This course is an introduction to the teaching profession. Topics covered include historical, philosophical, contemporary, and ethical perspectives on education as well as social and cultural expectations in teaching. In this introductory course, students are informed on the appropriate role of technology; state and national standards; policies governing education at the national, state, and local level; and careers and organizations related to teaching and education. This course also introduces students to state licensure requirements.

An advanced study of the psychological aspects of human behavior and development applied to the teaching and learning process. Topics include an understanding and function of brain development as it affects behavior and learning, neuropsychological aspects of school-related problems, learning styles, attention span, information processing, short-term and long-term memory, encoding and retrieval mechanisms, categorization, and problem-solving. Candidates will develop a positive classroom discipline model as part of this course.

An examination of the issue of diversity with emphasis on the social, political, and cultural dimensions of school settings. Students will apply findings on this issue to their own classrooms and community contexts. Consideration will be given to the needs of ESL, bilingual, and bicultural students and the ways in which teachers respond to their needs. Legal requirements and funding issues will be addressed. Teacher certification candidates will develop a philosophy of diversity statement as a component of this course.

Introduction to language and literacy development of young children related to reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Emphasis will be on the knowledge of alphabetic code, phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, fluency, organization of print, writing, and use of both narrative and informative text. The students will create instructional units that apply goals, learning standards, instructional strategies, and assessments to facilitate literacy and language development.

This course introduces students to research-based instructional strategies along with basic principles and practices of classroom assessment. Special attention will be given to differentiated instruction, maximizing student engagement and learning, formative and summative assessment practices, and the use of data in classroom decision making.

Exploration of major theories dealing with stages and changes relating to physical, cognitive, social, personality, and emotional development in childhood and adolescence. Student must have completed an introductory course in Psychology.

This course introduces candidates to the basic principles of unit planning and lesson design with special emphasis on the School of Education lesson plan template. Planning principles are aligned with the Danielson Framework for Teaching, the edTPA, Illinois Learning Standards, and national content area standards. Strategies for supporting the needs of diverse learners are addressed.

This first instruction course explores developmentally appropriate approaches, methods, instructional strategies, and assessment for teaching fine arts, health, U.S. history, and geography appropriate to early childhood. The course will also emphasize SEL management skills and communication in classrooms. Creating units based on the understanding of the interrelationships in social sciences will be included.

Methods and techniques of teaching mathematical, social, and scientific concepts to young children. The relation of learning theories to the selection process. Diagnostic and evaluation techniques and procedures.

As the first clinical experience course in the Teacher Education Program, this course requires teacher candidates to observe and teacher aide in a classroom for up to 50 hours in order to demonstrate an understanding of the classroom environment along with instructional and assessment practices. Teacher Aiding experiences include focused reflection on Danielson's Framework for Teaching and edTPA. Prerequisite: Full admission into the Teacher Education Program.

Mini-teachers meet regularly with School of Education faculty to share and reflect on the experience and prepare for the edTPA. There will be a minimum of 35 hours of mini-teaching in a local school in connection with methods courses. The student must meet the required grade point average and have a receipt by the School of Education of meeting the Illinois basic skills requirement.

The purpose of this course is to observe and assist a teacher in an ESL school setting for a minimum total of 100 clock hours. The requirements for this course may also be met through verification of three months of teaching experience with ESL students. Only those who have verification by a principal or other administrators of three months of teaching ESL students prior to entering the program may take this for no credit. To be taken at the end of the five-course ESL sequence.

Introduction to the basic principles of linguistics, the study of human language. Origins of language, what it means to know a language, comparisons of the difficulty levels of different languages, how children acquire language, and common threads that may connect languages will be explored.

Exploration of various aspects of the relationship between language and society. Culture, sex differences, communities, dialects, and speech will be examined.

Philosophical and theoretical considerations for teaching a second language. An explanation of theories as well as comparisons among the different theories of teaching a second language will be explored. The student will build a personal framework for teaching a second language. Kindergarten through high school student populations will be the focus of attention, including design and sequencing of ESL courses.

Exploration of the role families and community services play in the education of young children. Teacher candidates will identify social, economic, and cultural trends that impact families of young children and will develop strategies to communicate with families to disseminate information regarding school and community services.