The Teacher Leader Certificate is a series of competencies and experiences offered through intensive and innovative workshops and 10 hours of volunteer work in an education setting.

While workshops blend theory and practice on various competency areas, community partnerships encourage strong classroom leadership skills, helping you better understand the context in which our schools operate. The program was developed in response to needs identified by policy leaders, faculty, school administrators, alumni, and community partners as teacher skills necessary for student success in the classroom. The certificate builds upon existing strengths, brings existing resources and experiences together to enable students to better innovate, improve, develop, and discover their identity as emerging teacher leaders.

Requirements

Requirements vary depending on the TLC Certificate track you choose to pursue:

Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) Track: 

  1. Submit your proposal form if you would like to pursue the IS Track
  2. Participate in at least 6 workshops of your interest
  3. Complete the 10 hour volunteer experience in an education setting

UI REACH Track: 

  1. Participate in the mandatory UI REACH training workshop, plus 3 UI REACH identified workshops and 2 workshops of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of UI REACH-focused volunteer experience (preassigned)

Multilingual Learners (ML) Track: 

  1. Participate in the 4 predefined mandatory workshops of this track and 2 workshops of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of volunteer experience with a focus on English Language Learners, preferably in an educational setting

Social-Emotional-Behavioral Mental Health (SEBMH) Track:

  1. Participate in the mandatory Introduction to SEBMH workshop, plus 3 SEBMH-identified workshops and 2 workshops of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of SEBMH-focused volunteer experience in the ICCSD (preassigned)

Advanced Academics and Talented Development (AATD) Track:

  1. Participate in the mandatory AATD Introductory Workshop, plus 3 AATD-identified workshops plus 2 workshops of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of volunteer experience with a focus on gifted and talented students, preferably in an educational setting

Dyslexia (D) Track:

  1. Participate in all 5 mandatory D-identified workshops plus 1 workshop of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of volunteer experience with a focus on children identified as dyslexic (language-based learning disability), preferably in an educational setting

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Design, and Math (STEAM) Track:

  1. Participate in 6 mandatory STEAM-identified workshops (7 workshops offered). Student must attend the first and last workshops (offered multiple times throughout the semester) and choose 4 of the remaining 5 workshops of your interest
  2. Complete 10 hours of volunteer experience in the College of Education’s temporary educational makerspace currently being outfitted at the Kirkwood Regional Center (preassigned)

Global Opportunities (GO) Track:

  1. Participate in 2 GO-identified workshops plus 4 workshops of your interest 
  2. Complete 10 hours of volunteer experience preferably in an educational setting

Be sure to visit the information page for your desired TLC Certificate track in ICON for more detailed information about your track requirements.

Workshops and volunteer hours must be completed prior to student teaching. The volunteer hours you complete for the Teacher Leader Certificate are separate from the hours you completed prior to admission into the Teacher Education Program. The hours you completed for admission do NOT count toward the completion of your Teacher Leader Certificate. The volunteer experience required for the certificate does NOT include the volunteer hours necessary prior to admission into the Teacher Education Program. 

Register for a Certificate Track

You will register and track your progress through ICON. (You are only required to select one track) 

You will receive an email in your UI inbox inviting you to join the site. Please email us at tlc@uiowa.edu if you don't receive this email or are not authorized to access this site after the second week of classes!

Register for Workshops

Visit the BTLC Events page for options. Make sure to register for the workshops online, add them to your calendar and sign the attendance list on the day of the event! This page is constantly being updated.

See available Workshops

Log Workshop Attendance

It is required that you track and document your professional development and volunteer hours within the TLCICON tracker. This helps prepare you to be successful as a practicing teacher when you will be required to track and document your professional development for the Board of Educational Examiners.

 

Log Attendance in ICON

Complete Volunteer Hours

Students complete at least 10 hours of volunteer work in an education setting.

Volunteer work completed for admissions into the teacher education program does not count towards the 10 hours required for the certificate. This service must be a non-paid experience and must be completed prior to student teaching. Your practicum hours do not count as volunteer hours. You may volunteer at the same site where you complete your practicum as long as you go above and beyond the required practicum hours.

You will be assigned a volunteer site if you are in the SEBMH, UI REACH, and/or STEAM tracks. If you are enrolled in any other track, you will be responsible for securing your own volunteer opportunity. Below you'll find a list of possible volunteer sites; however, we understand that many of you have access to classrooms here in Iowa City, in your home communities, or that you're already engaged in volunteer work that connects to your journey of becoming a professional educator. If you are unsure of your volunteering site, please contact us at tlc@uiowa.edu.

You can browse some volunteer opportunities here:

Log Volunteer Experiences

It is required that you document your 10 volunteer hours within the TLC ICON tracker.

Learn how to generate the final Certificate of Completion for your volunteer experiences here:

Upcoming Events

Dyslexia Asynchronous Opportunities

Tuesday, August 27, 8:00am to Friday, November 15, 2024 11:59pm
TLC students in the Dyslexia and IS tracks are now able to receive TLC Credit by completing asynchronous workshops offered through the Iowa Reading Research Center.

Using Classroom Technology to Support All Students and Skills for Learning

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Virtual
Please register here.  BTLC Credit: IS, SEBMH, UI REACH Presenter(s): Mary Ball, Scanlan GA, MA, LPSC, Couple and Family Therapy PhD Student  Description: Technology can be utilized to help students build greater connections and address developmental and social gaps which naturally complement skills for learning (SFL) practices and themes. This workshop will briefly review key concepts of SFL, illustrate how SFL and classroom technology intersect and support all students, especially students...
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