This course provides an overview of the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, emotional, and moral development for humans across the lifespan. Participants will explore theories of learning and development as they pertain to the individual in the home, in schools, the community, at work, individually, with families and with peers. Attention will be paid to both normative and nonnormative developmental trends.

This course introduces human exceptionalities and surveys the psychological, medical, legal, and social forces influencing the provision of services for exceptional people. Clarifies perceptions of exceptionalities, defines and describes key terms and concepts, and identifies major trends that affect the scope and nature of service to exceptional people.

This course enables students to more expertly apply child and adolescent developmental concepts to the practice of teaching. Explores strategic instructional planning, teaching styles, presentation skills, cooperative learning, and classroom management systems. Emphasizes the role of the teacher as an educational leader and decision-maker. Uses video-assisted micro-teaches both in the laboratory and the classroom.

This course focuses on how to develop student understanding of scientific knowledge and nature of scientific inquiry through inquiry-centered approaches that are in harmony with the contemporary research on cognitive science, motivation, and learning and instruction. It also addresses science education standards, issues, research, and application. Throughout the semester, students are provided with many opportunities to engage in personal and collaborative inquiry about teaching and learning science.

Assists students in understanding how children develop quantitative reasoning and examines implications for teaching math concepts, skills, and problem-solving approaches across content areas. Provides a basis for understanding the changing mathematics curriculum and offers opportunities to plan and evaluate instructional techniques. Required of all Elementary and Special Education Certification candidates.

This course provides an overview of historical and current early childhood education models as well as curriculum, classroom management, and assessment considerations based on developmental theories of young children in Prek-4th grades. A special emphasis is placed on holistic curricula integrating literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, and movement into early childhood classrooms and including the family and community into the overall design. Understanding how to develop a classroom environment that embraces is emphasized.

This course is designed to help elementary and special education teachers use a developmental perspective in order to design instruction that maximizes learning for a diverse groups of pupils. Further, this course will provide the knowledge necessary for teachers to adjust instruction to accommodate the wide variety of needs commonly found among children with and without disabilities and other needs in current elementary and special education classrooms. Education 643 provides the background necessary for understanding developmental levels, learning styles, and research-based instructional strategies that connect to unit development. Education 645 and 661 represents a summer practicum experience necessary to implement instruction in inclusive and non-inclusive educational settings.

This course will extend graduate students' understanding of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) planning, including the Individual Transition Plan, and how to collaborate with parents and outside agencies. Included will be IEP interpretation and accommodations for students classified as low incidence students, including autism. In addition, students will learn how to adjust standards-based units of instruction to meet the needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities. Addressed will be the following: functional and basic academics, communication, daily living skills, socialization, community experiences and related services.

An extension of EDC 645 in which participants design and deliver instruction to moderately and severely handicapped learners. Emphasizes the classroom application of research-based knowledge of child development and individual differences.

Promotes understanding of reading as a strategic interactive process that affects learners' efforts in all academic areas. Explores currently held views of the reading process, instruction techniques, and assessment concerns related to elementary and secondary education. Employs a variety of formats, including lecture, demonstration, discussion, and hands-on experiences. Course projects provide practical application of the theoretical, instructional, and diagnostic issues presented. Required of all certification candidates.

The major goal of this course is to help future and practicing teachers understand how reading and writing ability develop, why some students have difficulty learning to read/or write, how to diagnose and address reading and writing problems, why a variety of assessment and teaching techniques must be used to identify students' strengths and needs, and how to use the results to design appropriate instruction. The premise for this goal is that both understanding why and knowing how are necessary for a teacher to make informed decisions that impact reading and writing instruction.

The course analyzes various methodologies used in teaching English as a second language. Emphasis is placed upon methods in teaching, listening, and speaking. Microteaching of difficult points of pronunciation and grammar is also emphasized. Significant attention is given to effective techniques in second-language acquisition.

Weekly seminars held either on campus or at the practicum site designed to help students translate theory into practice by exploring teaching methods in the chosen area of certification. Research project required. Required of all certification candidates.

Required of all Elementary and Special Education Certification candidates with no teaching experience.

This course prepares educators to differentiate instruction including the gifted, at risk, ESL, and students with Individual Education Plans. The course will explore proven effective models emphasizing the varied inclusion approaches. Under discussion will be the social, emotional, cognitive and academic benefits and challenges from the educators, students and parents perspectives. The total profile of a student in an inclusionary setting requires examination of variations in beliefs, cultural background and individual strengths and needs. Students will be able to apply PDE Special Education Standards to better acquaint themselves with the development and ongoing implementation of evidence-based methods.