Teacher Preparation Program

mathematics

Teachers Make a Difference

Changing the World through Teaching

Armed with leading-edge educator skills and a mastery of your chosen discipline, you’ll be prepared to become a new kind of teacher—a teacher who engages and challenges students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects and meets the future challenges of American education.

By joining the Teacher Preparation program at WPI, within your 4-year undergraduate program you will gain:

  • A strong background in your STEM discipline
  • A good sense of the applicability of your subject to contemporary areas of engineering, technology, or society
  • Entry into a community of future educators ready to shape young minds and help direct tomorrow’s technologies
  • A Massachusetts-authorized Initial License in one of the following:
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics
    • Middle School Science
    • Middle or High School Mathematics
    • Middle and High School Technology/Engineering
  • Communication and leadership skills that will go beyond the classroom

Program Requirements

Courses

In addition to the course required for your content major, you will need to take the following pedagogy courses:

  • ID 3100  Teaching Methods
  • ID 3200  Sheltered English Immersion
  • PSY 2401  Psychology of Education
  • PSY 2410 School Psychology or PSY 1404 Developmental Psychology (offered alternate years)

See the undergraduate catalog for course descriptions.

Application

Applications to the program are due in mid-November each year and are open to first year and sophomore students majoring in math, science, or engineering. 

A completed application consists of

Interviews are conducted in November by the program director and the operations management assistant.

Program decisions are made by December 31st.

Contact

Contact Jillian DiBonaventura for more information. 

Field Experiences

Pre-Practicum I: K-12 Hours
Pre-Practicum II: Present Lesson at Community-Based Organization

After our fall retreat in September, you will work together in a team to develop and deliver your first lesson at one of the following locations/events.

Location Date Details
Girls, Inc Worcester Last Monday in October Present to 8th grade girls in the Eureka program.  The theme is "Spooky Science"
Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster October and March breaks Present activities to K-5 and 6-8 students in after-school programs on various STEM themes to be determined by Boys & Girls Club Director

 

Pre-Practicum III: Central MA Classroom Visits

As a field component of the Teaching Methods in Math, Science, and Engineering class (ID 3100) you will visit 6 classrooms around central Massachusetts to observe teachers in a variety of settings, styles, and subjects.

Teaching Practicum

In the teaching practicum, you are immersed in a classroom in which you complete your student teaching.  You have the opportunity to do your student teaching as an IQP or an Independent Study.  Physics majors may also count the practicum as their MQP. 

Overview of the practicum

  • 15 week experience in a local school.  Our placements are most often in one of the following districts.

  • at least 300 hours in the classroom, 150 hours as the teacher of record
  • weekly seminar in which you are able to connect with other teacher candidates

Meet Our Students

Jonathan Han

Class of 2020

Major:  Mechanical Engineering

Licensure:  Middle School Math

Future Plans:  Harvard Graduate School of Education

 

Marco Gomez

Class of 2019

Major:  Chemical Engineering

Licensure:  High School Chemistry

Current Occupation:  High School Chemistry Teacher

Tom Young

Class of2019

Major: Physics

Licensure: High School Physics

Future Plans:  Teach high school physics and complete and complete WPI's Master's in Physics for Educators (MPED) program

Title
Grace Seiche
Body

Class of 2020

Major:  Computer Science & Psychology

Licensure:  High School Math

Future Plans:  Teach High School Math

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The program gave me the opportunity to student teach. It gave me a look at everything that goes into teaching, from lesson plans, to creating tests, to student discipline. My experience, without a doubt, solidified my desire to become a teacher.
  • Kim
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Teacher Prep Program at WPI is unlike teacher prep programs anywhere else. It allows students to pursue a technical degree, while at the same time, allowing them to receive their teacher certification at the end of the program.
  • Matthew
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering