2023-24 Academic Catalog

Bachelors (BS) in Education

Overview

The Degree Completion Education Major offers two tracks: multiple subjects (early childhood and elementary education) or single subjects (middle school and high school).  

Candidates who pursue a multiple subjects endorsement will be eligible to teach grades kindergarten through 8th in a self-contained classroom.  Candidates who choose a single subjects endorsement may choose one of three content areas: Integrated Science, Mathematics or Language Arts, and may teach a single subject in middle and/or high school. 

Acceptance into the teacher education program does not guarantee assignment for student teaching. Admission to student teaching is based upon continued good standing, favorable recommendations, an attained cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better on all college-level courses (including transfer credits), an average GPA of 2.75 or better in the teaching major, completion of the required teaching major and professional courses with no grade below C-, passing scores on appropriate basic skills, and having taken content area examinations.

Degree Outcomes

Graduates with a BS in education will

  • Demonstrate their understanding of grade-level and endorsement content
  • Demonstrate their ability to create coherent, accurate and effective pedagogy
  • Demonstrate an ability to reflect on their practice accurately, corresponding to the assessments that would be given by an external and unbiased observer, and demonstrate professionalism in the classroom by acting with integrity and honesty.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of learner development and an ability to embrace all diversities
  • Demonstrate eligibility for licensure by completing all state and university requirements

Major Requirements

Education Core Requirements

Complete the following:
Students may take ELED 260 as a prerequisite before starting the Education program. However, students who have not completed ELED 260 prior to starting the program will be required to take it as part of their Education major course plan.
An overview of history and diverse social issues in education and an exploration of teaching as a career. Introduction to the teacher education program at George Fox University. Survey of learning theories and possible applications in the elementary classroom are explored. Prerequisite course.
Complete the following:
Students must complete all of the major courses below.
This course examines human development with developmental psychology, learning theory, and theoretical and practical aspects of human development-birth through adolescence. Foundations in learning theory and their connections to developmental psychology and learning theory are explored. Foundational knowledge of exceptionalities is built. Included will be age-level characteristics and developmentally appropriate practice for children in early childhood through middle school.
This course provides teacher candidates the opportunity to explore various types of curriculum offered in the 21st Century Classroom. Candidates will explore and analyze current curriculum in Science, Social Studies, Literacy, Math and Art. Candidates will also be introduced to best-practice teaching models. In addition, candidates will explore technology integration and how to best meet the needs of the 21st-century student.
Part of being an effective educator is recognizing and embracing diversity as an asset in the classroom. In this course, we will consider how institutional and classroom practices help and hinder students as well as how these practices align with values of dominant groups. This course also introduces you to a multiplicity of students and students' needs. It will provide you with a framework for approaching such situations and specific skills for facilitating learning for all students.
Working within the differentiation framework for curriculum planning, this course will examine and apply the concepts and instructional strategies that are essential for the academic achievement of our students from cultural, diverse, language, behavioral and academic backgrounds. Examines strategies for planning, managing, and teaching content to students. Emphasis is placed on curriculum, teaching, and hands-on learning approaches that accommodate a diverse student population.
Clearly, individual classroom teachers can have a major impact on student achievement. Of the three major roles of the classroom teacher – making choices about instructional strategies, designing classroom curriculum, and employing classroom management techniques – classroom management is arguably the foundation. Research on classroom management is integrated into the course. This course introduces the teacher candidate to research-based effective classroom management strategies.
The teacher candidate enters the classroom as a co-teacher who is collaborating with a cooperating teacher in developing and presenting instruction that is designed for the success of all students. Successful teaching and the completion of the teacher licensing portfolio. The teacher licensing portfolio is a written documentation of the student's ability to teach all students. Additional course fee required.
Building on the conceptual ideas of Assessment for Learning, this course focuses on the idea that assessment is a collaborative process that involves the student, teacher, and other stakeholders in a collaborative experience that is designed to empower student success. The four dimensions of background knowledge, language abilities, academics, and behavior assessments will provide the impetus for a course which investigates, develops, and plans assessments for all students, including English language learners, special education students, talented and gifted students, and mainstream students. A wide diversity of classroom assessments will be explored. Additionally, the use and interpretation of standardized assessments will be examined, and teacher candidates will be prepared to implement fair and realistic accommodations/assessments in the mainstream classroom.
An advanced seminar offered on an occasional basis addressing a current topic in the field that is of special interest to students and current faculty.
This course assists teacher candidates to synthesize their foundation, methods and content background during the full time clinical experience, including content to prepare the teacher candidates as they transition into the teaching profession. The course content is presented in a professional development workshop while encouraging an understanding of the need for continued growth as teaching professionals as well as additional information on classroom management and differentiation.

Elementary (multiple subjects) or Secondary (single subjects) Tracks (choose one):

Complete the following:
Students may take MATH 211 and MATH 212 as prerequisites before starting the Education program. However, students who have not completed these courses prior to starting the program will be required to take them as part of their Education major course plan.
This course is the first of two courses designed to engage elementary and middle school prospective teachers in the learning and development of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching mathematics. It has a multi-dimensional focus on mathematical problem solving and reasoning with understanding of numbers and their properties through various representations, including algebraic and visual representations. Additional course fee required.
This course is the second of two courses designed to engage elementary and middle school prospective teachers in the learning and development of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching mathematics. Emphasis will be placed on nuanced mathematics content knowledge needed for teaching within the domains of algebra,statistics, probability, geometry, and measurement. Prerequisite: Completion of MATH 211 Foundations of Elementary Mathematics I.
Complete the following:
This course seeks to integrate effective mathematics teaching and learning pedagogies within the framework of the common core state standards. The development of personal understanding of mathematical concepts and processes is emphasized; this process requires the student to expand his/her own learning beyond the course assignments to examine the relationships between mathematical concepts and the real world. Teaching mathematics effectively to diverse learners is emphasized. The course is interactive and dependent upon student participation.
This course is designed to provide you with a firm understanding of research-based, best practices for teaching science at the elementary and middle school levels. This course encourages prospective teachers to view science as a space for making sense of the natural and man-made world and focuses on what it means to think (content knowledge) and act (scientific and engineering practices) like a scientist. Prospective teachers will develop pedagogical content knowledge around three dimensional learning and learning progressions as described in the Next Generation Science Standards. Part of developing pedagogical content knowledge entails a specific focus on exploring and analyzing childhood ideas in science, planning, assessing, and implementing effective learning environments and lessons that utilize technology, best practices, hands-on experiences, student-centered learning and honors the diversity of all learners.
Using the basic principles and elements of music and art, students will explore making connections between subjects in the elementary curriculum.
This course is designed to provide students with a firm understanding of research-based, best practices for teaching social studies at the elementary and middle school levels. This course encourages prospective teachers to view social studies as a way to analyze patterns of human behavior and understand cultural perspectives. Prospective teachers will develop pedagogical content knowledge. Part of developing pedagogical content knowledge entails a specific focus on exploring and analyzing national social studies standards. In addition, students will utilize technology, best practices, hands-on experiences, and student-centered learning. This course will celebrate the diversity of all learners.
This course focuses on the pedagogy of integrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education that uses engineering design and language arts as authentic contexts for student learning. With an emphasis on engineering design, teacher candidates will develop engineering content and pedagogical content knowledge, as well as familiarity with the engineering practices and learning progressions described in the Next Generation Science Standards. Teacher candidates will develop efficacy to design, instruct, and assess STEAM units within the K through 5 grade span and the ability to critically examine STEAM resources and curriculum from the perspective of equity and social justice to support inclusive classroom environments.
This course examines and offers opportunities to apply health and physical education methods for elementary teachers. Using state and national standards, students will explore opportunities to include and integrate health and physical education content into the classroom.
This course focuses on teaching through a writing workshop. It creates a foundation for teaching writing focused on the individual needs of students. Theory, learner development, diversity and content knowledge will be applied in lesson and unit planning and in teaching children. Assessment, planning, teaching and reflection will be modeled using the CCSS, best practice and attention to the needs of all learners.
This course focuses on teaching reading through a reading workshop. This builds candidate knowledge in the areas of teaching reading focusing on the individual needs of each reader in the classroom. Theory, learner development, diversity and content knowledge will be applied in lesson and unit planning and in teaching children. Assessment, planning, teaching and reflection will be modeled using the CCSS, best practice and attention to the needs of all learners.
Complete the following:
A study of instructional strategies and the design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum for content-specific secondary classrooms. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices within the content area.
A study of structures, strategies, issues, designs and possibilities for the implementation of curriculum to meet the specific developmental needs of secondary students with an emphasis on mid-level students in the content area. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices with an emphasis on the content area at the mid-level.
Complete the following:

In addition to the Education Core (42 hours) and Pedagogy coursework (6 hours), students must complete 24 hours of content coursework. This coursework can be completed through George Fox Digital or at another college or University, and must be 100 level or above. The English Language Arts content coursework must include:

  • Analysis/Interpretation of Literature (15 hours)
  • Compositon/Writing (6 hours)
  • Literacy/Language Conventions (3 hours)

The content coursework must be approved by the Program Director.

Complete the following:
A study of instructional strategies and the design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum for content-specific secondary classrooms. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices within the content area.
A study of structures, strategies, issues, designs and possibilities for the implementation of curriculum to meet the specific developmental needs of secondary students with an emphasis on mid-level students in the content area. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices with an emphasis on the content area at the mid-level.
Complete the following:

In addition to the Education Core (42 hours) and Pedagogy coursework (6 hours), students must complete 25 hours of content coursework. This coursework can be completed through George Fox Digital or at another college or University, and must be 100 level or above. The Integrated Science content coursework must include:

  • Physical Science (8 hours)
  • Life Science (8 hours)
  • Earth/Space Science (6 hours)
  • Nature of Science (3 hours)

The content coursework must be approved by the Program Director.

Complete the following:
A study of instructional strategies and the design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum for content-specific secondary classrooms. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices within the content area.
A study of structures, strategies, issues, designs and possibilities for the implementation of curriculum to meet the specific developmental needs of secondary students with an emphasis on mid-level students in the content area. The pattern of course topics presented includes the nature of content knowledge, general pedagogical methods, subject-specific pedagogical methods, and integrated pedagogical methods. Inclusion emphasis. For single subject endorsement candidates, this course offers an intensive exploration of developmentally appropriate pedagogical practices with an emphasis on the content area at the mid-level.
Complete the following:

In addition to the Education Core (42 hours) and Pedagogy coursework (6 hours), students must complete 25 hours of content coursework. This coursework can be completed througth George Fox Digital or at another college or University, and must be 100 level or above. The Integrated Science content coursework must include:

  • Calculus Sequence (12 hours)
  • Introduction to Proofs (3 hours)
  • Statistics (4 hours)
  • Measurement and Geometry (3 hours)
  • Mathematical Modeling (3 hours)

The content coursework must be approved by the Program Director.