Child Study, B.A. (SJC Brooklyn)

Child Study Major

Required for initial certification in Early Childhood (birth-grade 2), Childhood (grades 1-6), Students with Disabilities: Early Childhood (birth-grade 2), and Students with Disabilities: Childhood (grades 1-6).

Prerequisites:

CS 100 and 200 level courses are prerequisites for CS 300-level courses; CS 300-level courses are prerequisites for CS 400-level courses.

Area of Concentration

Majors must take a concentration of 30 credits in one of the following areas:

• English  
• History  
• Human Relations  
• Mathematics  
• Mathematics/Computer Science  
• Psychology, Area of Concentration for Child Study (SJC Brooklyn and SJC Long Island)   
• Science  
• Social Sciences  
• Sociology  
• Spanish  
• Speech Communication  

Students should meet at least once per semester for advisement with the Chairperson/Associate Chairperson of the concentration to ensure that they are taking the appropriate courses to complete the concentration.

Core Curriculum:

All Child Study majors will take the following courses:

• SJC 100 or SJC 200
• 2 Quest for Meaning courses
  
  • English Literature
  • Classics/Religious Studies/Philosophy
• 2 Global Perspective courses
  • 2 semesters of college-level modern language
• 4 Human Expression courses
  • SPC 102
  • SPC 224
  • Art History
  • Music History
• 3 Self and Society courses
  • American History
  • World History or HIS 276
  • SOC 100 or PSY 100
• 4 Mathematical, Physical and Natural World courses
  • 2 non-computer math courses
  • 2 lab science courses
• 1 Writing for Effective Communication Course
  • ENG 103

Student Teaching

To be eligible in their senior year, majors must receive approval from the Child Study Recommendations Committee, which determines whether the student has demonstrated the personal and professional qualities necessary for teaching, good communication skills (written and oral) and a cumulative average and an average in the Child Study courses of 2.8 or higher.

Child Study seniors engage in two semesters of student teaching, one to complete general education hours, and one to complete special education hours. They are working in public school classrooms, side-by-side with at least one experienced cooperating teacher to guide them as they get to know the students, teach small-group and whole-group lessons, and familiarize themselves with the standards, curriculum and procedures of their future profession. Student teachers attend a weekly seminar with an SJC supervisor who is also a former seasoned teacher/administrator, where their experiences and questions can be unpacked and explored.

Student teaching also provides support for the completion of the edTPA, a teacher certification requirement in New York State. Child Study seniors complete one practice edTPA in their first semester of student teaching, and another one in their second semester that is actually submitted and scored. We are proud to say that this system has allowed us to boast a 100% pass rate on the edTPA since the assessment piloted in 2014.