Foundations of Education with Teaching Pre-Practicum

Catalog description

This course offers students a chance to historically examine the sociopolitical, cultural, philosophical and developmental foundations of U.S. education (grades 1-6). The course investigates past and current educational reforms, school structures, and teacher practices, as well as Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, while stressing the significance of diversity and equity in education. The course requires a three-hour seminar and 40 hours of field experience. Through field experiences, students will keep observational journals to allow them to critically integrate seminar topics with their observations and develop ethical and critical understanding of student identity, growth and development, learning theories, issues of diversity, developmentally-appropriate practices, different approaches to teaching and professional teaching standards. Prerequisite(s): C or better in ENG 101. Completion of 27 credits in the Elementary Education program with a GPA of 2.50 or better, or instructor's approval. Three lecture hours per week. Instructional Support Fee applies.