Graduate Certificate in Post-baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Certification Program

The Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction course focuses on applying curricular theory to best practices to the 21st century classroom setting. Planning for instruction and evaluation of learning are the two focal points of this experience. This course is designed as an introduction to the systematic process of planning for effective classroom instruction and assessment, as these tasks relate to contemporary curricular concepts. The skills needed for writing learning objectives and instructional plans for various domains of learning will be taught by placing an emphasis on setting goals and objectives for instruction; planning activities and assessments based on cognitive, social, affective, and psychomotor factors; and designing appropriate means of assessing those learning objectives. Special attention will be given to the related use of technology in the development of effective and systematic learning environments in the 21st Century classroom. This will include a basic recognition of computer hardware and software, capabilities and limitations of technology, evaluating programs and technological resources, and the effective use of various technologies in the classroom.

This course examines the theoretical and applied aspects of learning, motivation, human development, personality, assessment, and evaluation in the educational setting. Content includes the study of learning theories as well as cognitive, emotional, and social learning processes that underlie education and human development to include affective processes and socialization. Emphasis is placed on developing skills to better understand learners to foster improved learning, influence and manage classroom learning, and recognize and consider individual differences.

This course introduces candidates to a variety of pedagogical approaches from the objectivist, constructivist and social family of learning models. Through case study analysis, candidates will critically assess the syntax of instructional models that can be applied across a variety of content areas. Candidates will demonstrate their understanding of various teaching models and integrated model constructs through the development of lesson plans in their content area. As part of this process it is expected that cross-modal approaches to content exploration will be developed, which in turn can be transitioned into classroom application. In addition, candidates will become engaged in critical analysis and evaluation of these lesson plans in order to develop a self-reflective approach to praxis.

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 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.

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.

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. Candidates 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. Candidates will discover how technology can be an engaging and effective tool in the classroom. Candidates 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.

Clinical supervision is a professional candidate teaching experience that is a result oriented, performance based experience requiring the demonstration of a satisfactory level of teaching performance. The clinical requires demonstration of teaching competencies in a school setting under the direction of cooperating teachers and university supervisors. The clinical experience provides the candidate teacher with the opportunity to learn, in depth, the full role and meaning of teaching in a supervised school setting. Experiences include planning and organizing for instruction, developing classroom teaching competencies and skills, evaluating student progress, participating in extra-curricular activities, working with special school personnel, and utilizing 21st Century Learning Resources in the instructional program. The candidate teacher is placed in the clinical for a minimum of 12 weeks. Throughout the course, candidate teachers are required to keep logs and journals of their experiences and to review the teaching/learning process with their supervisors.