Childhood Education Program at SUNY Plattsburgh

Childhood Education Programs at SUNY Plattsburgh

Start Teaching in Your First Semester

Going into elementary schools and learning in context is an important part of our program. Freshmen in the undergraduate childhood education major take education classes every semester with required field placements in every class.

Learn Effective Teaching with Our Collaborative Approach

Our updated course content is designed by teams of faculty, including professors from childhood education, special education, and literacy education, working collaboratively to develop course syllabi and to team-teach.

The childhood education program has spiraling themes (e.g., multicultural competencies, technology, contextualized experiences/learning, modeling, assessment, etc) that build on the knowledge and skills you gain throughout the four-year curriculum.

Through close relationships with faculty and peers, and excellent teaching — in the classroom and in elementary schools — our undergraduate program will fulfill degree requirements for certification in childhood education (Grades 1-6) from the New York State Education Department.

Programs of Study

• Major in Childhood Education.
• Childhood Education Master's.
• Latin American Studies for the Professions Program.

Graduate Opportunities

Master of Science for Teachers (M.S.T.)

A Master of Science for Teachers in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) is available for students who already possess an undergraduate degree in a field other than education.

Master of Science in Education (M.S. Ed.)

Teachers who have initial certification in childhood education have several M.S. Ed. graduate programs as options to fulfill degree requirements for professional certification:

• Select the teaching and learning program if you want to further your study of education theory and pedagogy that is integrated with content enrichment from arts and science.
• Choose literacy education if you want to increase your ability to help students with reading, writing, and communicating visually. You also will be eligible for a second certification.
• If you want a master's degree in special education, additional coursework will be necessary before entering the program; the equivalent of a major (not just a concentration area) in a content area is required by The New York State Education Department.

News

Childhood Education Grad Earns Presidential Recognition

Jim Brown, an alumnus of SUNY Plattsburgh's childhood education program and a sixth-grade teacher at Sand Creek Middle School in Colonie, N.Y., was one of only 80 teachers nationwide to receive the annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching this year.

Brown credits his experience at SUNY Plattsburgh for changing the way he understood and now teaches math. One of his professors taught him to use tools or manipulatives to explain the concepts behind mathematical equations. This is something that isn't generally done with students beyond the primary grades but something that his professor believed was important.

To teach the importance of these tools, that professor asked his students to solve the Pythagorean Theorem using squares. This forced Brown to understand the concepts behind the theorem in a way that he never had before. Read more.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

If you would like to learn more about undergraduate programs in childhood education (B.S.Ed.) at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:

Denise Simard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Teacher Education Unit
Program Area Coordinator, B.S.Ed. Undergraduate Programs
Office: Sibley Hall 202
Phone: (518) 564-5111
Fax: (518) 564-2149
Email: simardda@plattsburgh.edu

Jessica Chase
Secretary
Phone: (518) 564-2125
Email: chaseja@plattsburgh.edu