Illinois Benedictine

Illinois Benedictine University (in partnership with the Illinois Math and Science Academy)

Contact:  Dr. Harry C. Trumfio, Benedictine Univ.
    School of Education: Alternative Certification Progam
    5700 College Rd.
    Lisle, IL 60532
    630.829.6462
    htrumfio@ben.edu

Website for Illinois Benedictine: http://www.ben.edu/

Alt. Cert. Program: http://www.imsa.edu/team/oiapp/altcertp/index.htm

Program Duration: One year

Admissions Requirements

	Bachelor’s degree in a field of science with minimum 2.7 gpa
	Five years’ work experience related to degree
	Illinois Certification Testing System Basic Skills test plus subject matter test
	Three letters of recommendation
	College transcripts
	One-page autobiographical statement
	Application form

Coursework required

No traditional classwork required. Instead, candidates undergo Problem Based Learning (PBL).

	18 hours of graduate credit are earned at the end of the 8-week summer session. Another 6 hours of credit are earned by attending workshops during the internship.
	The 24 hours of credit earned can be applied to a master’s degree through Benedictine U.
	No online class work is available during the summer session or the internship.

Internship

One year paid in middle school or high school in Chicago or surrounding area; program coordinators prefer internship to be close to Chicago to facilitate observation of intern in the classroom

Placement upon graduation

Interns can use the Benedictine U. placement office to help secure a job upon completion of the program.

Areas of certification

High school and middle school science only

Tuition

$12,000

 

What is Problem-Based Learning?

The BU-IMSA Alternative Teacher Certification Program is unique because it has been designed as a series of problem-based experiences, an approach that is particularly well suited to adult professional learning. Not only will the program itself be problem-based, but participants will learn to employ problem-based learning (PBL) as one of the instructional tools in their repertoire of teaching strategies.

PBL is a strategy developed in a medical school context to engage students in medical diagnosis in such a way that they integrate bio-medical information with patient diagnosis and treatment in a clinical setting. Just as we want physicians to be problem-solvers - tapping their deep bio-medical knowledge base and reading the subtle spoken and unspoken clues from patients, so teachers should be problem solvers - tapping their content and pedagogical knowledge bases and reading the subtle cues from their students.

PBL is focused experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems. Such problems have no single, specific, textbook answer, but enable student learning to occur in relevant, connected ways. PBL creates a learning environment in which teachers coach student thinking and guide student inquiry, facilitating learning toward deeper levels of understanding while entering the inquiry as a co-investigator.

In problem-based learning:

The focus is on relevant issues of practice where the candidates are stakeholders in the situation and identify and define the problem.

Teacher candidates work collaboratively to gather and share information relevant to student learning.

Teacher educators coach, probe and challenge the candidates' inquiry as they guide professional learning.

Problem-based scenarios coupled with real-time classroom opportunities present possibilities for observation, interviews and the testing of ideas.

The assessment process is ongoing and formative.

The debriefing process identifies what was learned and assists candidates to make connections between theory and practice.