Elementary Education K-6 Bachelor of Art in Education

Program Mission Statement

The Elementary Education program strives to be an exemplary teacher education program that prepares effective teachers. Exemplary teacher education programs have: “a common, clear vision of good teaching that permeates all course work and clinical experiences, creating a coherent set of learning experiences” (Darling-Hammond, 2006).

• Exhibit care and empathy for their students. Effective teachers plan instruction that meets the needs of diverse learners and work to make the classroom an inclusive, student-centered, challenging, and supportive space for all learners by employing developmentally and culturally appropriate instructional practices.
• Act as curricular and instructional decision-makers. Effective teachers employ inquiry skills and creativity to solve problems of practice. They think critically about their own teaching and determine appropriate instructional practices for specific content. They use assessment data to modify their teaching practices and/or differentiate instruction.
• Collaborate with learners, families, the community and other professionals. Effective teachers respect the funds of knowledge and cultural competence of learners and their families. They work with others to examine and improve their classroom practices.
• Empower students to take ownership of their learning. Effective teachers encourage students to monitor their own learning. They design learning environments that support collaborative learning, active-engagement, and problem solving. Effective teachers promote productive struggle as a necessary component of deeper learning.
• Integrate content knowledge with their knowledge of teaching. Effective teachers possess deep understanding of the content they teach and the pedagogical practices appropriate for that content. They structure and manage the learning environment and employ a variety of evidence-based instructional strategies to maximize learning.
• Demonstrate commitment to personal professional growth, the lives of their students, and the improvement of the teaching profession. Effective teachers intentionally seek out opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills to more effectively teach all students. They advocate for children, families, and the teaching profession to further social justice and democracy.

Student Learning Outcome

Graduates will be able to:

Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills

• align instruction with state-adopted standards at the appropriate level of rigor
• sequence lessons and concepts to ensure coherence and required prior knowledge
• design instruction for students to achieve mastery
• select appropriate formative assessments to monitor learning
• use diagnostic student data to plan lessons
• develop learning experiences that require students to demonstrate a variety of applicable skills and competencies

Communication Skills

• organize, allocate, and manage the resources of time, space, and attention
• manage individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system
• convey high expectations to all students
• respect students' cultural, linguistic and family backgrounds
• model clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills
• maintain a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness, and support
• integrate current information and communication technologies
• adapt the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students
• utilize current and emerging assuasive technologies that enable students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals
• relate and integrate the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences
• employ higher-order questioning techniques
• support, encourage, and provide immediate and specific feedback to students to promote student achievement

Critical Thinking Skills

• deliver engaging and challenging lessons
• deepen and enrich students' understanding through content area literacy strategies, verbalization of thought, and application of the subject matter
• identify gaps in students' subject matter knowledge
• modify instruction to respond to preconceptions or misconceptions
• apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including appropriate technology, to provide comprehensible instruction, and to teach for student understanding
• differentiate instruction based on an assessment of student learning needs and recognition of individual differences in students
• utilize student feedback to monitor instructional needs and to adjust instruction
• analyze and apply data from multiple assessments and measures to diagnose students' learning needs, informs instruction based on those needs, and drives the learning process
• design and align formative and summative assessments that match learning objectives and lead to mastery.
• use a variety of assessment tools to monitor student progress, achievement and learning gains
• modify assessments and testing conditions to accommodate learning styles and varying levels of knowledge.
• share the importance and outcomes of student assessment data with the student and the student's parent/caregiver(s)

Other Skills (Opt.)

• design purposeful professional goals to strengthen the effectiveness of instruction based on students' needs
• examine and use data-informed research to improve instruction and student achievement
• collaborate with the home, school, and larger communities to foster communication and to support student learning and continuous improvement
• engage in targeted professional growth opportunities and reflective practice.
• use a variety of data, independently, and in collaboration with colleagues, to evaluate learning outcomes, adjust planning and continuously improve the effectiveness of the lessons

Assessment Approaches

Graduates of the elementary education program will demonstrate mastery of content knowledge and teaching skills, communication skills, and critical thinking through proficiency in courses in educational foundations, courses in the major, and related clinical experiences. All course assignments in the elementary education program provide evidence of progress toward or mastery of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs), which are the SLOs for the program. Each FEAP aligns with one of the UNF student learning outcome categories: discipline specific knowledge and skills, communication or critical thinking.

The program utilizes a two-faceted approach to monitor progress on SLOs. First, each course in the program contains at least one course-embedded performance task designated as a T-LAP (Teaching and Learning Accomplished Practices). These assignment tasks have been designed to enable teacher candidates to demonstrate their ability to synthesize course content and show proficiency with one or more of the six FEAPs (SLOs).  Data on student performance on T-LAPs across semesters informs instructor decision-making regarding the effectiveness of course assignments and/or instructional activities.

Second, students create and add to an individual program portfolio each semester as part of each field experience course. They choose artifacts for their portfolio that illustrate each of the FEAPs (SLOs) emphasized during that semester and provide written justification for why the artifact demonstrates mastery or developmentally appropriate progress toward mastery on that FEAP. Students add to the portfolio across semesters, with new artifacts from courses taken in subsequent semesters. Artifacts for the portfolio can be chosen from assignments completed in their field experience and/or those completed during other teacher preparation courses taken in the same semester. These data enable program faculty to monitor individual student growth over the course of the program as evidenced in their portfolio. The two-faceted approach provides data faculty can use to examine performance data for individual courses within the program, student growth as they progress through the entire program, as well as their growth in specific areas across semesters (e.g., literacy, TESOL, STEM). This data informs the decision-making process for program improvement.