Educational Services (522)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a solid foundation for effective literacy instruction in K – 9 grade classrooms. The course will focus on the major five elements of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Phonological Awareness will also be addressed. This course will review research-based teaching strategies, instructional materials as well as methods and assessments for effective and inclusive literacy instruction.

Students analyze preK-12 education in the United States, determine roles and responsibilities of school personnel, and explore current trends and best practices. Students identify how students learn and the foundations of lesson planning. Students analyze assessment strategies, classroom management, and techniques for supporting learners.

The focus of this course is for students to teach and learn with information and technology rather than about information and technology. The Wisconsin Department of Public Education (DPI) states that “Information and Technology Literacy is the ability of a teacher, working independently or with others, to use tools, resources, processes, and systems responsibly to access and evaluate information in any medium, and to use that information to solve problems, communicate clearly, make informed decisions, and construct new knowledge, products, or systems.” Students will analyze all aspect of information and technology literacy as well as begin their digital professional teaching portfolio.

Students analyze the behavior of students in educational settings. Emphasis will be given to examining the influences on behavior and creating proactive learning environments through behavioral interventions and support. Students will evaluate strategies for creating a safe and supportive classroom environment.

Students will analyze the physical, cognitive and social-emotional development of children with an emphasis on school age children and adolescents. Students will examine environmental factors that influence child development. Developmental theories will be summarized and related to current teaching practices.

Students examine a historical overview of special education and special education law including special education disability categories as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students explore state and federal qualification special education criteria and societal responses to students with disabilities. Students examine the impact of a student with disabilities on family dynamics and the role school personnel play in supporting students with disabilities.

Students analyze personal culture, explore cultural constructs, evaluate cultural bias in educational materials and analyze strategies to support English Learners. Students examine diversity in the classroom and develop techniques for supporting equity in the learning environment. In addition, students collaborate to identify service needs in the community and demonstrate professional collaboration skills through participating in a service-learning project.

Students will be introduced to the science and art of teaching language arts. Evidence-based approaches and assessments will be examined and practiced. Students will create a literature file through the exploration of a variety of children’s/young adult literature.

Students learn key terminology and research-based strategies to support learners in math domains: numbers, base ten operations, algebraic thinking, geometry, probability/statistics and measurement and data. Current practice including manipulatives, problem solving and assessment will be covered within the framework of state and national standards.

Students analyze current content in social studies education as recommended by the National Council for Social Studies and Wisconsin DPI. Students design learning opportunities for the five content areas of social studies: Geography, History, Behavioral Sciences (Culture and Society), Political Science (Civics and Government), and Economics that incorporate the social studies inquiry practices and processes. Students receive training on the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of Wisconsin’s eleven federally recognized American Indian nations and tribal communities (Act 31) and the Holocaust and other genocides (Act 30) to meet Wisconsin teacher standards and teaching requirements.

Students are introduced to the content and processes of teaching science. Students explore science processes, strategies, procedures, assessment options and factors affecting science learning. Students practice strategies for assisting with group and individual activities in science. This course provides a foundation in the concepts and models of hands-on, student-centered science and its assessment as described in WI DPI Science Standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Students identify research-based interventions for learners in categories defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students interpret Individualized Educational Programs and examine special education related services available for learners. Students collect data to document student behavior and academic performance and recommend program adaptations and accommodations for students with disabilities while applying the concepts of least restrictive environment and inclusion.

Students apply the skills learned in previous program courses in a school setting while under the supervision of a Department of Public Instruction certified teacher. Students support learners while demonstrating professionalism. Students begin the reflective process.

Students apply the skills learned in previous program courses in a school setting while under the supervision of a Department of Public Instruction certified teacher. Students support learners and while demonstrating professionalism. Students apply job search skills. (Prerequisites: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in 522-129 EDU: Practicum 1; criminal background check)