This is the first course of a three part practice teaching and seminar series designed to prepare students to teach in elementary schools. At a qualified school site under the supervision of a mentor teacher and university supervisor, students will develop an understanding of instructional planning and delivery to make content comprehensible, assess learning, support the needs of diverse learners, maintain a safe learning environment and incorporate reflective practices for their own professional development. This course contains a synchronous component each week. This course is only available for students enrolled in the Post Baccalaureate Teaching Certificate.

This is a comprehensive course designed to equip educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance reading comprehension and literacy across various content areas in elementary education. Utilizing the latest research in the science of reading, this course focuses on evidence-based instructional strategies that integrate reading methods to support diverse learners. Participants will explore the foundational principles of reading development, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The course emphasizes practical applications of these principles, providing educators with tools to design and implement effective reading instruction that meets the needs of all students.

This course focuses on the development of science teaching competencies, basic principles and new trends of instruction and curriculum development in elementary school science. The course content is designed to help students develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to implement inquiry-based, developmentally appropriate science lessons. Unit planning, laboratory activities, evaluation strategies and science learning centers are emphasized. This course is only available for students enrolled in the Post Baccalaureate Teaching Certificate.

Designed to provide teacher candidates with models of instruction consistent with basic principles and new trends of instruction and curriculum development in teaching elementary school social sciences. This course implements current understanding of learning strategies, and opportunities to develop related process skills, use of technology in the teaching and learning of social science, and skills in implementing instructional models. This course is only available for students enrolled in the Post Baccalaureate Teaching Certificate.

Students will learn research-based strategies and best practices for developing effective instructional programs and managing safe, supportive, learning environments in elementary and secondary classrooms. The course will introduce participants to practical, field-tested approaches through required school observation related to classroom discipline, behavior management, and strategies for classroom teachers, with methods that apply to a wide range of classrooms, including low-income and multicultural environments.

When it comes to school or organizational improvement, leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring that a culture of achievement and growth is shared by all. In this course, students investigate a variety of principles including; growth mindset, transformational leadership, transparency, fostering a culture of continuous growth and achievement, principles of servant leadership, and the power of collaboration. The role professional development plays in laying a foundation for the curriculum design and implementation process is also examined. Leadership experience is not required to be successful in this course. Teachers, trainers, and educational leaders or administrators will learn practical, yet powerful ways to improve their professional practice. Prerequisites: ECI 601 and EDU 650 or ECI 680.

With increased national attention on improved responsibility for curriculum, standards and assessment, having a shared belief of universal achievement and collaboration has never been more important. In this course, students will not only practice the steps of the curriculum design process, but do so in the spirit of collaboration. A variety of effective collaboration models are explored as students develop an understanding of curriculum improvement as an ongoing process while paying attention to both the curriculum ("what") and the instruction ("how"). Prerequisite: ECI 601.

In this engaging course, students develop distinct understandings of the relationships between motivation and learning as exemplified through technology-based experiences. Students are challenged to discover ways technology impacts curriculum and instruction design as a means to deliver the most effective learning experiences to meet the needs of diverse learners in diverse learning environments. No previous technology experience is required; only a desire to be change agents and harness 21st-century learning to improve educational outcomes. Prerequisite: ECI 601.

Effective curriculum design and implementation requires knowledge of educational and organizational issues, challenges, and trends. Professionals must use this knowledge collaboratively to make informed curriculum and instructional design decisions that positively impact learner, school, and organization achievement while sharing a belief that all learners can succeed. In this course, students are introduced to legislative reform policies, issues and trends pertaining to learning standards, college and career readiness, assessment and accountability, as well as improved accessibility to resources and the call for technology-based teaching, training, and learning. Prerequisite: ECI 601

This course provides students with an opportunity to examine the process of acquiring a second language. Students will compare the basic theories of second language acquisition to those first language acquisition, and to learning in general. They will explore how theories of second language acquisition influence curriculum design and guide second language instructional methods. Building on the knowledge and skills obtained throughout the course, students will develop their own strategies for second language instruction that address the cognitive and social obstacles faced by second language learners.