As a life science education major at Grace, you will have the opportunity to make meaningful relationships with students and be equipped to provide quality instruction, engaging lesson plans, and differentiation to meet the specific needs of your students.
Grace College’s School of Education is founded on the ideology of “teacher as a moral practitioner.” We are deeply committed to instilling the principles of character, competence, and service in our future teachers. This comes from Micah 6:8, which states, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Ultimately, we look to Jesus, the greatest teacher, as our guide.
Throughout your program, you’ll take core classes focused on discovering God’s Creation through biology, chemistry, and ecology. You will also participate in hands-on learning, including dissecting exotic animals and conducting experiments on the growth of plants. Students are also afforded internship opportunities with the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams, where students conduct research leveraging the many natural resources in the area!
The first half of your life science education degree focuses heavily on pedagogy and core educational principles. These classes dive deep into the importance of relationships, student engagement, and classroom environment. Later courses are rich in evidence-based practices for teaching life science to middle and high school students. You’ll complete your program with a semester-long placement student teaching at a local school!
Education courses also provide a lot of real-world experience. In your very first teaching class, you will get the opportunity to observe and assist in a classroom for 20 hours. From there, you will continue to accumulate experience in the local schools by completing observations and teaching one-on-one, small-group, and whole-class lessons. Before student teaching, you will have completed more than 150 hours of classroom experience!
After you earn your bachelor’s degree in life science education, you can pursue a teaching license for fifth through 12th grade. You will graduate prepared to show Christ’s love to students and lead them in exploring God’s Creation in a school setting.
