Graduate Secondary Teacher Certification Program

Course Description

ED 524            Foundations of Education          3 cr

By exploring the social realities and challenges confronting today’s diverse classrooms and the teaching profession, this course introduces pre-service teacher candidates to the foundations of education through an examination of the historical, philosophical, and social context of American education as well as the cognitive, psychological, and social-emotional perspectives of the classroom in a multicultural society.  By exploring the actuality of career commitment to the teaching profession, this course prepares pre-service teacher candidates for their role in today’s diverse classrooms with the essential knowledge, skills, and disposition necessary to become reflective practitioners.  Prerequisite:  Pass Praxis I.

ED 517            Educational Technology            3 cr

This course is designed to provide educators who have little or no computer experience with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to use microcomputers as instructional tools in their classrooms. While acquiring computer skills, students will explore, use, and demonstrate competence in each of the following areas: word processing, databases, spreadsheets, graphics, multimedia, instructional design, telecommunications, and major issues associated with the use of technology in education.

SPED 418        Exceptionalities in the Regular Classroom  3 cr

Prepares students to deal with the nature and needs of the exceptional person in a regular classroom.  Examines contemporary methods of identification, services for the exceptional individual, and legal aspects of the least restrictive environment.    

ED 567            Secondary, College, and Content Area Reading Instruction  3 cr

Survey of reading programs and principles at secondary and post-secondary levels; examination of materials and strategies for various instructional settings and populations with an emphasis on secondary content area reading.

ED 530            Connecting Standards, Instruction, and Assessment       3 cr

Designed to provide educators with a brief review of the purpose and process of assessment and to introduce them to design options available in designing and implementing authentic assessment.  Students acquire, synthesize, interpret, and discuss a range of topics dealing with assessment in the educational process.  Emphasizes a backward design process for curriculum development that links standards, curriculum, instruction, and embedded assessment. Students construct and evaluate a variety of assessment tools with a particular emphasis on authentic assessment.

ED531             Teaching Secondary Social Studies       3 cr

Prepares social studies candidates for teaching diverse learners in a secondary setting through field-based experiences; emphasizes critical pedagogical methods, strategies, and researched-based best practices to make social studies content comprehensive to secondary students; expands on models of differentiated instructional design, effective interdisciplinary planning, and technology integration to teach content; builds a repertoire of teaching strategies to enhance students’ diverse learning in the secondary classroom; emphasizes NCSS essential skills for social studies and disciplinary standards for history, geography, civics, government, economics, and behavioral sciences.  Includes observations and teaching experiences in schools.

ED 532            Teaching Secondary Science for Understanding 3 cr

Prepares post-baccalaureate candidates to teach the sciences in secondary schools.  Emphasizes teaching science for understanding and application of science knowledge.  Includes basic curriculum design -formulating goals and objectives, selecting and organizing content, developing skill in using a variety of teaching strategies, and evaluating pupil progress. Stresses the inquiry approach to teaching science.  Includes observations and teaching experiences in schools. Prerequisite: ED 534, SPED 418.

ED539             Second Language Acquisition and  Methods of Teaching and Evaluating World Languages

Examination of the psychological and linguistic foundations of modern language acquisition.  Techniques of teaching and evaluating modern languages and cultures.  Analysis of recent research in the area of second language acquisition with a focus the integration of the National Standards for Foreign Language Education. 

ED 554            Graduate Secondary Certification Program Internship                         6cr.                                                         

A professional practicum that requires the application and integration of instruction, management, and professional knowledge and competencies in a school setting.  Students participate in a twelve-week teacher internship in their certification area under the direction of a classroom Cooperating Mentor teacher and a University Supervisor.  Prerequisites: Completion of the five required courses in the post baccalaureate secondary teacher certification program, completion of the required professional course in certification area with a minimum grade of "B," a cumulative 3.0 QPA.

ED 558            Internship Seminar        3 cr.

Supports teaching interns in the classroom with discussions of classroom management problems and strategies, and organization as a path to fewer management issues.  Includes teacher effectiveness research and its application to instructional strategies and materials, classroom and behavior management as well as inclusion strategies for students with special needs.  Web-based asynchronous seminar concurrent with student teaching internship.

Program of Study
Course Descriptions