ECEL501: Perspectives on Early Childhood and Elementary Education in a Diverse Society

Examines the historical, social, political, and philosophical trends and ideologies that impact the care and education of children. Emphasis will be placed on how models have changed over time to respond to the evolving needs and dispositions of our society with regard to brain research, inclusive practices and culturally responsive teaching and learning. 10 hours field work required. 3 sh.

ECEL502: Seminar I: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

Accompanies ECEL 510, Clinical Experience I in Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Settings, and offers students a forum for discussion, reflection, and critical thinking with regard to clinical work in inclusive elementary classrooms. 1 sh.

Prerequisites: Admission to M.A.T. in Early Childhood or Elementary Education or Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Early Childhood or Elementary Education.

ECEL504: Seminar II: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

Provides students with a forum to discuss the role of the teacher as teacher candidates take on full-time classroom responsibilities. Discussions focus on identifying and involving oneself in the professional field of early childhood/elementary/middle school education, upholding and advocating for ethical standards, engaging in continuous and collaborative learning, and taking a critical stabnce to inform practice. Teacher candidates demonstrate that they can make and justify decisions based on their knowledge of central issues such as developmentally appropriate practice, culturally responsive learning and teaching, and the context of children's lives. 1 sh.

ECEL510: Clinical Experience I in Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Settings

Provides clinical experiences in an early childhood or elementary setting to foster the skills and dispositions necessary to become effective and nurturing teachers. Students provide learning opportunities that support children's intellectual, social, and emotional development; design environments that support culturally responsive teaching; and plan and assess high quality curriculum. Students develop skills as reflective and questioning practitioners, promote democratic values and communication in the classroom, and build relationships with school colleagues, families, and agencies in the larger community. 2 sh.

Prerequisites: Admission to M.A.T. in Early Childhood or Elementary Education or Post-Baccalaureate Program in Early Childhood or Elementary Education.

ECEL511: Clinical Experience II in Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Settings

Students demonstrate their knowledge of child development and the significant role of families and communities with regard to children's learning by planning and implementing developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive curriculum in an inclusive early childhood/elementary classroom. Focusing on the diverse needs of individual children, students develop, implement, and assess an integrated curriculum unit that incorporates the Core Curriculum Content Standards and emphasizes literacy across the curriculum. As reflective practitioners, students utilize multiple strategies to assess children's learning, classroom climate, and effective classroom management. Students are responsible for the full range of teacher activities in the classroom and are expected to seek out the resources of parents, administrators, and school colleagues. Students are to demonstrate their strengths as a teacher. 5 sh.

Prerequisites: ECEL 510.

ECEL514: In-Service Supervised Graduate Student Teaching

Replaces student teaching for students who are employed as full-time teachers with primary responsibility for a classroom. Students are supervised by university faculty during one semester. Students must obtain permission of the school district and department and complete a COP application. Specific qualifications are required. 5 sh.

Prerequisites: ECEL 522 or ECEL 528.

ECEL516: Social Studies and the Arts: Understanding Democracy in Elementary Classrooms

Introduces students to critical pedagogy through the process, skills, and inquiry of social studies and the arts. The content focus of the course will be diverse communities, weaving together history, geography, social studies (anthropology, economics, archeology, etc.) and the visual and performing arts. Special emphasis will be placed on developing a critical perspective on social studies and the arts, exploring arts media and fostering dialogue focused on creativity, literacy strategies, and culturally responsive teaching and learning. 3 sh.

ECEL517: Integrating Science and Technology in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

Explores the nature of science as a discipline and examines how to integrate science, math and technology into the classroom curriculum. Students will learn strategies to engage children in active explorations aligned with the NJ Science, Math and Technology Standards. Students will recognize the integration of science and math content as vehicles for critical thinking, and children's engagement in the wonder and study of the natural and physical (human-made) world. Students will experience hands-on, minds-on science activities supported by technology and will examine successful management techniques and science safety codes. Students will gain confidence and skills in the scientific concepts and principles that unite the science disciplines: systems, order, and organization; evidence, models, and explanation; change, constancy, and measurement; evolution and equilibrium; and form and function. 3 sh.

ECEL518: Families, Communities, and Schools: Diversity, Culture and Democracy

Provides students with an understanding of how social and cultural influences shape children's development and learning. The relationships among teacher, parent, child, and community as they affect learning will be explored. Methods for developing school/family partnerships will be discussed. Students will learn to take into account issues of child diversity and culturally responsive teaching as they create learning experiences. Crosslisted with Family and Child Studies, FCST 518. 3 sh.

ECEL528: Early Childhood Curriculum in Inclusive Settings

Provides students with strategies to assess professional goals, develop authentic assessment practices, and respond to the cultural, linguistic, and learning needs of individual children. Development, implementation, and assessment of an integrated unit that defines essential questions, aligns with state standards, and adopts lessons for children with special needs is required. May be repeated once for a total of six credits. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: ECEL 501.

ECSE508: Strengthening Partnerships with Families of Children with Disabilities

Addresses family-professional partnerships in early childhood special education. Students gain knowledge, skills and dispositions to work collaboratively with diverse families to support the development and education of young children with special needs. Various models including family-focused practice and family systems theory are discussed. 3 sh.

ELRS503: Methods of Research

Theory and methods of historical, descriptive, and experimental research; formulation of a research problem; use of bibliographical sources and reference materials; statistics and measurement in research; types and instruments of research; data collection, and analysis. Writing the research report and career opportunities in research. 3 sh.

FCST214: Child Development I

This course takes a developmental approach to the study of young children from conception to age 10. For each developmental stage, physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, and language domains are discussed. Developmental theories are woven into each part of the course. Observational and research methodologies are emphasized. Out-of-class observations/interviews required. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 101.

FCST512: Child Development I: Theories of Child Development

This course both examines and critiques the standard theories of so-called "normative" child development along with newer contextual models that consider the role of oppressive structures in the lives of children. 3 sh.

MATH577: Mathematics Education in the Elementary School

The contemporary mathematics curriculum of the elementary and middle school. The role of behavioral objectives and learning theory in curriculum development/teacher training. Related research findings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Permission of graduate program coordinator.

READ500: The Nature of Reading

Examines the foundations of reading: the nature of the reading process, readiness, beginning instruction, current practices in the teaching of reading in early childhood and elementary education, a reappraisal of the role of reading in a technological society. 3 sh.

READ507: Understanding Reading Comprehension

Provides an understanding of the processing of visible language, particularly the types found in written texts used in educational settings. The instructor will explore with the participants the affective, cognitive, linguistic, pragmatic, and textual variables pertaining to the formulation of meaning in reading. Students will create a conceptual framework for the comprehensibility of written materials in terms of the interaction among the reader, the text, and other pragmatic variables. 3 sh.

READ519: Language and Early Literacy Development

This course examines the nature of language, communication, and literacy development in children of diverse backgrounds and abilities during the foundational early childhood period from birth through age five. Students explore how children acquire language in social context and the impact of biological, psycholinguistic, and sociocultural factors on language development in both typically and atypically developing children. Students examine the relationships between language skills and emergent literacy, and the role of parents, teachers and other caregivers in helping prepare children to successfully acquire school-based Literacies. Students explore state and national policies that seek to improve preschool supports for language and early literacy development and the impact of increasing linguistic and cultural diversity on early childhood language arts/literacy education. 3 sh.

READ522: History of Literacy and Media

This course examines literacy evolutions through physical innovations from cuneiform to the printing press to the internet, educational initiatives from the tutor system to mandated public education to No Child Left Behind, and historical eras from ancient to modern to post-modern. This course will run as a seminar co-developed by the professor and students. This class engages students in learning the history of literacy and literacy pedagogy and, through that, wrestling with issues of discourse, culture, theory, and practice in education and society - both as practicing or potential teachers and as scholars. Topics covered include: development of literacy as related to the printing press, literacy definitions and educational policy, new media and new Literacies, and issues of literacy and power in educational settings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: READ 500 or READ 501 or instructor's permission.

READ524: Teaching Multiethnic Literature in P-8 Classrooms

This graduate-level course is designed to assist in-service teachers and school media specialists in their efforts to examine multiethnic children's literature as both aesthetic forms and pedagogical tools. Students will analyze the social, political, and educational implications of such literature and its use in P-8 classrooms. If teachers and school media specialists introduce powerful, but enjoyable, literary pieces through which they explore the topics of race and ethnicity and ask critical questions, children might have a greater chance of living up to democratic principles and becoming active participants in the global community. This course will help teachers to use multiethnic children's literature more frequently in their respective classrooms and to approach that responsibility with confidence. 3 sh.

READ525: Literacies, Digital Technology and Learning

This course is designed to provide a context in which pre-service and in-service teachers can explore a range of "new" Literacies and the implications of these new Literacies for school-based literacy education. This course comprises a theoretical dimension that focuses on literacy as a social practice, and a practical dimension that includes hands-on use of a range of new digital technologies and new literacy practices. Attention will be paid to developing effective ways of taking up new Literacies in classroom contexts. 3 sh.

READ600: Workshop in Contemporary Issues in Reading

Explores contemporary issues in reading instruction, basic skills, literature, cultural literacy and critical thinking. Each workshop will be topic-specific. Faculty determine topic selection according to timely public policy issues and philosophical concerns. Collaborative research between workshop faculty and participants will be emphasized. 1 - 3 sh.

SPCM101: Fundamentals of Speech: Communication Requirement

This course introduces students to the theoretical and practical requirements of different types of public presentations and helps students develop an understanding and appreciation of the dynamic nature of the communication process. The course focuses on the basic elements of the communication process, listening, communicator and audience characteristics, basic research skills, and message composition and delivery. Students learn about the demands of public presentations in culturally and professionally diverse environments and develop presentation competence and flexibility. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Communication, Communication. Meets the 1983 General Education Requirement (GER) - Communication, Speaking/Listening. 3 sh.