EDU 536: Advanced Teaching of Reading and Writing in the Early Childhood Classroom (3 hours) This course is designed to enhance the advanced candidate's reading and writing content and pedagogical strategies in the early childhood classroom (P-5). The focus will be on the following key elements: Reading Content: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary Development, Comprehension Strategies, and Writing in the context of a Balanced Literacy classroom in all content areas Pedagogy: Strategies for Implementing the Reading and Writing Content Assessment and Intervention: Standardized and Classroom-based assessment measures to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students; prepare intervention strategies based on the assessment results Research: Explore evidence-based literacy programs for struggling and proficient readers School Experience (Application): Apply the literacy strategies in the classroom Prerequisites: EDU 530; PSY 501; EDU 532; EDU 534 Co-requisite: EDU 542 EDU 538: Literacy Development through Children's Literature (3 hours) This course is designed to provide the candidate a venue for examining and appreciating the many genres of children's literature and its relationship to literacy development in the early childhood classroom. The candidates will explore and demonstrate various strategies for incorporating children's literature in their teaching. In addition, the candidates will learn methods of engaging students in literature by increasing the students' repertoire of response techniques. Prerequisites: EDU 530; PSY 501; EDU 532; EDU 534; EDU 536; EDU 542 Co-requisite: MAT 513 EDU 540: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (5 hours) The advanced candidate will develop an understanding of educational research by exploring qualitative and quantitative designs. The candidate will demonstrate expertise in reading, analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing research in each of the two designs. In addition, the candidate will write a comprehensive research paper incorporating one of the designs studied in class and suitable for a peer-reviewed publication. Finally, the paper will be presented to the candidate's peers. Prerequisites: PSY 501; EDU 530, EDU 532, EDU 534, EDU 536, EDU 538, MAT 513 Co-requisite: EDU 544 EDU 542: Advanced Pedagogy and Content in Early Childhood Science (4 hours) Hybrid course. This course examines developmentally appropriate teaching strategies, instructional materials, instructional technology, and evaluation strategies for teaching early childhood science. Early childhood teachers draw from their broad understanding of all areas of science as they plan and implement integrative activities. The course includes the content, concepts, and skills of the early grades science curriculum and the special methods of teaching the material. Students become familiar with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Standards and Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). Prerequisites: EDU 530; PSY 501; EDU 532, EDU 534 Co-requisite: EDU 536 EDU 544: Exploring Educational Venues (1 hour) The cohort will travel to a site of national significance in P-12 education during the final semester of their course of study. The cohort members will participate in various activities at this site. They will visit early childhood classrooms to observe and experience various perspectives on education and to give a voice to the theories and research studied in the courses. The culminating assignment will be the submission of a guided reflection project. Prerequisites: PSY 501; EDU 530, EDU 532, EDU 534, EDU 536, EDU 538, MAT 513 Co-requisite: EDU 540, EDU 542 MAT 513: Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis (3 hours) This course is designed for middle grades and early childhood teachers. Emphasis is placed on the implications of content, structure, processes, and technology in teaching data collection, probability and statistics, and associated critical thinking skills in the grades K-8 classroom. Students will be expected to develop and implement a studentcentered instructional unit incorporating the basic concepts of probability, statistics and data collection and analysis. Prerequisites: EDU 530; PSY 501; EDU 532; EDU 534; EDU 536 Co-requisite: EDU 538
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