Elementary Education Major

Overview

The Teacher Education Program at Cardinal Stritch University is based on sound participation in the liberal arts combined with professional preparation and clinical experiences. The aims of the program are to help teacher candidates to grow in self-awareness, have a positive concept of themselves as teachers, come to terms with themselves in respect to their motives for becoming teachers, develop understanding of other persons, and develop skills consistent with their personal integrity and the demands of the education profession.
The education of teachers is a joint venture of the University and the public and private schools that provide the vital laboratory settings for preparation. The program at Stritch provides early and continuing experiences in public, private and professional development schools.
The theme of "teacher as reflective decision-maker" connects and combines all elements of the programs, including course content in general education, specialty studies, professional studies, clinical experiences, human relations, assessment, and methods and modeling of instruction. Program outcomes are firmly grounded in the Wisconsin Teacher Standards for licensure.
The undergraduate education University faculty has adopted a three-phase portfolio process as a benchmark and assessment tool. Each teacher preparation candidate is carefully guided through this process. This portfolio highlights knowledge, skills, and dispositions of teacher candidates as well as provides a vehicle for future job interviews.
The faculty of the Teacher Education Program is committed to remaining current in their profession and to teaching and modeling strategies that will enable teacher candidates to enter the field ready and able to assume the role of beginning teacher.
Students are expected to have technological competencies woven into the courses and seminars.
This program is accredited by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Teacher Certification
Cardinal Stritch University offers teacher certification in the following areas:
Early Childhood through Middle Childhood (Pre-K – 6)
Mid Childhood through Early Adolescence (1-8)
Early Adolescence through Adolescence (6-12)
Art (Pre-K-12)
Bilingual/Bicultural (Certification dependent on level of initial certification)
ESL (Pre-K-12)
Foreign Language (Pre-K-12: Spanish, French)
Theater (Pre-K-12)

Major and Minor Requirements

Number of Credits for Major Elementary 134/136
Tracks in Major:
Early Childhood through Middle Childhood
Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence
Early Adolescence through Adolescence
Teaching Minors Available:
Biology, Broadfield Science, Broadfield Social Studies, Chemistry, Computer Science, English (Language Arts), ESL, French, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Reading (Pre-K-6 non-certifiable), Special Education (Pre-K-6 noncertifiable), Speech Communication, Sociology, Spanish

Content Areas (6–12)
Biology, Broadfield Social Studies, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, French, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish
All Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence majors are required to complete a certifiable minor of no fewer than 22 credits. See individual certification programs. Minors offered by the education department are: reading and/or special education.
Other content minors are offered through Arts and Sciences. The area of human relations and volunteering is a major area of concentration in the program. The students will explore working with diverse populations within the clinical and volunteer experiences that are a required part of the teacher education program.
The human relations component of teaching will also be addressed in a series of seminars that focus upon the education profession and the development of portfolios.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Seminar

All students interested in becoming teachers will enroll in an initial Seminar. This seminar will include an introduction of the education faculty members, a writing sample, an interview with members of the department, and the taking of the Pre- Professional Skills Test (PPST). All students will also be introduced to e-mail and will be required to be online. An introduction to the program, to technological resources and to the teaching profession is a focus of the beginning Seminar and the Education Profession/Human Relations course.

Seminar I - Portfolio Presentation

The art and science of teaching, communication, assessment, professional dispositions, our commitment to urban education and the portfolio will be common threads in each of the seminars. In Seminar I, the teacher preparation candidates will participate in Portfolio Presentation I and be formally accepted into the program upon passing the portfolio presentation.
All candidates must have an overall grade point average of 2.75 and a 2.75 GPA in education certification courses, and must have passed all parts of the PPST in order to qualify for this seminar. Portfolio I is the first critical benchmark in the teacher education program.

Seminar II - Portfolio Presentation II

This seminar will focus on current issues in education, professional dispositions, school culture, interviewing techniques, credential files and student teaching expectations in addition to preparation for Portfolio Presentation II. All candidates must have an overall GPA of 3.0 and Education GPA of 3.0 to qualify for Portfolio II. Upon successfully passing Portfolio II, teacher candidates will be able to participate in student teaching. Portfolio II is the second critical benchmark in the teacher education program.

Student Teaching/Seminar III

Student teaching is the culminating experience of the teacher education program. Applications for student teaching must be made during the semester prior to the student teaching experiences. Approval for student teaching by the Teacher Education Committee is based on fulfillment of the following requirements. Students must have:
Passed Portfolio II
An overall grade point average of 3.00;
A grade point average of 3.00 in education courses, major and minor courses
Faculty recommendations and approval of the Teacher Education Committee;
Completed all education course work and course work related to their major/minor.
Passed state mandated content tests related to their major (effective August 2004)

Seminar III

During student teaching, the candidates will participate in student teaching seminar as well as one or more full day human relations seminars. The final seminar will focus on Portfolio III in which teacher candidates will showcase their market-ready portfolio and initial teacher professional development plan.
Student teaching/Seminar III is the final critical benchmark in the teacher education program. A minimum grade of B- is mandatory in Written Communication (EN 101 and 102) and Fundamentals of Oral Communication (CA 101). This stipulation also applies to transfer students. Students who have not met this requirement are not allowed to apply for Portfolio I.
For admission to the Education Department and the Certification Program, transfer students must give evidence of a minimum of 2.5 overall GPA based on all course work transferred and accepted by Cardinal Stritch University, effective fall semester, 1988. To be officially accepted into the teacher education program they must successfully meet the requirements of Portfolio I.
Many students who have an existing degree return to Cardinal Stritch University for their initial certification as teachers. These post-baccalaureate students can apply for admission into the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program to pursue certification. An advisor in the College of Education is designated to work solely with the MAT students. This advisor plans the program and guides the individuals in their choice of courses to meet their schedule and fulfill the requirements. The same majors and minors are available to the MAT students as the undergraduate students.

Faculty

Dr. Anthea (Tia) Bojar
Dean
(414) 410-4434
albojar@stritch.edu

Pat Gilroy
Administrative Assistant
(414) 410-4433
pagilroy@stritch.edu

Dr. JoAnne Caldwell
Associate Dean/Director of Teacher Education
jcaldwell@stritch.edu

Joy Vodnik
Assessment Coordinator/Certification Officer
(414) 410-4337
jmvodnik@stritch.edu

Nancy Foti
Secretary
(414) 410-4485
njfoti@stritch.edu

Coaching and Mentoring

Rhonda Dubin
Co-Director
(414) 410-4688
rfdubin@stritch.edu

Nancy Marsho
Co-Director
(414) 410-4491
ndmarsho@stritch.edu

Alumni

Carrie Losee, ’06, kindergarten teacher, Riverside Elementary, Menomonee Falls School District Katie Walczak, ’04, math teacher, Waukesha West High School, Waukesha School District Kat Hustedde, ’03, art teacher, Homestead High School, Mequon-Thiensville School District Murice Johnson, ’03, 5th grade teacher, Milwaukee Academy of Science