Bachelor of Science in Education/Elementary Education

3 Credits

This course transitions students through the foundations of study at University of Phoenix. Students develop personal strategies for achieving educational goals and develop skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

0 Credits

This course is designed to provide an orientation to the primary components of the Teacher Education Program. Students will be introduced to the program's progression and degree completion requirements. Field Experience, E-Portfolio, Student Teaching, Teacher Work Sample and technology resources will be discussed.

3 Credits

This course introduces students to the teaching profession. Historical foundations, professionalism, the role of technology, and trends and issues in education are introduced. Students will examine personal reasons for wanting to teach and will create a personal philosophy of education.

3 Credits

This course explores the development of the child from birth through eighth grade. Physical, cognitive/intellectual, social/emotional, and moral development will be examined. The course focuses on defining the various stages as they impact instructional practices and decisions in a pre-K-8 environment.

3 Credits

This course focuses on the theoretical models that underlie teaching and learning. Teacher candidates analyze effective teaching strategies that encourage learners to develop a deeper understanding of content and to promote critical thinking. Candidates also explore assessment and its relationship to lesson planning.

3 Credits

This course provides students with the opportunity to examine and apply legal and ethical issues within the context of an educational setting. Legal issues and their consequent impact on educators are discussed, analyzed, and applied to current educational practices. Emphasis is placed on the ways ethical and legal issues facing teachers affect student learning, and the critical thinking, decision making, professional, and personal conduct of teachers.

1 Credits

This course focuses on the professional aspects of teaching. Learners will apply written and oral communication principles to their roles as educators, examine research methods for finding and evaluating resources, and develop effective skills in collaboration and critical thinking in preparation for their program and workplace.

3 Credits

This course explores differentiated approaches and strategies for managing a positive classroom environment within the framework of today's diverse student population. Teacher candidates identify issues that may affect the climate of the classroom and evaluate classroom management techniques appropriate for their targeted grade levels and needs.

3 Credits

This course identifies what assessment is and how formative and summative assessments are used in the classroom. The course will include construction of objective and performance assessments, topics on reliability and validity, understanding the uses of standardized assessments, and the framework of assessment.

3 Credits

This course provides an overview of the categories of exceptionality for elementary-age students with special needs. The course focuses on differentiated methods and techniques used for the identification, assessment, and instruction of diverse populations. Historical perspectives and information related to special education law and current policies and practices are examined.

3 Credits

This course will introduce students to the concept of and methods for instructing in a Structured English Immersion (SEI) environment. Students will learn about assessment of K-12 students, state standards, research-based instructional activities, and lesson planning and implementation models. Students will study how a learner-centered approach to teaching can provide English Language Learners (ELL), as well as native English speakers, with a greater opportunity to interact meaningfully with educational materials as they learn subject matter and EL Learners acquire English.

3 Credits

This course examines the use of children's literature in the elementary school classroom. Various genres are studied, as well as the application of children's literature to instruction and to assessment in reading. Methods for integrating the use of children's literature in all content areas are examined.

3 Credits

This course focuses on current research, theory, methods, and state standards related to reading instruction. It provides students with the background knowledge in language arts necessary to prepare comprehensive standards-based lesson plans and integrated units of instruction. Effective instructional and assessment techniques are modeled.

3 Credits

This course focuses on methodology and assessment strategies that enhance learning in mathematics. Integration of content and instructional strategies, as well as curriculum and assessment issues, are emphasized. Multiple perspectives of students as learners of mathematics, along with current research on mathematics pedagogy, are explored. Students evaluate and use instructional methods, curricular materials and resources, and appropriate assessment strategies. Special attention is given to the use of manipulatives in math instruction and to developing students' problem-solving skills.

3 Credits

This course focuses on methodology and assessment strategies that enhance learning in science. Integrated content, interdisciplinary teaching, classroom management, and curriculum and assessment issues are emphasized. Multiple perspectives of students as learners of science, along with current research on pedagogy, are explored. This course also provides students with an opportunity to develop the ability to evaluate and to use instructional methods, curricular materials and resources, and appropriate assessment strategies.

3 Credits

This course provides an overview of the physical education and health state and national standards and provides a context for how these are addressed in elementary schools and classrooms. Instructional approaches for the integration of physical education and health with other content areas are explored.

3 Credits

This course defines and provides a context for teaching and assessing students in the areas of social science based on scope, sequence, and national and state standards. Instructional approaches for the content area within the framework of an integrated curriculum are explored, including the use of critical thinking skills and study skills. Students develop a variety of data collection tools designed to assess student learning.

3 Credits

This course defines and provides a context for teaching and assessing students in the area of fine arts based on scope, sequence, and national and state standards. An emphasis is placed on integrating art across the curriculum.

3 Credits

This course addresses the use of reading assessments to determine classroom intervention and instructional strategies. It provides foundational information about stages of reading, factors that impact reading success or failure, and the nature of reading difficulties. This information serves as a context for learning about the selection, administration, and interpretation of formal and informal classroom assessments for the purposes of screening, diagnosing difficulties, monitoring progress, and evaluating instruction. In addition, a final diagnostic and an instructional recommendations report will be developed based on student test data provided.

3 Credits

This course addresses Structured English Immersion (SEI) instruction and assessment of K-12 English Language Learners (ELLs), and is designed to meet the standards set by the Arizona Department of Education. It examines the legal, historical, and educational reasons for SEI, as well as theoretical principles of language acquisition and the role of culture in learning. It also emphasizes the alignment of ELL Proficiency Standards to Arizona's Academic Standards and their application to lesson planning. The Arizona English Language Learner Assessment (AZELLA), use of alternative assessments, analysis of data, and the application of data to instruction, are emphasized as well. A final project synthesizes the concepts and instructional strategies taught in the course.