Elementary Education (BA)
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Major Credits Required: 63-65 Credits
The HPU School of Education provides a bachelor’s degree program in elementary education that prepares candidates for licensing in Hawai‘i and 49 other states in grades K–6.
Guided by a profound belief in active, collaborative, experiential, reflective, and transformative learning as well as a deep commitment to diversity and educational technology, this degree program is based on an innovative, inquiry-oriented, standards driven, field-based curriculum that integrates content and pedagogy and employs an electronic direct response folio assessment system to evaluate the teacher candidate’s progress toward achieving professional standards. In addition, HPU provides teacher candidates with cutting-edge course web page technology tools and access to online periodical databases in education.
University faculty members, mentor teachers, and principals join in a unique partnership to deliver an innovative curriculum that has been designed to develop professional educators who are reflective practitioners dedicated to the scholarship of teaching and learning and school renewal.
To complete the bachelor's degree, students must complete a minimum total of 120 credits with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students who complete the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education will:
Understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas and design and implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Use an understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments, which enable each learner to meet high standards.
Work with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning and encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and create learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
Understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
Understand and use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
Plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop a deep understanding of content areas and their connections and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
Engage in ongoing professional learning and use evidence to continually evaluate his or her practice, particularly the effects of their choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapt practice to meet the needs of each learner.
Seek appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning and collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.