Early Childhood Education

The Education Department of Missouri Western State University is committed to the professional preparation of teachers for employment in Early Childhood Education programs.

MWSU is located in St. Joseph, Misouri. St. Joseph is a small city in the northwestern part of Missouri

Accreditation

Missouri Teacher Certification

Information You Will Need

Below will be information that people think about as they consider teaching as a career and about coming to Missouri Western.

Teaching: The Nature of the Work

Teacher Education at Missouri Western

Becoming a Teacher Leader:  Taking Responsiblity for Student Learning

Teacher Certification

Admission Requirements

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Teaching: The Nature of the Work

If you are in the process of thinking, "Maybe I should be a teacher," or "I really don't know about becoming a Preschool or Kindergarten school teacher," you should do some research and reading.  

One of the best publications to read is published by the U.S. Government. The Occupational Outlook Handbook: provides information about every possible job in the United States. It is published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you are interested in becoming a professional educator or teacher, you need to read this section of the handbook.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Teaching.

Being an early childhood school teacher has many rewards. It can provide a person with satisfaction and a comfortable standard of living. The decision to become a teacher, however, should not be taken lightly. It is the type of job that requires time outside of work to complete all the tasks involved in working with children from birth through the third grade in school.

Teacher Education at Missouri Western

Repeatedly, school administrators and teachers said that new teachers need to know what teaching, schools, and kids are really like. The only way that this can be accomplished is if prospective students have an early exposure to teaching and many hours of real teaching experience working with a master teacher.

Academic research into the preparation of teachers said the same thing that area educators were saying: prospective teachers need an early exposure to the classrooms.

The result was the development of a totally new, different and dynamic teacher education program that provided for a marriage of theory and practice. Beginning in 1996, the program underwent another series of improvements to strengthen the performance-based philosophy and ensure that all components of the program are focused on providing our teacher candidates with the skills and knowledge they need to meet current challenges in teacher education.

The four phase model for the preparation of teachers was developed at Missouri Western based upon the following:

• Professional advisory input from "school personnel in the St. Joseph area, representing private, parochial, and public institutions" (Haynes, Gettys, & Coyne, 1969)
• Early exposure to the classroom for the teacher candidate
• The concept of a continuum of courses and field experiences so that "the competency of a student in a future course depends upon the successful completion of and information acquired from a prior one" (Haynes, Gettys, & Coyne, 1969)
• Field experiences connected with specific courses so that theory informs practice, while practice further enlightens the theory
• A commitment to close collaboration between the cooperating teacher and the college supervisor as they work together to support and challenge preservice teachers to standards of excellence

These core beliefs have been incorporated into the current set of values that inform the MWSU Teacher Education Unit.

Becoming a Teacher Leader: Taking Responsibility for Student Learning

Moreover, many teacher candidates will actively participate in additional in-school teaching experiences. For example, teacher candidates seeking certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Special Reading, or English Speakers of Other Language are required to successfully complete practicums in host schools. Our education department faculty are often told by P-12 teachers and principals that our teacher candidates look like first or second year teachers by the time they are student teaching in Phase IV.

• Introduction to Education and Phase I Field Experience (Participation in Teaching I) These two courses, which must be taken concurrently, should be taken the second semester of the sophomore year at MWSU. The Intro class will provide the person with an overview of schools. Later in the semester the MWSU student will be assigned to an area school in the area of preschool through grade 3 for four hours each week. An overall goal of the two classes will be for the person to make a commitment about becoming a teacher. Some university students decide that teaching is not for them after spending time in a classroom during the Phase I field experience. It is important to our faculty that students make a deliberate and informed decision about their major before they have heavily invested time, money, and energy.

• Phase I of the MWSU Teacher Education program has the theme of "Awareness." The emphasis is on gaining awareness regarding the historical and philosophical foundations of schooling, how schools are organized and administered, legal foundations and constraints, and beginning teacher methods. During Phase I, the teacher candidate begins to reflect upon and create his or her philosophy of education after studying the various philosophers.
  

• Phase II Methods Course Early Childhood Education majors take multiple methods and child development classes that teach them how to work with young students and recognize their growth and developmental level in mathematics, communication arts, social studies, science, physical education or movement, art, and music. These classes are taught by qualified faculty members in the Missouri Western Education Department. Many of the methods classes also require an authentic application in a daycare, preschool, or classroom environment.
  

• Curriculum, Methods, and Materials for Early Childhood and Phase III Field Experience (Experience in teaching Early Childhood) are the next two companion courses. These classes provide for a marriage of theory and practice. The curriculum, methods, and materials class allows the teacher candidate to learn techniques, stategies, and appropriate materials for use with young children. Two days a week for two and a half hours, the MWSU teacher candidate will travel to an area school where he or she will assume the same responsibilities that a student teacher will have all day long. The MWSU student will observe teaching, write lesson plans, teach lessons and evaluate young children. Students will keep journals of the actions that they have taken in the classroom as they plan and execute lessons, manage the classroom and evaluate student progress. Daily lesson plans and activities and journal writing with extensive reflections instruct the teacher candidates to adjust teaching in order to positively affect student learning.
• Phase IV Student Teaching (Early Childhood Student Teaching III) Level IV, the Finding Voice stage of the teacher education program is this student teaching class. Due to the extensive application of knowledge and skills prior to Phase IV, the teacher candidate is well situated to find his or her own style of teaching. The emphasis during this stage will be on the synthesis of what has been learned before and a mature application as "the teacher" in the classroom.  During Phase IV Student Teaching, MWSU students will be assigned to an area preschool or kindergarten for fourteen weeks for the entire school day. The student teacher will have the opportunity to work with young children and a professional teacher who will assist the teacher candidate in developing his or her own style of teaching.

Teacher Certification

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has authorized Missouri Western State University to offer a teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education Birth through 3rd Grade.  Students may also work on Early Childhood Special Education as a concentration area for this degree.

Admission Requirements

A complete review of the Admission Requirements for Teacher Education can be found at the following location: Admissions

Financial Aid and Scholarships