Wellesley-MIT
Teacher Education
Additional Information on Subject Matter Knowledge and Subject
Advising
for the English Teaching Programs
Subject
Matter Requirements.
Massachusetts
regulations specify the following subject matter knowledge requirements
for English teachers. To understand
more about what is intended in each area, please study the Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks for English, which we can give you
a copy
of and which can be found on line at www.doe.mass.edu You
can also examine the test objectives for the Massachusetts subject
test in this area. (This test is required only for licensure
in Massachusetts.) To see these objectives, go to doe.mass.edu,
and select Educator Licensure Tests.
Areas
of subject matter knowledge for English:
English
(grades 5-8 or 8-12)
(a)
Literature
1. American literature including the Colonial Period;
the Revolutionary Period; American Romanticism and the
American Renaissance (to
include Hawthorne, Emerson, Melville, Whitman,
and Thoreau); the Civil War and the post-war period; and fiction,
poetry, drama from the early 20th century to the present
2. World literature including British literature
(including the Anglo-Saxon period, the Middle
Ages, the Renaissance,
the Restoration
and the 18th century, the Romantic Period,
the Victorian Period, and the 20th century) and other
European
literature; literature
of Africa, Latin America and Asia; Ancient
Greek and Roman literature; the Bible as literature;
world
myths
and folktales
3. Characteristics of the different genres
of literature
4. Various schools of literary criticism
(b) Language
1. History and structure of the English language
2. Knowledge of the rules and conventions of standard
written and spoken English
(c) Rhetoric and Composition (Principles of classical
rhetoric, modern and contemporary theories of rhetoric,
similarities
and differences between oral and written communication)
(d) Reading Theory, Research, and Practice at the
Middle and High School level.
You
would meet the requirements, first, by
completing the set of courses described below;
second, by doing additional study in areas
where you have
not
taken courses;
and, third, by demonstrating your knowledge
via student teaching
and
the MTEL subject test. (MTEL stands for Massachusetts
Test for Educator Licensure.) Or if you do
not plan to take
the MTEL subject
test because you do not intend to teach in
Massachusetts, you can alternatively do a portfolio review process.
Planning
required subject matter courses and study.
It
will be easiest to complete the required courses while doing a major
in English, but
other majors,
such as American
Studies,
are possible provided you have or acquire
a strong background in literature, and
can fulfill
requirements
for a minor
in English. Please consult with
our English subject matter advisor,
Prof.
Margery Sabin, about how you will plan
to address all areas of required knowledge.
She will advise
you on
your selection
of
courses and on your individual study, for
example on your reading selections for
European and
world literature.
In
conjunction
with these discussions, please fill out
the Teaching Program Plan form and have it approved.
Required
courses:
A.
Required subject matter courses:
Courses
equivalent to a major in English, or if you have a major in another
field
relevant to English
teaching, such as
American
Studies, courses equivalent to a
minor in English,
including
courses in:
a.
One course in English of the time of Shakespeare or before
b. Two or more courses in American
literature, including fiction,
poetry, and drama.
Note especially English
262, 266, 267, and
269. Note also the changing
topics in the 300-level courses in American literature.
c. One or more courses in British literature, for
example English 271, 272, or 273. Note also the
changing topics
in the 300-level
courses
in British
literature.
d. At least one course in poetry (which may also
count as one of the courses in American or British
literature),
for
example,
English
241
or 251.
e. Strongly recommended: One or more courses in
European/World literature, for example, English
277, Russian 251,
or Classical Civilization
104.
f. Course work, to the extent practical, in other
areas of the required subject matter knowledge
listed above.
Additional
study:
For
the required areas of subject matter knowledge listed that are not
covered by your required
or other courses,
additional study will
be needed.
This
study provides a wonderful opportunity for
valuable, stimulating learning. Please
discuss your plan of study with Prof. Sabin,
with your major advisor, and with Ken Hawes.
You might like to study with other students
in the program. We can let you know who else is
working in your field.
