Program Codes:
ED CORE
CORE
Freshman/Sophomore Years
This course provides an overview of the psychology of learning, motivation, growth and development, personality dynamics, and social adjustment with emphasis on the diversity of learners in today's classrooms.
This course, which satisfies the Humanities core requirement for Education majors, provides the knowledge, skills and dispositions that enable K-12 teachers to facilitate learning among students from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Specifically, the course will (1) explore variations in personality, educational background, social class, ethnicity, national origin, language, and culture; (2) analyze the issues of race, racism, and culture in historical and contemporary perspectives; (3) explore strategies for teaching multicultural and multilingual English language learners in K-12 settings; and (4) identify obstacles to participation in the educational process by diverse cultural and ethnic groups. This course is open to all majors, through the focus is on the educational context.
Sophomore Year
This course addresses issues related to the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms and programs through policy, research, and practice. Participants will be given an opportunity to explore and develop their personal philosophy toward inclusion and collaboration in schools and communities.Participants will learn tools for collaboration, instructional strategies, assessment, and curriculum design, which will allow them to educate students with exceptionalities in the general education classroom dealing with grades Pre-K through 12. Completion of embedded clinical experience required.
EDUC-109
The emphasis of this course is to help students develop into teachers who become reflective practitioners. A case study approach, seminar-type discussion, and numerous writing assignments will be used to involve students in the day-to-day activities that are part of teaching practice. The course will explore the social, cultural, political, historical, and philosophical contexts of schools, and use the perspective gained from this study to consider present day educational issues. Students will begin construction of their teaching portfolio by writing a statement of their philosophy of education. An embedded clinical experience during regular school hours is required.
EDUC-107, EDUC-109
Junior Year
This course prepares teacher candidates to explore the integration of literacy across all disciplines and to develop the idea that all teachers teach literacy. It prepares teacher candidates to support, accommodate, and coach students with disabilities in particular literacy strategies, including the use of assistive technologies relevant to content area subjects in grades Pre-K through 8.
EDUC-109
Senior Year
Clinical I is a 120 hour, pre-capstone clinical experience, to help prepare the candidate for their student teaching experience. During Clinical I, candidates will observe the classroom teacher, tutor individual children, supervise, and teach students in small and large group settings, and assist the teacher in appropriate teaching/ learning experiences. In addition to the classroom experience, the student will demonstrate proficiency of planning, writing, and implementing lesson plans tied to PDE learning standards and develop skills in classroom organization and management techniques. In the seminar component of Clinical I, candidates learn to identify with and conduct themselves as members of profession, with an emphasis on familiarizing candidates with the current practices/topics in the field, areas of professionalism, and family/community collaboration partnerships. Candidates will be encouraged to engage and interact with instructor and peers to discuss their field experiences, practical problems in the classroom, and reflect on how their classroom encounters relate to early development and learning theory, subject matter content, pedagogy, assessment, as well as their current coursework and overall education program goals. Candidates are expected to be active participants in assigned readings, questioning, and other discussions/ debates.
EDUC-304
This experience is designed to prepare students to assume full teaching responsibilities under the mentorship of a cooperative teacher in a placement arranged by Education's Office of Field Placement. Candidates seeking PDE certification are required to complete 12 weeks of Capstone Clinical teaching experience. Those seeking dual certification must complete a minimum of 6 weeks in each teaching area. This course also contains a seminar component that will help candidates learn to identify with and conduct themselves as members of profession, with an emphasis on familiarizing candidates with the current practices/topics in the field, areas of professionalism, and family/community collaboration partnerships. Candidates will be encouraged to engage and interact with instructor and peers to discuss their field experiences, practical problems in the classroom, and reflect on how their classroom encounters relate to early development and learning theory, subject matter content, pedagogy, assessment.