An elementary school teacher not only helps children learn but prepares future leaders. We prepare teachers who are culturally responsive and committed to social justice through engagement with the community.
Your support will help our Ball State elementary teacher candidates to work with children and teachers in schools and organizations.
There are numerous ways teacher candidates engage in the ELED teacher preparation program. The following list provides a sample of the top ten ways our teacher candidates engage with our program:
- Service Learning & Community Involvement: Ball State teacher candidates are situated to serve in several of their courses as well as encouraged to get involved in both the campus and neighboring communities.
- Emerging Instructional Technology & Media: Ball State teacher candidates begin learning how to use various technologies and media in their first year to prepare them for future 21st Century classrooms. Teacher candidates are invited to engage in professional development, book studies, interactive online learning experiences, and faculty-student instructional technology workshop events.
- Immersive Learning Opportunities: Ball State elementary teacher candidates begin teaching and learning as early as their first year when enrolled in one of many of our immersive learning opportunities.
- Living-Learning Communities: Ball State elementary teacher candidates engage in peer mentoring, early professional development events and activities, and community building for freshman.
- College Mentors for Kids: Ball State elementary teacher candidates mentor local Muncie elementary students.
- Ongoing Professional Development & Travel: Ball State elementary education teacher candidates have various opportunities to build professional capacity, including but not limited to conference presentations, national and international travel, such as studying abroad in England and student teaching in Texas or Germany. ELED faculty are supported by the program to expand professional capacity alongside teacher candidates.
- Urban School program: Ball State elementary teacher candidates learn and teach for a semester in the MSD of Wayne Township (Indianapolis).
- Schools within the Context of Community: Ball State elementary teacher candidates complete immersive course work and field experiences in Muncie Community Schools.
- STEAM Literacy & Enrichment: Ball State elementary teacher candidates have opportunities to learn how to teach Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics across the elementary curriculum as well as facilitate after school enrichment. Experiences include faculty-student curriculum analysis, hands-on professional development seminars, PLTW training, and more.
- Camp Adventure: Local elementary students attend 4 weeks of summer camp planned and facilitated by Ball State elementary teacher candidates.
Additional Information About Our Program
Our program offers real-world applications and immersive learning projects, in which students gain valuable, hands-on experience working alongside community organizations such as museums, childcare centers, and community agencies.
In addition, through Ball State's Professional Development Schools program, we partner with a number of elementary schools and early childhood centers to provide placements for our practicum students and student teachers.
Teacher candidates begin the elementary education program working in the field their first year, directly with elementary students and professional elementary teachers, and this experience continues through student teaching to graduation.
Our graduates have a 93 percent placement rate thanks to our dedicated, experienced faculty responsible for our programs, many of whom consistently rank among the best of their kind in the U.S.
Your support will help our Ball State elementary teacher candidates to work with elementary children and teachers in schools and organizations across Indiana, the United States, and around the globe.
Thank you for your donation!
