The Seminar
The Seminar, comprised of 15 to 18 teacher candidates and one faculty coordinator, replaces most of the standard professional education coursework; the content methods course(s) for each major and a reading methods course required by state law are exceptions. Teacher candidates enroll in the Seminar every semester, the minimum tenure in the group being two semesters. The group's members are at different stages of professional preparation, making the groups what might be termed a "rolling cohort." The faculty coordinator works with these teacher candidates throughout their preparation.
Seminars meet each Tuesday for a three-hour late afternoon or evening session. Our teacher candidates are responsible for setting the agenda, leading most sessions, and solving problems by consensus. Because the relationship is long-term, each Seminar group actively recruits and interviews prospective members. Recruitment activities focus on new teacher candidates who will expand the groups' ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity, improve its gender balance, broaden its subject matter specialities, or expand the age ranges and worldviews of their members. At the same time, new CoTers are invited to visit different seminars prior to enrollment and then express any preferences they have about which seminar(s) may best fit their needs. In assigning newcomers to seminars, the program does its best to balance these preferences with the needs of each seminar. Because of their close association over time, CoTers often form what look to be life-long relationships with their faculty coordinators, their Mentor Teachers in the field, and their colleagues in their seminar groups.
CoT Testimonial:
"CoT has been the most important experience in my college career. When I reflect back on my time in the Seminar, I think I learned more there than in any other class. I honestly do not think I could have had the courage to look at myself and completely change goals of my life without the self-directed learning skills I discovered in CoT."