CalTeach

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CalTeach currently hosts two minors at UC Merced:

  1. NSED (Natural Science Education)
  2. NSEC (Natural Science Education with Teaching Credential)

The goal of this program is to encourage us young folk to consider a career in teaching, aimed towards the Central Valley. Even if you aren’t considering becoming a teacher, these classes are honestly some of the best that I’ve taken at this school.

  • NSED 073: Introduction to Mathematics Teaching HS
  • NSED 043: Introduction to Mathematics Teaching MS

When taking these courses, you are also required to take a fieldwork class, where you will spend 30 hours over the semester (3hr/week) inside of local classroom at Merced. You make observations of how the teachers teach, how it relates to the ideas discussed in class, and help out students that might be struggling. At the end of the semester, you give your own lesson! I’ve done three so far: An Introduction to Limits, Geometric Rotations, and Scatter Plots.

Since UC Merced doesn’t have all of the classes to fully credential you, the program will send you off to UC Berkeley for a semester. Neat! One of the classes you take there is Research Methods. Alternatively, you can also apply for the Summer Research Institute, where you will take the class and take on a research project, as well as taking those credits a bit early!

CalTeach also offers internships and scholarships throughout the year. I did an internship Spring 2017 with the Merced County of Education’s Playgroup, where we connected with toddlers ages 2-5, read stories, and gave lessons. It was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

If interested in taking on this minor or if you just want more information, let me know! Otherwise, the CalTeach office is located at the Natural Science Advising office. Ask for Chelsea Arnold or Hijab Chaudhry–they’re both my favorite people on the campus (as in they actually help you out).