Education

Why study Education?

Because teachers prepare children for life. Because of the excitement that comes from seeing "the light go on" in a child's eyes. Because teachers start over each September with a new group of students. Because teachers have a positive impact on the lives of other people every single day. Because those who can - TEACH! Because, according to Helen Caldicott,peace activist and author, "Teachers are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth." 

The Education Major at Heidelberg

Heidelberg’s teacher licensure programs – Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescent to Young Adult, Multi-Age, and Intervention Specialist – are fully approved by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), and the Education Department meets all ODE/ National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards. The Department’s fully air-conditioned Lavely-Shedenhelm Education Center, renovated in 2001, has three technology-mediated classrooms, individual offices for full-time education faculty and a central office/work area for administrative support and adjunct faculty. 
 
Education Center

 Department of Education

Education Department faculty members come from varied backgrounds, teaching experiences and professional aspirations:

  • Dr. Herb Steffy, math and middle school specialist, serves as Interim Department Chair and Department Liaison to the ODE and has taught in Virginia and Florida;
  • Dr. Diane Armstrong, language arts/reading specialist, has taught in Pennsylvania and Ohio;
  • Dr. Ed Corley, science and technology specialist, has taught in Indiana and Ohio;
  • Dr. Lori Arnold-Grine, early childhood specialist, has taught in the Fremont and Tiffin City Schools;
  • Dr. Brian Haley, social studies specialist, brings a British perspective to the program and coaches the men’s soccer team;
  • Dr. Jin Kang, human growth and development specialist, has taught in Michigan and Maryland;
  • Dr. Carl Stein, special education specialist, has taught in West Virginia and Ohio; and
  • Professor Terry Phillips, the Department’s Field Placement Director, has taught and held administrative positions in the Tiffin City Schools. 

Vital Connections

The teacher licensure programs at Heidelberg College are based on a constructivist philosophy. This means that the pre-service and in-service teachers in our programs build or construct their knowledge as a result of a student-centered, hands-on approach to learning. From the beginning of their experience at Heidelberg, our students are actively involved in their coursework and clinical/field experiences.
 
Specifically, students build or construct their knowledge about teaching and learning with several tools - theory, practice and reflection. These are the building tools that connect the constructivist core of the conceptual framework to each of the teacher education licensure programs:

  • Theory - principles of teaching and learning
  • Practice - clinical and field experience
  • Reflection - thinking about, evaluating and revising one's teaching and learning

For more information

Contact:
Dr. Herb Steffy
Interim Chair, Department of Education
(419) 448-2264
hsteffy@heidelberg.edu