Build the Knowledge to Facilitate Learning with a Bachelor’s in Education Studies

This course introduces students to the Franklin University community and provides strategies for successful transition to and participation in that community. Topics include University resources and procedures, strategies for advancing communication skills, the use of electronic tools to participate in virtual environments, and the development of an academic and career plan.

This course prepares students to be successful lifelong learners both academically and in their chosen careers. Franklin courses require a high level of self-directed learning and focus on skills required in the workplace and the classroom that are easily transferable between the two environments. The course includes strategies for advancing communication skills, including the use of electronic tools to participate in virtual environments. The assignments and activities in the course are created to closely simulate teamwork found in the workplace.

By using applied critical and creative thinking, students in this course will develop a set of communication skills that will enhance their personal and professional relationships and endeavors. This course will focus on skill development in key areas such as self, perception, listening, verbal messages, conversations, relationships, conflict management, persuasion, and public speaking.

This public-speaking course emphasizes the fundamentals of extemporaneous speaking. Skill-building activities and assignments focus on research, organization, reasoning, style and delivery of presentations as well as listening and audience engagement.

A survey of human development across the lifespan examining the biological, psychological, and social influences on development. Prominent theoretical perspectives associated with development in childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, midlife, and late life will be included.

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 develop an understanding of the theories of cognition, intelligence, and learning, especially as it relates to identifying children with special needs. Students begin the process of relating the theories to instruction and assessment processes.

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

This course is required for prospective teachers seeking the Provisional Early Childhood License, the Provisional Middle Childhood License, and the Provisional Intervention Specialist License or the Reading Endorsement. The course introduces the prospective classroom teacher to the elements of phonics. It explores the English sound system and its relationship to reading and spelling. It acquaints the student with the specific terminology used to describe the various aspects of phonics. It also assists the student in determining the proper place of the phonic's instructor in the reading program. The course emphasizes the methods of teaching phonics. It also assists the prospective teacher in selecting appropriate commercial materials and in developing teacher-made materials to teach phonics in the classroom.

This course is required for prospective teachers seeking the Provisional Early Childhood License, the Provisional Middle Childhood License, Provisional Intervention Specialist License, or the Reading Endorsement. The course examines the development of communication skills in young children, from listening and speaking to reading and writing. It explores the notions of "readiness and emergent literacy." It investigates the strategies in young children. The course assists students in becoming acquainted with a wide variety of historic and current approaches to reading, including phonics and Whole Language. It explores assessment instruments and highlights valuable methods and materials. It helps prospective teachers begin to develop their own eclectic style of teaching reading.

This course is required for prospective teachers seeking the Provisional Middle Childhood License, the Provisional Adolescent/Young Adult License, the Provisional Intervention Specialist License, or Reading Endorsement. The course explores the development from learning-to-read to using reading-to-learn. It investigates the role of vocabulary instruction, comprehension, study skills, and the writing process. It also addresses the assessment of textbooks, the reading process, and student motivation.

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 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 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.

This course is required for prospective teachers seeking the Resident Educator License. The course examines all aspects of instructional planning and examines the common strategies teachers employ to conduct their lessons. It assumes students have a deep 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 it accessible to students.

Presents an overview of classroom organization and management, and systematic behavior change techniques required for the effective teaching and enhanced students learning. This course explores the social and emotional development of young children; investigates the causes of young children's various behaviors and prepares teacher candidates to support young children in developing self-regulation skills needed to support learning and communicating with others. This course will also focus on classroom management practices necessary to build an effective classroom learning community that supports student learning; establishing and maintain collaborative partnerships that are sensitive to family composition, language, and culture with each student's family to foster student learning and development in all settings and skills needed to establish relationships with and use resources of the students' communities to support student learning and development.

This course is required for prospective teachers seeking the Resident Elementary Education License. This course explores the history, philosophy, purposes and societal needs for elementary education. Appropriate organization and curriculum for PK-5 will be discussed. Readiness for learning will be investigated.