Elementary Education

Majors & Minors
Elementary Education

Elementary Education

“I love how the education program at �鶹��ý Lafayette provided us with so many different opportunities to get hands-on experience with the local schools. It’s prepared me to eventually have my own classroom by studying veteran teachers.”

Elementary education major Olivia Chambers found her people and her passion at �鶹��ý Lafayette

You should major in elementary education if:

You want to engage kids in new ideas and build their talents for lifelong success and fulfillment.
You enjoy working with kids and want to have a meaningful influence on their lives.
You’re interested in teaching a variety of subjects, including science, math, history, and reading.
You want to influence improvements in the field of education.

Teachers are the heartbeat of schools and classrooms.

The core knowledge and learning experiences a child receives in elementary school becomes a foundation for their success and fulfillment in life. In the elementary education program at �鶹��ý Lafayette, you will become an effective and caring teacher who helps kids build reading and math skills — and helps them become active participants in their communities and world.

You’ll learn the theories behind great teaching to foster students’ creativity, social development, and intellectual growth. Then, you'll teach your lessons in local classrooms and community programs.

Throughout the program, you’ll collaborate with peers and professors to continuously improve your teaching practice by looking closely at the relationship between teaching and learning.

With your degree in elementary education, you’ll be certified by the �鶹��ý Department of Education to teach children in grades 1 through 5.

Elementary Education at �鶹��ý Lafayette

What's Elementary Education Like?

Learning teaching methods
Collaborative projects
Writing & communication
Sharing your work
Teaching in real classrooms
Innovative lesson design

for training teachers

�鶹��ý Lafayette graduates the most certified teachers of any college or university in �鶹��ý.

Life in the Elementary Education Program

A University of �鶹��ý at Lafayette education major teaches students in a third grade classroom

Get Teaching Experience

The College of Education partners with public and private schools to give you three levels of experience in the classroom: Classroom observations, developing and implementing lesson plans, and co-teaching with an experienced teacher during a year-long internship. For your internship, you'll work alongside an experienced teacher, who will support and coach you as you play an active role in the classroom and school.

Becoming Teacher Researchers

The College of Education is home to the Center for Gifted Education and the Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies. These centers host camps and conferences where you can work with students, network with professionals, and learn the latest developments in educational practices.

You will also have opportunities to work with peers and professors on teacher research projects that examine issues in education and processes to create sustainable solutions.

Discover Innovative Teaching Tools & Strategies

Learn educational theories that have informed curriculum design as well as the best educational practices continually developed around the globe. Apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of great teachers as you work with kids in real classroom settings.

Community Partnerships & Organizations

As a developing teacher, it is important to learn what community resources may support your future students and families. During your program, you will visit and learn about community tools and opportunities you could use to boost your future classroom initiatives.

Meet other aspiring and accomplished educators through professional organizations and honor societies, including The Associated Professional Educators of �鶹��ý, Kappa Delta Pi, the �鶹��ý Association of Educators, and Educators Rising.

Education Courses According to Students

Freshman Year Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year

EDFL 106: Introduction to Education

“We are currently learning about this history of education, which I find very interesting. It is amazing to see how the education industry has grown, and the number of students enrolled in school has doubled just over the last fifty years. It is incredible to learn how my future career has developed and how it will continue to develop over the years.”

Amalie Bourque, Early Childhood Education Major

EDCI 308: Children’s Literature with Heather Stone

with Dr. Heather Stone

“My favorite class I have taken for my major was Children's Literature with Dr. Heather Stone. She had an energy that a future teacher would want to have in a classroom. She taught us how to read literature to young children and also cater to a diverse population to connect better with a child.”

Kailon Babineaux, Early Childhood Education Major

EDCI 427: Teaching in a Diverse Society

“It just really opens your eyes, not just to racial diversity, but religious diversity and opening your mind to see other people’s perspectives — which is obviously super important in a classroom where you’re going to have students from different backgrounds.”

Katy Meaux, Music Education Major

EDFL 456: Classroom Assessment

with Dr. Amanda Mayeaux

“The class focused on the importance of creating and using assessment of all kinds in the classroom. Our big project was to create a whole Unit Assessment for a specific content area, which at first seemed daunting. However, Dr. Mayeaux worked with us very closely on creating this and made the process fun. I learned so many things not only about assessment, but about the teaching profession as well.”

Olivia Chambers, Elementary Education Major

Careers in Elementary Education

Taylor Wallace

“The elementary education program allowed me to walk into real classrooms as early as my freshman year. From the get-go, I was able to observe great teachers and get ideas from their classrooms that still help me today.”

Elementary Education '15

Fourth-grade gifted teacher

More about Taylor

Jobs in Elementary Education

Elementary School Teacher
School Administrator
Instructional Specialist
Child Care Provider
Child Care Advocate
Trainer
Instructional Designer

Program Requirements

To graduate with your degree in elementary education, you must:

Maintain a 2.5 overall GPA and a 2.5 cumulative GPA in all of your major courses
Apply for and complete the Teacher Preparation Program
Pass Praxis exams

Declaring a major in elementary education does not automatically enroll you in the Teacher Preparation Program.

You must apply for and be admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program during the semester when you expect to earn 45 credit hours (typically the first semester during your second year).

To be accepted, you must:

Complete freshman courses with a "C" or better.
Maintain a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA or better.
Complete the .

Before you can start your Teacher Residency, you must pass your Praxis test for elementary education and the Praxis PLT (Principles of Learning and Teaching): Grades K-6.

for test codes and minimum scores.

Upon completion of the entire program, you will receive certification through the �鶹��ý Department of Education to teach Elementary Education Gr 1-5.

Resources

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Elementary Education

Elementary education major Olivia Chambers found her people and her passion at �鶹��ý Lafayette