Primary Education (PK-5) Program Information

This course is designed for students who are enrolled in the post-Baccalaureate licensure program. This course focuses on the principles which influence teaching in the PK-12 classroom. Students will develop an understanding of the range of individual differences in the classroom and their implication on instruction and classroom environment.

This course explores the profession of education and examines the state, federal and institutional standards that guide the profession. Students will examine the psychological, sociological, and philosophical foundations of education as they relate to learning. Topics of discussion and analysis include the development of individual differences; atmosphere of respect; understanding students' needs grouping, education of minorities; how the teacher creates instructional opportunities that are equitable and adaptable to diverse learners; exploring the components of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.

This course provides students the opportunity to develop an understanding of the philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of special education as well as an understanding of the characteristics of learners who have special needs; explore and define the concepts of special education in schools and society; acquire knowledge about the legal and procedural aspects of special education, and develop an understanding and respect for individual needs and diversity. Students relate multicultural issues, beliefs, and practices to the needs of the student with mild/moderate disabilities, explore crisis intervention/prevention models and strategies, and examine conflict resolution. This course presents students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the issues relating to developing and encouraging positive social interaction skills, issues relating to the diverse emotional needs of students with mild/moderate disabilities, and issues relating to student behavior.

This course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of education and teaching and learning theory to instructional design.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. This course examines introductory aspects of instructional planning as well as the common strategies teachers employ to conduct their lessons. Basic elements of measurement and assessment that are essential to effective teaching are addressed. It assumes students have an understanding of the content they will teach and an extensive understanding and appreciation of the students with whom they will work. The overriding purpose of the course resides in the transformation of content and behavioral objectives into sequences of instructional activities that make them accessible to students and the central role assessment plays in the instructional process as teachers construct and utilize various types of assessment to provide valid measures of learning outcomes.

The course explores literature for the early and middle childhood aged student with an emphasis on standards for selection of materials with reference to the interests, needs, and abilities of children at the different levels within these ranges of ages. Attention is given to books and their uses in all subject matters. Special emphasis is placed on activities that will motivate early and middle childhood students to read. The goal of creating life-long readers is stressed.

This course is designed to emphasize the connectivity of technology to the classroom and the general curriculum. Students will explore programs that will aid them in classroom management, data collection, student-produced work, creating instructional tools, and administration of classroom responsibilities. Students will develop products that can be used to support their teaching and the learning process of their students.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in the licensure program due to assignments that require a clinical field experience placement. This course will provide students the opportunity to examine and create a variety of valid and reliable classroom assessments. Students will also explore how to use data to influence classroom decisions, guide and improve teaching skills, and tailor instruction to individual learning needs. This course will also make the connection between constructive evaluation skills such as constructive feedback; helping student monitor their own progress; influence students' continuing motivation; and perceptions of self-efficacy as learners and their positive effect on student learning.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. This course provides students the opportunity to develop skills in planning and managing the teaching and learning environment; managing student behavior and social interaction skills; communicating effectively; developing collaborative partnerships, and in demonstrating professionalism and ethical practices. Students become familiar with daily management skills, safety and health issues in the classroom, creating and modifying a supportive learning environment, and behavior management skills. The course also focuses on the development and interaction of the educational team, on methods and models of collaborative practices with parents, students, educational personnel, and members of the community and incorporates this into the instructional process.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. This course will provide students with the opportunity to explore research and theory on the effectiveness of differentiated classrooms; examine the importance of differentiating instruction for today's diverse student population; recognize the need to increase variety in teaching, learning, and assessment to respond to individual student needs; utilize strategies including assignment tiering, graphic organizers, critical thinking skills, reflection and assessment strategies customized for a mixed-ability classroom; diagnose student needs and prescribe tasks that create better matches between learning needs and preferences and plan and implement methods appropriate for assessing individual learning needs in a performance-based curriculum.

The PK12 Reflection and Seminar is the in-class seminar portion of the student teaching experienced designed to meet the requirements for the Resident Educator License. The seminar provides teacher candidates with an opportunity to continue developing skills needed to become a reflective practitioner based upon their practicum experience in the field component of student teaching.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. It presents an overview of language arts for all PreK through Grade 5 learners. Teacher Candidates will examine the continuum of state standards-based skills, curricular components and organization, and diverse learning challenges as they relate to developing and implementing developmentally appropriate lessons and units of study. Candidates will develop positive dispositions toward literacy and foster supportive environments for literacy development of all learners, including children with disabilities and English language learners. Contemporary research on theoretical perspectives and best practices, as well as practical application, are embedded in this course to ensure a balanced approach to the most effective instructional practices for PreK-Grade 5 learners.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. The course examines the kinds of curricular themes, problems, and issues that are appropriate for candidates in the elementary education program and is based upon appropriate developmental theory. Learned societies and other research literature have also been used to provide the basis for the selection of curriculum and teaching strategies. The emphasis is a hands on approach to inquiry. The course provides candidates the framework for implementing the Ohio Science Standards.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. Presents an overview of social studies for all PreK through Grade 5 learners. Teacher Candidates will examine the kinds of curricular themes, learning challenges, and standards issues as they relate to developing and implementing developmentally appropriate lessons and units of study to teach social studies knowledge and skills to early childhood learners. Learned societies and other research literature have also been used to provide the basis for the selection of this curriculum and for the materials, teaching strategies, differentiation methods and assessment techniques that are included as part of the course.

This course is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments and program assessments that require a clinical field experience placement. This course examines the kinds of curricular themes, problems, and issues that are appropriate for children in the elementary block and is based upon appropriate developmental theory. Learned societies and other research literature have also been used to provide the basis for the selection of this curriculum and for the materials, teaching strategies and assessment techniques that are included as part of the course.

The professional growth and development practicum is the field portion of the student teaching experience designed to meet the requirements for licensure. The practicum is an in-depth clinical laboratory experience that provides opportunities to observe, analyze, plan, and practice teaching methods in a school setting. The experience enables the teacher candidate to move through stages of increased responsibilities under the guidance and with the support of a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor.

This course is required for students seeking the Resident Educator Early Childhood License, the Resident Educator Middle Childhood License, and the Resident Educator Intervention Specialist License or enrolled in the Education Studies program. The focus is the explicit, systematic teaching of phonics: the history, the evidence, and the individual components of this approach. Letter-sound relationships, blending, word building, decoding multisyllable words and fluency are established as effective, evidence-based methods of teaching decoding skills. Application is addressed through explanations, models, and resources provided within the text and additional supplemental resources available through a companion website access.

This course is required for teacher candidates seeking the Resident Educator PK-5 Primary License or the Intervention Specialist License. It is focused on the emergent learner, specifically in Pre-kindergarten, and the literacy knowledge and skills that are the foundation of reading and writing in grades K-5. Keeping in mind that PreK is not a universal mandate for all students before entering Kindergarten, this course will also serve as a guide for teaching literacy skills to students who may have had little literacy exposure before their first year of formal education.

This course is required for students enrolled in the Education Studies program, or prospective teachers seeking a Resident Educator Primary, Middle Childhood, or Intervention Specialist License. The course examines the development of communication skills in early learners, from listening and speaking to reading and writing. It presents frameworks for the teaching of early literacy with specific strategies that are part of a balanced approach to literacy, as well as the implementation of Writing Workshop in the early elementary grades.

This course is required for students who are seeking the Resident Educator Early Childhood License, the Middle Childhood Licensure, or the Intervention Specialist License and is meant only for those students enrolled in a licensure program due to assignments that require a clinical field experience placement. The course provides an overview of the reading process. It explores the strategies that are needed for reading and discusses ways of encouraging the development of these strategies in children. It explores common miscues and discusses ways of using diagnostic reading instruments. It stresses the importance of developing positive attitudes toward reading, as well as developing reading skills.