Courses

This course involves the study of the collaborative processes and skills necessary for effective interaction among educational professionals, paraprofessionals, parents and students. Course topics include communication processes, problem-solving strategies, establishing positive collaborative relationships, and the management and assessment of collaboration. An additional focus will be on the process and collaboration necessary for successful transitions throughout life.

Teachers will research, analyze, synthesize and evaluate the meaning of “teacher leadership” through investigating the current professional literature and their professional practice. The primary goal of the course is for teachers to enhance their understanding of teacher leadership, increase their leadership actions, and learn how their actions can be a form of advocacy for improving education.

In this course, teachers will examine the major types of assessments used for diagnosing and evaluating student learning in schools. Assessments will be designed and analyzed that effectively link learning objectives and learner outcomes with current research on differentiation. Teachers will learn how to effectively and ethically develop, implement and interpret multiple assessment tools and practices by adapting them to the contexts in which they are used.

Teachers will explore controversial issues and best practices influencing positive school and classroom climates. They will analyze research-based practices and strategies to evaluate the essential qualities of schools and classrooms that optimize learning and socio-emotional development for students as well as support the retention of high-quality faculty. Through application and self-evaluation of new practices for improving school and classroom climate, teachers will broaden their understanding and skills for meeting the needs of their students and set goals for moving to a higher level of professional practice.

In this course, teachers examine how different models of professional development impact student learning. They research and evaluate models of effective professional development in education designed to meet teaching and learning needs. Teachers learn how to observe instruction and provide coaching, mentoring and professional development to colleagues. Readings and assignments are aligned with the Professional Learning Domain of the Teacher Leader Model Standards.

A purpose of this course is to take the classroom practitioner from theory to practice. With professor supervision, teachers will learn how to use action research methods as a means of collecting data that can inform and improve practice as well as be applied in their graduate research projects. Topics will reflect current educational issues and areas of research.

This is an advanced course in the inquiry and application of bilingual and ESL methods. Students will study their own teaching of bilingual and ESL methodologies designed to support the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in social and academic contexts. Through the implementation of an action research model of teacher inquiry, teachers will examine critically their bilingual and ESL instructional practices and develop a situated and transformative action plan for future teaching that is anchored in sociocultural views of learning. Teachers will learn how to use action research methods to collect data on teaching practices and for graduate research projects. This course requires field experience hours in an ESL and/or bilingual P-12 classroom.

This seminar represents the culminating experience for all teachers. This seminar is completed during the final Fall or Spring term in the program in order to facilitate the completion of a final master’s project.