A one-day-a-week pre-practicum for Lynch School sophomores and juniors majoring in elementary and secondary education. Placements are made in selected schools in the greater Boston area.
EDUC2131 Undergraduate Inequiry Seminar I
The purpose of this seminar is to introduce and develop classroom-based inquiry skills in teacher candidates. Teachers develop a self-awareness about their personal beliefs and biases about teaching, learning, and pupils; explore, understand, and learn to navigate the various aspects of school culture; and learn to use their classroom as a research site by posing critical questions about pupil learning, consulting related research, gathering and analyzing data about their pupils and classrooms, attempting interventions, evaluating results, and documenting pupil learning.
EDUC2211 Secondary Curriculum and Instruction
Provides an introduction to secondary teaching practices as well as an overview of the history and structure of secondary schools. Topics include curriculum theory and development, interdisciplinary teaching, teaching students with diverse learning abilities, application of educational research, assessment, national standards, and alternative models for secondary schools. Focuses on the role of the teacher in secondary education reform. Taught on-site and in conjunction with secondary education teacher candidates' first prepracticum experience, this course offers a unique opportunity for a cohort experience in which preservice teachers work closely with each other, high school faculty, the instructor, and urban students.
ERME1060 Classroom Assessment
This course emphasizes that assessment entails more than quizzes, unit tests, and standardized multiple-choice measures of student learning. The course explores how assessment is a key component of all aspects of the instructional process including organizing and creating a classroom culture, planning lessons, delivering instruction, and examining how students have grown as result of instruction. The validity of inferences and decisions made based on assessment information is examined within each phase of instruction. The goal is to show students that assessment is an integral part of teaching that should not be separated from daily classroom practices.
APSY2O4l Adolescent Psychology
This course introduces the breadth of opportunities and challenges of human development across the adolescent years. It discusses biological, social, psychological, and cognitive changes that occur during adolescence; the role of autonomy, belonging, and motivation in adolescent development; how peers, adults, and technology influence adolescent development; and how adolescents race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and academic identities influence their development. Consideration will be given to variability in adolescent development across cultures and contexts, and to the impact of rapid cultural change on youth.
APSY1031 Family, School, and Society
This is one of two foundational courses (APSY1030-APSY1031) that introduce students to the multiple dimensions of child development, and the place of education in promoting healthy development for all children. This course considers the social and cultural contexts that shape developmental and educational processes. Focuses on understanding the nature of contemporary social problems including racism, sexism, ethnic prejudice, poverty, and violence, as they affect children, families, and schooling. Emphasizes the special role of education in linking community resources for an integrated approach to serving children and families.
EDUC3386 Introduction to Sign Language and Deafness
A course in the techniques of manual communication with an exploration of the use of body language and natural postures, fingerspelling, and American Sign Language. Theoretical foundations of total communication will be investigated. Issues related to deafness are also presented.