Assessment. The teacher candidate understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.

Standard 7: Planning for Instruction. The teacher candidate plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.

Standard 8: Instructional Strategies. The teacher candidate understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

Professional Responsibility

Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. The teacher candidate engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

Standard 10: Leadership and Collaboration. The teacher candidate seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

State Specific Standards

Standard 11: American Indian Tribes in Idaho*. The teacher candidate should be able to distinguish between each of the federally recognized tribes with respect to the retention of the ancestral lands in Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Nez Perce Tribe, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes. Teacher candidates build capacity in learners to utilize the assets that each learner brings to the learning community based on their backgrounds and experiences.

*The federal, state, local, and tribal governments of Idaho recognize the unique inherent self-determination of each tribe. The self-determination of each tribe recognizes Indigenous people as peoples, rather than populations or national minorities. The tribes are separate and distinct from each other.

Standard 12: Code of Ethics for Idaho Professional Educators. The teacher candidate understands the Code of Ethics for Idaho Professional Educators and its place in supporting the integrity of the profession.

Standard 13: Digital Technology and Online Learning. The teacher candidate knows how to use digital technology to create lessons and facilitate instruction and assessment in face-to-face, blended, and online learning environments to engage students and enhance learning.