What will I learn at the Academy of Future Teachers?

  • This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Education & Training career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of the Education & Training career cluster.

    The content includes but is not limited to competencies and skills needed to become a professional in the field of education.  This includes an understanding of education in the United States, the ability to work effectively with all students, educational technology, classroom management, student assessment, communication skills, and other skills needed to support students' learning activities. 

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    Why choose AFT?

    • Career-based magnet program
    • Opportunity for field experience
    • A welcoming environment to build a community
    • Curriculum that is tailored to your personality
    • Earn Industry certifications

     

    What makes AFT Special?

    • Learn with like-minded people and do not feel judged
    • Stay in a cohort all four years 
    • Build a closer relationship with your teacher
    • Hands-on experience in a lively classroom
    • Get a different insight into a teacher’s perspective
    • Learn how to be more extroverted
    • Interact with people outside your academic classes

Required Course Work

  • AFT1 (9th): Introduction to Teaching Profession

    • Experience a program with like-minded people 
    • Learn to be an expert public speaker
    • Learn the fundamentals of teaching and teaching mini-lessons
    • Earn WordPress industry certification
    • Join the Florida Future Educators of America (service club)


    AFT2 (10th): Human Growth and Development

    • Learn about multiple intelligences, learning styles, and the different types of learning disabilities
    • Learn to create dynamic activities in cooperative groups
    • Emphasis on theories of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development
    • Teach a full lesson by the end of the school year


    AFT3 (11th): Foundations of Curriculum and Instructions

    • Focus on developing and teaching instructional materials
    • Learn to incorporate technology to promote learning 
    • Develop classroom management time management skills
    • Spend 75 hours on an internship in a local middle school in Alachua County 


    AFT4 (12th): Principles of Teaching Internship

    • Become an experienced teacher by interning 150 hours in a local elementary school 
    • Learn tactics and tools to become an expert
    • Explore multiculturalism in curriculum and classroom activities
    • Take the FTCE Professional Educators Exam
    • Become eligible for scholarship opportunities

What will my schedule look like?

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What to expect in the future?

  • Industry certifictaion

    As a part of the Career and Technical Education requirements for academies that receive the Federal Perkins Grant, our program offers an industry certification related to the educational industry. In the 2022-2023 school year, AFT offered WordPress to all grade levels and successfully certified 51 AFT academy students. This year, we are excited to announce that the Academy of Future Teachers is offering the FTCE Professional Education Exam to the senior class. 

    AFT Teamwork

     

    Becoming an Alachua County Teacher

    Students who graduate from the Alachua County Public School District’s Academy of Future Teachers (AFT) program that obtain a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institute and are eligible for a Florida Department of Education Teaching Certificate are prioritized for employment in the Alachua County School District. 

Student Program Focus

    • Public Speaking
    • Lesson Planning
    • Time Management Skills
    • Classroom Management
    • Leadership Skills
    • Team Building Skills
    • Empathy and Patience
    • Active Listening Skills

     

Florida Bright Futures Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship

    • 3.0 Weighted Academic GPA
    • Complete 3 courses in the same CTE Pathway with an unweighted 3.5 GPA
    • 30 Volunteer Hours
    • ACT: Reading 19, English 17 and Math 19 or SAT: Reading 24, Writing and Language 25 and math 24 or P.E.R.T: Reading 106, Writing 103 and Math 114
    • Covers 100% of program of study up to 72 hours for an AS, AAS, CCV, PSAV or 60 hours of ATD