Courses
ED U111 Education in the Community is open to all students in the university. Through personal reflection, community service, historical study and research into current issues, the course introduces students to the role and place of education in America today. The important contributions of the community, family and the public school to the achievement of children is considered as well as the ways in which these groups can more successfully work to support all students. The course addresses the current concerns in our society about the progress of students and the quality of education offered, and questions the origins and content of these concerns. The course provides an opportunity for students to consider their prior education, to hear about the decisions of others active in education change, and to consider what role they might see for themselves in education.
ED U504/G104 Learning and Accomplished Practice focuses on an examination of the learning process and how an understanding of the nature of learning can lead to the implementation of effective instruction. Theoretical perspectives and research will be studied in order to understand student development and diversity, and to focus on how students learn. Participants in the course are challenged to demonstrate a working understanding of teaching and learning as they occur in different types of schools and community settings. All these facets are essential for a comprehension on three core principles: (1) the characteristics that students bring to the classroom, encompassing how students are likely to be different from one another, (2) the research referring to how students learn, exploring the nature of human learning, thinking, behavior, and motivation, and (3) the conversion of knowledge about development, diversity, and learning into effective teaching practice, applying principles of student development and diversity, and learning to classroom practice.
ED U511/EDG 111 Curriculum Design educates participants in the course about how to develop relevant, rigorous curriculum for urban high schools. The design of the course is based on three core beliefs about what teachers must know and be able to do in order to create and implement engaging, high-level curriculum: (1) teachers must be knowledgeable about their subject matter and passionate about teaching it, (2) teachers must possess a deep understanding of their students as individual learners, as adolescents, and as members of their diverse communities, and (3) teachers must work in collaborative professional learning communities.
ED U522/G122 Teaching in the Discipline English introduces English/Language Arts practitioners to the demands of the teaching profession. Students will examine various approaches to organizing and teaching English/Language Arts courses and consider how students' own thinking and writing is central to the course. As students become familiar with reading and writing theories, they will begin to examine and create assignments that require close reading and careful analysis of prose. Readings, assignments and class discussion will help the prospective teachers identify "best practices" that help children develop greater awareness of rhetorical purpose and the use of language features such as diction, tone, syntax, and detail in their reading, writing and revising. During the course of the semester, syllabi will be developed, refined and shared.
ED U553/ED G153 Inquiry in Mathematics, Science, and Technology is intended to provide prospective elementary school teachers a theoretical and practical foundation for the teaching and learning of school mathematics and science. It is designed to deepen the student's own understanding of elementary math and science curricula, focus on how appropriate curriculum is developed and implemented, and help prospective teachers explore how children learn and understand math and science. The readings, activities, and assignments are aligned with the Massachusetts Curricula Frameworks (Mathematics and Science), the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), and National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1999). The topics for exploration will include numbers and their operations, measurements, geometry, algebra, problem-solving, process skills, health and nutrition, and assessment. The course will also provide students will an opportunity to work with K-6 teachers and children in an urban classroom.
ED U525/ED G125 Teaching Science examines how the evolving nature of science ideas, theories, concepts and controversies relates to diverse middle and high school students, and how teachers can use experience-based, problem-centered approaches that engage the range of student learners and help them meet local and state learning goals. The course identifies research possibilities within school contexts, both inside and outside the laboratory, and explores curricular frameworks and culturally-relevant content to enable students to create a learning environment that supports inquiry and problem solving. Examples of excellent curriculum products, programs, assessments, and technology tools will be analyzed. Students will develop a curriculum unit, including assessment philosophy and practices. Graduate students are required to demonstrate advanced levels of study and research.
ED U150 Multi-Cultural Children's and Adolescent's Literature is a course about literature for all children. It's about enhancing their love of reading and the power of their imagination. And it's about a teacher's role in promoting and celebrating multicultural literacy. In the course, students will read and re-discover the books of their childhood, find new books, read with children, visit libraries, and collect books (old and new) for their personal libraries. Through journals students will reflect on how children's literature can help all children become active, independent readers kids who read because they want to, not just because they have to.
ED U567/G167 Elementary Literacy Development and Instruction introduces students to foundational theoretical and practical instructional principles for developing reading, writing, and language arts in the elementary grades. Students will acquire beginning knowledge of varied materials, instructional strategies, and classroom-based assessment for emergent, beginning, and fluent readers and writers. Drawing on recent research on language and literacy acquisition, the course explores the interrelationship of reading, writings, listening, and speaking. Readings, assignments, and class discussion focus on the influence of language, culture and learning style, on literacy development and underscore the important role of home and community. The course addresses issue of equity that surrounds literacy teaching and learning, and explores in what ways literacy is a sociocultural phenomenon often at the center of highly political debate. Emphasis is consistently placed on how teachers can meet the needs of all learners, and use reading, writing and language as tools for exploring and questioning the world around the, in meaningful ways.
ED G306 Research and Design in Education is an introduction to the methods of research in Education. The course includes both an introduction to statistical methods and methods of research design. The course also stresses the language of research, formulating research questions and/or hypotheses and writing a research proposal that may be used to conduct a research project. Special attention is placed on the topics of ethics and objectivity.
ED U521/ED G121 Language, Culture, and Literacy in Middle and High School is designed to introduce participants to pedagogy in literacy instruction in middle school and high school through a critical examination of the issues of linguistic diversity within their broad sociopolitical, sociocultural, and philosophical contexts. The course explores theories and methods for creating the conditions for successful literacy development in diverse settings. The focus is on linguistically diverse students in middle school and high school and how to develop their oral and written language abilities, paying specific attention to how language discrimination functions within the context of other forms of systematic oppression in our society. Participants will learn pedagogical theory for creating learning environments that draw upon and celebrate their home language abilities and tradition.
ED U570/ED G170 Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity is designed to enable current and future teachers to understand, and plan for, the broad range of student learning and behavioral styles found in every public school classroom. The first part of the course provides a critical examination of the historical, political, and social forces shaping special and general education. It also examines the current push towards Inclusion and Universal Design for Learning, and the implication of this push for students with disabilities. The second part of the course discusses the neurodevelopmental functions underlying learning, along with their variations and pedagogical implications. The last part of the course explores how teachers can humanly and effectively respond the challenging student behavior of many sorts with strategies grounded in community building, and group and individual management techniques.
ED U552/G152 Inquiry in Humanities and Social Studies examines how teachers enhance children's understanding of history and social studies, as part of a coordinated approach to the humanities. The goal is for teachers to actively engage students in reading, writing, and speaking through approaches that develop critical skills and habits of mind in relation to issues of citizenship, community, social justice, and the pursuit of truth in an evolving world. The desired outcome is that teachers are able to assist students in preparing themselves to play an active role as citizens in a democratic and culturally diverse society. The course explores methodology and curriculum design, applicable within and beyond Social Studies/History and English/Language Arts.
ED G303 Education and Ethics: Urban Schooling and the Emerging Educator focuses on ethical issues in urban schooling as a context and the educator's evolving stance toward the profession. Following upon a year-long internship in an urban school setting, students join the course to examine contrasting ideologies and practical approaches that Boston-area schools are taking to the education of urban youth and the challenges and opportunities encountered by urban teachers. Through case studies on ethical issues encountered during the teaching experience, visits to urban schools settings, interaction with educators within and outside Boston Public Schools, as well as through readings, discussion and reflection, students will develop personal strategies to cope with the ethical and pedagogical situations they encounter.
ED U530/G335 Race and Urban Education is designed to provide an intensive examination of race and racism in the United States and then to place that examination in a global context. The goal of the course is to explore, acknowledge and understand the relationship of racism to cultural diversity in the US, and the "cultural baggage" that we each bring to discussion of racism. Students begin by exploring the topics of race, racism and identity in the attempt to understand racism's relationship to power and socio-economic class. Then, students expand focus to an analysis of the implications of race and racism in urban education. Students will take part in experiential field observation and research, and will complete student reports. Students will be expected to begin the personal exploration of their own feelings and experience with racism. The course will combine formal lectures with group and small group discussion, fieldwork, and video presentations.
ED G330 Adolescence and Middle Schools is designed to develop a dynamic historical, cultural and sociocultural understanding of the role of the middle school in American education, and in a stratified and unequal society. The course explores how middle school teachers can empower their students to become inquiring and independent learners, and examines middle school curriculum and its relation to the learning approaches of a diverse student community. The course also examines the relationship between the official culture of the school and the informal student peer culture, and the interaction between to two. By the end of the course, students will have developed the specific skills and strategies that middle school educators use in their work.
ED U951/ ED G548 The Teacher Candidate Seminar guides students in their teacher candidate experience. The seminar has three main goals. First, the seminar assists students in becoming reflective practitioners who practice culturally responsive pedagogy. Students will be able to examine their practice and develop life-long skills and methods to progress from novice teachers to expert teachers. Student reflections will help integrate the prior theories of teaching/learning in the urban environment into a meaningful context to apply to the teacher candidate site. Second, the seminar is structured to provide students with a peer community of practice. This group configuration will be the students' sounding board, partner, and intellectual resource as students plan their unit, lesson, and micro-teaching exercises. Lastly, the seminar is designed to acquaint students more intimately with the Pre-Service Performance Assessment Professional Standards for teachers. Students will view these standards through a number of lenses including urban environments, gathering evidence, and integrating their knowledge into practical application.
ED G671 The Master's Project
ED G673 The Master's Project is required for the successful completion of the BA/BS-MAT degree in either elementary or secondary education. It is also an option for students in other Master's programs in education. The Project builds on the descriptive or exploratory work done in prior research courses and addresses questions of the students' choosing that emerge from their fieldwork in the community and school-based programs with whom the school of Education has partnered. The Master's Project reflects the students application of concepts and understandings derived from previous coursework and research to settings in K-12 classrooms or community programs. The Project is expected to conform to the guidelines developed by members of the faculty in the School of Education. Final Master's Projects will be presented in Public Forum.