Master of Education: Teaching-Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course serves as a solid basis for the topics and activities that will be presented in each student's program of study. The significance of the structures, theories, philosophies, various pedagogical approaches, basic research designs, and educational paradigms necessary in order to develop a productive educational climate will be presented, and the effect of these on enhancing the social, emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of K-12 students will be carefully considered. Effective use of technology as a tool in educational situations will be emphasized. Students will discuss preliminary plans for on-site K-12 activities that are required later in the program, and will submit a written plan that describes their specific career interests, strategies to meet goals, and evaluative measures for these goals, including an outline for the final project to be submitted at the end of the degree program. (No Prerequisite; this is required as the FIRST COURSE in the program but may be taken concurrently with another course.)

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course examines issues relating to the skills that promote equal learning opportunities in the classroom, including effective approaches to working with colleagues, staff, parents, and students who are culturally, ethnically and socio- economically diverse. Interpersonal communication skills – to include speaking, listening, reading, and writing - and their effect on individuals, organizations, and communities will be discussed. Topics examined include ethnic, cultural, gender, class, religious, and linguistic diversity, as well as human exceptionality. The use of technology as an aid to effective communication will be presented. Laws and issues that have a bearing on curriculum and instruction for exceptional students will be examined. (Prerequisite: Education majors must take EDUC502 or EDUC503 first depending upon degree requirements, but this course may be taken concurrently).

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course examines the particular role of the classroom educator in understanding a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners. This approach to effective instruction will focus on the classroom factors relating to the nature of the student and the essential meaning of the curriculum. Particular emphasis will be placed on classroom elements that the educator can differentiate – or modify – to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as possible, as efficiently as possible. This would include the areas of content, process, products, affect and learning environment. Additionally, there are three core student characteristics that educator must consider when creating curriculum and instruction: readiness, interest, and learning profile. The idea of differentiating instruction to accommodate the different ways that students learn involves a hefty dose of common sense, as well as sturdy support in the theory and research of education. (Prerequisite: EDUC503 The Professional Educator; this course may be taken concurrently).

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course focuses on the methods, tools, and devices used in research in education, as well as the development of skills, insights, and understandings basic to performing research. The course presents vocabulary, principles, definitions and methods of educational research that allows students to understand the logic of conducting educational research, plan a research study and how to formally conduct and report research findings. Students will also learn to interpret, critique, and study the application of research findings of others in educational settings. In addition, while students will explore several research methods and be able to design a research proposal that could be implemented in their administrative/teaching/counseling environment.

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course explores how technology may be used as a tool in the 21st Century classroom to facilitate changes in the ways teachers teach and students learn, and ultimately to stimulate positive changes in education. It also examines how educators can increase their own productivity by using technology for communication and collaboration among colleagues, staff, parents, students, and the larger community. Students will examine the benefits and possible drawbacks of technology use in their classrooms and learn how to integrate technology effectively into their teaching as a means to promote student learning. Students will discover how technology can be an engaging and effective tool in the classroom. Students will also have the opportunity to learn how to incorporate the latest technology and software into the curriculum to support learning. This course addresses the standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). It also incorporates 21st Century Learning Skills. The importance of ICT (information and communication technologies) literacy is emphasized. (Prerequisite: Education majors must take EDUC502 or EDUC503 first depending upon degree requirements, but this course may be taken concurrently).

PHYSICAL PROXIMITY TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED AND ACCESS MUST BE ARRANGED PRIOR TO THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COURSE. This course examines a framework to address the emerging issues and trends in administration and supervision that have the potential to significantly influence the future direction of education. It describes how the educational leader can address emerging issues and trends, build the necessary leadership competence to respond to these issues and trends, and develop into a more accountable leader who can deal effectively with the need for school reform. Time will be spent studying the effects of media on student learning, taking into account that the K-12 students of the 21st Century are “digital learners” whose learning styles are likely to be quite different from those of K-12 teachers. Research, study, discussion, and writing assignments will enable students in this course to systematically analyze various issues and trends such as accountability, privatization, national standards, voucher plans, organizational change, the diverse school community, community resources and partnerships, marketing strategies and process, and other topics. (Prerequisite: EDUC503 The Professional Educator; this course may be taken concurrently).

This course provides an in depth discussion of the concept of culture and helps teachers and school personnel recognize the influence of culture on learning, communication, belief systems and value orientations, and patterns of thinking and behaving. Opportunities for instructional application, including creating an appropriate learning environment and/or curriculum and materials for culturally diverse students, will be provided

This course is intended for both regular education and ESOL teachers and will focus on developing instructional strategies for supporting ESOL students in content area learning. Course participants will develop instructional and leadership skills needed for teaching ESOL. Participants will reflect upon using proven assessment and instructional practices to enhance learning in today’s challenging classroom environment. Using the cases as a launching point, teachers will be given the opportunity to participate in on-line discussions regarding beliefs, best practices, challenges, current research, and ways to apply them to their own teaching practice.

This course is ideal for ESOL educators and classroom teachers working with students for whom English is a second or other language. Course participants will explore the relationship of culture to language learning as well as ways to support learners’ adaptations to new schools and settings. Increased knowledge of language acquisition and function will help course participants refine curriculum structures and instructional strategies that support effective language learning. Finally, key issues surrounding the legal implications of working with second language learners will be addressed

Through this course, participants will become knowledgeable about the nature and structure of language and how first and second languages develop. Participants will explore language teaching strategies consistent with the current understanding of the nature, structure and development of language. By developing a repertoire of effective strategies, participants will become more proficient at supporting students’ second language development. Teachers will investigate best practices and current research and consider how to adapt and integrate these principles into their own educational practice

This is a three-credit hour course that presents essential literacy skills and examines ways in which they may be developed in K-12 subject area classrooms. This course will provide an overview of the reading process based on current theory and scientifically based research as well as best practices for promoting content area reading and learning. A variety of instructional strategies for reading and writing will be presented for use in all content areas and grade levels. The use of technology to expand students’ literacy’s will also be investigated. This course requires a field observation where students visit and critically analyze the classrooms which they observe.

This course examines best practices in literacy instruction. The course exposes students to research-based strategies that can be used with a variety of diverse learners at all levels of text acquisition. It focuses on planning appropriate curriculum before, during, and after students are engaged in a text. The course is designed to give students a sound understanding of the most important factors affecting student learning today. A field experience, requiring a visit to an elementary school and implementation of a lesson plan, is a required assignment of the course.

This course provides pre-service and in-service teachers with an examination of the characteristics of exceptional students to include gifted, developmentally disabled, learning disabled, and emotionally/behaviorally disordered. The course includes identification and implications for planning instruction for these exceptional students as well as exploring legislation, philosophy, least restrictive approaches, parent involvement, and due process safeguards. Federal legislation including Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 are discussed. Finally, major contemporary issues related to field of special education to include legal, curricular, and instructional procedures appropriate for students at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels are examined. A field visit to a special education class or a facility that delivers services to persons with disabilities (e.g. cerebral palsy center) is a requirement of this course.

Accomplished teachers have a rich understanding of the subject(s) they teach and the associated content area pedagogical practices. In this course students will assess their teaching practice in the context of previous coursework, observational experiences, and student teaching. They will apply content area knowledge to contemporary theory through the development of artifacts and reflective pieces related to praxis. Students will also engage in discourse related to emerging social and philosophical issues in teaching to prepare them to be informed practitioners. This course will focus on action research in a classroom situation. Its purpose is to inform students with respect to ongoing pedagogical practices.