Special courses designed to meet changing educational trends.

Teacher candidates will develop skills to access information and integrate technology to improve learning for PK-12 students. Teacher candidates research, select, and evaluate information about diverse populations using a wide variety of instructional technology. The level of expected performance is in accordance with graduate level expectations.

This course introduces learners to foundational theory, research, and pedagogy for culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining practices. Learners will examine strategies to develop equity-minded approaches that cultivate an inclusive and safe learning environment. Learners will integrate students¿ cultural and educational experiences to inform teaching and learning practices.

Study and application of developing positive relationships in diverse learning communities within social, historical and philosophical perspectives. Based on the premise that building a learning community and developing positive relationships with colleagues and learners is basic to teaching and learning.

This course will allow the teacher candidate to critically reflect on the various cognitive, language, personal and social developmental factors involved in student learning. In addition, the teacher candidate will apply this knowledge into instructional decision-making for teaching in the inclusive classroom. Dispositions and skills of recognizing exceptionality in student learning, including learning disabilities, perceptual difficulties, and special physical or mental challenges, gifts, and talents and accommodating and accessing appropriate services and assistive technology will be developed. The level of expected performance is in accordance with graduate level expectations.

The focus of this course is reading as it applies to middle and secondary schools. Current issues and trends in reading will be examined. This includes best practice methodologies including a balanced approached to literacy. The course will develop student knowledge of phonemic awareness and decoding skills, fluency, vocabulary development, and text comprehension in content area literacy.

Teacher candidates will further develop processes for creating and sustaining a classroom learning environment that fosters and enables success for all learners. Teacher candidates will develop communities of learners by constructing effective physical environments and interpersonal relationships. Teacher candidates will effectively communicate and interact with diverse families, school colleagues, and representatives from community agencies to support and enhance student engagement and learning. The level of expected performance is in accordance with graduate level.

The course guides K-12 teacher candidates through the design, implementation, and assessment of a standards-based curriculum. Analysis of standards, creation of assessments, design and delivery of instruction are integrated with field-site placements. In order to understand the contextual considerations of instructional design and implementation, the course also examines the changing needs of middle and high school students in the context of best instructional practices and philosophies of successful middle and high schools. The level of expected performance is in accordance with graduate level expectations.

The research process is one that is complicated, and nonlinear, and very often difficult for students to understand and see its strengths and weaknesses. This course will introduce students to research methodologies as applied to research and evaluation. The course will focus on developing skills and applying different methodologies in a research plan.

Designed to provide a learning experience in utilizing techniques and procedures in scholarly writing.

Classroom teachers will learn how to conduct research in their classrooms that is designed to improve student learning.

Learners will develop effective and equitable instruction to improve student achievement through differentiated, critical thinking, cooperative, and problem-based curriculum and instruction. Learners will learn about and apply best practices to meet the needs of diverse student populations through increased student-teacher, student-student and student-community relationships. Learners will explore, recognize, and mitigate personal and cultural biases in instruction practices in order to apply effective and equitable student-centered learning.

Selected topics explored for secondary teaching. May be repeated.

Learners will develop expertise using technology tools to address individual student needs. In this course, learners will explore the assumptions, biases and limitations of integrating technology tools, and the implications of those for teaching and student learning. Through the use of technology integration frameworks, learners will evaluate implications of both access and opportunity of using technology teaching, learning, and assessment. This course will also explore ways in which technology can both be an avenue towards social justice in education and how technology can exacerbate inequities.

The trends format provides teachers and others opportunity to study recent research and current developments with an interdisciplinary nature to include a variety of topics. This course may be in a shortened hands-on format. May be repeated.

This course will examine, acquire, evaluate and use reference media sources to meet the information needs of a media center's clientele. Participants will examine and review bibliographic resources and their relationship to instruction and instructional in-service. Emphasis will be placed on reading, discussing, selecting, and evaluating resources in the context of curricular issues, cooperative endeavors with other libraries and trends in the information and reference services field.

Students will learn and practice selecting, evaluating, and using print, audiovisual and electronic media for children in grades K-6. Participants will learn to identify and discuss a variety of genre; using reviewing sources and selection tools; identify major children's book awards; research authors and books; become knowledgeable about current issues such as censorship; locate and prepare a multiple format mediaography of children's materials and demonstrate curricular uses of this media.

This course will provide the learners with reflective and practical experiences for the integration of accessibility, technology and learning. Students will explore student characteristics and needs, learning goals and experiences, accessibility tools, differentiated instruction, and technology to design and evaluate integrated lesson plans.

KSP 630 (3) Materials for Young AdultsThis course covers developmentally appropriate library and information services for young adults, ages 11-18 with an emphasis on literature and the uses of literature in schools and libraries. The course includes material on non-book services, programming, and other services specific to this age group.

In this course knowledge and skills are applied and assessed directly in a field setting. The course is designed to guide K-12 and 5-12 teacher candidates through the design, implementation, and assessment of a standards-based curriculum from the analysis of standards, creation of assessments, design and delivery of assessments in a field-site.

The course will examine the role of the school librarian in the literacy development process. This process includes the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media. The roles of the school librarian as teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator will be addressed.

Learners will examine existing systems for equity of access, use, distribution, and infrastructure and the implications this has for learning communities. Learners will research, design, and create technology plans using data, processes, and procedures to address inequities.

Learners will explore, recognize, and mitigate personal and cultural biases in their learning environment assessment practices. Learners will use technology to align their assessments with state or national standards to develop clear and compressive learning goals which support equitable learning opportunities. Learners will create and align assessments, communicate results to learners and stakeholders, and use results to support learners¿ continuous growth.

This course will include analysis, synthesis, application, and evaluation of approaches to design in education. Learners will critically review design models and technology use as applied in education and the research that supports them to analyze how design can reduce barriers to learning and can increase equitable access to learning. Learners will analyze and apply design models and technology use to evaluate, adapt, and create student-centered learning experiences and instructional materials. Learners will analyze and apply strategies for teaching a design-based approach to problem solving and inquiry.

This course explores family, community, societal, and cultural influences in educating diverse student populations. Learners will examine theory and a range of strategies to develop equitable school, family, and community partnerships. Learners will identify strategies to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and develop asset-based frameworks to engage collaborative partnerships. Learners will explore and recognize organizational and cultural barriers to collaborative family and community partnerships.