Diverse Learners

Catalog description

This course examines the range of cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development of children and adolescents with special attention to how such growth and development influence learning. Students will identify student needs related to developmental level, language (including ELL), special education condition, patterns of thinking, and undiagnosed learning challenges. Students will define the readiness of individual students in specific classrooms and will consider the instructional implications thereof. Attention will also be paid to debunking stereotypes in order to consider the needs of children/ adolescents whose lives are influenced by environmental factors such as poverty, homelessness, discrimination and trauma. Teachers in this class will refine their system for considering the needs of every student in order to challenge every learner in their ZPD. EDU 507 Graduate Instructional Design and Assessment (4 cr. hrs.) This course will examine the practice of backward design. Students will learn and practice a range of instructional and assessment techniques and use of assessment data to inform group and individual instructional planning, implementation and assessment to produce targeted student achievement. The appropriate use and interpretation of various assessments will be identified. The essential elements of differentiated instruction will be introduced. Includes literature review on topic agreed to by the instructor. Prerequisite: admission to M.A.T. program. GRADUATE STUDIES EDU 508 Literacy Interventions in the Secondary Classroom (4 cr. hrs.) Teachers and teacher candidates will use formal and informal diagnostic tools to identify why 9‐12 students do not comprehend content discipline materials and examine teaching strategies to promote comprehension of increasingly complex texts. Teachers and teacher candidates will conduct research on best practices in writing and examine their own instruction to assess student understanding of an expository text, identify critical issues related to schema, engagement, metacognition and fluency, and coach improved writing techniques in the content classroom.