Goals and objectives

The College of Education is committed to excellence in the preparation and continuing education of teachers at all levels. The elementary education major offers undergraduate students a unique program which coordinates their academic course work with a broad range of teaching experiences in preschools, elementary and middle level schools. In keeping with the mission of the university, our students are immersed in working partnerships with "real" schools, teachers and children. This allows them to apply their knowledge and decision-making skills as they learn them in their classes. It is our goal to educate future teachers who are aware of the rewards and challenges involved in elementary education and are prepared to become contributing members of that learning community upon graduation.

Program

The four-year curriculum leading to the bachelor’s degree in elementary education is designed to prepare teachers for elementary schools, grades 1-8 (middle childhood through early adolescence) or grades PreK-6 (early childhood through middle childhood). The program consists of a minimum of 134 semester hours that give students a broad general education, professional preparation for effective teaching at the elementary education level and special preparation in an academic minor. Upon completion of these requirements, the elementary education major is certifiable for middle childhood-early adolescence. Addition of the early childhood minor meets requirements for pre-k and kindergarten certification.

Admission to teacher education is required the semester prior to enrolling in the Block sequence. See the college web page http://www.uwrf.edu/CEPS/ for a complete list of requirements for admission and current admission deadline dates. Students spend three days per week for two semesters at public schools with innovative instructional programs. The techniques blocks involve two semesters of the junior year and includes the following courses:
Block I: TED 312, 315, 317 12 cr. hrs.
Block II: TED 310, 311, 316 12 cr. hrs.

Faculty

The elementary education faculty consists of nine full-time faculty members who have expertise in the areas of reading, mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, early childhood, elementary and middle level curriculum, and who have extensive experience in elementary classrooms. All faculty serve as academic advisors and as supervisors in the prestudent teaching and student teaching field experiences. This provides students the opportunity for one-to-one interactions with their elementary education professors throughout the course of their program.

Additional Opportunities

UWRF is an active member of the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST), an association that places education students in schools in foreign countries to fulfill student teaching requirements. To be eligible, you must complete the first nine weeks of your student teaching in the United States and apply for both USA and overseas student teaching one year in advance of the intended student teaching semester. All UWRF standard eligibility requirements must be met. Those accepted will have demonstrated above average ability, good character, flexibility, and strong motivation.