Education Curriculum

Study of a tractate of the Talmud with classical commentaries and codes. Supervised periods of independent study (course may be repeated for credit).

Psychology as a biological, behavioral, and social science. Topics include: critical and scientific analysis of human behavior, fundamentals of psychological research, biological bases of behavior, states of consciousness, learning, thought, memory and intelligence, social behavior and personality, mental health and adjustment, diagnosis and treatment of abnormal behavior.

The nature of physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and moral development from birth through early adolescence, with implications for early intervention, early childhood education, and elementary school classroom teaching; integration of theory and research findings from the fields of developmental psychology and educational psychology. During the second half of the semester, students in the early childhood track and students in the childhood track direct their projects and papers to the study of the respective developmental levels of their programs. Prerequisites: None.

This course focuses on the use of computer and other technological devices that facilitate communication, learning, and related functions in educational contexts for children in both general special education contexts; use of technology to foster literacy, remediate reading problems, and promote access to curriculum for all students; special applications with computers in the classroom; information literacy; and recent developments in the field of assistive technology for students with disabilities, including students with autism. (Pre/coreq: GCON)

Explores the historical and philosophical underpinnings of modern educational theory and practice, dating back to ancient Greek, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writings on education and tracking developments into the present. It specifically examines the forces that have shaped educational policies in the United States, highlighting the current debate around meeting the educational and social-emotional needs of students from diverse communities. The role of technology in education and society at large, critical thinking skills, information literacy, and research-based instruction are also featured. Prereq: approval.

This course is designed to provide theoretical and experiential knowledge regarding basic principles of educational assessment and intervention for all learners. Teacher candidates will become data and assessment literate, focusing on examining the use of assessment practices and strategies to improve student success. This course places a strong emphasis on the planning of formative and summative assessments, the analysis of the use of data-driven instruction, and the application of grading practices. Teacher candidates will become familiar with measures to assess learners with special needs and learners from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. Teacher candidates will develop data literacy to utilize assessment data to analyze and adjust curriculum and assessments to enhance their instructional practices and to implement evidence-based, data-driven instructional interventions. (Pre/coreq: EDSN 602)

This course focuses on the historical background of current approaches to teaching children with disabilities; special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; state and federal special education laws and regulations; identification for evaluation of students who may have disabilities; current theories and methodologies for working with students with disabilities; inclusion and the concept of the least restrictive environment; early intervention; special education curriculum modifications, classroom management, and use of technology; planning and designing co-teaching and collaborative work with other teachers; developing partnerships, including with the family, for the benefit of students with disabilities; transitional services and employment; educational challenges and instructional approaches for children with cognitive deficits, physical and sensory impairments, language delays, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities; working with children with autism; application of principles of response to intervention and differentiated instruction; approaches and debates on reading and language arts instruction for native English speakers and English language learners. Students are exposed to evidence-based instructional methods and critically examine the concept that instruction should be evidence-based. (Pre/coreq: EDSN 600)

Seminar on the nature of substances of abuse, including legal as well as illegal drugs; factors associated with avoidance of and resistance to use and abuse of substances; risk factors; research on effective schoolbased substance abuse prevention programs. Current literature on substance abuse and school-based prevention programs is distributed. Prerequisite: None.

Seminar on the identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect; signs and symptoms to look for; ways to approach children; understanding the variety of ways children may convey that they are being abused or neglected; the teacher’s fear of reporting abuse or neglect; rationalizations for not reporting; working with systems; the aftermath of reporting abuse or neglect. Prerequisite: None.

Basic principles of child safety education; understanding particular safety issues and risk factors for different ages; using developmentally-appropriate methods and materials to convey safety principles; proper use of materials and environments with attention to safety hazards, including fire; refusal skill instruction including those related to fire and arson prevention as well as child abduction. Prerequisite: None.

This two-hour, non-credit seminar includes instruction on: statutes, regulations and policies relating to a safe, nonviolent school climate; effective classroom management techniques and academic supports that promote a nonviolent school climate and enhance learning; social and problem-solving skill development for students within the regular school curriculum; warning signs within a developmental and social context that relate to violence and other troubling behaviors in children; intervention techniques to address a school violence situation; and how to participate in an effective school/community referral process for students exhibiting violent behavior. A booklet on violence prevention and intervention will be distributed and discussed. Prerequisite: None.

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Parents and families as the context for growth, development and learning; similarities and differences in parenting styles in various cultural groups; the range of family structures; parents and family members as teachers of young children and collaborators with professional educators; ways in which early childhood education programs build and expand upon the foundation provided by parents; how educators form constructive educational partnerships with parents; awareness of community resources for parents and their young children. Pre- or corequisite: EDUN 201.

Planning, development, and implementation of learning environments and integrated curricula for young children; study of the relational processes through which children acquire knowledge, skills, and a positive attitude toward learning; the importance of play as well as teacher planning that provides students with opportunities to think about and discuss their work; current research on early childhood integrated experience and instruction in literacy, the arts, science, math, and technology, social studies (including exposure to a range of cultures and languages as well as US and NYS history and geography), family, career and consumer education, and physical education and health. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

Development of practice skills in the use of appropriate, creative methods and materials for integrated education of young children; emphasis on the use of play and hands-on activities as well as planned experience and instruction that provide students with opportunities to explore and manipulate ideas and concepts as they explore and manipulate the world; practical implementation of integrated instruction in the curricula areas noted in the course description for EDUN 311. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

The uses of oral language (building vocabulary, expression and comprehension of the spoken word), general cognitive skills (attention, memory, use of symbols, self-regulation), the concepts underlying reading and writing, and specific literacy skills (such as symbol to symbol correspondence) as the context of and initial steps toward literacy for young children. Motivational issues that pertain to the development of reading skills are explored. Emphasis on meeting the needs of young children, including those with limited proficiency in English, who enter day care, nursery school, and other early childhood and early intervention programs with inadequate literacy-related knowledge and skills. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

Creation of language-rich environments and holistic approaches to reading instruction that meet the needs of children with varying language preparation and aptitudes as well as children from diverse backgrounds. Use of a range of teaching and learning modalities. Attention to connections between speech sounds and spellings; the alphabetic principle and recognition of words through letter-sound relations; achieving fluency and comprehension; spelling conventions. Emphasis on language-related experiences at home as well as school and the importance of frequent opportunities to write. Identification of services needed for children who are not making adequate progress in reading, and the importance of coordination of efforts among general educators, special educators, and reading specialists. Discussion of approaches used with language-minority children, including the conditions under which greater or lesser emphasis is placed on reading in the native language. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

Introduction to educational programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten students, and first- and second-graders with disabilities. Review of developmentally-appropriate integrated curriculum content; materials and activities in language arts, books, music, art, blocks sand, water play, cooking, books and other play activities; parents as collaborators. Comparison of early intervention and early childhood special education programs reflected in Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Comparison of least restrictive environment and natural environment approaches. Prerequisite: EDUN 311 or EDUN 312 and EDUN 316 or EDUN 317.

Setting up and managing play and learning activities in safe and developmentally-appropriate environments for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten students, and first- and second-graders with disabilities. Understanding temperament and its impact on the parent-child and teacher-child relationship; supporting positive parent-child interactions. Role of the teacher in guiding young children in the development of selfdiscipline and communication and social skills necessary for constructive peer relations and group living; interventions for prevention and management of challenging behaviors. Prerequisite: EDUN 311 or EDUN 312 and EDUN 316 or EDUN 317.

For the field experience component of this course, students complete minimum 50 hours of observations in general education at the birth-pre-K, kindergarten, or grade 1-2 level. Students also complete a minimum 100 hours of work with students with disabilities at a level not used in general education. (Inclusion classes with strong special education components are acceptable.) For the practicum component of the course, students complete an additional minimum 20 days or minimum 100 hours in general education at one of the three age/grade levels. (Please note that over the course of their field experience and practicum courses students must work with children in at least two levels.) Actual teaching is a component of the practicum part of this course. All student teaching is done in accredited schools with the involvement of appropriately certified supervising or cooperating teachers who submit student evaluation forms during and at the conclusion of the semester. “Your cooperating teacher must hold initial or professional certification in the grade levels relevant to your program of study, have a master's degree, and have a minimum of three years of teaching experience as a certified educator within the grade levels specified by your program.”

Over the course of the field experience and practicum courses, some work is done in a high-need school or a school serving a high-need community. Students keep time sheets of their hours, maintain logs in which critical incidents are recorded and analyzed, respond to questions about young children, analyze lesson presentations of cooperating teachers observed, and complete two term papers. Students integrate evidence-based methods of instruction into their lesson presentations. Students also do an assignment on how they assessed student learning for a lesson they have presented that is observed by an assigned faculty member. The course includes scheduled group meetings. The assigned faculty member meets with students at their field experience/practicum sites and observes and evaluates student work with children in a school or an equivalent educational setting. The faculty member and cooperating teacher evaluate both the field experience and practicum components of student work during the course. Prereq: approval. (Please note: This course must be taken within the first 18 credits of graduate study.)

Students complete minimum one 20-day practicum experience or its equivalent (at least 100 hours) teaching students with disabilities at the pre-K, kindergarten, or grade 1-2 level (inclusion classes with strong special education components are acceptable) and minimum one 20-day experience or its equivalent (at least 100 hours) teaching students with disabilities at a second developmental level. All student teaching is done in accredited schools with the involvement of appropriately certified supervising and cooperating teachers who submit student evaluation forms at the conclusion of the semester. Over the course of the field experience and practicum courses, some work is done in a high need school or a school serving a high need community. Students keep time sheets of their hours, respond to questions about early childhood education and special education, analyze lessons of teachers observed, complete a written assignment on their understanding and use of evidence-based methods of instruction and intervention, complete an assignment on how student learning was assessed in lessons they have presented that are observed by an assigned Touro faculty member, and complete a comprehensive culminating project in which they analyze and reflect on the ways in which various aspects of the program have affected their understanding of, and interventions with, children. Students also write a reflection paper on what they learned from carrying out the work of the case study completed in the second literacy course. This course includes scheduled group meetings. An assigned Touro College faculty member observes practicum students presenting at least three formal lessons in the classroom or other educational facility. (Please note: This course must be taken in the final semester of study.)

The developmental context to current approaches to teaching reading; creation of language-rich environments; organization of a functional reading program; informational and critical reading; assessment of reading and language skills; oral and written communication; approaches to work with English language learners and students with special needs; and attention to motivational factors in literacy development at home as well as at school. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

The developmental context to understanding the symptoms and causes of reading disabilities; use and interpretation of achievement tests and diagnostic instruments; materials and methods used in remedial instruction; and preparation of teacher-made reading materials. Work with children and writing of case studies are required components of field experience. During the second half of the semester, a reading lab is conducted where community children come to TC to be tutored by the 302 students, supervised by the course instructor. TC students can then actually implement the skills they learned in the course. Prerequisite: EDUN 301.

The social and developmental contexts for teaching social studies spectrum subjects to a diverse elementary school student population; curriculum development and methods and materials; development of integrated instruction in history and geography (including history and geography of the United States and New York State), economics, citizenship and government, and the world of work; appreciation of the diversity of social life, including language, across cultures; approaches to linking instruction to the context of students’ lives. Pre- or co-requisite: EDUN 201.

The developmental context for a problem-solving approach to mathematics, science, and technology instruction and remediation; developmentallyappropriate curriculum development and methods of teaching and remediation in mathematics, science, and technology; emphasis on manipulative materials and hands-on activities; application of mathematical concepts and skills in the study of science; application of mathematical concepts and skills and scientific concepts in real-life settings; and appreciation of the benefits, promise, and hazards of technology. Pre- or corequisite: EDUN 201.

The cognitive, emotional, and social contexts for exploring various art forms, including performing arts, movement, sports activities and other areas of physical education; discovering and building on individual interests and creative abilities; creating developmentally-appropriate opportunities for selfexpression and self-exploration; cooperation in group art and sports activities; the relationship of the arts and physical education to other curricula areas. Pre- or corequisite: EDUN 201.

Review of state and citywide curriculum for elementary school children. Concepts and skills in the teaching of reading, math, language arts, social studies, and science. Modification of instructional methods and materials for children with disabilities. Demonstration lessons will be used to highlight principles of development and modification of curriculum for elementary school children with disabilities. Prerequisites: EDUN 301 and EDUN 303 or EDUN 304.

Setting up the physical environment of the classroom to maximize learning productivity and prevent unnecessary behavior problems. Review of different models of intervention approaches for handling difficult behavior in the elementary school. The teacher’s role in reducing conflicts, teaching social skills, and facilitating cooperative group living. The importance of the teacher’s self-awareness in teacher-student interaction. Critical incidents will be used to develop specific guidelines for effective teacher interventions. Prerequisites: EDUN 301 and EDUN 303 or EDUN 304.

For the field experience component of this course, students complete minimum 50 hours of observations. Students complete minimum 50 hours of field experience in general education at the grade 1-3 level or the grade 4-6 level. Students also complete minimum 100 hours of field experience in work with children with disabilities at the level not used for general education. (Inclusion classes with strong special education components are acceptable. All field experience is done in accredited schools with the involvement of appropriately certified supervising or cooperating teachers who submit student evaluation forms at the conclusion of the semester. Students are exposed to evidence-based methods of instruction. Over the course of the field experience and practicum courses, some work is done in a high-need school or a school serving a high-need community. Students keep time sheets of their hours, maintain logs in which critical incidents are recorded and analyzed, respond to questions about elementary school education, analyze lesson presentations of cooperating teachers observed, and complete two term papers. The course also includes scheduled group meetings. An assigned Touro College faculty member meets with students at their field experience sites and evaluates student work for the course. (Please note: This course must be taken within the first 18 credits of graduate study.)

Students complete minimum one 20-day practicum experience or its equivalent (at least 100 hours) teaching students with disabilities at the grade 1-3 level and minimum one 20-day experience or its equivalent (at least 100 hours) teaching students with disabilities at the grade 4-6 level. (Inclusion classes with strong special education components are acceptable.) All student teaching is done in accredited schools with the involvement of appropriately certified supervising or cooperating teachers who submit student evaluation forms during and at the conclusion of the semester. : “Your cooperating teacher must hold initial or professional certification in the grade levels relevant to your program of study, have a master's degree, and have a minimum of three years of teaching experience as a certified educator within the grade levels specified by your program.”. Over the course of the field experience and practicum courses, some work is done in a high need school or a school serving a high need community. Students keep time sheets of their hours, complete a written assignment on their understanding and use of evidence-based methods of instruction and intervention, respond to questions about elementary school education, analyze lesson presentations of cooperating teachers observed, complete an assignment on how they assess student learning in lessons they’ve presented that are observed by assigned faculty members, and complete a comprehensive culminating project in which they analyze and reflect on ways in which various aspects of the program have affected their understanding of, and interventions with, children. Students also write a reflection paper on what they learned from carrying out the work of the case study completed in the second literacy course. The course includes scheduled group meetings. An assigned Touro College faculty member observes practicum students presenting at least three formal lessons in the classroom or other educational facility. (Please note: This course must be taken in the last semester of study.)