About Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching

Mission

The mission of the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching is to:

• Advance students' and faculty's intellectual and professional development through research, critical reflection and dialogue, civic responsibility, and transformative leadership.
• Promote and advocate for innovative educational change and reform.
• Nurture the personal and professional integrity of all learners.

Vision

Our vision is to be a model interdisciplinary education program that prepares professionals to work with diverse learners in a global setting.

We work with the Office of Teacher Education Services and the Office of Undergraduate Studies to support our students seeking certification and careers as teachers and curriculum specialists in schools and related organizations. The department also works with the University Career Center to support undergraduate and graduate students in preparing career search materials.

The Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching is on the cutting edge of teacher preparation trends in the state of Texas and nationally. We have begun piloting performance-based assessment in our student teaching experience and year-long clinical teaching in that same internship experience. In the next several years, the department will be expanding this across all of our teacher education programs.

Our Early Childhood Program received recognition from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 2019, and our Literacy Program received national recognition with distinction from the International Literacy Association for its preparation of reading specialists in 2019.

Our professors are not only amazing teachers, they are great researchers as well. Drs. Yuen, Arreguin-Anderson, Kalinec-Craig, and Bonner were recently awarded a significant National Science Foundation grant, along with colleagues from UTSA's Math Department. The grant project works to develop a collaborative team of secondary computer science teachers to increase Latinx participation in computer science.

Another opportunity that the department offers is Support and Enrichment Experiences in Mathematics (SEE) Math. Developed in coordination with teacher educators and doctoral students in our department, the SEE Math Program is designed with social justice and equity in mind. We believe that all children come with a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to learning, doing, and using math. Similarly, our teacher candidates are prepared as knowledgeable, professional, and community-based educators who believe in social justice and equity as a core foundation to their teaching philosophy.

SEE Math is an innovation that improves how we prepare elementary mathematics teachers and how new teachers can learn to support children's experiences with mathematical problem-solving.