纽泽西学院

Elementary school teachers must have a broad academic background as well as practical understanding of the elementary school curriculum. Therefore, they are required to take two majors: one in education and the other in a subject matter (e.g., history, English, mathematics, etc.), along with a broad range of liberal learning courses. At the discretion of the Department, students may also develop an interdisciplinary Self-Designed Major. Students interested in the Self-Designed Major must obtain departmental approval and meet the NJ State Standards for Teachers. Students who wish to explore this option should meet with the chair of the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education as well as coordinator of the Self-Designed Major.

During their first year at the College, students planning to be elementary school teachers take liberal learning courses as well as courses in their second major. Beginning in their sophomore year, students take elementary education courses that allow them to observe and participate in elementary classrooms in rural, suburban, and urban contexts. During these courses, students learn about child and adolescent development and develop skills in the teaching of math, science, and literacy. In their junior year, students take advanced pedagogy courses in literacy, social studies/multicultural education, and integrated learning. In their senior year, students teach in an elementary school under the guidance of a classroom teacher and conduct an inquiry project related to their student teaching experience in conjunction with the senior capstone course. Elementary education majors with a second major in a content discipline (math, biology, history, English, iSTEM) may also seek endorsement for middle school certification upon completion of all program requirements and after passing the associated Praxis II Content Knowledge exam(s) for the middle school content area. Global student teaching is also available during either the fall or the spring semester of a student’s senior year. Student teaching is available in locations such as South Africa, Spain, Croatia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Holland, and Thailand, although the destinations may vary depending on the academic year. The global student teaching program is jointly supervised by faculty from The College of New Jersey and the host institution. Students spend seven weeks at an American school abroad and finish their semester at a local elementary school in New Jersey.

Students should consult with their departmental advisors in both the education and second major departments in planning their programs. These plans should take into account requirements for the second major, liberal learning, the professional education major and state certification. The Department requires that students meet with both the education advisor and the subject matter major advisor each semester. This is the responsibility of the student, as requirements and course offerings are subject to change.