DEPARTMENT MENU
Elementary Education
Maybe you don’t learn everything you need to know in kindergarten, but elementary school teachers certainly have a great responsibility for providing young students with a strong foundation for academic and social success.
Nicholls understands that it takes more than a few boxes of crayons to manage a classroom. Teacher education courses help students learn how to develop lesson plans incorporating cutting-edge teaching strategies and technology. Classroom observations and student teaching experiences prepare future teachers for the reality of what it’s like to work in elementary education today.
Program Requirements:
All candidates in the Elementary Education program must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and a “C” or above in all coursework.
Elementary Education candidates are required to take courses in:
- Methods in providing a multicultural environment
- Methods in Creative Arts and Music
- Methods in Language and Literature, Math, Science, and Technology
- Methods in Developmental Reading Methods in Elementary Education
- Classroom Management and Lesson Planning
Field Experiences:
Elementary Education candidates complete various field experiences throughout required coursework and a student teaching experience that is completed at the end of the program. These experiences include observations and teaching whole group, small group and individual instruction in public school settings as well as experiences within the Demonstration Room within the College of Education.
Candidates must also complete Praxis I and the following three sections of Praxis II for Louisiana Teacher certification in Elementary Education: PLT: K – 6th , Special Education: Mild Moderate, and Elementary Content Knowledge
Praxis I must be completed prior to entering EDUC 250 (Introduction to Education) and Praxis II must be completed prior to the final student teaching semester.
*For the most current program curriculum visit the course catalog and access the curriculum check sheets for the current year.
FAQs:
Q. Will I be teacher certified immediately after graduation?
A. Not immediately after graduation. After the appropriate paperwork is completed and sent in to the Louisiana State Board of Education, a Louisiana teaching certificate is then issued.
Q. Am I required to do a portfolio in the BFED curriculum?
A. Yes. Candidates are required to submit a professional portfolio in the student teaching field experience.
Q. Am I required to complete two field experience semesters in the BFED curriculum?
A. Yes. Candidates are required to complete a practicum internship as well as a student teaching experience. During the practicum internship the candidates rotate through four field experiences including Home-Based shadowing, a Birth to Three facility, a prekindergarten classroom, and a Kindergarten classroom. During the student teaching experience, the candidates remain in a kindergarten classroom throughout the entire semester.
Q. Am I required to take the Praxis exam in the BFED curriculum? If so, which Praxis exams am I required to take?
A. Yes. BFED candidates are required to take Praxis I (Core Academic Skills for Educators) and Praxis II – Three specialty areas: PLT: Early Childhood (#0621 or #5621), Special Education: Early Childhood (#5691), and Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (#0014 or #5014). See your advisor for Praxis information or see Praxis information.
Q. Are there any scholarships available for BFEI majors?
A. BFED and CDAS majors may apply for the Louisiana Pathways Scholarship. Louisiana Pathways pays the tuition of eligible early childhood majors. Visit the scholarships page for more details.
CAREERS
Elementary Education 1-5th Louisiana State Department of Education Certification:
1-5th Elementary Education Certification
Graduate Job Opportunities:
1st Grade Teacher
2nd Grade Teacher
3rd Grade Teacher
4th Grade Teacher
5th Grade Teacher
PROGRAM ADVISORS
Alyson Theriot
Assistant Professor of Education
121 College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building
Phone: 985.448.4339
E-mail: alyson.theriot@nicholls.edu
Dr. Derek Shanman
Assistant Professor of Education
119 College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building
Phone: 985.448.4319
E-mail: derek.shanman@nicholls.edu
Dr. Cynthia Vavasseur
Associate Professor of Education
139 College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building
Phone: 985.448.4334
E-mail: cynthia.vavasseur@nicholls.edu
Ms. Sara Dempster
Instructor of Education
138 College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building
Phone: 985.448.4315
E-mail: sara.dempster@nicholls.edu
CONTACT INFORMATION
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
220 College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Building
P.O. Box 2053
Thibodaux, LA 70310
LOCATION
