Brief Course Overview
The program is structured around three major domains of study:
- Four Required Instructional Core Courses
- Three Required Classroom Inquiry Courses
and
- Three Courses from one of four Concentration Option Areas
An overview of each component and course follows:
All courses (except the Inquiry Core) are available in either Face-to-Face or Online format
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I. REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL CORE COURSES
(four 3-credit courses)
All students must take these courses. The Instructional Core Courses, designed in response to teacher-identified areas of greatest need, are designed to enhance teachers’ understanding of classic and contemporary educational approaches.
EDIN 570 Differentiated Instruction
The focus of this course is to provide a framework to design effective instruction for all students using students’ learning styles, interests and level of readiness. Traditional and emerging concepts of differentiation by ability, interest and readiness are explored and practiced.
EDIN 548 Styles of Teaching: Personality Type in the Classroom
Based on Jung’s four temperaments, issues pertaining to teaching, learning, classroom management, communication, conflict resolution, esteem building, and problem solving will be examined and applied to classroom situations. Students will explore how to communicate effectively across and within 4 color-coded personality types.
EDIN 560 Brain-Based Teaching and Learning
Current and classic research in neuroscience indicate ways that brains naturally learn best and under what conditions are closely explored in this class which focuses on practice-based applications to the K-12 classroom.
EDIN 542 Assessment Techniques: Assessing for Student Learning
Authentic assessment offers varied alternatives to measure how well (and how much or how deeply) students learn. While written tests are addressed, emphasis is on performance assessment along with related aspects of evaluation and understanding students’ achievement and progress.
II. REQUIRED CLASSROOM INQUIRY CORE
(three 3-credit courses and one zero credit course)
All students must take these courses.
The sequential Classroom Inquiry Courses are designed to introduce students to classroom-based research stemming from teachers’ own deeply-held, but often unanswered, questions and challenges they face in their own classroom. Throughout the three courses, students will learn to develop, design and implement a research project based on their own classroom practice.
EDUC 510 Exploration of Classroom Inquiry
*Note: It is advised that EDUC 510 be taken within the first 9 credits of this 30 credit program.
This course explores the history, philosophy, and practice of “teacher research” as a field. The course prepares students to identify authentic questions and challenges from their own teaching as a basis for understanding how individually generated research can contribute to personal and professional development.
EDUC 601 Modes of Inquiry
Expanding on work from EDUC 510, this course prepares students to develop the skills and dispositions needed to begin planning their own teacher research project, set within their own classroom context or educational setting. Students work individually, and in collaborative groups, to develop research plans for a project designed to address personal questions about teaching practice.
EDUC 602/700 Inquiry in Practice and Presentation
EDUC 602 is the third course in the Inquiry Core (following EDUC 510 and 601) guides students through the major phases (and predictable obstacles) of conducting a classroom-based teacher research project in their own school setting as well as a culminating presentation of findings, implications for teaching practice, and emerging questions. EDUC 700 (a zero tuition, zero credit course) requires students to offer a presentation based on highlights from their inquiry project conducted in their own classroom.
III. CONCENTRATION OPTION AREAS
To complete their program, students must choose one of the following Concentration Option Areas. Students must take three 3-credit courses within one of the following areas:
Concentration Option One: TEACHING STRATEGIES
Select three (3-credit courses) from the following 5 options:
EDIN 545 Encouraging Skillful, Critical, and Creative Thinking
A practical, experiential course for educators that explores ways to apply a variety of instructional strategies that encourage students to become better thinkers.
EDIN 536 Universal Design for Learning: Reaching All Learners in the Digital Age
A blueprint for creating flexible goals, methods, materials and assessments that enable students with diverse needs and learning styles to succeed in an inclusive, standards-based, digital classroom.
EDIN 553 The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement
Instructional content can be enlivened in the K-12 classroom through the use of dynamic movement and kinesthetic activity. By using movement, academic standards can be met, test scores can be improved and important life skills can be developed.
EDIN 554 The Kinesthetic Classroom II: Moving Across the Standards
This course employs kinesthetic activities in classrooms to ensure maximum student participation that enhances academic achievement, builds class cohesion, and develops life skills. Teachers will create new activities and tactics to enhance the learning process for both educator and student. Design effective action plans to increase movement in the school environment. Note: This course involves optional physical activities.
EDIN 573 Technology with Ease: Enhancing the Modern Classroom
Focus on keeping ahead of the technological curve, regardless of your initial comfort working with technology. This course is designed to increase confidence in integrating technology using emerging web applications. Explore the use of educational technology to facilitate student learning and have students become digitally prepared for the 21st century. Question previously conceived notions about content creation, delivery, storage, and assessment, while stretching existing teaching methods to adapt to changing student needs. NOTE: A laptop with WiFi capability is required.
Concentration Option Two: THE DIVERSE CLASSROOM
Select three (3-credit courses) of the following 5 options:
EDIN 552 Strategies for ADHD, LD and a Spectrum of Learners
This course is designed to offer educators a spectrum of instructional strategies. Learn how to apply research-based educational strategies to advance the knowledge and skills of your students with exceptionalities. This includes, but is not limited to students with ADHD, autism, intellectual, learning, sensory, and emotional differences. Tap into your students’ strengths with appropriate interventions and curriculum practices.
EDIN 555 Skills and Strategies for Inclusion and disABILITY Awareness
Teachers will gain a deeper understanding of disabilities, and examine the social, academic and physical considerations in school, community and home as factors in the learning environment.
EDIN 558 The Gendered Brain
Current research on gender differences will be examined and discussed, and how to provide educational equality enhancing each student’s personal worth and meaning through a variety of gender-specific activities.
EDIN 559 The Bully Proof Classroom
Bullying is an important issue facing families, schools, communities, and society. Understand the issues and develop strategies to address the problem. Examine socialization curriculum and gain an awareness of bullying behavior, the reaction of the victim, the responsibility of bystanders, and how to create a bully proof assurance in classrooms and schools.
EDIN 546 The Culturally Distinctive Classroom
Strategies for classroom engagement and lesson delivery in a changing diverse classroom will be examined. The focus is on understanding ourselves in today’s society in order to understand and guide our young learners. A study of multiculturalism, the changing diverse learners through a lens of their socioeconomic status and making lasting parental connections within our school communities will be explored.
Option Three: CLASSROOM CLIMATE AND MANAGEMENT
Select three (3-credit courses) of the following 5 options:
EDIN 544 Increasing Student Responsibility and Self-Discipline in Learning Communities
Develop approaches to help students resolve their inner conflicts, and improve responsibility and self-discipline.
EDIN 565 Cooperative Discipline
Shift discipline from controlling student behavior by rewards and punishment to managing and motivating students by building self-esteem and helping them make better choices.
EDIN 556 Motivation: The Art and Science of Inspiring Classroom Success
This course increases teachers’ awareness of various motivational techniques through research, literature, simulations, discussions, applications and in-class activities.
EDIN 553 The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement
Instructional content can be enlivened in the K-12 classroom through the use of dynamic movement and kinesthetic activity. By using movement, academic standards can be met, test scores can be improved and important life skills can be developed.
EDIN 528 Skills for Building the Collaborative Classroom
Collaboration, cooperation, innovation, creativity and critical thinking (all 21st Century Skills) are demonstrated using interactive hands-on structures and activities. The goal: to engage students living in a global community and ultimately working in a global marketplace. Participants can expect to learn how to successfully encourage students to work cooperatively and collaboratively to THINK, CREATE, SHARE and GROW interdependently. NOTE: A laptop or tablet is required, applications will be downloaded during this course..
Option Four: CLASSROOM WELL-BEING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Select three (3-credit courses) of the following 4 options:
EDIN 553 The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement
Instructional content can be enlivened in the K-12 classroom through the use of dynamic movement and kinesthetic activity. By using movement, academic standards can be met, test scores can be improved and important life skills can be developed.
EDIN 554 The Kinesthetic Classroom II: Moving Across the Standards
This course employs kinesthetic activities in classrooms to ensure maximum student participation that enhances academic achievement, builds class cohesion, and develops life skills. Teachers will create new activities and tactics to enhance the learning process for both educator and student. Design effective action plans to increase movement in the school environment. Note: This course involves optional physical activities.
EDIN 539 Creating Health and Balance in Today’s Classroom
Research shows that students who are physically fit and well nourished perform at a higher academic level. “Mindfulness in Education” will be emphasized as a technique to reduce student anxiety and help students succeed. The impact of stress, poor time management, lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition (One of every three students will develop Type 2 diabetes), on students and educators will be examined in order to better facilitate the learning process.
EDIN 556 Motivation: The Art and Science of Inspiring Classroom Success
This course increases teachers’ awareness of various motivational techniques through research, literature, simulations, discussions, applications and in-class activities.