*Choose one track for second year, Early Childhood Education (ECE), or Middle Childhood Education (MCE).

Course Descriptions:

This course presents an overview, discussion and analysis of ethical issues in practice, educational trends and issues in public and private schools. Education reform is at the forefront of the educational discussions nationwide. Teachers must begin to realize their roles as leaders in establishing high professional ethical standards and designing effective programs for the schools of tomorrow.

This course is designed to provide a context for the curricular perspective a candidate holds in her or his teaching practice. To be an effective teacher it is important to understand the historical context of public education curriculum in our country and to understand the relationship public school curriculum development has always had with national political and social agendas.

An application of current learning theory and learning style research to the classroom. Special emphasis is given to how this information can be applied to different classroom activities and individual students.

In a society that is becoming more diverse each day, it is essential that educators know and understand the social and cultural issues that influence teachers, students, curriculum, and classroom life. This course will provide a context for exploring variables of culture such as, race, socio-economic-status, gender, etc. and the affect these issues have on teaching and learning. Theories of multiculturalism and issues of equity, social justice, and diversity will be explored and examined.

Assessment is the cornerstone of instructional planning for all learners. The range from authentic assessment to standardized norm-referenced tests will be presented so that the participants will gain an understanding of how each is used to guide instructional decisions.

This course is an introduction to basic methods and design of quantitative and qualitative research in education. The primary objectives of the course are to prepare candidates to conduct action research in schools, thus providing a structure for systematically finding answers to questions that arise from practice. Candidates learn techniques to identify problems to investigate, the selection of appropriate research methods, collecting and analyzing data, and ways to draw conclusions from the results.

This is a culminating study designed to unify the candidate’s coursework completed in the Curriculum and Instruction masters program. Four options provide candidates with alternatives to fulfill the Capstone requirement: a formal thesis, an article submitted for publication, a project portfolio, and a comprehensive examination. The focus of each option should be the design and completion of classroom or school-based inquiry. The candidate and the adviser determine all components of the Capstone Project.

Long overlooked as extras in the educations setting, this course focuses on the important role of play, creativity, and imagination in the education of young children. Each topic will be discussed individually, yet will be considered as a cognate base for exploring new dimensions in classroom pedagogy. The course will provide a discussion and analysis of theories related to each topic, including the research and ways play, creativity, and imagination are developed in various educational settings.

The social interactions among children affect both the peer culture and the learning that occurs in each classroom. For this reason, it is important that teachers of young children have a practical understanding of the ways in which young children develop and interact with one another. This course will take an in-depth look at the connection between the social growth of children and its implications on the curriculum.

This course takes a closer look at the emotional, physical, and cognitive development of young children – looking at both typical and atypical development. This survey course emphasizes the developmental stages of the whole child from birth through early adolescence. A discuss on atypical behavior will be a special focus of the class.

This course takes a deep look at integration of knowledge and experience to deepen and broaden ones understanding curriculum integration. Course will include a review and discussion of the theories, research, and practice related to integrated curriculum, with a special focus on the Reggio Approach and project work. In addition, an exploration of ideas of democracy in the classroom will be central to the class.

This course focuses literacy and its importance in the communities where we live and teach. Candidates will explore various theories of literacy development, with a special emphasis on reading as a social process. Perspectives on language variations among linguistically-diverse young children will be explored in order to gain a deeper understanding of the literacy experiences of students from diverse cultural contexts. Attention is given to contextual assessment and instructional approaches that promote access to language and literacy in schools.

This course is an advanced study of children’s literature with a focus on poetry, multicultural literature, non-fiction text, and using literature for teaching social justice. A brief review and update of critically selecting and evaluating children’s literature will be the foundation of the course. In addition, research-based practices in using poetry in, multicultural literature, and non-fiction text as an educational tool will be explored. The course will include ways in which to use children’s literature to open dialogue and discuss social justice with young children.

This course focuses on the principles and practices for facilitating effective development of the writing process for classroom teachers. Students will gain knowledge of the writing process through reading of current research and practice, through experiencing Writer’s Workshop, through learning practical classroom methods and individualized strategies to facilitate development of writers in the classroom setting. The course will include development of “reading like a writer” and “writing like a reader” to develop a lens for effective writing instruction.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development, and they apply that knowledge in their practice.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, and research underlying the philosophical foundations and organizational components of highly effective middle level schools, and they apply that knowledge in their practice.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to middle level curriculum and instruction, and they apply a variety of effective strategies to meet the varying abilities, interests, and learning styles of all young adolescents.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to working collaboratively with family and community members, and they provide leadership in helping all stakeholders offer high quality learning opportunities for all young adolescents.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to their professional roles in middle level education, and they apply that knowledge in their practice.

Middle level masters candidates understand and analyze the major concepts, principles, theories, standards, and research related to their teaching field(s), and they apply that knowledge in their practice. (Supervised field experience is required of anyone who is not teaching in a middle school setting.)