Social Studies Education

TS4-Teacher Support Specialist in Social Studies

Instructors: Todd Dinkelman and Steve Havick, UGA

What?

TS4 consists of two 50 hour courses, offered for SDU credit, that lead to Teacher Support Specialist certification. In Georgia, TS4 is the only Teacher Support Specialist program designed specifically for social studies education.

The summer, 2004, course meets online in late June through early July for pre-seminar activities. Then participants gather for a five day series of classes on the UGA campus in July. This course concludes with some post-seminar online work.

The 2004-2005 academic year course is based on a collaborative teacher-research model. TS4 participants will be placed in teacher research groups of 6 teachers, each of whom will carry out an original research project involving the mentoring of beginning social studies teacher- either a student teacher, or an early career teacher.

TS4 is not a top-down professional development experience. Rather, the program is designed as a collaborative exploration of social studies teaching, learning, and mentoring. TS4 is well-suited for educators who enjoy discussing critical questions about the profession with others who care about social studies.

Who?

The program can accommodate twelve social studies teachers, and is open to any social studies teacher in Georgia. In selecting participants, preference will be given to secondary social studies teachers. The program requires that the participant work as a mentor to a beginning social studies teacher (either student teacher, or early-career inservice teacher) one or both semesters of the 2004-2005 school year. The University of Georgia graduates approximately 75 new social studies teachers every year, so qualified teachers without immediate plans to work with beginning teachers should not be discouraged from applying. Georgia requires teachers to have three years of classroom experience before they can earn Teacher Support Specialist certification.

When?

Participants will have some online activities to complete in late June, early July. The summer course meets on the UGA campus July 5-9, from 9am to 430 pm each day. The summer course concludes with a few online activities after July 9.
The Teacher Research Course runs throughout the 2004-2005 school year, and involves participants meeting roughly once a month, either on campus or in some other mutually agreeable place.

Why?

The goal of this project to develop experienced social studies teachers possessing the subject matter knowledge, knowledge of effective teaching strategies, and understanding of teacher development, to mentor beginning social studies teachers in exemplary practices that meet Georgia's academic content standards in social studies. TS4 seeks to develop expertise around four themes: 1) standards-based social studies learning in subject matter content, 2) social studies teaching for authentic academic achievement, 3) support and mentoring practices for beginning social studies teachers, and 4) teacher research as meaningful professional development. These aims provide the structure and content for the summer seminar. These themes also provide the framework for generating teacher research projects the following academic year.

Cost?

Both courses in the program are offered for 5 SDUs at no cost to participants. Most books and materials are supplied by the program. A $100 stipend is offered to participants for both the summer seminar and for the teacher research course. TS4 is offered under Georgia's Teacher Quality Higher Education Program, a United States Department of Education funded program under the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia designed to enhance science, mathematics, reading, language arts, and social studies teaching at the elementary, middle, or high school level in public and private schools.

How?

An online application form is available. To ensure consideration, please apply by Monday, June 21, 2004.