This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.valdosta.edu.

The major in Elementary Education results in initial GaPSC certification in Early Childhood (P-5). The program is designed to prepare professional educators who manifest the knowledge, dispositions, and competencies deemed necessary to enhance young children's overall intellectual, social, emotional, and personal growth and development. The design of the undergraduate professional program includes a variety of methods and content courses supported by structured field experiences designed to provide opportunities to meld theory with practice in field-based interactions with children.

Selected Educational Outcomes

  1. Program graduates will demonstrate an acceptable level of content knowledge.
  2. Program graduates will demonstrate an acceptable level of teaching competency for an extended period of time during the clinical practice experience by planning, delivering, and assessing appropriate instruction for students who represent a diverse population and who are in public school settings.
  3. Program graduates will integrate technology into instruction, assessment, and communication.
  4. Program graduates will demonstrate characteristics of reflective practitioners by evaluating the effects of choices and actions on others (students, families, and other professionals in the learning community).

Examples of Outcome Assessments

  1. Teacher candidates in initial teacher education programs will demonstrate content knowledge through passing the state-required content assessment.
  2. Teacher candidates in initial teacher education programs will demonstrate pedagogical content knowledge and knowledge of evidence-based strategies through development of lesson plans identifying use of research-validated procedures and effective content pedagogy.
  3. Teacher candidates in initial teacher education programs will demonstrate skills in assessment, instructional strategies, use of technology, and monitoring and modifying instruction during observed teaching episodes evaluated by a university supervisor and P-5 mentor teacher.
  4. Teacher candidates in initial teacher education programs will demonstrate their ability to positively impact P-5 learning through an Impact on Student Learning project.

Requirements for the B.S.Ed. Degree with a Major in Elementary Education (Face-to-Face Track)

Core Areas A-E (See VSU Core Curriculum)42
Area F Requirements 118
EDUC 2110Investigating Critical and Contemporary Issues in Education3
EDUC 2120Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity3
EDUC 2130Exploring Learning and Teaching3
ISCI 2001Exploring Our Ecosphere3
ISCI 2002Physical Science for Early Childhood Education Teachers3
MATH 2008Foundations of Numbers and Operations3
EDUC 2999Teacher Education Requirements0
Professional Program Requirements63
Professional Semester 1
ELED 3190Elementary Education Practicum and Seminar: PreK-K2
ELES 3010Planning, Instruction, and Developmentally Appropriate Practices3
LITR 3110Emergent Literacy Through Children's Literature and the Arts3
LITR 3120Early Literacy3
MATH 3161Mathematics for Early Childhood Teachers I3
SPEC 3000Serving Students with Diverse Needs3
Professional Semester 2
ELED 3690Elementary Education Practicum and Seminar: Grades 4-52
ELED 4500Science and Technology in Elementary Education3
ELES 3020Intermediate Assessment, Planning, and Instruction3
ELES 3210Introduction to the Management of Learning Environments3
LITR 3130Developing Literacy3
MATH 3162Mathematics for Early Childhood Teachers II3
Professional Semester 3
ELED 3300Mathematics and Technology in Elementary Education3
ELED 4400Social Science Methods in Elementary Education3
ELED 4690Elementary Education Practicum and Seminar: Grades 1-32
ELED 4010Assessment, Planning, and Differentiated Instruction3
LITR 4120Literacy Assessment and Applications3
Professional Semester 4
ELED 4790Student Teaching in Elementary Education9
ELED 4420Student Teaching Reflective Seminar3
Total hours required for the degree120