EARLY CHILDHOOD

CONTACT PERSONS:

• Ms. Carol Paull - 216-397-4690
• Dr. Mark Storz - 216-397-3070

ACCREDITATIONS:

• NAEYC
• NCATE

The Early Childhood program develops expertise in working with children from ages three through eight and pre-kindergarten through grade three. In addition to the liberal arts core courses in John Carroll University, the students take courses specifically related to this age group.

The program recognizes that early childhood development is a process of accommodation between the child and the child’s environment . Students in the program participate in multiple field experiences in diverse settings including the home, preschool, school and service agencies and learn to translate content knowledge into practice. These experiences prepare the prospective teacher to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practice in the variety of environments affecting the young child.

Seven instructional objectives (National Association for the Education of Young Children)  guide the program and focus course syllabi.  The program prepares prospective teachers who understand the historical, philosophical, social and political foundations of early childhood education (p.2 NCATE folio).

Interested students must make application for and be accepted in to the teacher education program prior to registration in upper-division education courses. An applicant must have taken, or be enrolled in, ED 100, 186 and 253 before, or at the time of, application for admission. Students may not take any additional coursework beyond ED 100, 186, and 253 unless they are formally admitted to teacher education. Those accepted into the AYA or MA licensure program must also be accepted into a departmental major, e.g., History.

For undergraduates, application is normally made during the semester in which ED 253 is taken, usually in the sophomore year. Application forms are available from the department office. Post-baccalaureate students are evaluated at the time of admission to the Graduate School and need not make a separate application. An interview is required of all students, undergraduate and graduate.

The professional year is a unique aspect of the professional development of pre-service candidates at John Carroll University. All candidates participate in a full academic year clinical experience in one classroom for Pre-Student Teaching (first semester) and Student Teaching (second semester). Pre-Student Teaching opens the opportunity to reflect, question, and continue with weekly experiences in a classroom which culminates in Student Teaching and the daily opportunity to continually challenge perceptions in light of the present. As a function of the Pre-Student Teaching and Student Teaching semester, the candidates meet on a regular basis in conference with the cooperating teacher and university supervisor to discuss present teaching capacity, provide feedback on areas for improvement, and continue to address the development profession for becoming an educator.

PROFESSIONAL and PEDAGOGICAL STUDIES
Professional and pedagogical studies provide a planned sequence of courses that develop knowledge about education, for example, its social and historical foundations, and foster understanding and use of the principles of effective teaching practice. The following courses are common to all licensure areas (EC, MC, AYA, and Multi-Age):

ED 100 Introduction to Education (2 cr.)
ED 186 Instructional Technology (2 cr.)
ED 201 Assessment, Learning & Individual Differences (3 cr.)
ED 253 School and Society (3 cr.)
ED 255 Literacy Across the Curriculum (3 cr.)
ED 350 Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (3 cr.)
ED 405 Seminar in Teaching (3 cr.)
ED 444 Student Teaching (3 cr.)

Specifically required for Early Childhood Education
ED 224 Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3 cr.)
ED 225 Observational Assessment of the Young Child (3 cr.)
ED 225E Seminar I: Focus on Family Ecology (3 cr.)
ED 325 Learning Across the Early Childhood Years (3 cr.)
ED 331 Integrated Learning in Preschool (3 cr.)
ED 332 Integrated Learning in Early Elementary Years (3 cr.)
ED 355 Language Study and Phonics (3 cr.)
ED 415 Educational Procedures for the Exceptional Child (3 cr.)
ED 456 Reading Assessment and Intervention (3 cr.)
ED 457 Methods in Reading Education (3 cr.)

Curriculum Content or Teaching Field
Early Childhood Licensure requirements (21 hours)
MT 171 Foundations of Early Childhood Mathematics (3 cr.)
AR 171 Interdisciplinary Science (3 cr.)
PE 411 Health & Physical Education in Early Childhood (3 cr.)
PL 305 Philosophy of Education (3 cr.)
PS 261 Child Development (3 cr.)
SC 101 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
SC 215 Individual and Society (3 cr.)

Generalist Endorsement - new for 2009
click here