What will I study?

The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education will prepare you to teach grades 2-6. You will learn how to engage children in inquiry to facilitate learning, develop curriculum, and to collect and interpret student data to inform instruction.

 

What kinds of work will I be able to do?

As a certified teacher, you can teach in grades 2-6. Additionally, you can add additional areas of certification like literacy coaching or special education, or pursue work as an interventionist.

 

Typical Coursework

Courses that build on the foundation of education and learning are a key part of the elementary education program. Your studies will focus on looking closely at instructional methods, assessment practices and reflective teaching. You will have real-world experiences- three required internships, along with methods courses take place in local schools. Potential internship settings include urban, suburban and rural schools to give you opportunities to use the theories and practices from your course work. You also have the opportunity to minor in a second area of study.

 

Specialized Content Preparation (15 hours)
These courses are designed to deepen your mathematical conceptual understanding, build your knowledge of children’s literature, help you understand how to create a classroom that involves movement, and integrate the arts in your teaching.

Education Core (14 hours)
In the Education Core, you will learn about key theories and concepts, and then utilize them in your teaching throughout the remainder of the program. The core courses center on topics such as issues and trends in education, foundations of educational theory, education in diverse settings, and classroom assessment.

Elementary Core and Clinical Experiences (27 hours)
The elementary core and clinical experiences are designed to prepare you for building classroom community, getting to know your students, learning methodologies for teaching the different content areas. You will also gain experience with assessing student learning and responding to learners, and creating a research approach to teaching.

Practicum and Internship Experiences (21 hours)
The internships consist of an introductory internship during the spring semester of your junior year, an internship during the fall of your senior year that focuses on the environment, planning and motivation for teaching, and a final full-time internship in the spring of your senior year.