Undergraduate Studies Catalog

ADMISSION

After being accepted by Loyola University, students who have indicated on the Admissions Application to be elementary education majors shall be accepted into the School of Education. Advisement is conducted by the staff in the Office of Student Academic Services. Advisors will assist the student in developing a plan of study.

ADMISSION TO TEACHER EDUCATION

Admission to professional teacher education will be considered after the successful completion of two education courses specified in the elementary education program, and completion of English 105 and 106, and a course in speech communication with grades of "C" or better. Students admitted to teacher education must have a 2.8 GPA in elementary education courses and a 2.5 GPA overall. Additionally, students must pass the Illinois Test of Basic Skills to be admitted to teacher education.

ADMISSION TO STUDENT TEACHING

Acceptance for student teaching requires: (1) completion of all coursework; (2) a successful interview with a faculty committee; (3) an overall GPA of 2.5 and a 2.8 GPA in elementary education course; (4) successful completion of two writing intensive courses (at least one of these writing intensive courses must be in the core); (5) validation of one hundred hours of clinical field experience; and (6) a passing score on the Illinois test in Elementary Education.

PROGRAM GOALS

These teacher preparation goals are derived from the NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) Program Standards for Elementary Teacher Preparation that state what elementary teacher candidates should know and be able to do to have a positive effect on student learning. These are:

• Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to development of children and young adolescents to construct learning opportunities that support individual students’ development, acquisition of knowledge, and motivation.

• Candidates know, understand, and use the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of content for students across the K-6 grades and can create meaningful learning experiences that develop students’ competence in subject matter and skills for various developmental levels.

• Candidates demonstrate a high level of competence in use of English language arts and they know, understand, and use concepts from reading, language and child development, to teach reading, writing, speaking, viewing, listening, and thinking skills and to help students successfully apply their developing skills to many different situations, materials, and ideas.

• Candidates know, understand, and use fundamental concepts in the subject matter of science, including physical, life, and earth and space sciences, as well as concepts in science and technology, science in personal and social perspectives, the history and nature of science, the unifying concepts of science, and the inquiry processes scientists use in discovery of new knowledge to build a base for scientific and technological literacy.

• Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts, procedures, and reasoning processes of mathematics that define number systems and number sense, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability, and algebra in order to foster student understanding and use of patterns, quantities, and spatial relationships that can represent phenomena, solve problems, and manage data.

• Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts and modes of inquiry from the social studies, the integrated study of history, geography, the social sciences, and other related areas, to promote elementary students’ abilities to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world.

• Candidates know, understand, and use, as appropriate to their own understanding and skills, the content, functions, and achievements of dance, music, theater, and the several visual arts as primary media for communication, inquiry, and insight among elementary students.

• Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts in the subject matter of health education to create opportunities for student development and practice of skills that contribute to good health.

• Candidates know, understand, and use, as appropriate to their own understanding and skills, human movement and physical activity as central elements to foster active, healthy life styles and enhanced quality of life for elementary students.

• Candidates know, understand, and use the connections among concepts, procedures, and applications from content areas to motivate elementary students, build understanding, and encourage the application of knowledge, skills, and ideas to real world issues.

• Candidates plan and implement instruction based on knowledge of students, learning theory, subject matter, curricular goals, and community.

• Candidates understand how elementary students differ in their development and approaches to learning, and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse students.

• Candidates understand and use a variety of teaching strategies that encourage elementary students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills

• Candidates use their knowledge and understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior among students at the K-6 level to foster active engagement in learning, self motivation, and positive social interaction and to create supportive learning environments.

• Candidates use their knowledge and understanding of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the elementary classroom

• Candidates know, understand, and use formal and informal assessment strategies to plan, evaluate and strengthen instruction that will promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of each elementary student.

• Candidates understand and apply practices and behaviors that are characteristic of developing career teachers.

• Candidates are aware of and reflect on their practice in light of research on teaching and resources available for professional learning; they continually evaluate the effects of their professional decisions and actions on students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally.

• Candidates know the importance of establishing and maintaining a positive collaborative relationship with families to promote the academic, social and emotional growth of children.

• Candidates foster relationships with school colleagues and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being.

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