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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
The main focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the development of social skills and how they lay the critical foundation for civic and citizenship skills and habits, which are necessary for being a citizen in a democracy. The course will cover the important theories of social education and the developmental course of learning history, economics, civics, and geography. Woven throughout the class will be a discussion of culture and diversity as children encounter the world. A unique emphasis is on the children’s social development from pre-K to grade 4. There has been a dramatic shift in how young children understand cultural universals, the core of the early childhood social studies curriculum. These new theoretical understandings are slowly being translated into effective classroom practices. Through current readings and class discussion the following questions will be addressed: What do young children understand about cultural universals (e.g., food, clothing, shelter)? How will we prepare young children for a world in which respect for the environment, diversity, and the principles of democracy have become increasingly important? How can activities be developed that embody the principles of children’s concept development in history, economics, geography, and citizenship? How can we create learning experiences that include and value all children’s backgrounds? NOTE: Must be admitted to candidacy.
Prerequisite:
Special authorization required for all students
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3.00 Credits
This three-credit course will draw on inquiry, instructional technology (e.g., video vignettes of classroom activities and science websites), and collaborative lab-based activities to explore current issues of teaching and learning science in the pre-K and early elementary school classroom. It is very important that young children develop scientific habits of mind from the outset. As a result, this course will be based on developing these habits of mind while giving students an understanding of the “Big Ideas” in the field. Therefore, the first part of this course will be devoted to developing an understanding for those habits of minds and how to engage young children. The second part of the course will examine the Big Ideas in science as a whole, focusing heavily on scientific inquiry as a pedagogical approach and a learning goal. Throughout the course, investigating the preconceptions that young children bring to the science classroom will be emphasized, as well as discovering the pedagogical approaches to uncovering and addressing them. Students will apply, evaluate, and reflect upon early childhood science teaching methods through class activities and field experience assignments that address the interdisciplinary nature of science. The assignments for the course will use the foundation fostered in the course to (a) examine science content, (b) student conceptions, (c) the meeting of theory and practice, (d) instructional resources (e.g., museums, websites, children’s literature), and (e) lesson planning. Students will have opportunities to develop their own philosophy of science education and explore each of the major content domains in science. NOTE: Must be admitted to candidacy.
Prerequisite:
Special authorization required for all students
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3.00 Credits
This practicum is a continuation of the early childhood field experiences with 3- to 5-year-old children. For this practicum with school age children, students will be placed in 1st through 4th grade classrooms for the purpose of implementing lessons and activities in reading, math, science, and social studies. Students will be expected to implement activities and lessons with individual children, as well as small and large groups. This practicum experience is an integral part of the methods courses with which it is associated and is under the direct supervision of a university instructor and the cooperating teacher. NOTE: Must be admitted to candidacy.
Prerequisite:
Special authorization required for all students
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3.00 Credits
This course is designed to provide early childhood educators with the ability to use a variety of assessment methods to determine the developmental levels and needs of young children. Learners are introduced to the meaning and uses of authentic assessment as well as various tools and assessment strategies. The course addresses the interpretation of observational and assessment data to monitor children’s progress, guide instructional practice, and identify at-risk children. This course requires 15 hours of field experience and, therefore, background clearances prior to enrollment. The purpose of the field work is to provide experiences for students to learn how to conduct focused, systematic, and unbiased observations useful for making informed instructional and assessment decisions on an individual case study child. In addition, students will learn ways to gather documentation on all the children in the class in multiple developmental areas.
Prerequisite:
Background clearances required
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3.00 Credits
This course offers students an introduction to theory, research and practice in teaching English language learners in the early grades (i.e. PreK-4). The course begins with an overview of sociocultural characteristics of ELLs, legal responsibilities, and educational and language policies in the United States. Students will also learn the basic theories and principles associated with second language acquisition. Students will explore the philosophies of bilingual and ESL education as well as different program models that address the education of linguistically diverse students. Students will be introduced to an array of contemporary, research-based instructional approaches, including content-based instruction, task-based language teaching, and sheltered English instruction. As a result, they will gain an understanding of how to adapt standards-based lessons for English language learners. Through a practicum component, students will learn to design lessons and assessments for small-group instruction. Students will also develop cross-cultural competence through interactions with ELLs, teachers and school staff in the middle grades.
Prerequisite:
Background clearances required
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3.00 Credits
This course will focus on four basics classroom elements in discussing differentiated instruction —content, process, product, and learning environments. The content is what the student needs to learn about reading and what various methods will be used to help the student access that information. The process is the specific activities that the student will engage in order to master the reading content. The products are the various projects and activities that require the student to rehearse, apply and extend the information that he has learned. The learning environments are the way the classroom is structured to support the differentiate instruction activities and grouping practices. Key aspects to differentiated instruction are a) the understanding of cognitive development and the different ways in which students’ process and encode information and b) the understanding of the role that ongoing assessment and flexible grouping plays in varying instruction to meet individual students’ needs. This course requires obtaining background clearances prior to conducting observations.
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3.00 Credits
This course gives students experience in using effective methods for observing and documenting young children’s development. Various recording methods are featured along with principles of child development and appropriate practice. Practicum experiences in local schools and centers provide opportunities for students to conduct focused, systematic, and unbiased observations useful for making instructional and assessment decisions.
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3.00 Credits
This course is a joint project between the College of Education and the Boyer College of Music and Dance. It is designed to provide an overview of the role and the significance of the arts in the education of children from Pre-K through fourth grade. Pre-service teachers will be exposed to art experiences that support standards, increase learning of content, teach basic aesthetic principles, and help them learn specific techniques and ideas. Through numerous hands-on experiences, students will start with their own skills and perspectives as creators of art and then move to explore the power and potential of the arts to reach children in new and effective ways. Students will be introduced to three art forms --dance, music, and the visual arts-- and their unique histories and pedagogies. Students will learn from disciplinary experts in each of these three domains, who also have expertise in engaging young children in developmentally appropriate ways. NOTE: Background clearances needed.
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3.00 Credits
Books are a valuable source of learning and pleasure for children at every stage of development. This course focuses on literature for children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. Students in the course will engage in selecting, interpreting, discussing, and evaluating children’s books in preparation for their professional careers. They will also examine theory and research as well as classroom practice relating to children’s literature, with and without pictures, in a variety of genres. The field of children’s literature is expanding rapidly. Vibrant picture books display many artistic media, styles and text-picture relationships. Works of fiction and non-fiction not only pertain to an increasing diversity of themes and issues but also exhibit an array of writing styles and formats. This introductory course surveys literature written for children with varied abilities, cultural backgrounds and book preferences. Its ultimate purpose is to develop future teachers’ appreciation of (and passion for) a broad range of children’s literature that they will be able to use effectively in the classroom.
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3.00 Credits
The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service early childhood and elementary-grade teachers with critical information about what school-family-community relationships are; how they can promote children’s early academic and social development as well as other family and school outcomes; and how teachers and other educators can build strong, healthy, mutually beneficial relationships with families and communities. An important theme in this course is that all children, families, school, and communities are different, thus students in this course will learn about this diversity, develop knowledge about general guidelines for good practice, and spend time tailoring these guidelines to specific situations that they have encountered or are likely to encounter in their careers as educators. Special attention will be devoted to diversity in terms of family culture, language, ethnicity, income, household structure, and disability status of children. In addition, as this is a writing intensive course, the course will help you understand how to write cogently and effectively in the social sciences, as well as increase your awareness of teacher-friendly and academic resources addressing school-family partnerships.
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