Preservice M.A. Program in Childhood Education, Grades 1-6
The Childhood Education Program views the following themes as central to its curriculum:
- understanding learning, the learner, communities of learners, and the contexts in which learning occurs;
- understanding the nature, structure, and tools of inquiry of the disciplines taught; and
- using knowledge of pedagogy to create and adapt supportive learning environments based on formal and informal assessments.
The program aims to help prospective teachers who are committed to work in urban schools for educational equity. It has multiple entry points. It may be completed in four academic semesters or on an accelerated fulltime basis in a little more than a calendar year, commencing early in the summer, followed by fall and spring semesters, and concluding the following summer. Dual certification in childhood/childhood special education is also available. (See Special Education.)
Core Values
Programs in early childhood and childhood education prepare teachers and other professionals to work with children from birth through later childhood. Graduate preservice programs lead to the Master of Arts degree and fulfill academic requirements for initial/ professional or permanent teacher certification in New York State depending on the student’s background.
Students in the Early Childhood and Childhood Education Programs are not a homogeneous group. They vary widely in age and background. Many were liberal arts or business majors as undergraduates. Some are making a career change. All have chosen teaching because they are interested in children and are seeking a career that is personally rewarding.
The program helps prospective teachers develop as decision makers and reflective practitioners who are committed to work in urban schools and to using the city as a core resource for their learning. Prospective teachers are immersed in thoughtful discussions and interactions around the critical educational issues of our times, especially issues of developmental, linguistic, cultural, and racial diversity and educational equity. Each course in the program is tied to either fieldwork or student teaching, generating rich and authentic reflections upon theory and practice.
The program
- involves deep study of how children learn at different developmental stages and in different contexts as well as strategies for supporting the learning;
- fosters an understanding of the relationships between and among schools, families, and communitybased organizations as they interact to impact student learning;
- develops both content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge with an understanding that both are needed at high levels by teachers; and
- supports the growth of teachers as social advocates for educational equity
in a pluralistic culture.
Quality Care for All Children
Our foremost concern is creating quality care and education for all children. The belief in social justice is inherent in the multiple strands of our graduate early childhood teacher certification program at New York University. Children are at the center of our curriculum and study. We see children as competent persons actively engaged in meaning making in the multiple contexts in which they find themselves. We recognize the singular importance of parents and families in nurturing young children and the need of educators to develop reciprocal relationships with each family. The family’s rich knowledge of their children should help inform care giving and educational practices, and our advocacy efforts should take that knowledge into consideration.
The programs
- involve deep study of how children develop in multiple contexts; offer recursive teaching experiences in a variety of settings;
- provide a strong principlebased set of practices regarding learning environments and educational experiences;
- support children and adults in learning to accept and respect each other’s differences;
- foster a critical view of people’s histories;
- consider the needs, lifestyles, languages, and cultural patterns of the communities we serve;
- show respect for and encourage equal status for all people;
- encourage taking immediate action to interrupt our own and other’s discriminatory behavior; and
- advocate institutional changes that value early childhood education as
a vital part of a child’s educational experiences.
Our view is that the central component of teachers’ development as teacher/researchers is continual reflection on their own and others’ educational practices. We believe that careful reflection and examination will help preservice teachers to develop powerful tools as caring, talented, and committed professionals who will be equipped to address our stated program strands.