Elementary Education  

Students in the Elementary Education Program are enrolled in Purdue's College of Education. Students in this program progress through six distinct blocks (generally paired courses), that build upon each other and culminate in student teaching.  Four strands are prevalent in these performance based courses throughout the elementary education program.  These strands are technology, diversity, portfolio and theory into practice.

Block I     ||     Block II     ||     Block III     ||     Block IV     ||     Block V

Block I

EDCI 205 - Exploring Teaching as a Career (3 credit hours)
EDCI 285 - Multiculturalism and Education (PDF)(3 credit hours)  

1. Students are generally placed in pairs in elementary classrooms in the local area
2. Students participate in the classroom experience for 14-16 hours, 2 hours per week

In addition to the conventional Block I courses, unique ways to experience Block I are:

1. via the study abroad program in Honduras during Maymester. Click here to learn more: Study Abroad Honduras

2. through our partnership with Chicago Public Schools (HTML). For additional information, view this PowerPoint presentation (PPT). 

Purpose of Block I:  To introduce the field of teaching by having the students examine issues from a teacher's perspective, and focus on how and why multiculturalism influences education.

List of Block I schools and links to their websites: (PDF)

Block II

*** A student must meet all of the Gate A requirements before he or she is eligible to enroll in Block II.***

EDPS 235 Learning and Motivation (3 credit hours)
EDPS 265 Inclusive Classroom  (3 credit hours)
Block II Recitation Syllabus

A unique way to experience Block II is via the study abroad program in India during a summer session. Click the following link for more details: Study Abroad in India

1. Students are placed in the local area individually or in pairs based on the cooperating teacher preference
2. Students participate in the classroom experience for 14-16 hours, 2 hours per week If the student had a primary (grades K-2) placement for Block I, then a sincere effort will be made to place that student in an intermediate setting (grades 3-6) for Block II. If the student had an intermediate placement in Block I, then a sincere effort will be made to place that student in a primary setting for Block II.

Purpose of Block II: To explore the processes involved in student learning and the characteristics and needs of learners with exceptional needs and talents.

List of Block II schools and links to their websites: (PDF)

Block III

*** Please note that a student must meet all of the Gate B requirements before he or she is eligible to take Block III***

[click on links for course syllabi in Adobe PDF]
EDCI 361 Social Studies in the Elementary School (3 credit hours)
EDCI 362 Literacy in the Elementary School I (6 credit hours)

A unique way to experience Block III is via the study abroad program in Germanyduring Maymester. Click the following link for more details: Study Abroad in Russia (PDF)

• Students are generally placed in groups of two or three in classrooms in the local area
• Students participate in the classroom experience at a local school for 1 full school day per week throughout the semester. 
• Purdue course instruction as well as field experience are completed at a Block III host school.

Purpose of Block III:  To study how children learn to read and write and the teacher's role in this process and to allow students the opportunity to perform best practice strategies for social studies and literacy.

List of Block III schools and links to their websites. (PDF)

Block IV

[click on links for course syllabi in Adobe PDF]
EDCI 363 Literacy in the Elementary School II (3 credit hours)
EDCI 370 English as a New Language (3 credit hours)

1. Students are generally placed in groups of two or three in classrooms in the local area.
2. For EDCI 363, students participate in the classroom experience 2 days per week for 2 hours each day. The experience generally begins the third week of the semester
3. For EDCI 370, students are placed for 4-5 mornings or afternoons in a local elementary classroom.

Purpose of Block IV:  To focus on teaching children who experience difficulties acquiring literacy and students who are not native speakers of English.

List of Block IV schools and links to their websites. (PDF)

Block V

[click on links for course syllabi in Adobe PDF]
EDCI 364 Math in the Elementary School (3 credit hours) 
EDCI 365 Science in the Elementary School (3 credit hours)
EDPS 430 Creating and Managing Learning Environments (3 credit hours) 

• Each student visits a classroom 2 hours per week for 8 weeks.

Purpose of Block V: To allow students the opportunity to perform best practice strategies for teaching math and science in the classroom by teaching lessons.

List of Block V schools and links to their websites. (PDF)