Get the skills you need to launch your teaching career.

The Early Childhood through Grade 6 with Science of Teaching Reading and English as a Second Language Supplemental Teacher Certification Program at the University of North Texas is designed for students whose goal is to become a teacher in classrooms from Pre-K through 6th grade. This certification path includes preparation in the Science of Teaching Reading, a new initiative in the State of Texas that prepares teachers to implement instruction in reading, especially with young learners. English as a Second Language course develops knowledge and skills critical to the success of English Language Learners in today’s diverse classrooms.

The fully redesigned degree program associated with this certification features:

  • A program vision focuses on equity-oriented, anti-racist, and humanizing pedagogies as represented in a set of core commitments for both faculty and teacher candidates.
  • Opportunities for undergraduates to choose a specialization area. Specializations offer deep, focused exploration in an area of interest. Options include Early Childhood Education; STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics); Language, Literacy and Activism; Inclusive Education; Ethnic Studies in Education; International Studies in Education; and Interdisciplinary Studies. 
  • Begin foundational coursework in education earlier during Freshman and Sophomore years as students complete their general core requirements.
  • Expanded opportunities for field experiences in actual classrooms and a variety of learning contexts starting early in the program and continuing through clinical teaching.
  • Choose from an increased number of electives based on interest with courses designed to allow students to explore topics more deeply or to learn about new and exciting concepts.

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Specialization Areas Available at UNT at Frisco

  • Early Childhood Education

    UNT Student Teacher working with young children at the Child Development LabChildren’s experiences during their early years are foundational to build their social and emotional well-being and academic learning. Understanding young children’s ways of being and knowing is essential to creating environments and nurturing relationships in the classroom that are culturally sustaining. A major focus of this specialization is to re-imagine early childhood education, which involves re-humanizing processes of schooling for young children and including children in the movement for social justice and equity. 

    The faculty working in this specialization look to a near future in which young children are viewed and treated as intellectual and social agents who are knowledge-producers and complex cultural beings. Our goal is to provide early childhood educators (Pre-K-3rd grade) with the tools to see children in more expansive ways. These ways of seeing and knowing young children on their own terms can support us to critically reconceptualize pedagogies, practices, and policies that impact the lives and identities of young children, particularly those from minoritized communities, considering the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, culture, languages, abilities, gender, and other identity markers. We also examine relationships children have with technology and the natural world around them in order to consider our collective role in ecological justice. 

  • STEAM Education

    UNT Student Teacher working with young children at the Child Development Lab This Bachelor of Science in Education specialization introduces students to the discipline of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics to designing integrated learning environments. Students enrolled in these courses will explore innovative venues for STEAM learning and teaching with an emphasis on diversity and equity. Consistent with the core values and commitments in the preparation program, our goal is to prepare UNT teachers to engage in transformative STEAM practices that create math and scientific communities which positively influence and grow STEAM education in schools. As a community we envision innovative methods to social issues from analyzing climate patterns and new sources of energy to the influence of social media and voting trends. We emphasize social justice and activism as central to the work of teachers engaging students with the world around them through STEAM practices that promote equity.

    Students in this specialization will learn methods of learning and teaching science and math that are equity and asset-based, rigorous, foster children’s positive mathematics and science identity development, and transform classrooms into spaces that challenge marginalizing processes and use STEAM practices as a tool to critically examine the world.

Ways to Connect with an Education Advisor

Virtual Drop-In (no appointment required, 15 minutes):

Every Monday and Thursday 11:00 a.m.  – 12:00 p.m.
Please sign in with your full first and last name.
https://unt.zoom.us/j/83066133123

 

In-Person Frisco Drop-In (no appointment required, 15 minutes):

Every Monday and Thursday 8:00 a.m.  – 10:00 a.m.
Check-in at the front desk in Hall Park A
Virtual Appointment (30 minutes): Click here to schedule an appointment.