"I want to be an elementary school teacher."
Our elementary education program provides you with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, which authorizes you to teach all subjects in a self-contained classroom. Typically this is in elementary schools, grades TK-6. In addition, this credential prepares you to teach English learners and provide instruction for English language development.
Community
- A single cohort of 30-40 passionate teacher candidates per year
- An intimate learning community of 4-8 teacher candidates, placed at one school site, learn and grow together across the year, sharing triumphs and struggles
- A core group of 15 experienced teacher educators who will know, guide, and support you throughout your year
- A dedicated network of local teachers and schools eager to support your growth as a teacher and a leader
Placements
In your student teaching placements, you will be on local school campuses from the first day of school until the last. Our elementary program has two placements throughout the year, and the Teacher Education Program secures placements for you through our strong partnerships with these schools. Your student teaching will be at a school in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, or Goleta. Throughout your student teaching, you will be mentored and supported by both a university supervisor and a cooperating teacher, many of whom are graduates of our program.
Our program is unique in having the option to be placed in an English-Spanish dual-language immersion school setting. These placements are based on your interest, linguistic fluency, and availability.
Your first placement takes place over 15-16 weeks, starting on the first day of teacher reporting and culminating at the Winter Holiday (August-December). You will be placed in either a lower grade (K-3) or an upper grade (4-6). During this placement you will start with observation and work towards gradually take over portions of classroom instruction.
In your second placement, you will be placed with the opposite grade level from your first placement, but typically will remain at the same school site. Your second placement will consist of two 10-11 week blocks. During the first 10-11 weeks, you will continue student teaching part-time. During the second 10-11 weeks, you will be in schools five days a week for the full school day. You will continue to take on more portions of classroom instruction, culminating with a 10-day complete takeover.
Below is a snapshot of what a typical week could look like during the Fall quarter:
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30-12:00 | K-12 schools | K-12 schools | K-12 schools | K-12 schools | UCSB (9:00-1:30) |
| 1:00-3:50 | UCSB* | K-12 schools | UCSB | UCSB* | |
| 4:00-6:50 | UCSB | UCSB* | UCSB |
*Class occurs every other week
For a more detailed view, you can view our previous year's calendar. This should be used as general reference only: all course dates and times are subject to change.