Early Childhood Education Undergraduate Program

Early Childhood Education Program Options

Students have various options in ECE:

1. a degree with a major in early childhood education only;
2. a double major in early childhood education and elementary education;
3. kindergarten endorsement with an elementary education major; and
4. an ECE minor.

The Early Childhood Education Program Area is part of the Department of Teaching and Learning within the College of Education and Human Development. The Education programs within the College are fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and the National Council for the Accreditation of Colleges of Teacher Education (NCATE). Students have various options in Early Childhood Education: 1) a degree with a major in early childhood education only; 2) a combined major in early childhood education and elementary education; 3) kindergarten endorsement with the combined major or an elementary education major; and 4) an Early Childhood Education minor.

There is also a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education for students who want to continue their education after the Bachelor's degree.

CURRICULUM (Early Childhood Education or Double Major in Elementary Education & Early Childhood Education)

Early Childhood Education (B.S. Ed.)
T&L 286	Field Experience in Early Childhood Education	1 cr
T&L 310	Intro. to Early Childhood Education	3 cr
T&L 311	Observation and Description of Young Children	3 cr
T&L 313	Young Children's Language & Thought	3 cr
T&L 315	Education of the Exceptional Student	3 cr
T&L 320	Infant/Toddler Development and Learning	3 cr
T&L 322	Administration and Leadership in Early Childhood Education	3 cr
T&L 328	Survey of Children's Literature	3 cr
T&L 333	Methods and Materials - Pre-Kindergarten	3 cr
T&L 335	Understanding Readers and Writers	3 cr
T&L 336	Social and Emotional Development and Guidance of Children	3 cr
T&L 338	Home, School and Community Relations	3 cr
T&L 411	Primary Reading and Language Arts	2 cr
T&L 433	Multicultural Education	3 cr
T&L 453	Methods and Materials - Kindergarten	2 cr
T&L 456	Early Childhoood Education Seminar	1 cr
T&L 487	Student Teaching	4-16 cr
T&L 488	Senior Seminar	1 cr
TEAM
T&L 410	Teaching Reading and Writing in the Elemtary School	3 cr
T&L 430	Social Studies in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 440	Math in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 470	Science in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 486	Field Experience	2 cr

 

Double Major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education (B.S. Ed.)
T&L 250	Introduction to Education	3 cr
T&L 286	Field Experience in Early Childhood Education	1 cr
T&L 310	Intro. to Early Childhood Education	3 cr
T&L 311	Observation and Description of Young Children	3 cr
T&L 313	Young Children's Language & Thought	3 cr
T&L 315	Education of the Exceptional Student	3 cr
T&L 320	Infant/Toddler Development and Learning	3 cr
T&L 322	Administration and Leadership in Early Childhood Education	3 cr
T&L 328 or T&L 329	Survey of Children's Literature or Young Adult Literature	3 cr
T&L 333	Methods and Materials - Pre-Kindergarten	3 cr
T&L 336	Social and Emotional Development and Guidance of Children	3 cr
T&L 338	Home, School and Community Relations	3 cr
T&L 411	Primary Reading and Language Arts	2 cr
T&L 432	Classroom Management	3 cr
T&L 433	Multicultural Education	3 cr
T&L 443	Math for Primary Grades	2 cr
T&L 453	Methods and Materials - Kindergarten	2 cr
T&L 456	Early Childhoood Education Seminar	1 cr
T&L 487	Student Teaching	4-16 cr
T&L 488	Senior Seminar	1 cr
Math 277	Math for Elementary School Teachers	3 cr
Art 460	Art for Elementary School Teachers	3 cr
Music 442 or 443	Music for Elementary School Teachers	3 cr
PEXS 305	Physical Education & Health for Elementary School Teachers	3 cr
TEAM
T&L 410	Teaching Reading and Writing in the Elemtary School	3 cr
T&L 430	Social Studies in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 440	Math in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 470	Science in the Elementary School	3 cr
T&L 486	Field Experience	2 cr

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

TL250 Introduction to Education. 3 credits. Prerequisite: At least 30 completed redits. This course is designed for students exploring the profession of teaching in early hildhood, elementary, middle, or secondary schools. It is an introduction to the study if education that explores the foundations of education, how learners differ, and the ,ocial and political contexts of schools. Students complete a classroom field experience, explore related literature, and participate in role-playing, simulations, and peer-teach­ing. This course also introduces students to both the 1NTASC Principles, which guide our preparation of teachers, and to the Senior Capstone Experience. F, S

TL286 Field Experience. 1 credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Supervised tutorial or apprentice teaching experience in an early childhood, K-12 classroom, uni­versity or community setting approved by the program area. S/U grading. F, S

TL310 Introduction to Early Childhood Education. 3 credits. An overview of the early childhood education field, including an introduction to its historical roots; current theories, program models and issues; curriculum development; and typical and atypical development of young children. There will be a minimum of six hours of observation and/or activities in the field. F, S

TL311 Observing and Assessing Children. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education, and T&L 310. This course acquaints the student with a variety of ways of observing, recording, and analyzing the behavior and development of children. Assessment of children will be analyzed by looking at a variety of assessment activities that can be done with children. There will be a minimum of eight hours of field experience. F,S

TL313 Language Development and Emerging Literacy. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. This course examines both typical and atypical devel­opment of language and thought in children ages birth-8. Children's emergent literacy is studied within the context of language development.There will be a minimum of eight hours of field experience. F,S

TL315 Education of Exceptional Students. 3 credits. An orientation course, espe­cially for classroom teachers, stressing the identification, characteristics and educa­tional problems of exceptional children. A field exercise is part of this course. F, S

TL320 Infant and Toddler. 3 credits. Prerequisites: T&L 252 or Psyc 250 or permission of instructor. This course is a study of the child's growth and development from birth to 36 months.  It will give the student a basis for understanding normal developmental needs of children and means of meeting them in the childrens' home and
community environments. S, SS

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TL322 Administration and Leadership in Early Childhood Education. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. An investigation of patterns of admin­istration, curriculum organization, spatial resources, and staffing in early childhood settings, serving children 0-8 years old. Topics include federal and state laws and emerg­ing trends in preschool and primary education in the state, region, and nation. Sixteen (16) hours of field experience. S

TL328 Survey of Children's Literature. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education program. Students survey the broad range of literature written for children. Emphasis is placed on gaining familiarity with the multicultural aspects of literature, understanding the distinguishing characteristics of genre, developing visual
literacy with respect to illustration, and acquiring the ability to evaluate literature, as well as its use, with an understanding of children's developmental needs. F,S

TL329 Young Adult Literature. 3 credits. Discussion and critical evaluation of contemporary literature, both adolescent and adult, which is of interest to young adults, with an emphasis on fiction, drama, poetry, essays, and biographies. On demand.

TL333 Methods and Materials: Pre-Kindergarten. 3 credits. Prerequisite: T&L 310 and admission to Teacher Education. Corequisite: T&L 486, one credit. Exploration of curriculum, methods and materials for use in pre-kindergarten educational settings. Includes selection of materials, creative environments, and planning for the individual needs of children within a group setting. F, SS

TL335 Understanding Readers and Writers. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education program. This foundational course explores the developmental nature of literacy learning, the reading and writing processes, and the conditions for successful literacy learning. Holistic methods for assessing literacy are studied to understand individual language learners. F,S

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TL336 Social and Emotional Development and Guidance of Children. 3 credits. This course examines both typical and atypical social and emotional development in children ages 0-8 as a basis for understanding and working with children in educational settings. The course will also focus on child guidance and behavior issues affecting
classroom climate. S, SS

TL338 Home, School and Community Relations. 3 credits. The course is an exploration of home school relations. The content will include history, parental involvement in schools, parent-teacher conferences, home visits, parent programs, and resources for parents. F, SS

TL410 Teaching Reading and Writing in the Elementary School (TEAM). 3 credits. Prerequisites for elementary education majors: Admission to Teacher Education, T&L 250, 315, 328 or 329, 335, Math 277. Corequisites: T&L 430, 440, 470, 486. Prerequisites for early childhood majors: Admission to Teacher Education, T&L 310/ 286, 315, 328, 335 and 443. Corequisites: T&L 430, 440, 470, 486. In this course students learn strategic-based approaches to teaching and assessing reading and writing in the elementary school classroom with an emphasis on planning instruction that is child-centered, process-oriented and literature-based. F,S.

TL411 Primary Reading and Language Arts. 2 credits. Prerequisites. Admission to Teacher Education, T&L 335. Pre- or Corequisite: T&L 328. This course explores a wide variety of developmentally-appropriate instructional practices for teaching primary level children multiple ways of communicating and experiencing language. This
course emphasizes integrating reading, writing, speaking and listening as forms of creative and personal expression. Effective methods of teaching children to decode and encode print are studied. F,S

TL430 Social Studies in the Elementary School (TEAM). 3 credits. Prerequisites for elementary education majors: Admission to Teacher Education; grade of C or better in the following courses: T&L 250, 315, 328 or 329, 335, Math 103 or equivalent, and Math 277; GPA of 2.75 or better. Prerequisites also include Art 460, Music 243, 443 or 449, and PEX 300. Prerequisites for early childhood education majors: Admission to Teacher Education; grade of C or better in the following courses: T&L 310/486, 315, 328, 335 and 443; and GPA of 2.75 in the Early Childhood major. Corequisites: T&L 410, 440, 470, 486. To understand and analyze the different modes of teaching social studies, to gain the competencies necessary for organizing a unit in the social studies, to gain an understanding of the values and multiple perspectives inherent within the various teaching strategies, to develop a preferred perspective on the ideal nature of Social Studies education. F,S

TL432 Classroom Management. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. The purpose of this class is to study factors that influence classroom behavior and examine a variety of techniques that can be used in planning for positive classroom management. This course views classroom management from a humanistic position
but does not assume a single method as the "best" approach. Students are expected to develop their own eclectic style during the course of this class. F,S,SS

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TL433 Multicultural Education. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. This class takes an anthropological view of multicultural education. It will help students better understand students in culturally diverse classrooms as well as preparing them to teach about cultural diversity. This class examines several cultures but
is particularly interested in Native Americans of North Dakota. F,S,SS

TL440 Math in the Elementary School (TEAM). 3 credits. Prerequisites for el­ementary education majors: Admission to Teacher Education; grade of C or better in the following courses: T&L 250, 315, 328 or 329, 335, Math 103 or equivalent, and Math 277; GPA of 2.75 or better. Prerequisites also include Art 460, Music 243, 443 or 449, and PEX 300. Corequisites: T&L 410, 430, 470, and 486. Prerequisites for early child­hood majors: Admission to Teacher Education, T&L 433. Corequisites: T&L 410, 430, 470 and 486. TEAM Math is the required mathematics methods course for all under­graduate elementary education majors. Students explore how to facilitate the learning of mathematics in a constructivist environment through the use of investigations, manipulatives, technology, and holistic forms of assessment. Current trends in teaching mathematics are emphasized, with particular attention to documents created by the Na­tional Council of Teachers of Mathematics. F,S

TL443 Math for Primary Grades. 2 credits. Prerequisite: admission to Teacher Education. Math for Primary Grades focuses on curriculum and methods for teaching mathematics in kindergarten through the third grade. Students actively engage in projects and activities that help them develop a conceptual understanding of teaching mathematics in a cooperative and constructivist environment where children view themselves as as mathematicians. Emphasis is placed on the use of manipulative, problem solving activities and children's literature in the planning and organizing of developmentally appropriate classroom activities and lessons. F,S

TL453 Methods and Materials: Kindergarten. 2 credits. Prerequisite: T&L 310 and admission to Teacher Education. Exploration of curriculum, methods, and materials for use in kindergarten settings. F,S,SS

TL456 Early Childhood Education Seminar. 1 credit. Prerequisite: T&L 451 and admission to Teacher Education. Corequisite: T&L 487. Taken in conjunction with pre-kindergarten student teaching. This seminar continues the exploration of curriculum, methods, and materials issues as they are presented in the particulars of the student teaching experience. F,S

TL470 Science in the Elementary School (TEAM). 3 credits. Prerequisites for elementary and early childhood education majors: Admission to Teacher Education; grade of C or better in the following courses: T&L 250, 315, 328 or 329, 335, Math 103 or equivalent, and Math 277; GPA of 2.75 or better. Prerequisites also include Art 460,
Music 243, 443 or 449, and PEX 300. A survey of teaching strategies, materials, and resources appropriate for promoting science inquiry in elementary classrooms. F,S

TL486 Field Experience. 1-4 credits. (Repeatable to 16). Prerequisites for elementary education majors: Admission to Teacher Education; grade of C or better in the following courses: T&L 250, 315, 328 or 329, 335, Math 103 or equivalent, and Math 277; GPA of 2.75 or better. Prerequisites also include Art 460, Music 243, 443 or 449,
and PEX 300. Supervised tutorial or apprentice teaching experience in an early childhood, K-12 classroom, university, or community setting approved by the program area. S/U grading. F,S

TL487 Student Teaching. 4-16 credits. If repeated, Student Teaching would be taken in a different program area. Prerequisite: Permission of program. Provides student with the opportunity to assume the role of a classroom teacher in an educational setting under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and a University faculty member. S/U grading.
F,S

TL488 Senior Seminar. 1 credit. S-U grading only. A discussion of problems, professional obligations, and careers in teaching. To be taken concurrently with or the semester prior to student teaching.

 

 

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Last Updated: 4/23/09