Language Arts

The Integrated Language Arts program prepares candidates for Ohio licensure in Integrated Language Arts (grades 7-12).

The required content courses are taught by faculty from the departments of English; Media and Journalism; Communication Studies; and Theater. The methods courses, featuring the most effective pedagogy strategies for teaching English/Language Arts, are taught by EHHS faculty. This combination of content and methods courses provides a strong foundation for graduates of our program, who will be licensed to teach English/Language Arts, Journalism, Communication and Theater (please note that Ohio Integrated Language Arts teachers are licensed to teach Theater (Grades 7-8 Only), at the middle school level).

One of the unique features of our program is that one entire methods course is devoted to the teaching of new media, giving candidates a broad knowledge of how to use such new media as blogs, wikis, podcasts, and desktop video production in their classrooms.

Our graduates teach in schools across Ohio and the US. Here's a partial list of schools where our graduates are teaching.

Overview of the program

Below is a description of the required courses and the year/semester in which you will study them. For more detailed information about the program, please contact Dr. Kristy Pytash (kpytash@kent.edu).

Before Entering Advanced Study

ADED 20000: Topics in Social Justice in Teaching and Learning (3 credit hours)
Provides you with an overview of social justice issues that are central to teaching and learning across all educational contexts.

Fall, Junior Year

MCED 40007: Teaching Reading with Literature (3 credit hours)
Provides you with an immersion in classic and new Young Adult texts.

ADED 32142: Principles of Teaching Adolescents (3 credit hours)
Provides you with an overview of pedagogy for adolescents and includes 30 hours of field experience at an urban middle school or high school. This is a general course for all ADED majors (not specific to one content area).

Spring, Junior Year

ADED 43335: Teach Language & Composition (3 credit hours)
Provides an overview of traditional and alternative models of teaching language and composition.

ADED 43315: Teaching Lit in Secondary Schools (3 credit hours)
Provides an overview of traditional and alternative models of teaching the literary canon.

Fall, Senior Year

ADED 43325: Multi-Modal Literature in Secondary Classrooms (3 credit hours)
Provides an overview of the latest in "new literacies" and how they may be integrated into the English/Language Arts classroom.

ADED 42292: Field Work Practicum (3 credit hours)
Section 001 or 002. You are expected to spend 100 hours at a student teaching assignment and teach at least one 10-day unit during late October/early November. Each student is observed teaching twice—once by the practicum instructor and once by the university supervisor.

Spring, Senior Year

ADED 42392: Student Teaching (9 credit hours)
Twelve weeks of full-time teaching.

ADED 49525: Inquiry into Professional Practice (3 credit hours)
Provides real-world job seeking skills as well as time for reflection and analysis of the student teaching experiences