TCNJ

Graduate Course Descriptions 67 EDFN 521/ Cultural Foundations of Education 3 cr. This course examines education as a cultural phenomenon. By examining the relationship between community and school culture, this course interrogates how culture influences communication, school achievement, educator and student relationships, and curriculum. This course also draws on influences of multicultural education and critical pedagogy of education. This course fulfills the state of New Jersey requirements for multicultural education. EDFN 697/ Independent Study in Educational Foundations 1–3 cr. Prerequisite: EDFN 500, 520, or 521 In-depth exploration of a topic within a specific area of the discipline involving supervised reading, research, and regular conferences with the faculty adviser. EDFN 698/ Departmental Project in Educational Foundations 1–3 cr. Prerequisite: EDFN 500, 520 or, 521 In-depth exploration of a topic within a specific area of the discipline involving supervised reading, research, and regular conferences with the faculty adviser. EDUC 501/ Exploring Teaching 3 cr. This course introduces students to the challenges they will face as they enter the field of teaching. Topics that may be examined include diversity, inclusion, impact of beliefs on teaching, and the influence on achievement. Students explore their commitment to becoming teachers who will advocate for social justice for all learners. It introduces the New Jersey professional teaching standards that all students are expected to meet as well as the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards that guide them in their work with children. Students begin to develop an electronic portfolio that will be used to demonstrate their achievement of teaching standards throughout the program. EDUC 510/ Exploration of Classroom Inquiry 3 cr. Prerequisite: Admission to Master of Education in Instruction program (EDAD_MED05) Through readings, discussions, journaling, written assignments, and other activities, this course explores the history, philosophy, and practice of teacher research as a field. Through exploration of such questions as "What does teacher research look like?" and "What does teacher research mean for teachers?" the course prepares students to identify personal beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions while formulating their own inquiry questions. Learning goals include: 1) exploration and evaluation of major examples of classroom and teacher research theory and practice; 2) examination of assumptions and beliefs about teaching and their relationship to student learning, teacher knowledge, education reform, and school culture; and 3) development of a research agenda and critical perspective related to teaching practice. EDUC 513/ Collaboration, Consultation, and Partnerships 3 cr. This course focuses on methods and approaches to facilitating partnerships for planning and decision making within educational and habilitative systems. Collaborative teaming skills and productive planning processes on behalf of children with disabilities will be developed. Students will be guided through a series of lectures, readings, and activities that are designed to facilitate the basic understandings of the following: (1) parameters of collaborative teams and transdisciplinary approaches; (2) characteristics of effective teams, including membership, roles, responsibilities, and processes; (3) effective communication and conflict resolution among team members; (4) creative problem-solving and decision-making processes; (5) evaluating outcomes and change; and (6) the unique attributes of school-agency-family collaboration. This course is designed to provide experiences in skill development in a wide variety of approaches to team participation and facilitation. It is expected that the students will demonstrate these skills within their professional environment. EDUC 601/ Modes of Inquiry and Research 3 cr. Prerequisites: Admission to Master of Education in Instruction program (EDAD_MED05) and EDUC 510 Expanding on work from EDUC 510, this course prepares students to develop the skills and dispositions needed to begin planning their own teacher research project, set within their own classroom context or edu- cational setting. Students work individually, and in collaborative groups, to develop research plans for a project designed to address personal questions about teaching practice. Learning goals include: 1) under- standing the relationship between research questions and methodology; 2) development of a research question and action plan for classroom inquiry-based study that students will conduct in their own school settings; and 3) development of personal and critical research skills as teacher-researcher and leader. EDUC 602/ Inquiry in Practice 3 cr. Prerequisites: Admission to Master of Education in Instruction program (EDAD_MED05) and EDUC 601 This third course in the Research Core (following EDUC 510 and 601) guides students through the major phases (and predictable obstacles) of conducting a classroom-based teacher research project as well as a culminating presentation of findings, implications for teaching, and emerging questions. Emphasis is on collecting, analyzing, and writing about teacher research data, experiences, and discoveries. Learning goals include: 1) development of research skills related to writing professional-quality classroom-based research; 2) development of a "Poster Session" presentation of teacher research project; and 3) examination of the practical implications of research on multiple levels: classroomwide, schoolwide, and systemic. EDUC 614/ Creating and Sustaining Classroom Communities 3 cr. This course will expose students to research-supported "best practices" in the areas of schoolwide behavior supports, classroomwide behavior supports, individualized behavior supports, as well as inclusion. The course promotes the development of a position of inquiry toward behavior that is reflective, proactive, and non-aversive. The emphasis is not merely on reactive- or deceleration-oriented approaches toward behavior but on prevention and quality-of-life changes. Students will develop varied skills, such as the ability to analyze the various models that are currently used; observe varied classroom- and school-based settings; use discipline-based tools of inquiry such as a functional behavioral analysis; identify strategies of instruction and classroom organization that create inclusive classroom communities; and widen their knowledge with respect to the best practices that are currently recognized as being effective. The discussions and experiences in this course should enable students to define their own position with respect to challenging behaviors by the end of the course. Discussion of student observation journals, case studies, video analysis, and other problem- solving exercises will be an ongoing part of this course. EDUC 615/ Capstone Experience: The Teaching Professional 0 cr. This course will assist students in completing the exit requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching program and prepare them for future roles as teacher-leaders. Emphasis is on three areas: (1) communication— verbal, written, and electronic; (2) the interpretation of information amassed across course work, and their integration into a personal and collective understanding of their profession; and (3) the creative presentation of these materials in a public arena as a demonstration of this self-knowledge, of mastery of their content knowledge, and of a commitment to the teaching profession, specifically to the continuous investment of themselves to lifelong learning and to student learning. EDUC 694/ Internship I 3 cr. The course includes observation and participation in a classroom under the guidance of a cooperating teacher and supervising professor. Topics discussed in on-campus sessions include curriculum, lesson and unit planning, individualizing instruction, cultural and socioeconomic diversity, classroom management, and measurement and evaluation of student progress. Students apply theoretical knowledge in their field placement, culminating in a week and a half full-time in the classroom. The internship takes place in an urban, culturally and linguistically diverse setting. EDUC 700/ Comprehensive Examination–Capstone Project Every candidate for a graduate degree must take a comprehensive exami- nation that requires the candidate to synthesize and apply knowledge acquired throughout the program. See page 17 for comprehensive examination requirements. 244328_001-091_r1.indd 67 9/1/17 1:40 PM

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