Course Descriptions
- Framing Experience
- Understanding the Social Context for Urban Schools: The Community
- Application of Theories of Learning to Classroom Practice
- Teaching Special Populations
- Guided Observation/Pedagogy A
- Guided Observation Pedagogy A: Teaching Mathematics and Science
- Guided Observation Pedagogy A: The Integration of English and Social Studies for Secondary Educators
- Instruction for Limited English Proficient Students
- Capstone Portfolio in Learning and Instruction
- Integrating Visual and Performance Arts in Elementary Subjects
- Understanding the Social Context for Urban Schools: The Schools
- Content to Pedagogy: Physical Education for Elementary Students
This two-part course prepares students to critically examine the social context for schools and academic learning at multiple levels. Students will examine the policies, practices, and procedures that influence teaching, learning, and the curriculum. Students will critically examine the interaction and relationship among constituents, prevailing ideology, and core societal values that influence the process, conditions and social context of schooling for particular populations of students.
Students will complete assigned readings, draft reflective essays and participate in group discussions.
The course provides readings and learning experiences to prepare students to apply learning theories in designing classroom learning experiences, developing a classroom learning community, and assessing progress towards the expected student learning outcomes.
Students will complete video taped observations and written commentaries in addition to a group project and participating in group discussions.
Human difference refers to characteristics and conditions that identify, distinguish, and differentiate individuals based on social and political perspectives and values, as well as naturally occurring physical and intellectual challenges and abilities. Perceptions and reactions to human differences influence interactions and relationships among groups and individuals. This is particularly true in contexts such as schools and classrooms. Policies and practices related to teaching special populations have the potential to influence the quality of services and education received by individuals and groups considered outside the “norm”.
Students will explore special populations through fieldwork, journal and research assignments, guided observations, video observations and narrations.
Students focused on Elementary Education will take this course. Students focused on Secondary Education with an emphasis in either Mathematics or Science will take this course.
In this course students will develop an understanding of applying learning theories, general instructional strategies, balanced assessment practices, and a systematic approach to the analysis and design of curricula as they relate to mathematics and science.
Students will complete assigned readings and videos and participate in group discussions and field-work experiences. In addition, students will complete the teacher performance assessment, which measures how well you plan, instruct, assess and reflect on student learning and academic language development in mathematics and science.
Students focused on Secondary Education with an emphasis in either English or Social Studies will take this course.
This course prepares students to facilitate, mediate and intervene in the development of adolescent literacy within social studies content and instruction. The integration of English/language arts with social studies is intended to prepare students to engage learners in the active inquiry of major and recurrent themes, concepts, values, problems, and issues of the social sciences from multiple and interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will develop the content and pedagogical tools of “historical thinking” by framing and inquiry into the events and accounts of history.
Students will participate in group discussions and book clubs regarding the required reading, while completing a research project, fieldwork and writing lesson plans.
The course prepares students to structure learning opportunities for diverse student populations by exploring a variety of theories, issues, procedures, methods and approaches for use in bilingual, English as a second language, and other learning environments. It provides an overview of the historic and current trends and social issues affecting the education of language minority students. It also provides practical experience in the implementation of instructional strategies addressing the needs of a diverse student population.
Students will complete assigned readings and exams; participate in collaborative class projects, lesson plan development, and case studies and complete exams.
Students not pursuing a Single Subject or Multiple Subject Credential will take this course.
The Capstone Portfolio is structured to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to synthesize and expand upon gains from the previous MAT courses. Students will develop a professional portfolio that provides evidence that they understand themselves, their learners and learning theory, know their content area, think systematically and purposefully about their practice, and engage collaboratively with colleagues, learners’ families and the community.
The course addresses the direct applications of Visual and Performing Arts standards and their integration into core classroom instruction. The course is designed to introduce elementary teachers to the application of visual and performing arts content across the areas of mathematics, science, language/literature, and history/social sciences, including current events and human rights. Students will explore visual and performing artists, their work, and the historical/cultural context that more fully informs the role of the arts in our society.
The course requires students to complete video interviews and briefings, lesson plans, an analysis of state standards, and participate on class discussion boards.
This is the second half of a two part course that prepares students to critically examine the social context for schools and academic learning at multiple levels. Students will examine the policies, practices, and procedures that influence teaching, learning, and the curriculum and will critically examine the interaction and relationship among constituents, prevailing ideology, and core societal values that influence the process, conditions and social context of schooling for particular populations of students.
The course will introduce students to the use of physical education and movement to enhance learning. In particular, the course looks at ways of integrating a variety of motor skills and abilities in students; student recognition of the importance of a healthy lifestyle; student knowledge of human movement; and student self-confidence and self-worth in relation to physical movement and learning.
The course requires students to complete on-site observations and briefings, lesson plans, quizzes, an analysis of state standards, and participate on class discussion boards.
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The course expects students to reflect in a deep way about themselves and the lens they bring into a school; and asks them to set that lens aside to better understand what they observe from the perspective of learners and their community. The course, while structured, in unmediated by a live instructor. No readings are required. The intent is for students to gather data that is “unfiltered” by “experts.”
Students will make observations, explorer topics on-line, draft reflective essays that they share in small groups, and develop observations about common themes in those essays. As schools exist inside communities, the focus the Framing Experience is to understand perceptions about relationships among and between students, teachers, administrators, families, and other community members.
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