Teaching & Learning (TCHL-GE)

Taken in conjunction with the series of required foundational and program-specific courses that precede the student teaching experience, it is designed to introduce prospective teachers to the broad and diverse array of settings that educate children and youth. Successful completion of this course will create a record of the student's satisfaction of the New York State requirement of pre-student teaching field work.

Introduces graduate level preservice teachers to the complexities of teaching by exploring four major themes -- learning, knowledge and knowing, teachers and teaching, schools and schooling. Each theme is investigated by analyzing issues of the learner's autobiography, the challenges of diversity, the power of collaboration, and uses of reflection. Students read and respond to a range of relevant tests, engage in observation of an elementary or secondary school classroom, create a classroom portrait with a focus on a particular learner, and produce a learning portfolio.

Explores how curriculum and instructional practice are shaped by research in Literacy and English Language Arts. Topics to be discussed include teacher-initiated research on curriculum and instruction, the relationship between research and curriculum development, and the role of the teacher in interpreting research. This course fulfills the culminating experience requirement for the English Education MA degrees.

The purpose of this course is to introduce, explore, and discuss the ever-shifting conditions and complexities of education that make culturally relevant pedagogical pursuits a necessity. We examine and interrogate texts and perspectives which emphasize the sociopolitical, historical, structural, and cultural factors that influence the learning and achievement of diverse populations. The course aims to create a foundation for research and practice for culturally relevant education across and within various content areas.

Explores the interconnections among the acquisition of first (and second) language and the development of print and media literacy from birth through adolescence. Emphases are placed on the interactions of reading and writing with a focus on those children who make transitions and acquire the appropriate skills easily, as well as those who find it more difficult, particularly in middle childhood and adolescence. The implications for literacy education for students speaking a second language or a variety of English are also explored in the context of urban education. Students complete a minimum of 20 hours of supervised fieldwork experience and observation.

Explores the interconnections among the acquisition of first (and second) language and the development of print and media literacy from birth through adolescence. Emphases are placed on the interactions of reading and writing with a focus on those children who make transitions and acquire the appropriate skills easily, as well as those who find it more difficult, particularly in middle childhood and adolescence. The implications for literacy education for students speaking a second language or a variety of English are also explored in the context of urban education.

It should be noted that independent study requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per point. Independent study cannot be applied to the established professional education sequence in teaching curricula. Each departmental program has established its own maximum credit allowance for independent study. This information may be obtained from a student?s department. Prior to registering for independent study, each student should obtain an Independent Study Approval Form from the adviser.

This course explores the purposes of assessment in discipline areas, such as science, and developments in policy that have impacted assessment in schools. The course will cover how to identify and address specific student learning problems, as well as the closing of achievement gaps and planning for continuous school improvement.

Emphasis on applying theoretical knowledge of adolescent development to classroom teaching. Strategies for general and special education teachers to meet the cognitive, emotional, and social needs of adolescents in urban contexts. Focus on differentiating instruction to maximize learning opportunities and outcomes for all learners across ethnicity, race, national origin, linguistic competencies, ability status, learning styles, sexual orientation, gender, and social class. Issues of curriculum development, instructional planning, classroom management, and use of technology. Methods for collaboration with parents, teachers, and other professionals.

Research in teaching and learning spans a broad range of theoretical and methodological orientations, as well as empirical questions. Courses offered under this umbrella examine scholarship in particular fields of study relevant to teaching and learning, covering important research areas with respect to theory, methodology, and/or empirical studies. Subtopics for this course support doctoral students' scholarship, are driven by faculty expertise and student interest, and are designed to reflect critical and timely issues across dimensions of disciplinary teaching and learning, learner age ranges, and teaching and learning contexts.

An introduction to the role and responsibilities of teachers, school administrators, and pupil personnel staff in the coordinated school health programs. Course content covers mandated health subjects, e.g., recognition and prevention of substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, child abduction; child abuse recognition (2 hours), safety education, including fire and arson prevention, and violence prevention (2 hours). Meets NYS Education Department certification requirements for instruction in school violence prevention, identification and reporting of child abuse. Fulfills training required for certification/licensure under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

In this graduate seminar, students investigate theories of learning that have guided education research, and some that are transforming the field. Students critically examine the development of key theories, explore how theory drives research (and vice versa), and consider the methodological and practical consequences that emerge from theoretical choices. The course provides a foundation in learning theories in education research, and introduces students to practices involving selecting and developing theoretical frames for their own research questions.

Investigates issues and research in the linguistic theory to educational problems. Distinguishes between traditional (common sense) and progressive (uncommon sense) approaches to such issues as language and gender, language and learning, literacy as a sociocultural phenomenon.

This department-wide doctoral seminar in the advanced study of teaching and learning serves as an induction into the practices of critical thinking, reading, and writing about the evolving landscape of educational research. It also serves as a foundation for further coursework, candidacy requirements, and the dissertation study, and for developing the disposition, knowledge, and practices associated with being a scholar, tailoring these to individual learners’ interests and goals, while cultivating a professional community of colleagues.

This graduate seminar focuses on learning disciplinary concepts & practices, both in & out of formal instructional settings. Most theories of learning presume classrooms as settings for learning, though it is clear that people learn across a variety of places & over their entire lifespan. In this class, we consider how learning is organized within & across varied settings beyond the classroom. These include workplaces, sports or ensemble performance, commercial & non-profit community centers designed to support youth development, families & home environments, & online spaces. We will think broadly about learning on & off the “grid” of formal schooling, & begin to develop new research on how people learn in & out of school.

This course offers a survey of discourse analytic approaches to research in education and related areas of inquiry. Considers discourse analysis through interdisciplinary lenses and various disciplinary traditions. Designed as a research methods course for doctoral students in social sciences such as education, human development, art performances, media, and culture, it engages students in learning about and practicing discourse analytic approaches to explore important questions in their respective discipline at the intersections of language, discourse, and power.

In this course, we deepen our understanding of theories of intersectionality, the origins of these theories, and the sociopolitical contexts in which theorists of intersectionality have found themselves. In addition, we take up theories of intersectionality to examine contemporary approaches to educational equity in U.S. contexts and design a pilot study which takes into account the dis)connections between identities, power, oppression, and justice in education.

We explore research that showcases the art of Black teaching as it relates to literacy, math, and science teaching; theories, methodologies, and political thought represented in the education literature, including Black pedagogical practices that centered liberation, justice, and care; and contemporary realities of U.S. public education for Black communities, including ongoing grassroots experiments and interventions needed to bring about an inclusive, equitable, and relevant education.