The Wright State University Collegiate Adolescent to Young Adult Education Club is a new club that was created to support students in the adolescent, young adult education major. Its goal is to unite program members and help them with peer and professional questions. On top of this, the Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences is also dedicated to helping students of this and similar majors find field placements, an important step needed to graduate.
AYA program and club
[WSU]’s AYA program is a 7-12th grade education program that aims to prepare its applicants for their futures as educators. The program has several subject areas that it services, those including: English, math, integrated science, integrated social studies, foreign language, physical education and even intervention services.
The licensure program’s goal is to provide the opportunity for students to earn their licensure at the undergraduate level. This program is priming students to become the next generation of [WSU] teachers.
Taylor Pendleton is an integrated language arts AYA student. She says that the program has been important to the development of her education as a future teacher.
“I love my program,” Pendleton said. “I like how you get to know the same professors and advisors because there are a handful that actually teach our classes. I enjoy that I am consistently in class with the same people too. I think that us being in multiple years of school with the same peers helps us work on building professional relationships.”
Alternatively, the new COAYA Club’s goal is to further supplement AYA students' learning and give an outlet to talk about educational issues in the middle to high school education sphere.
“We are proud of the fact that we are able to educate others about being an Adolescent to Young Adult Educator. By providing a space where students can learn more about the teaching profession, we serve students interested in teaching grades 7-12 and the respective subjects that students specialize in,” the organization said in a statement.
The Office of Partnerships and Field Placements is a vital resource to the AYA education program, as it helps students with their required 2 semester field placements and yearlong student teaching that is required to graduate and receive licensure. But it also has several other purposes on campus.
Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences
The OPFE is an integral part of any student's field placement and professional development. They handle placements for education, social work and counseling majors. The goal of the OPFE is to provide real-world application to a student's education.
The field placements are made to teach students professional development, skill-building and networking skills that will be useful for them once they graduate and enter the job market.
They provide BCI and FBI background checks, training and orientation for students in the program on how they are to behave. They also provide support throughout the process of educational journey. Students that have interacted with OPFE claim that they have had nothing but positive experiences.
Samantha Melowic, a middle childhood education major at WSU, is one of these students.
“When I went into my field placement, I was scared. There is a lot that goes into a field placement that you don't really think about. [The OPFE] were so helpful with helping me navigate all of the ins and outs of my placement. I don’t know where I’d be without them," Melowic said.
Things can be complicated when navigating the professional sphere as a college student, but WSU students are lucky to have resources like these to help them.
