When do we bring up issues of identity (i.e., race, class, gender, etc) in a classroom? What do teachers need to interrupt racism and other types of oppression? How do societal issues affect schools and communities? This course examines the historical, social, and legal underpinnings of social constructions and how perspectives on racism and other types of oppression have influenced lives within school communities.

What do we learn? How do we learn? Why do we learn? In this course, we will study issues of learning, teaching, and motivation that are central to educational psychology. We will explore the shifting paradigms within educational psychology, multiple subject matter areas, (dis)continuities between classroom and home cultures, students' prior experiences, teachers as learners, ethnic and gender identity in the classroom, and learning in out-of-school settings.

This course addresses core competencies outlined in the Massachusetts Department of Education's English Language Learner certificate requirement. Readings in language acquisition theory, language learning and teaching, effective lesson design and assessment, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, and knowledge of intercultural learners are covered. Students will have experience developing and adapting lessons and curriculum to address the needs of students. All participants will have opportunities to connect theory and practice.

This course introduces various genres of children's literature, including literature for adolescents; explores equity and social justice issues; and examines approaches to using literature in the preK-8 curriculum with an emphasis on social-emotional learning and making literature accessible to all learners. Students will read a variety of texts across genres and discuss ways to integrate literature into curriculum and learning as they expand their knowledge and appreciation of children's literature. Literature will be examined from multiple perspectives.

Students are expected to complete a supervised field experience full-time every day during January Intersession in an inclusive classroom in a school setting. Placements can be located within or outside of the Five College area. In addition to the field experience component, students attend three course meetings (detailed below).

Discussions and fieldwork provide the student with an opportunity to understand the classroom as a learning community. The tutorial includes several meetings focusing on the student's participant observations and assigned readings. Fieldwork includes a minimum of 20 hours on site, individually scheduled in early childhood (pre K-2) or elementary (1-6) settings. Assessment includes in-progress reports and a final project related to fieldwork. Course graded on a credit/no credit basis.

Students will learn about inquiry-based science/math curriculum and use of technology in PreK-6 classrooms. They will construct more extensive understandings of science/math instruction by developing lessons that implement the Massachusetts Frameworks incorporating the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Emphasis will be on learning diverse management and instructional practices, such as the use of manipulatives, problem solving, cooperative learning, and project-based learning.

This course addresses the question: what does teaching for understanding look like, and how can we plan for it? Informed by current research and effective teaching practice, students learn to plan and implement curricular units and lessons that engage adolescents, strengthen their literacy skills, and further their understanding of content.

This is a fieldwork-based independent study course. During the fall and spring semesters it involves 20 to 40 hours of individually scheduled fieldwork in a secondary or middle-school classroom or educational program. Students keep a reflective journal, read relevant articles and essays, meet regularly with the instructor, and write a final report.

Using an interdisciplinary framework, this course will examine the social, historical, legal, philosophical, economic, and political foundations of education in the United States. It is designed to engage students in an examination of the enduring questions, debates, and tensions that revolve around the institution of schooling in the U.S. Topics covered will include an examination of political ideologies that have informed past and current education reform movements, an historical perspective on access to education, and an analysis of trends in funding of public education, among others.