Interim Department Head: Dr. Christie Calhoun
312 Ramona Wood Hall
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in the areas of Elementary/Early Childhood and Special Education Collaborative Teacher. Upon program completion, students will be eligible to apply for the baccalaureate level Professional Teaching Certificate.
Early Childhood Education
Review of developmentally appropriate assessment for young children. Included will be reviews of portfolios, standardized tests, anecdotal records, observations, and behavioral rating scales. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Corequisite(s): EED 344, EED 339 and RDG 342.
Review of developmentally appropriate assessment for young children. Included will be reviews of portfolios, standardized tests, state required assessment, anecdotal records, observations, rating scales, land creation of teacher-made assessments. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Elementary Education
Introduces students to teaching diverse populations, including cultural, socioeconomic, learning styles, disabilities, and other variability aspects of current classroom cultures. This course may be taken prior to Teacher Education Program eligibility.
This course investigates techniques, strategies, and curriculum design in the elementary grades. Students learn how to integrate content areas, effective teaching and learning strategies, and methods for problem-solving/critical thinking. This course may be taken prior to Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): All core math, science, and social studies courses and the Literacy Block (EED 339, EED 344, RDG 312, and RDG 342).
Corequisite(s): EED 341, 343, and 362.
Provides preservice elementary teachers an opportunity to observe, analyze, and apply math, science, and social studies concepts and theories in schools and classrooms. Requires Teacher Education program eligibility. This block should be taken after completion of the Literacy Block.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 309.
This course is designed to extend teacher candidates' knowledge about new literacies and multimodal pedagogies for all learners, including English Learners. Requires Teacher Education eligibility.
Reading
A survey course of children's literature and language development, this course explores genres of children's literature. Vocabulary and comprehension strategies for early childhood and elementary teaching are introduced. Upon completion students will be able to support a literature and language rich classroom environment. This course may be taken prior to Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Education Program eligibility and successful completion of the ECE block.
Methods, materials and research findings on beginning reading instruction in P-3 classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on teaching phonics and integrating children's literature in early childhood literacy programs.
Evaluation of books for children, selection criteria, and the interests, needs and abilities of children emphasized. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Materials, methods, and theory of the science of reading appropriate for the middle levels.
Prerequisite(s): RDG 330.
Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility. Materials and methods for building middle level students literacy skills in reading and writing.
Prerequisite(s): RDG 330.
Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility. Materials and methods for analysis of reading difficulties in middle level students.
Corequisite(s): SPE 331, SPE 340 and SPE 348.
The purpose of this course is to provide information regarding methods, materials, and research findings concerned with beginning reading instruction for the elementary grades. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility. RDG 343 is cross-listed with RDG 342.
Special Education
Foundations of Collaborative Education as well as various areas of exceptionality including cognitive impairments, behaviorally disordered, multiple disabled, learning disabled, gifted and talented, hearing impaired, visually impaired, autism spectrum disorder, speech and language disordered, and early education for students with disabilities.
Corequisite(s): SPE 340, SPE 348, and RDG 343.
Administrative processes for special education including Mastering the Maze, planning for classroom, Individualized Education Planning, Lesson Planning, SETS training, Introduction of Behavior Intervention Plans and Transition Plans. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
This course will cover federal laws, rules, and regulations governing and/or impacting on programs for exceptional students, litigation cases that have impact on individual with exceptionalities, interdisciplinary collaboration with health care professionals and other agencies, the role other disciplines and agencies play in meeting the needs of children with exceptionalities, the needs and management techniques for students who have communicable diseases and medical diagnosis or who are considered medically fragile and the adverse effect of these conditions on learning and family functioning, medications, administration of medications, and school healthcare procedures, and professionalism and ethics in teaching individuals with exceptionalities. May be taken prior to achieving Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Corequisite(s): SPE 330, SPE 338, and SPE 341.
This course is designed to examine the many accessibility features within a computer as well as hand held devices. This course will also cover how to utilize accessibility features and applications to meet individual student needs within the school setting. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
This course will center on the necessity of culturally responsive teaching beginning with the preparation of the prospective teacher. Students will determine the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of teaching while continually examining their own. There will be an emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity and exceptionally. May be taken prior to Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 300.
Corequisite(s): RDG 343, SPE 330, SPE 331, and SPE 340.
Strategies for meeting educational needs of students with mild disabilities in elementary inclusive general education classrooms or special education classrooms. Includes collaboration, co-teaching, and response to intervention procedures. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 300.
Corequisite(s): SPE 334, SPE 336, SPE 338, SPE 341.
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of collaborative and co-teaching models and prepare them to implement these models in the inclusive setting. The course also covers student engagement, overview of course content standards and how to plan neurodiversity within the inclusive secondary classroom. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 300.
Corequisite(s): RDG 343, SPE 331 and SPE 340.
Strategies for meeting the educational needs of students with mild disabilities in elementary and secondary inclusive general education classrooms or special education classrooms. Includes collaboration, co-teaching, and response to intervention procedures. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of collaborative and co-teaching models and prepare them to implement these models in the inclusive setting. The course also covers student engagement, overview of course content standards and how to plan for neurodiversity within the inclusive secondary classroom.
Introduces major sign systems used by the deaf. Students acquire basic sign vocabulary of 750 words and idiomatic expressions.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 387 or approval of instructor.
Continues acquisition of sign vocabulary and focuses on development of ASL and Pidgin skills.
Corequisite(s): RDG 305, SPE 426, and SPE 442.
This course will include accommodations and modifications to the instructional program to assist students with severe disabilities to succeed. Topics covered will include assistive technology, self-contained and resource room models, extended standards, task analysis, physical management, lifting, wheel chair maintenance, ambulation, positioning, and communication skill development, including AAC. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 300.
This is a weekly seminar that focuses on Autism Spectrum Disorder. It consists of a series of seminars on major topics related to ASD such as: historical timeline, diagnosis and assessment, advocacy, current research and statistics, behavioral interventions, classroom supports and services, transition and it covers the lifespan. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Corequisities: RDG 305, SPE 423, and SPE 442. Instruction of classroom strategies for teaching communication skills to students with low-incidence disabilities. Included will be how to assess existing communication abilities of students with severe disabilities, and instruction on how to integrate use of aided and unaided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to include finger spelling, sign language, gestures, body language (total communication), augmentative and alternative communication systems and voice output communication aids (VOCAS), both low-tech and high-tech. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Prerequisite(s): SPE 300 and Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.
Corequisite(s): SPE 423, SPE 426, SPE 427 and SPE 441.
Practicum in Low Incidence/Severe Disabilities. Directed experiences in observation and participation in special education classrooms for students with severe disabilities. Seminars will be held in conjunction with this course.
Corequisite(s): SPE 423, SPE 426, SPE 427, and SPE 440.
Practicum in Low Incidence/Severe Disabilities. Directed experiences in observation and participation in special education classroooms for students with severe disabilities in secondary school settings. Seminars will be held in conjunction with this course. Requires Teacher Education Program eligibility.