English Education, Secondary

OBU hosts the annual Lamppost Literary Conference and the Visiting Writer Seminars, events where you can interact with contemporary and renowned writers and thinkers and be inspired by a robust community of readers and storytellers. The Lamppost Literary Conference features keynote speakers, panels, breakout sessions and a student writing competition. The Visiting Writer Seminars bring a nationally-known writer to campus each year.

The School of Education is nationally accredited through CAEP, the Council for Accreditation of Education Preparation. In addition, each licensure area is accredited through the state of Oklahoma. Graduates from our program are eligible to teach locally, nationally and internationally.

One of the many noted strengths of the OBU Education program is the amount of field experience/practicum time that is provided across the four years of the degree program. You will be asked to complete 85–120 hours of observation and practicum experiences in local schools before student teaching. Field experiences allow you to tutor children, teach small groups and whole classes, and practice differentiation and classroom management.

Through coursework, you will be exposed to the latest research-based practices in education. Additionally, all education majors have the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive investigation of a research topic of their own interest. You will present about your topic to your peers and may even have the opportunity to present your research to practicing teachers at educational conferences.

OBU teacher education faculty will support you in understanding and utilizing the latest educational technology such as Smartboards, iPads, learning management systems and assistive technology.

Field experiences culminate in a 14-week internship of student teaching during your senior year. Efforts are made to pair you with your school of preference within 50 miles of OBU.

Sigma Tau Delta, a long-established international English honor society dedicated to academic excellence and literacy, has a very active chapter at OBU. OBU students attend the annual national conference nearly every year, often presenting their research or creative works.

Several of our students have served as regional representatives to Sigma Tau Delta’s national Board, and gained valuable leadership experience as they network with other students across the nation. OBU’s chapter is active on campus and in the community and is also a way to build strong relationships between English or Creative Writing majors and faculty.

You will be invited to participate in professional teacher education organizations, such as the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) and Student Professional Oklahoma Educators (SPOE), which enables you to network with other preservice and in-service educators across the state and nation. You also will be invited to travel to state and national conferences which offer professional development related to innovative, researched-based practices within the field of education.

Through the coursework and field experience in the English Education program at OBU, students learn first-hand how to share the love of Christ in the classroom. The teacher education program focuses on celebrating the uniqueness and diversity within schools and classrooms. You will learn to focus on each child’s strengths to offer an engaging, rigorous curriculum while striving to meet the academic, social, cultural, and behavior needs of those you are instructing. In both education and English courses, professors and students explore the integration of faith and learning. Faculty members in both programs instill a solid foundation of faith and biblical perspective through their instruction and personal lives.

With a 95% pass rate on the PPAT (Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers) and a higher percentage pass rate than the state average on the OSAT, graduates from our English Education program are teaching all over the state of Oklahoma, while a few have teaching jobs outside the state. Graduates receive jobs in both public and private educational settings and many continue their education through graduate school.

Our graduates from English education, Secondary have continued in employment at:

• Capitol Hill High School (Oklahoma City)
• Harding Charter Preparatory High School (Oklahoma City)
• Carl Albert High School (Midwest City)
• North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee)
• Shawnee Middle School
• Tecumseh High School
• Shawnee High School
• Jim Thorpe Academy (Shawnee)
• Northwest Classen High School

Post Graduate Programs include:

• University of Arkansas Oklahoma State University
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Central Oklahoma