Certificate of Arts and Social Justice
The Certificate of Arts and Social Justice is designed to meet the needs of schools and school districts by addressing how teachers create positive learning environments for children with special needs, children whose first language is not English, and children with diverse learning styles. In each course, teachers engage in a variety of art forms, exploring their own creativity as they explore the hard work of imagining and creating truly equitable classroom settings for children. The arts provide imaginative ways to approach curriculum on all grade levels, and suggest pedagogical techniques to help teachers reach the greatest number of children in any specific lesson. In addition, through an engagement with hands-on explorations in the arts.the program helps teachers develop a facility with various art forms and a sophistication about how issues of social diversity play out in their classrooms.
The courses in the program are developed in collaboration with the school or school district, so that specific needs and interests can be addressed. The following courses are available for this 12-credit program.
EARED and EARTS courses formerly GARED and GARTS, prior to June 1, 2009.
| PROGRAM OF STUDY | CREDITS | |
| EARED 6003 | An Arts Approach to Multicultural Education | 3 |
| EARED 6002 | Arts and Children with Special Needs | 3 |
| Elective from the list below: | ||
| EARED 6005 | Multicultural Experience through Dance | 3 |
| EARTS 6006 | Power of the Image: Media Literacy | 3 |
| EARED 6103 | Teaching Language Arts through the Arts | 3 |
In this program of study, teachers are introduced to anti-bias educational practices in the first course, (Arts Approach to Multicultural Education) exploring the lenses through which they see students, as well as understanding the basic tenets of multicultural curriculum building and how to create a peaceable classroom where each child is visible. In the second course, (Arts and Children with Special Needs) teachers, all of whom have special needs children of some kind, learn techniques using the arts to open curriculum to all students. The third course (an elective) gives an in depth exploration of one art form-dance, drama, visual arts, storytelling, and literature. Finally, the fourth course (Arts Approach to Diversity and Reflective practice) looks at issues of self esteem within diverse classroom environments, and how the arts enable self expression as well as bridge-building in learning relationships.
EARED 6003 An Arts Approach to Multicultural Education
This course explores ways to approach human diversity and build understanding about similarities and differences through drama, movement, visual arts, music, poetry, and literature. Application is made for the classroom and other work settings.
EARED 6002 Arts and Children With Special Needs
Understanding children whose emotional, physical, and social issues require special consideration. Art, drama, and movement are explored as stimuli for personal expression and remediation. This course focuses on how the arts can support children with special needs in both separate and inclusive settings. The course gives particular attention to developing methods of using arts as the primary vehicle for encouraging cooperative learning and self expression, building self esteem and self confidence, attending to different learning styles, developing decision making skills, and improving basic language and communication skills. Participatory activities in both visual and performing arts are included with opportunities to develop individual applications for children with varying abilities.
EARED 6005 Multicultural Experience Through Dance
Dance is a participatory art that also acts as expression, communication, and social ritual. This course uses dance as a vehicle to explore the diversity of cultural identities. Participants recognize dance as language and use dance to enable learning in the context of recognizing diversity, both within and around the individual. We engage in movement exploration in each class and together make diverse applications to our lives and work. For dancers and non-dancers.
EARED 6103 Literacy and the Arts: Vision and Voice
Students gain an understanding of how the arts can be integral to the process of whole language, and gain skills in designing integrated learning projects. Through participating in aspects of music, drama, visual arts, movement and related language arts activities, students develop individual ways of building curricula in reading, writing, speaking and listening, based on creative modalities.
EARTS 6006 Power of the Image: Media Literacy
Visual images, especially in mass media, literally create our reality, yet many of us are unaware and uncritical of their power. As educators, we are surrounded by media, but we ourselves don't understand very well how to use it to educate. This course will explore the power of images, the nature of perception, and visual literacy. Students will explore how thoughts about race, religion, class and gender are created and sustained, and how media stirs emotions. Students will develop sophistication in using still, computer and video images to convey their research ideas more effectively.
