FAQ
about Elementary Education
Tell
me about:
- What
courses are required for prospective elementary teachers (majors/minors)?
- What
are the recommended Math Electives for the Elementary Math major and
minor, and when are they offered?
- Is
it a good idea to take the Science (or ANY) subject area test (MTTC)
if I am a group science (or ANY) minor in elementary education?
- Who
can take the Structure of the Disciplines Minor?
- What
is the SOD (Structure of the Disciplines) minor exactly and is it appropriate?
- Do
I really need Early Childhood Education as a minor to teach second grade?
- What
are the implications if I decide to do ECE as my master's program instead
of right now?
- What
approach is best for an Elementary Education program: a major and a minor,
or three minors?
- I
have a science course that I think can be used as an elective for the
Elementary Integrated Science Major or Minor, where should I go to see whether
the course will substitute as a requirement or an elective?
- All Elementary Majors and Minors --catalog information
- Elementary Education Guide Sheets
1.
What courses are required for prospective elementary teachers (majors/minors)?
Students must complete a specific set of General Education and Professional Education courses. In addition, the student must complete an elementary teaching major and an elementary teaching minor (or opt to complete three elementary teaching minors instead). The General Education and Professional Education courses are in the elementary group advising handbook and listed at the bottom of this page. The major and minor requirements come from various departments. You can find a them listed at the bottom of this page. In order to meet with an academic advisor, you need to attend one of the group advising sessions for elementary students (487-3260, 313 Porter).
2.
What are the recommended Math Electives for the Elementary Math major
and minor, and when are they offered?
See the
elementary education adviser in the Department of Mathematics,
515 Pray Harrold, 734.487.1444.
3.
Is it a good idea to take the Science (or any) subject area test
(MTTC) if I am a group science (or any)
minor in elementary education?
If you
even think you may want to teach middle school grades, you should take
the subject area test(s). However, you need to study the test objectives
BEFORE taking the test to make sure you are well-prepared.
4.
Who can take the Structure of the Disciplines Minor?
This minor
is for students who:
A. Have
one of the following majors: Elementary Integrated Science, Language Arts
Group, Mathematics for Elementary Teaching Certification, Reading,
or Social Studies Group.
B. Have
a second minor in: Elementary Integrated Science Minor, Language Arts Group
Minor (not to be combined with Reading major or minor), Language,
Literature and Writing Minor, Math for Elementary Teaching Certification
Minor, Reading Minor, or Social Studies Group Minor. The third minor
can be chosen from the list above or from the following: Arts Group
Minor, Elementary Music Education Minor, French Language Minor, German
Language Minor, Spanish Language Minor, Health Minor, or Technology
Education Minor.
*Early
Childhood students may NOT choose the SOD as one of
their minor choices. If you have more questions contact Teacher
Education at 734.487.3260.
5.
What is the SOD (Structure of the Disciplines) minor exactly and is it
appropriate?
It is a
Liberal Arts Minor that varies in credit hours depending on the Major
or Minors with which it is selected; as such it includes subject areas
that are in the areas teachers teach in elementary school. The SOD minor
does NOT lead to subject area certification.
A SOD minor
applies only to Elementary Education students who do NOT have an Early
Childhood Minor, Special Education Major, or K-12 Program.
6.
Do I really need Early Childhood Education as a minor to teach second
grade?
The Elementary certificate allows a teacher to teach the core subjects
in K-5. It is important to note, however, that you will probably be
competing with people who do have the ECE endorsement if you are seeking
a K-2 position.
7.
What are the implications if I decide to do ECE as my master's program
instead of right now?
The ECE
endorsement can be earned at either the undergraduate or graduate level.
Both ways of earning the endorsement have the same result: The ECE endorsement
added to the K-5 teaching certificate. The graduate level requires 20
credit hours of graduate courses, and a 100-hour practicum experience.
The implication is that it may be more difficult to get hired to teach
in a K-2nd grade classroom without the endorsement, but you can always
get a 3-5th grade teaching position, while working on the ECE endorsement.
8.
What approach is best for an Elementary Education program: a major and a minor,
or three minors?
There is
no one best way to approach majors and minors since students are individuals.
Students choose majors and minors based on many different criteria:
interest, abilities, perceptions of marketability, desire to teach at
the middle level, etc.
If you
are going to teach at the middle level, it is highly recommended that
you have a major and a minor that you can use in a middle level setting.
Both routes
(major and minor or three minors) lead to a similar number of credit
hours for many students, so there typically is no time or cost benefit
to doing it one way or the other. Two other sources to help you decide
on major(s) and minor(s) include: faculty members in Teacher
Education (313 Porter, 734.487.3260) and principals who do the hiring
at elementary schools.
9.
I have a science course that I think can be used as an elective for the
Elementary Integrated Science Major or Minor, where should I go to see whether
the course will substitute as a requirement or an elective?
Go to 313 Porter or to 206 Porter with appropriate
documentation to speak with an advisor.
Elementary Education Guide
Sheets
General and Professional Education Requirements
Arts group minor
Early Childhood Education Minor
Integrated
Elementary Science Major
Integrated
Elementary Science Minor
Language
Arts Group major
Language
Arts Group minor
Mathematics for
Elementary Teaching major and minor
Reading
major
Reading
minor
Social
Studies Group major
Social
Studies Group minor
Structure
of the Disciplines minor
All Elementary Majors and Minors
Testing
and Certification
Pre-Student Teaching and FETE
Student
Teaching
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