Wellesley-MIT
Teacher Education
Additional Information on Subject Matter Knowledge and Subject
Advising
for the History Teaching Programs
Subject
Matter Requirements.
Massachusetts
regulations specify the following subject matter knowledge requirements
for history teachers. To understand
more about what is intended in each area, please study the Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks for History and Social Studies, 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 History:
History
(grades 5-8 or 8-12)
(a) United States History: indigenous people of North America;
European settlements
and colonies; the American Revolution; expansion, reform,
and economic growth
of the United States up to the Civil War; the Civil
War and Reconstruction;
European immigration, industrialization, and scientific
and technological
progress; the two World Wars; and the United States
from 1945 to the present
(b) World History: human beginnings and early civilizations
(Africa, Babylonia,
Egypt, India, China); roots of Western civilization
(Israel, Greece, Rome);
English and Western European history; Renaissance and
the age of exploration;
development of Asia, Africa, and South America; age
of revolutionary change in
Europe; the world in the era of two World Wars; and
the world from 1945 to the
Present
(c) Geography
1. Major physical features of the world
2. Key concepts of geography and its effects on various
peoples
(d) Economics
1. Fundamental economic concepts and economic reasoning
2. American economic history
(e) Government
1. Principles of American government and the Founding
Documents of the
United States
2. Comparative government
(f) History and Philosophy of Science
(g) Methods and Sources for Research in History
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 history, but other majors
are acceptable as long as they provide
a way of
gaining deep
insight into the overall area of knowledge outlined above. American
Studies majors, or other area study majors, for example, would
bring in depth
knowledge of one
area of history and geography to the teaching of history. Please
consult with our subject matter advisor, Prof.
Elizabeth Varon, about how you
will plan
to address all areas of required knowledge. In conjunction
with these discussions, please fill out the Teaching Program Plan
form
and have
it approved.
Required
courses:
The following courses should be chosen to give as much knowledge
of the subject matter knowledge as possible, while being in harmony
with
the
liberal arts
goal of exploring in depth your personal intellectual interests
and carrying out an
effective plan for your major.
(a)
United States History: At least two courses.
(b)
World History: At least two courses, one emphasizing Western civilization,
and one non-Western.
(c)
Geography: Your study of geography will be integrated with your choice
of courses in history and other social science
areas. Please
examine
how this integration
works in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History
and Social Science. There, the emphasis in geography is
on five major
concepts:
location, place,
human interaction with the environment, movement, and regions.
In grades 8-12, the Framework integrates the study of geography
with
history
courses and also
with electives in economics and American government.
(d)
Economics: One course in economics is recommended, but it may be
that a variety of history courses that address
economic issues
will
be sufficient.
(e)
Government: A course in American government and/or a course in comparative
government is recommended, though
the
goals
of such study
may be able
to be carried out through history courses and other
study. In any case, your
study
needs to
include attention to the founding documents of the
United States.
(f)
History and Philosophy of Science: the goals of study in this area
are made clear in the Curriculum
Frameworks,
and
attention to those
goals is
required.
(g)
Methods and Sources for Research in History: At least one 300-level
course with a substantial
historical
research
paper
based on primary
sources.
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 our history subject
teaching advisor, Liz Varon, 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.
