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Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Undergraduate Programs in Elementary Education (K-6)
B.S. Degree
Designed for:
Students who wish to pursue an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and earn a teaching licensure for grades K-6.
Program Description:
Elementary education majors in the Professional Development School (PDS) program at UNCG combine a rigorous academic program with extensive clinical practice in our PDS partner sites. Elementary education majors proceed through a series of systematic field experiences in conjunction with their methods courses and weekly seminars. Over a two-year (four semester) period, these juniors and seniors spend ten hours per week in PDS classrooms culminating with full-time student teaching during the fourth semester. Elementary education majors are assigned to an inquiry team of 25-30 students. Each team has a university faculty member as a leader and a full-time assistant. Department of Curriculum and Instruction (CUI) faculty serve as PDS inquiry team leaders, directing the undergraduate seminars and supervising the field experiences. UNCG faculty work closely with public school faculty, who we call On-Site Teacher Educators (OSTEs) to plan a range of "theory into practice" experiences.
Conceptual Framework:
The mission of professional education at UNCG is to prepare and support the professional development of caring, collaborative, and competent educators who work in diverse settings. This mission is carried out in an environment that nurtures the active engagement of all participants, values individual and cultural diversity and recognizes the importance of a strong knowledge base, reflection, and integration of theory and practice. UNCG’s professional education programs are guided by shared commitments to:
- equity and excellence in teaching, research, and service
- integrity and ethical deliberation in working with students, their families, and university, school and community colleagues
- construction of a professional knowledge base through collaboration and collegiality
- dissemination of professional knowledge, skills and dispositions through the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, principals and other school personnel
We believe that caring, collaborative and competent professionals possess a strong knowledge base comprised of five types of knowledge:
- content knowledge
- professional knowledge and skills
- pedagogical content knowledge
- socio-cultural knowledge
- critical and reflective knowledge and skills
Professional education programs at UNCG emphasize dispositions that drive application of the knowledge base and we believe that we must model and monitor these dispositions as conscientiously as we provide opportunities for building the knowledge base. Candidates should display behaviors that are:
- reflective
- ethical
- self-efficacious
- receptive to feedback
- inclusive
- engaged in and committed to professional practice
- dedicated to life-long learning
- affirming of diversity
- professionally responsible
- collaborative
Program Standards:
The undergraduate degree in Elementary Education in the School of Education at UNCG is a standards-based program. Student experiences in methods courses and field experiences in PDS sites are correlated with and guided by national and state standards, including the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles for what new teachers should know and be able to do, the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission (NCPTSC) core standards for elementary education programs. In addition, all courses align their content and instruction with national standards in the disciplines of mathematics, science, social studies, reading, and English, and with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS). The elementary education program is accredited by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Program Goals for B.S. in Elementary Education:
- Become involved in the identification of educational problems and the search for solutions
- Become critical thinkers capable of effectively expressing themselves in oral and written communication.
- Develop self-awareness and an understanding if their own worldview and how that perspective influences their own learning and teaching.
- Understand the cultures of schools and classrooms and the professional roles of teachers in those cultures.
- Understand cultural differences and appreciate the rich cultural heritage that each child brings to the classroom.
- Understand the unique difference learning characteristics, needs, and capacities of children on different ages and developmental levels, of different cultural and language backgrounds, and of varying exceptionalities.
- Develop skills in observing students’ development and learning strategies and in creating appropriate learning opportunities and managing instruction responsively.
- Use educational technology in innovative ways to enhance classroom learning.
Program Objectives for B.S. in Elementary Education:
Program objectives include, but are not limited to the following:
- Critical analysis of different philosophical approaches to elementary education.
- Identification of historical and current issues affecting elementary school curriculum.
- Exploration of instructional programs and practices across the elementary school curriculum including interdisciplinary programs.
- Inquiry and reflection on the effectiveness of a variety of instructional strategies and techniques at the elementary school level.
- Develop competence and confidence in expressing ideas orally and in writing.
- Learn to become attentive listeners.
- Gain skills in reflecting on the expressed ideas of others in ways that honor both the speaker and the listener.
- Design, implement, and evaluate an action research project that focuses on a component of the elementary school curriculum.
- Reflection on their own life experiences and their socio-historical context and how these influence their ways of knowing and being.
- Reflection on the educational values that were expressed through curriculum and instructional activities in their own schooling experience and how these values have influences their own philosophy of education.
- Understand the concept of schools as culture and identify the variations of culture reflected in classrooms.
- Understand the roles of teachers as transmitters of culture and identify how their own values influence the culture they create I their classrooms.
- Demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to students diverse backgrounds, with consideration to race, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, and exceptionalities.
- Gain a better understanding of the richness of different cultures and the influence of cultural heritage on development and learning.
- Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional/learning materials for children from diverse populations.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the cognitive development of elementary school children.
- Identify socio-economic needs of students that affect cognitive development.
- Observe patterns of growth and development in relation to the learning process.
- Identification and development of learning activities that foster creativity and the development of problem-solving skills.
- Observe and identify environmental influences that contribute to individual differences in learning.
- Understand and apply differentiated learning activities that emphasize active student involvement such as manipulatives and other concrete experiences, inquiry learning, brainstorming, questioning, learning centers, small-and-large group projects, simulations, learning games, and discussions.
- Identify and apply current development in technology within classroom instruction and teacher management programs.
Admission to Teacher Education (Elementary Education):
Admission to the University does not guarantee acceptance into Teacher Education with a major in Elementary Education. A student who seeks admission to the Elementary Education major is expected to achieve:
- A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 at UNCG;
- A grade of C or better in CUI 250;
- Completion of all courses needed to fulfill the General Education Requirements; and
- Satisfactory scores on PRAXIS I.
Requirements for Elementary Education Majors (120 hours):
General Education Requirements:(36-37 hours)
- All students must complete the General Education (GEC) requirements. See the Undergraduate Bulletin for details and courses.
- All students must complete the GE marker requirements, including 12 hours of GL/GN markers, two WI courses, and two SI courses.
- One of the two required Writing Intensive (WI) courses and Speaking Intensive (SI) courses must be taken in the major.
Major Requirements: (42 Hours)
- CUI 250 (pre-requisite for admission to the major)
- CUI 346, 350, 370 (First professional semester)
- CUI 320, 375W, 380 (Second professional semester)
- CUI 360, 400S, 420 (Third professional semester)
- CUI 461 (Student teaching - final semester)
- NOTE: All CUI courses require a assignments to be completed in PDS classrooms
Licensure Requirements: (21 hours)
- ELC 381
- HDF 302
- HEA 341
- ESS 341
- ART 367, MUS 261, DCE 345 or THE 315
- LIS 120 (strongly recommended)
Second Academic Concentration Requirement
All students majoring in Elementary Education are required to complete an approved second academic concentration of at least 18 semester hours in a basic academic discipline or in an approved interdisciplinary studies program, although some departments (e.g., French and Spanish) have a 24 hours requirement. Depending upon the concentration selected, a maximum of six (6) hours may be counted toward the General Education Core requirements as well as toward the concentration. All students majoring in Middle Grades Education must complete 27 hours in one of four middle-level content fields: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies plus an additional concentration of 15 hours in one of these four areas.
Licensure Process:
- Completion of Program of Study
- Successful completion of Technology Portfolio
- Acceptable scores on required PRAXIS II exams
- Application for licensure through UNCG Certification Officer
Contact Person:
Student Advising and Recruitment Center (SARC)
Curry Building, Room 341
(336) 334-3410
Typical Course Rotation for Elementary Education Program:
Note:Actual methods courses will vary each semester.
Note: CUI courses and 10-hour per week required internships for Elementary Education majors are always scheduled on M-W-F. Students should schedule other courses for T-Th only.
Fall Semester Junior Year
- CUI 350 - Inquiry Seminar I
- CUI 346 - Children's Literature and Instructional Media
- CUI 370 - Science Education in the Elementary Schools
- Courses to complete second major/concentration and licensure requirements
Spring Semester Junior Year:
- CUI 375W- Inquiry Seminar II
- CUI 320 - Language Arts Education
- CUI 380 - Mathematics Education
- Courses to complete second major/concentration and licensure requirements
Fall Semester Senior Year:
- CUI 400S - Inquiry Seminary III
- CUI 360 - Elementary Social Studies Education
- CUI 420 - Reading Education
- Courses to complete second major/concentration and licensure requirements
Spring Semester Senior Year
- CUI 461 - Student Teaching and Seminar for Elementary Grades
Professional Development School (PDS) Experiences:
During the 2-year period elementary education majors spend in our PDS sites, students will have experiences that grow progressively more complex each semester. Students will carry out assignments from Methods classes in their PDS classrooms during their 10-hour per week internship hours. These experiences may include but are not limited to the following:
Fall Semester Juniors:
- Work with individual students and small groups
- Read aloud regularly to small and large groups
- Direct or teach a whole class activity or lesson, usually in science
Spring Semester Juniors:
- Observe, plan, and teach language arts and math lessons
- Learn about ways to teach students with special needs who included in the regular education classroom
- Explore community resources that can support and facilitate classroom teaching and learning
Fall Semester Seniors:
- Integrate computer technology into lesson plans
- Observe, plan, and implement social studies and reading lessons
- Learn more about working with diverse learners in today's classrooms
Spring Semester Seniors:
- Full-time student teaching for 15 weeks, all day, every day
- Successful "solo" teaching for at least 6 weeks