Middle Level Teaching and Learning

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Our program in Middle Level Teaching and Learning prepares you teach two content areas to adolescent learners from fifth- through eighth-grades. You'll prepare for teaching in one major content area endorsement, either English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science or Social Sciences. Your minor endorsement choices include Art, English Language Arts, Foreign Language Spanish, Health Education, Learning Behavior Specialist I, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science and Social Science. You'll also enjoy multiple fieldwork experiences and opportunities to apply theory to practice. When you successfully finish the program, you'll have completed all standards for teacher licensure as required by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

  • Students admitted to NIU to pursue the B.S.Ed. degree in Middle Level Teaching and Learning enter directly into the major program.
  • This major requires a university GPA of 2.5.
  • Grades of C or better are required in specific major courses.

The NIU College of Education embeds diverse, real-world learning opportunities in our programs, offering you valuable experiences you won't get anywhere else.

  • You'll have three field experiences prior to student teaching. These experiences provide opportunities to observe and interact with diverse groups of students.
  • If you choose to live in Stevenson Towers' T.E.A.C.H. House, home to students pursuing any area of teacher licensure, you'll interact with teacher licensure faculty as well as peers with similar professional aspirations.
  • Our Educate and Engage Program provides hands-on experiences close and far from home.
    • Educate Global sends selected students to China and Taiwan to teach English.
    • Educate U.S. allows selected students to travel to the Houston Independent School District in Texas for an all-expenses-paid week during which they practice their skills and broaden their perspectives.
    • Educate Local provides opportunities to volunteer, observe and participate in various campus, community and educational settings.

Our Middle Level Teaching and Learning major is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare future practitioners with the content knowledge and pedagogical approaches necessary to serve the needs of young adolescent learners in specific disciplines for teacher licensure in middle level education.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of middle school teachers is projected to grow six percent from 2014 to 2024 due to expected enrollment increases in these grades. Our graduates will have the advantage of being prepared to teach in two content areas, thereby expanding their employment options.

Job Fair

NIU's annual Educators' Job Fair brings school districts from throughout the state and around the country to interview for teaching positions. Participants are offered open session time with recruiters. It's a great way to practice your professional communication skills and learn about employment opportunities, with the possibility of invitation-only interviews at the event.

  • EPS 300 - Educational Psychology (3)
  • EPS 382 - Educational Participation in Clinical Experience: Middle Level Education (1-2)
  • EPS 419 - The Middle School Child (3)
  • EPS 452 - Classroom Management for Adolescent Students (3)
  • ETRA 422 - Technology and Assessment for Middle Level Education and Secondary Education (4)
  • LTIC 420 - Methods and Materials for Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas (3)
  • LTRE 311 - Content Area Literacy Instruction (3)
  • MLTL 302 - Clinical Experience in Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction (1)
  • MLTL 303 - Clinical Experience in Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction (1)
  • MLTL 304 - Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction: Field Experience (1)
  • MLTL 461 - Seminar in Middle Level Student Teaching (1)
  • MLTL 485 - Middle Level Student Teaching (11)
  • SESE 457 - Methods for Including Middle and Secondary Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Classroom (3)
  • TLCI 422 - Middle School Organization and Instruction (3)

"The NIU College of Education is very helpful. There's always someone to guide you in the right direction. All of my courses were straight-forward and informative. We learned in class and through clinicals that you must deliver content as you also build relationships. This is especially important for students in sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade as they are going through social and emotional changes."by Saul Amaya, Math Teacher, Marlowe Middle School, Huntley Community School District 158