About the MAE: Curriculum & Instruction Program
This program will provide you with tools to assist Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade students in adapting to the rapid social and economic changes occurring in our Information-Age society. In the CIED program, you will be challenged to learn state-of-the art strategies in order to create a classroom that facilitates critical thinking skills, analysis, and reflective thinking. After an evening of grading papers, you’ll appreciate the convenience and flexibility of this online program that was recently named as one of Grad Report’s Top 10 colleges for Curriculum & Instruction.
About the Online Reading Endorsement Program
Through this program, you can learn how to design assessment, differentiate instruction, and design instructional approaches to improve Kindergarten – 12th grade literacy. You will study strategies for improving reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonics, and phonemic awareness. You’ll also learn how to assess reading difficulties, analyze and interpret test data, and provide direction for response to intervention initiatives. In a day of Common Core State Standards, there is focus on facilitating effective reading and writing instruction for learners of different ages, ability levels, and ethnic backgrounds. As a busy teacher, you’ll appreciate the flexibility and convenience of this online program.
Course Overview
It is important that teachers are well-informed about current developments in their fields of expertise. In this course, the candidate will learn about designing and implementing an action research project that will be conducted within the classroom setting. This course will focus on the fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative research including design, methodology, literature review, data analysis and conclusions. The research topics will emerge from questions generated by discussions and a broad view of the literature. The culminating assignment will be a research proposal to be implemented and then presented in EDUC 696. The content focus will be current issues, trends and organizational frameworks affecting education and the impact on teaching as well as learning and by what means they can be improved upon.
Exemplary teaching is a lifelong journey that requires an understanding of oneself, a constant refining of skills and practices, and a quest for information to enhance knowledge. The candidate explores his/her personal and professional philosophies of education through the analysis of classroom practice, personality preferences, generational differences, and communication style. This course examines the pedagogical and curricular requirements of learning by exploring meaningful classroom interactions between educators and learners and integrates theory and research-based practices for optimal student academic growth.
Today’s teachers must have a working knowledge of how to integrate technologies into their teaching routines. This ‘hands-on’ course provides that knowledge. The course includes a review of technology trends in education and an overview of the uses of technology in today’s workplace. The candidate practices using technologies to create instructional resources for use in the classroom. Additionally, the candidate will learn the power of technology by actually ‘plugging in’ and communicating with each other, the instructor, and contacts worldwide through the Internet.
This course explores the unique composite of students in today’s classroom. To develop the best learning environment and curriculum for students, practices must be informed by knowledge of current challenges faced by the students. This course will cover the wide variety of student characteristics and/or subgroups we see in classrooms that are a part of the American education system. The topics that will be interconnected include the impact of home, society and school on health, mental health, attitudes, behaviors, and especially on academic behavior.
The world in which we live is a global one which is characterized by the technological advancements, vast explosions of knowledge and changing societal and economic realities. In order for students in the United States to be able to compete in such a complex and ever-changing environment, educators must develop curriculum that encourages the intellectual preparation of our K-12 students to meet the challenges of this new and exciting world. This course will explore the interrelationship of the academic disciplines and how their integration can lead to a better intellectual understanding and growth of students in the classroom as well as in the world in which they live. The candidate, in the course, will examine instructional designs and how to use them in integrating curriculum.
This course examines applied learning theories and research. The candidate will be able to summarize and apply the basic tenets of the theories to his/her own area of specialization; use the appropriate vocabulary and concepts that have been developed by the educational theorists; apply the theories and concepts in a practical teaching setting; reflect upon the outcome; evaluate and design instructional strategies to meet the needs of the P-12 students in the classroom; and critique new ideas and proposals related to applied learning.
Candidates will examine the connections between assessments and instruction. In collaboration with their peers, they will discriminate between formal, informal, and authentic assessments weighing the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of each. Throughout the term, candidates will design assessments and explore and evaluate assessment data that will lead to stronger alignment between stated standards, objectives, assessments and their school community of learners. Furthermore, the candidate will develop strategies to address the role of power in the use and abuse of assessments in a broad spectrum of school environments.
Every student in preschool through high school has a unique learning journey. Educators have an opportunity to teach a diverse classroom of students every time a lesson is taught. Students in a classroom may include students diagnosed with a disability, or at-risk for developing a disability, and may include students who are gifted or talented, or those who are considered English Language Learners. The concepts of the strengths-based strategies of neurodiversity in the classroom will be investigated and applied in course information. This course will include exploring and choosing evidence-based curriculum and instructional practices for these unique learners. The candidate will develop an understanding of the current instructional practices for defined by Educational and Special Education law and the importance of working collaboratively with teacher teams, parents, and students.
Issues of critical importance to teachers make the news almost every day. Teachers must work collaboratively in recognizing the issue(s) that impact teaching and learning, what foundational causes are present, and the solution(s) to restore the order of the educational environment. Understanding the arguments, pro and con, that drive these issues is part of what it means to be a professional educator today. This course is designed to assist CIED candidates in identifying issues in schools, researching the cause or causes, and developing possible solutions using the Approach to Critical Issue Solving. The candidates will also explore the concept of change and being a change-agent in the school.
Practice is the best tool for learning. This course is designed to give the candidates experiences in exemplary teaching, curriculum development, professional development, and leadership. The focus is student and overall school achievement in a P-12 learning environment. In this course, candidates will complete and then present research findings from their research projects begun in EDUC 607 – Educational Research: Principles and Practices.
Prerequisite(s): EDUC 607.
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