English as a Second Language
Core Subjects/Generalist (Early Childhood – 6th Grade)

Departments of Curriculum and Instruction

The Early Childhood – 6th Grade Generalist ESL Certificate Program (ESL GEN) is designed for students seeking Texas certification to teach in elementary school classrooms. You will earn a B.S. in Education.

Explore

developmental issues of children
learning theory
elementary school content
social and emotional learning
English as a Second Language (ESL)
and teaching methods

This interdisciplinary major prepares you to teach children with a variety of backgrounds and abilities with a strong component of field experience in public schools.

Program Overview

As an Early Childhood to Sixth Grade ESL Generalist major, you will take 18 hours of courses that focus on individual differences, cultural and linguistic diversity, human learning in multilingual and multicultural context, social concerns, children’s cognitive, social and emotional developmental theories, motivational value of play, effective physical education, health education and social justice.

ALD 320 Cognition, Human Learning, & Motivation
ALD 321 Play in Early Childhood Development
ALD 322 Individual Differences
ALD 327 Sociocultural Influences on Learning
ALD 329 Acquisition of Language & Literacies
HED 329K Child & Adolescent Health
KIN 314 Children’s Movement

Classroom Teaching Experience

In addition to core coursework, you will participate in a Professional Development Sequence (PDS). Through this teacher preparation program, you will learn the foundations of teaching from coursework, fieldwork and observations, and be placed in elementary classrooms at several grade levels over the course of three semesters. You will earn up to 800 hours of classroom experience, far exceeding the 30-hour requirement set by the State of Texas.

You will also learn the fundamentals of teaching such as: