Master of Education in Elementary Education - Initial Teacher Licensure Initial Program – Leads to Initial Teacher Licensure
Overview
Earn Your Teaching Licensure for First- Through Eighth-Graders
Individuals with a desire to teach and a bachelor's degree outside of education can gain the skills and knowledge to lead elementary classrooms. With a curriculum approved by the Arizona State Board of Education, our Master of Education (MEd) in Elementary Education prepares you to attain your initial teacher licensure. Offered online by the College of Education, this master’s in elementary education program provides the training and application to help you engage and manage youth in 21st century learning communities.
Throughout the master's in elementary education program, you examine prescribed teaching methods and strategies, and develop innovative plans to improve student outcomes. Learn assessment techniques in addition content relevant to learners in grades 1-8. Grand Canyon University's (GCU) rigorous education curriculum focuses on analyzing and proposing solutions to current issues in education, such as student literacy and teaching English language learners. Observational practicums and student teaching integrated into your program enhance your ability to teach, lead and succeed in culturally and intellectually diverse elementary schools.
Programs leading to teacher certification may require practicum hours, state exams, student teaching and an institutional recommendation from GCU.
Degree Outcomes
Learn the Foundation of Elementary Education
The master's in elementary education is designed to afford you the foundations of education and intertwines evidence-based theory with advanced teaching methods. All courses are directly aligned with the specialized professional teaching standards and associated national content standards.
In this program, you will evaluate instructional strategies for multiple content areas, including English as a second language (ESL), health, social studies, math and science. You complete observational and practice-based experience assignments that help you during your teacher candidate phase. In your final semester, you complete your state licensure exams and a full-time student teaching component.
What You Will Learn
Master's in Education Curriculum
Throughout this Master of Education program, you will review the following topics:
- The construction, analysis and interpretation of psychological tests to measure learning outcome
- Collaboration to increase instructional effectiveness and student learning
- The nature, origins and history of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy
- Human learning and cognition
- Humanistic, transpersonal and existential psychology in relation to motivation, needs, love and existence
- Theories of inquiry and appropriate tests and measures
Career Outcomes
Forge a New Career Path in Education
As a graduate of the Master of Education in Elementary Education degree program, you will be qualified to pursue teaching positions within public, private and alternative educational settings. Potential career titles include elementary education teacher, child development specialist and child advocate.
Note: This program was recently revised. Disclosure statistics on this program before it was revised indicated 54% of students graduated on time (within 26 months) and graduated with a median loan debt of $36,198.
Course List
Program Core Courses
Course Description
Teacher candidates prepare for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University by developing and strengthening the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students in the College of Education. Teacher candidates survey the philosophical, historical, and sociological influences upon which educational theories and practices are constructed and explore a variety of the common issues, trends, and opportunities that professional educators face in the field. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates survey how children and early adolescents grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas while understanding the implications for designing and implementing developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences. This survey of the seminal concepts, principles, theories, and research related to development of children and young adolescents will allow teacher candidates to build foundational knowledge for constructing learning opportunities that support individual students’ development, acquisition of knowledge, and motivation. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine how to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self- motivation. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge regarding the importance of establishing and maintaining positive collaborative relationships with families, school colleagues, and agencies in the larger community to promote the intellectual, social, emotional, physical growth, and well-being of children. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine how instructional planning supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of students and the community context. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge regarding the importance of planning instruction based on knowledge of students, learning theory, connection across the curriculum, curricular goals, and community, with focused attention upon children’s informational text. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates investigate multiple methods of assessment that support student engagement, monitoring student progress, and guiding decision making. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge regarding formal and informal assessment strategies for planning, evaluating, and strengthening instruction to promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of each elementary student. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required. Prerequisite: ELM-520.
Course Description
Candidates examine the United States Constitution, and the constitution of the State of Arizona. From this foundational review, candidates will explore application of the United States Constitution and the constitution of the State of Arizona in educational contexts. Practicum/field experience hours: 3. Fingerprint clearance not required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine how to teach foundational skills to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of texts and disciplines. Teacher candidates build additional knowledge regarding print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency to promote early literacy and independent readers. Practicum/field experience hours: 6. Fingerprint clearance not required. Prerequisite: ELM-530.
Course Description
This course presents the historical, legal, theoretical, and sociological foundations of programs of instruction for English language learners. It includes an examination of the role of culture in learning and instructional program models, with a focus on Structured English Immersion. Teacher candidates are instructed in immersion strategies and the use of assessment data. Practicum/field experience hours: 10. Fingerprint clearance required.
Course Description
In this course, teacher candidates continue to examine the fundamentals of the legal, historical, and educational foundations of Structured English Immersion and other instructional programs for English language learners. Theoretical principles of language acquisition and the role of culture in learning are examined. Methods of assessment are identified and analyzed. Teacher candidates identify strategies to promote English language development and improve student achievement. They plan, deliver, and evaluate instruction for English language learners. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of the major concepts and modes of inquiry from the integrated study of history, geography, the social sciences and other related areas. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge on promoting elementary students’ abilities to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world. Teacher candidates integrate the content, functions and achievements of the performing and visual arts as primary media for communication, inquiry and engagement among elementary students. Practicum/field experience hours: 12. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: ELM-530.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of the major concepts and procedures that define number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge on engaging problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections and representations to help students successfully apply their developing skills to many different situations, materials, and ideas. Practicum/field experience hours: 12. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: ELM-530.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine fundamental concepts of physical, life, earth/space sciences and health education. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge on a variety of age-appropriate inquiry-based instructional strategies to teach science, to build student understanding of personal and social applications, to convey the nature of science, and student development for the practice of skills that contribute to good health. Practicum/field experience hours: 12. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: ELM-530.
Course Description
Teacher candidates examine a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of reading, writing, and oral language and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways. Teacher candidates build foundational knowledge on how to use the concepts from reading, language, and child development to teach reading, writing, speaking, viewing, listening, and thinking skills, and to help students successfully apply their developing skills to many different situations, materials, and ideas. Practicum/field experience hours: 12. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: ELM-530.
Course Description
Teacher candidates are engaged in the student teaching experience that includes practical classroom experiences, research, analysis, and teaching to support the creation of a Teacher Work Sample (TWS). Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses in POS and content area; a 3.0 GPA; successful completion of NES or your state’s mandated content area exams; and approval and placement by the College of Education Office of Clinical Practice. All paperwork for student teaching must be submitted by the due date the semester prior to student teaching.
Faculty Bios
Program Locations
Online
Evening
* The Department of Education defines how an institution must calculate a program's On-Time Completion rate for federal disclosure purposes. The On-Time Completion rate is based on a program’s published required number of months to complete all degree requirements as provided in the institution’s catalog. Completion statistics are updated every January and are based on the cohort of students who graduated between 7/1 – 6/30 of the preceding year. The On-Time Completion rate is determined by the number of students in the cohort who completed the program within the published program length divided by the number of students in the cohort who graduated.
Online and Evening program disclosures* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.