Admission to the College of Education
Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to a major in the College of Education. Only students who have been accepted into the College of Education may take methods courses.
Admission Criteria
To be admitted to the elementary education program, a candidate must have completed an application form to the College of Education; earned a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher; passed the Illinois Test of Basic Skills; passed an FBI fingerprint check and National Sex Offender list check; and have a current (within the last year) TB test.Retention Criteria
Candidates must maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 to remain in the elementary education major. Candidates must earn a grade of "C" or better in both English composition courses (ENG 1010 and ENG 2010) and both mathematics for elementary teachers (MTH 1210 and MTH 1220). In order to enroll in methods courses, a candidate must be a fully admitted College of Education student. Candidates must have passed the Illinois State Board of Education Elementary Middle School Content Area Test in order to student teach.
Exit Criteria
Candidates must show satisfactory progress in order to be recommended for teacher certification, including completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching; and successful completion of the Illinois State Board of Education Assessment of Professional Teaching Test.
The College of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on both current research and its conceptual framework. Students must be aware that there is the possibility that this redesign may alter some of the requirements currently stated in this catalog and their program could be subject to these changes.
MAJOR IN EDUCATION
Required Elementary Education Courses (44 semester hours)
| EDU2100 | How Schools Work (4) |
| EDU2260 | Theories of Learning (4) |
| EDU3330 | Methods of Teaching Science in the Elementary School (4) |
| EDU3350 WI |
Educational Research and Social Studies (4) |
| EDU3360 | Methods of Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School (4) |
| EDU3380 | Teaching Reading and Language Arts for Intermediate and Middle Grades (4) |
| EDU3420 | Methods of Teaching the Fine Arts in Elementary School (2) |
| EDU3480 | Teaching Reading and Language Arts for Primary Grades (4) |
| EDU3500 | Methods of Teaching Physical Education in the Elementary School (2) |
| EDU4750 | Student Teaching Internship (12) |
| EDU4760 | Student Teaching Seminar (3) |
Students are required either to complete an area of specialization of 15 semester hours OR 15 semester hours of elective courses.
Elective Courses: Among the courses that may be taken as electives are:
| EDU2750 | Clinical Immersion in Elementary Education II (1) |
| EDU3180 | Multicultural Literature for Children (2) |
| EDU3190 | Multicultural Literature for Young Adults (2) |
| EDU3440 | Middle School: Mission and Methods (4) |
| EDU3750 | Clinical Immersion in Elementary Education III (1) |
| EDU3751 | Clinical Immersion in Elementary Education IV (1) |
| EDU4360 | Methods of Teaching Math: Middle School (3) |
| *SPED3200 | Cognitive Development and Disabilities (2) |
| *SPED3500 | Diversity and Disability Issues (2) |
| *SPED4620 | Trends: Collaboration, Differentiating Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom, and Transition (4) |
*Offered only on the Aurora Campus
Area of Specialization: The following are acceptable areas of specialization: art, biology, English, health education, general science, history, mathematics, music, physical science, political science, sociology, Spanish, special education, and theatre.
Required for State Certification in Elementary Education (56-62 semester hours)
The requirements of the state of Illinois for certification in elementary education (K-9) are outcome-based. Our program consists of a series of courses that enable candidates to meet the required outcomes. The outcomes of these courses are aligned with both the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) and the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI) standards. These outcomes are met not only in Aurora University's education courses but also in many of the courses required to meet Aurora University's General Education requirements. In meeting the requirements of certification, candidates also meet the requirements of General Education. The following courses are required to meet these outcomes:
| 11-12 semester hours in communication | |
| ENG1000 | Prepatory and Introductory Composition (4) |
| ENG2010 | Introduction to Research Writing (4) |
| COM1500 | Human Communication/Public Speaking (4) |
| OR | |
| THE1300 | Acting I (3) |
| 0-8 semester hours | MTH1210 Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I and |
| MTH1220 Math for Elementary Teachers II or | |
| successful completion of Mathematics Competency requirement | |
| 8 semester hours of | Ways of Knowing: Ourselves and Others |
| PSY3350 Child and Adolescent Development (4) | |
| PSC 1100 Politics, Society and Culture (4) |
|
| 4 semester hours | SBS1100 Introduction to Social Sciences (4) |
| 4 semester hours | HIS 1200 or 1210 American History (4) |
| 4 semester hours of |
Ways of Knowing: Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression Group A Elective |
| 4 semester hours | HUM2100 The Arts and Human Experience (Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression Group B) (4) |
| 8 semester hours of |
Ways of Knowing: Our Natural World |
| NSM1150 Science Foundations (4) | |
| NSM1300 Earth Science (4) | |
| 4 semester hours | BIO1220 Biology of Organisms (4) or |
| BIO1060 Human Biology (4) | |
| BIO2220 Humans and the Environment (4) |
|
| 8 semester hours of | Ways of Living (IDS1600 and IDS2000) (8) |
| 3 semester hours |
PSY3460 Exceptional Individual(3) |
NOTE: For those individuals seeking a middle school endorsement, completion of EDU3440 Middle School Missions and Methods (4) is required.
Academic information on departmental Web sites reflects the university's most current curriculum. The print version of the catalog, which is also posted online, may differ from this information.
