Elementary Education (BS)

Summary

The Elementary Education program strives to prepare elementary teacher candidates for twenty-first century schools. Students in the program develop necessary skills, knowledge and dispositions to create socially just classrooms for all learners. A key part of the Elementary Education program is completion of several extensive field experiences in elementary classrooms, which culminate in a year-long student teaching experience.

Catalog Year

2024-2025

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Credits

76

Total Credits

120

Locations

Mankato

Online

Normandale

Career Cluster

Education and Training

Accreditation

CAEP

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

This program satisfies licensure-to-practice standards for Minnesota and may satisfy standards for other states or US territories.

Licensure/Certification Disclosure

Update Your Major

Program Requirements

Required General Education

This course provides education in self-awareness and skills that are essential for living and working in a democratic and socially just society. The course addresses issues of oppression and social justice related to race/ethnicity, gender, age, class, religion, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and nationality. The course addresses groups that have historically been excluded from western power and decision-making. Participants will examine mainstream and alternative viewpoints for values, validity, and outcomes using investigative and critical thinking skills.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Gold

Addresses drugs and drug use from psychological, behavioral, pharmacological, historical, legal and clinical perspectives - while examining the effects of drug use on personal health and social functioning.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Nature of mathematics from a problem solving approach using sets, relations, number systems through integers, rational numbers and discrete mathematics.

Prerequisites: Satisfy Placement Table in this section, or Grade of P in MATH 098 or "C" (2.0) or better in MATH 112 or MATH 115.

Goal Areas: GE-04

General Education course options: - Choose one course from the following options:

US History - Choose 3 - 4 Credit(s).

This course is an introduction to Native American history from creation to 1900 in North America. It introduces students to the continuity of social, cultural, political, and economic diversity amongst Native American peoples and focuses on adaptions to intertribal and colonial relationships during this time period.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course is an introduction to Native American history from 1900 to present day. It introduces students to the continuity of social, cultural, political, and economic diversity amongst Native American peoples and focuses on the impact of federal Indian policy, issues of power, sovereignty, identity, activism, and self-determination.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course is designed to provide an overview of America's political, social, economic, and cultural development from earliest colonization to 1877.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course is designed to provide an overview of America's political, social, economic, and cultural development from earliest colonization to 1877. Same content as HIST 190. Students may not take both HIST 190 and HIST 190W for credit.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Students will develop communication, reasoning, and collaborative skills through history-based exercises interrogating diverse and changing understandings of democracy in what is now the United States. Students will analyze historical sources highlighting American traditions of disagreement as well as creative compromise over the character and features of self-government, the narratives by which to understand the past, and the legacies and lessons of the past for the present. The course puts current divisions among Americans into historical context to help students widen their perspectives, work productively across differences, and learn to substantiate their opinions on public issues with historical and contemporary evidence.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-09, GE-1B

Goal Area 9 - Choose 3 - 4 Credit(s).

This class introduces students to Indigenous perspectives of education, knowledge, and learning. Students will explore the historical relationships between educational institutions, policies, practices, and Indigenous communities. Through an engagement with present day efforts of educators, programs, and institutions that incorporate and engage traditional knowledges, students will develop a deeper understanding of Indigenous education and ways to promote teaching practices and pedagogies that value and support a diverse educational community.

Prerequisites: none

Diverse Cultures: Purple

A critical consideration of definitions of juvenile delinquency, emphasis on micro and macro level of struggle in which delinquent behavior takes place, critique of current theories on delinquency, and the juvenile justice response to delinquency from a criminal justice lens.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

.This course will introduce students to the ¿Courageous Conversations¿ protocol designed to facilitate healthy conversations about race, racial equity and social justice. Students will be introduced to the five tenants of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and learn how to isolate race, as they reflect on their own personal life experiences. Students will read relevant articles, discuss current events and examine common historical practices within the United States. Students will actively engage in dialogue focused on the role race and racism have in perpetuating social disparities between dominant and marginalized racial groups, and actively engage in small and large group discussions.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-07, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course will examine women's lives and activism, past and present, throughout the world. We will explore and evaluate individual and collective efforts to achieve social justice in the context of interlocking systems of oppression. Fall, Spring, Summer

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-08, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Prerequisites to the Major

This course explores the historical foundations of education and the impact they have had on inequitable opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for learners. Students in this course will gain an understanding of educational principles relevant to the physical, social, emotional, moral and cognitive development of children. The roles and responsibilities of teachers, schools, and students will be examined within a field experience.

Prerequisites: none

A continuation of MATH 201, including rational and real number systems, informal geometry and measurement, statistics, and probability.

Prerequisites: MATH 201, with "C" (2.0) or better or consent

Major Common Core

* Completion of all general education requirements, general electives, and 2 Prerequisites to the Major are required before starting the major common core. ---OR--- Successful completion of an AA or AS degree and ELE 222W; HLTH 240; MATH 201; MATH 202; ELE 215 are required before starting the major common core..

Blocks

Block 1

Teacher candidates will think critically about the context in which all students learn and will learn about historical and current patterns of inequitable education that marginalize students who have been minoritized according to race, culture, language, or ability. The course will focus on research-based practices that teacher candidates can use to create identity-safe classrooms and how they can work with families and communities using an asset lens.

Prerequisites: Admission to Professional Education and the Elementary Education program.

In this course students learn to use a variety of developmentally appropriate, evidence-based instructional practices and assessments to disrupt predictable patterns of achievement and to advance children¿s: oral and written language, phonemic awareness, phonics, and concepts about print. Additionally, the interdependent nature of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, stages of spelling development, and role of vocabulary and fluency in comprehension are addressed.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates with the understanding and application of concepts related to human diversity and interactions, structures of power, the identity of individuals and communities, and explicitly connects social studies concepts with their influence on educational experiences of diverse learners.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course introduces elementary teacher candidates to areas of exceptionality in learning. Teacher candidates within the course will analyze elementary instruction within the general education classroom and learn to develop antiracist instruction that builds on students¿ assets and cultural capital with consideration of individual differences.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Block Two

The focus of this course will be providing teacher candidates with strategies and tools in providing daily instruction for diverse learners in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, sexuality, social economic status and class. The course will focus on learners with complex and multiple disabilities that requires a variety of materials, strategies, and differentiation. The teacher candidates will have an opportunity to implement their plans in the classroom during field experience while closely working with a classroom mentor teacher and university mentor.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course will engage teacher candidates in critically analyzing children¿s texts. Teacher candidates will learn how to integrate diverse literature across the elementary curriculum and meet objectives and standards in math, literacy, social studies, science, and the arts. Teacher candidates will learn how to guide students in developing their literacy identities in order to promote reading engagement and students as independent and collaborative readers.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is centered around three goals to help prepare teacher candidates to enact practices that develop learners¿ mathematical proficiency. The first goal is to explicitly teach skills for disrupting patterns of injustices and inequities that often get reproduced within the context of elementary mathematics classrooms. The second goal is to develop professional skills for the high-leverage practices of eliciting and interpreting students¿ thinking and leading a group discussion. The third goal is to gain the mathematical knowledge needed for engaging learners in inquiry-based instruction for number sense & operations, place value, computation, and rational number concepts in grades K-6.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Elementary teachers must know and understand the fundamental concepts and practices in physical, life, earth and space sciences, as well as how technology, engineering, and math are integrated into this subject matter, in order to plan and implement meaningful and engaging inquiry learning experiences for students. This course will provide a foundation across all science domains through a hands-on, inquiry-based approach that will introduce teaching strategies that allows science to be accessible for all learners. This course provides the necessary content knowledge, pedagogical methods, and resource materials for teacher candidates to develop effective science instruction in the elementary classroom.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Block Three

This course will explore the integration of the arts, physical, and health education into the elementary curriculum to enhance student learning; support children¿s creative expression, self-esteem, and emphasize fine and gross motor development. Practical strategies to promote healthy physical and emotional well-being will be explored. This is designated a writing intensive course.

Prerequisites: none

This course will explore practical information, assessment tools, instructional ideas and activities for effective implementation of an inquiry-based approach in elementary curriculum. Teacher candidates will focus on developing inquiry-based methods and strategies on improving students learning outcomes while linking one or more elementary content areas in a progressive way.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course focuses on teacher candidates' integration and reflection of inclusive and effective elementary teaching practices that they have learned throughout the program. Using the context in which their student teaching will occur, including district, school, and classroom demographics, curriculum and assessment, they will plan literacy instruction and assessment across content areas throughout the program. Teacher candidates will apply differentiation strategies and anti-racist pedagogy to address all learners' needs and promote their development and engagement in the classroom.

Prerequisites: none

Block 3 field options: - Choose one course from the following options:

This course is intended to provide a co-teaching mentorship between the teacher candidate and mentor teacher. Teacher candidates will use this semester to focus on co-teaching, and establishing a relationship with the district, school, and classroom environment. Candidates are expected to develop and demonstrate, through performance assessment, integrated knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to become committed professionals in education.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Field experience focusing on the struggling reader and instruction in an integrated approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Prerequisites: none

Block 4

Student Teaching

Student teaching is the capstone field experience for the teacher education programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The purpose of the experience is to provide an opportunity for Teacher Candidates to experience fully the role of the professional educator and demonstrate their ability to successfully enter the induction phase of teaching. The Teacher Candidate uses this opportunity to produce evidence of their teaching competency in four domains: planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

4-Year Plan

The 4-Year Plan is a model for completing your degree in a timely manner. Your individual 4-Year plan may change based on a number of variables including transfer courses and the semester/year you start your major. Carefully work with your academic advisors to devise your own unique plan.
* Please meet with your advisor on appropriate course selection to meet your educational and degree goals.

First Year

Fall - 15 Credits

First Year Seminar supports the development of student success skills, such as reading, writing and speaking; helps students gain intellectual confidence; builds in the expectation of academic success; and provides assistance in making the transition to the University.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-12

Students in this course approach writing as a subject of study by investigating how writing works across a variety of contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1A

Performance scenes and exercises for the beginner.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-11

An introduction to statistical concepts and methods that is applicable to all disciplines. Topics include descriptive measures of data, probability and probability distributions, statistical inference, tests of hypotheses, confidence intervals, correlation, linear regression, and analysis of variance. The use of statistical software will be emphasized. Prereq: ACT Math sub-score of 19 or higher, successful completion of MATH 098 or appropriate placement scores (see Placement Information under Statistics) Fall, Spring, Summer GE-4

Prerequisites: Satisfy Placement Table in this section, or MATH 098 with grade of P.

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-04

Addresses drugs and drug use from psychological, behavioral, pharmacological, historical, legal and clinical perspectives - while examining the effects of drug use on personal health and social functioning.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Spring - 16 Credits

This lecture and laboratory course investigates the world of chemistry, the nature of matter and our interactions with chemicals on a daily basis. This course is intended for non-science majors and is not a preparation for CHEM 111 or CHEM 201. Credit will not be given to students who have previously taken a chemistry course at or above Chem 111 and received a passing grade.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-03

This non-lab gateway course introduces geospatial thinking, scientific theories and cutting-edge technologies in Geospatial Science (GISc) through lectures and hands-on activities. It focuses on field data collection, space and ground based sensors, satellite imagery, aerial photography, LiDAR, digital mapping, data visualization, and geoanalytics. It prepares students for higher-level courses such as Cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Students will learn how to solve problem with a variety of geospatial science methods. Topics include interrelationships between environmental, economic and cultural systems, social and ecological dimensions of health, and natural resource issues.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-03, GE-10

Nature of mathematics from a problem solving approach using sets, relations, number systems through integers, rational numbers and discrete mathematics.

Prerequisites: Satisfy Placement Table in this section, or Grade of P in MATH 098 or "C" (2.0) or better in MATH 112 or MATH 115.

Goal Areas: GE-04

This course is an introduction to Native American history from creation to 1900 in North America. It introduces students to the continuity of social, cultural, political, and economic diversity amongst Native American peoples and focuses on adaptions to intertribal and colonial relationships during this time period.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

ART 225 offers art experiences with a focus on working with children. The class will be introduced to methods and materials that work best with these populations. The course includes an introduction to a broad scope of artists and artworks that reflect our culturally diverse country, as well as the global nature of our world. Visual Culture, work of fine art, museum analysis, installations, performances, video art, and graffiti will be discussed. Students will participate in hands-on art making activities through studio experiences, they will write and reflect on the outcomes, and they will participate in critiques and discussions.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-07

Second Year

Fall - 16 Credits

A course designed to improve students' understanding in communication, including the areas of interpersonal, nonverbal, listening, small group and public speaking.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1B

.This course will introduce students to the ¿Courageous Conversations¿ protocol designed to facilitate healthy conversations about race, racial equity and social justice. Students will be introduced to the five tenants of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and learn how to isolate race, as they reflect on their own personal life experiences. Students will read relevant articles, discuss current events and examine common historical practices within the United States. Students will actively engage in dialogue focused on the role race and racism have in perpetuating social disparities between dominant and marginalized racial groups, and actively engage in small and large group discussions.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-07, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course provides education in self-awareness and skills that are essential for living and working in a democratic and socially just society. The course addresses issues of oppression and social justice related to race/ethnicity, gender, age, class, religion, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and nationality. The course addresses groups that have historically been excluded from western power and decision-making. Participants will examine mainstream and alternative viewpoints for values, validity, and outcomes using investigative and critical thinking skills.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Gold

A continuation of MATH 201, including rational and real number systems, informal geometry and measurement, statistics, and probability.

Prerequisites: MATH 201, with "C" (2.0) or better or consent

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and flooding are three examples of naturally recurring events on the Earth that ultimately influence all of our lives. This course introduces the physical features and processes of the Earth that control these events. The course has a laboratory component.

Prerequisites: none

Spring - 14 Credits

Exploration of human service professions serving and interacting with individuals with disabilities.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-07, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

The course purpose is to increase students' knowledge of international children's literature that is written in English or translated into English. Students will be introduced to individual books, authors, and methods of responding to literature. This course studies children's literature set in countries such as Afghanistan, WWII Germany,and the Dominican Republic.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-08

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This course explores the historical foundations of education and the impact they have had on inequitable opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for learners. Students in this course will gain an understanding of educational principles relevant to the physical, social, emotional, moral and cognitive development of children. The roles and responsibilities of teachers, schools, and students will be examined within a field experience.

Prerequisites: none

Introduction to authors, genres, illustrations, and works of literature published for elementary age children. Current and classic works.

Prerequisites: none

Third Year

Fall - 16 Credits

Teacher candidates will think critically about the context in which all students learn and will learn about historical and current patterns of inequitable education that marginalize students who have been minoritized according to race, culture, language, or ability. The course will focus on research-based practices that teacher candidates can use to create identity-safe classrooms and how they can work with families and communities using an asset lens.

Prerequisites: Admission to Professional Education and the Elementary Education program.

In this course students learn to use a variety of developmentally appropriate, evidence-based instructional practices and assessments to disrupt predictable patterns of achievement and to advance children¿s: oral and written language, phonemic awareness, phonics, and concepts about print. Additionally, the interdependent nature of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, stages of spelling development, and role of vocabulary and fluency in comprehension are addressed.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates with the understanding and application of concepts related to human diversity and interactions, structures of power, the identity of individuals and communities, and explicitly connects social studies concepts with their influence on educational experiences of diverse learners.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course introduces elementary teacher candidates to areas of exceptionality in learning. Teacher candidates within the course will analyze elementary instruction within the general education classroom and learn to develop antiracist instruction that builds on students¿ assets and cultural capital with consideration of individual differences.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Spring - 16 Credits

The focus of this course will be providing teacher candidates with strategies and tools in providing daily instruction for diverse learners in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, sexuality, social economic status and class. The course will focus on learners with complex and multiple disabilities that requires a variety of materials, strategies, and differentiation. The teacher candidates will have an opportunity to implement their plans in the classroom during field experience while closely working with a classroom mentor teacher and university mentor.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course will engage teacher candidates in critically analyzing children¿s texts. Teacher candidates will learn how to integrate diverse literature across the elementary curriculum and meet objectives and standards in math, literacy, social studies, science, and the arts. Teacher candidates will learn how to guide students in developing their literacy identities in order to promote reading engagement and students as independent and collaborative readers.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is centered around three goals to help prepare teacher candidates to enact practices that develop learners¿ mathematical proficiency. The first goal is to explicitly teach skills for disrupting patterns of injustices and inequities that often get reproduced within the context of elementary mathematics classrooms. The second goal is to develop professional skills for the high-leverage practices of eliciting and interpreting students¿ thinking and leading a group discussion. The third goal is to gain the mathematical knowledge needed for engaging learners in inquiry-based instruction for number sense & operations, place value, computation, and rational number concepts in grades K-6.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Elementary teachers must know and understand the fundamental concepts and practices in physical, life, earth and space sciences, as well as how technology, engineering, and math are integrated into this subject matter, in order to plan and implement meaningful and engaging inquiry learning experiences for students. This course will provide a foundation across all science domains through a hands-on, inquiry-based approach that will introduce teaching strategies that allows science to be accessible for all learners. This course provides the necessary content knowledge, pedagogical methods, and resource materials for teacher candidates to develop effective science instruction in the elementary classroom.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Fourth Year

Fall - 16 Credits

This course will explore the integration of the arts, physical, and health education into the elementary curriculum to enhance student learning; support children¿s creative expression, self-esteem, and emphasize fine and gross motor development. Practical strategies to promote healthy physical and emotional well-being will be explored. This is designated a writing intensive course.

Prerequisites: none

This course will explore practical information, assessment tools, instructional ideas and activities for effective implementation of an inquiry-based approach in elementary curriculum. Teacher candidates will focus on developing inquiry-based methods and strategies on improving students learning outcomes while linking one or more elementary content areas in a progressive way.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is intended to provide a co-teaching mentorship between the teacher candidate and mentor teacher. Teacher candidates will use this semester to focus on co-teaching, and establishing a relationship with the district, school, and classroom environment. Candidates are expected to develop and demonstrate, through performance assessment, integrated knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to become committed professionals in education.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

In this course, teacher candidates will deepen their knowledge of both the English language and the instructional and assessment strategies effective for meeting the linguistic needs of multilingual/multidialectal learners, while enhancing the learning of all students. Teacher candidates will investigate the functions of phonology, lexis, grammar, and discourse used for listening, speaking, reading, and writing within K-6 classrooms. Teacher candidates will analyze classroom and academic content-area language, identify those linguistic structures needed to access and utilize subject-area content, employ effective strategies for teaching to the varying academic-language needs of their learners, and develop lessons integrating language and content across disciplines.

Prerequisites: none

Spring - 12 Credits

Student teaching is the capstone field experience for the teacher education programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The purpose of the experience is to provide an opportunity for Teacher Candidates to experience fully the role of the professional educator and demonstrate their ability to successfully enter the induction phase of teaching. The Teacher Candidate uses this opportunity to produce evidence of their teaching competency in four domains: planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Transfer Pathways

A Transfer Pathway is a partnership between the Minnesota community colleges and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Pathway suggests a plan for students with a specific associate degree to complete the last two years for a designated bachelor’s degree.

Students who are transferring to Minnesota State Mankato from a Minnesota community college should meet with an advisor in your college advising office to ensure the Pathway is an appropriate option for completing your degree.

More information on Transfer Pathways is available at https://mnsu.edu/pathways/about/

Third Year

Fall - 16 Credits

Teacher candidates will think critically about the context in which all students learn and will learn about historical and current patterns of inequitable education that marginalize students who have been minoritized according to race, culture, language, or ability. The course will focus on research-based practices that teacher candidates can use to create identity-safe classrooms and how they can work with families and communities using an asset lens.

Prerequisites: Admission to Professional Education and the Elementary Education program.

In this course students learn to use a variety of developmentally appropriate, evidence-based instructional practices and assessments to disrupt predictable patterns of achievement and to advance children¿s: oral and written language, phonemic awareness, phonics, and concepts about print. Additionally, the interdependent nature of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, stages of spelling development, and role of vocabulary and fluency in comprehension are addressed.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates with the understanding and application of concepts related to human diversity and interactions, structures of power, the identity of individuals and communities, and explicitly connects social studies concepts with their influence on educational experiences of diverse learners.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course introduces elementary teacher candidates to areas of exceptionality in learning. Teacher candidates within the course will analyze elementary instruction within the general education classroom and learn to develop antiracist instruction that builds on students¿ assets and cultural capital with consideration of individual differences.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Spring - 16 Credits

The focus of this course will be providing teacher candidates with strategies and tools in providing daily instruction for diverse learners in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, sexuality, social economic status and class. The course will focus on learners with complex and multiple disabilities that requires a variety of materials, strategies, and differentiation. The teacher candidates will have an opportunity to implement their plans in the classroom during field experience while closely working with a classroom mentor teacher and university mentor.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course will engage teacher candidates in critically analyzing children¿s texts. Teacher candidates will learn how to integrate diverse literature across the elementary curriculum and meet objectives and standards in math, literacy, social studies, science, and the arts. Teacher candidates will learn how to guide students in developing their literacy identities in order to promote reading engagement and students as independent and collaborative readers.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is centered around three goals to help prepare teacher candidates to enact practices that develop learners¿ mathematical proficiency. The first goal is to explicitly teach skills for disrupting patterns of injustices and inequities that often get reproduced within the context of elementary mathematics classrooms. The second goal is to develop professional skills for the high-leverage practices of eliciting and interpreting students¿ thinking and leading a group discussion. The third goal is to gain the mathematical knowledge needed for engaging learners in inquiry-based instruction for number sense & operations, place value, computation, and rational number concepts in grades K-6.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Elementary teachers must know and understand the fundamental concepts and practices in physical, life, earth and space sciences, as well as how technology, engineering, and math are integrated into this subject matter, in order to plan and implement meaningful and engaging inquiry learning experiences for students. This course will provide a foundation across all science domains through a hands-on, inquiry-based approach that will introduce teaching strategies that allows science to be accessible for all learners. This course provides the necessary content knowledge, pedagogical methods, and resource materials for teacher candidates to develop effective science instruction in the elementary classroom.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Fourth Year

Fall - 16 Credits

This course will explore practical information, assessment tools, instructional ideas and activities for effective implementation of an inquiry-based approach in elementary curriculum. Teacher candidates will focus on developing inquiry-based methods and strategies on improving students learning outcomes while linking one or more elementary content areas in a progressive way.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

This course is intended to provide a co-teaching mentorship between the teacher candidate and mentor teacher. Teacher candidates will use this semester to focus on co-teaching, and establishing a relationship with the district, school, and classroom environment. Candidates are expected to develop and demonstrate, through performance assessment, integrated knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to become committed professionals in education.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

In this course, teacher candidates will deepen their knowledge of both the English language and the instructional and assessment strategies effective for meeting the linguistic needs of multilingual/multidialectal learners, while enhancing the learning of all students. Teacher candidates will investigate the functions of phonology, lexis, grammar, and discourse used for listening, speaking, reading, and writing within K-6 classrooms. Teacher candidates will analyze classroom and academic content-area language, identify those linguistic structures needed to access and utilize subject-area content, employ effective strategies for teaching to the varying academic-language needs of their learners, and develop lessons integrating language and content across disciplines.

Prerequisites: none

Spring - 12 Credits

Student teaching is the capstone field experience for the teacher education programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The purpose of the experience is to provide an opportunity for Teacher Candidates to experience fully the role of the professional educator and demonstrate their ability to successfully enter the induction phase of teaching. The Teacher Candidate uses this opportunity to produce evidence of their teaching competency in four domains: planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities.

Prerequisites: Admission into Professional Education and the Elementary Education program

Policies

Note: Requirements related to teaching majors are subject to change as new rules governing teacher licensure are adopted by the Board of Teaching.

Admission to the Major

  1. Completion of 30 credits.
  2. Cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better.

Admission to Professional Education.

  1. MATH 201; ELE 215 and ELE 222W
  2. Cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher
  3. Completion of 40 credits
  4. Completion of or registration for Basic Skills Examination
  5. Completion of National Criminal Background Check
  6. Proof of liability insurance

Admission to Blocks. Admission to Blocks is based upon a competitive application process that includes factors such as, professional dispositions, program course completion, and GPA. While in Blocks students will be monitored for:

  1. Successful completion of coursework
  2. Successful completion of field experiences
  3. A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher
  4. Evaluation of professional dispositions
  5. Completion and validation of application materials one year prior to student teaching semester.
  6. Completion of National Criminal Background Check.

Admission to Student Teaching (119 Armstrong Hall)

Student teaching at Minnesota State Mankato is a results-oriented, performance based 16-week program requiring the demonstration of an acceptable level of teaching performance in the areas of planning and preparation, enhancing the learning environment, teaching for student learning, and professionalism. Multiple methods of assessment are used and evidence collected to provide a view of the teacher candidate's skills and dispositions. These methods include direct observations of teaching activities by public school and university faculty, the use of videotaped lessons and activities for self-assessment, use of logs, participation in learning communities, and participation in activities reflective of the professional responsibilities of teachers (e.g., parent conferences). The Director of the Office of Field and International Experience requests placements for all teacher candidates in partner districts, especially our Professional Development Schools. Teacher candidates should not contact schools regarding their placement.

Admission to the student teaching experience is contingent upon completion of:

  1. Completion of all coursework in major and General Education requirements.
  2. A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher; grades of "C" or higher in all program requirements.
  3. Admittance to Professional Education.
  4. Completion of all professional education course work.
  5. Completion and validation of formal application materials one year prior to student teaching semester.
  6. Attendance at all preliminary student teaching meeting(s).
  7. Recommendation of advisor.
  8. Approval of placement by school district administration, a mentor teacher, and Director of the Office of Field and International Experience, and completion of Minnesota State Police Background check materials.

ELE 432 Field Experience: Integrating Methods in the Elementary Classroom and ELE 440 Student Teaching: Integrating Methods in the Elementary Classroom make up a year-long student teaching experience. Year-long student teaching placements are consecutive and take place during the last two semesters in the same one classroom. These typically take place in our professional development schools.

Study abroad experiences may be available during student teaching. Selection is based on personal interview, faculty recommendation, and grade point average. Students develop interpersonal communication skills and dispositions for living in a global society. Student participating in study abroad opportunities will be required to complete course requirements in a shorter timeframe, but they are compatible with the year-long student teaching experience. Additional fees will be incurred with participation in student teaching abroad programs.

Teacher Licensure (118 Armstrong Hall)

The University recommends licensure to a state upon satisfactory completion of a licensure program. However, licensure does not occur automatically through graduation and the awarding of a diploma. Students need to make application for a Minnesota teaching license at the close of the term in which they graduate. The College of Education, 118 Armstrong Hall, coordinates the licensure process. In addition to meeting all program requirements, the Basic Skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics needs to be successfully completed, as well as the Elementary Pedagogy and Content examinations. Minnesota State Law requires that all candidates applying for initial licensure in this state be fingerprinted for national background checks. A conduct review statement will also need to be completed and signed. There is a fee for the background check. There is a fee for the issuance of a Minnesota teaching license.

GPA Policy. All coursework listed in the Elementary Education degree requires a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a grade of "C" or higher. Students must achieve at least a 3.00 GPA in Professional Education courses.

Undergraduate/Graduate Requirements: A student may apply for admission to a combined undergraduate/graduate program. The student must complete at least 60 undergraduate credits before applying to a graduate program. A max of 12 credits at the 400/500-level may be double-counted toward both an undergraduate and graduate program. The graduate program advisor will authorize the double-counted courses for which a student may register. A student pays graduate tuition for a double-counted course. A student must be registered for a double-counted course in the same semester (e.g., no backdating of a 400-level to a 500-level is permitted).

Department Requirements: Undergraduates pursuing a STEM Certificate in Elementary Education must be admitted to professional education and earn a B or higher in ELE 436, ELE 446, and ELE 467.