MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN LITERACY--CALIFORNIA ONLY (30-33 credits)*

The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Literacy program provides teachers with a foundation in literacy learning and its application across different populations and content areas. The program reflects Lesley's strengths in both the integration of teaching reading and writing in literacy courses and the variety of approaches faculty bring to their teaching. National standards and California curriculum framework requirements are incorporated throughout.

Please note that Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) completers will take the 30-credit version of the program; see the asterisk below for details.

For a printable PDF of the program sheet, which includes course descriptions, click here.

*Students who have successfully completed California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) will waive EEDUC 6128 and EEDUC 7111 (totaling six credits) and take EEDUC 6127 for six (6) credits; the six-credit version of this capstone course will include the completion of a reflective paper, and is designed to integrate professional growth achieved via BTSA experience, classroom practice, and Lesley coursework. Students who have not completed BTSA will complete all required courses, including EEDUC 6127 for three (3) credits.
**To meet state-specific requirements, another Lesley course may be offered instead of ECOMP 5004

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

EEDUC 6125
Dimensions of Learning and Teaching
Students identify and use resources available to support them in their learning, teaching, and reflection. They begin to examine their identity as learners and professionals and use what they learn to explore ways that educational practices and enduring educational controversies can be understood using multiple perspectives and the knowledge that people learn differently. They also begin to build a portfolio in which they reflect upon and demonstrate their expanding understanding and competencies.

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EEDUC 6128
Dimensions of Equity
This course will examine the goals, assumptions, and strategies of multicultural and special education and prepare teachers to effectively apply theories of equity to classroom practice. Through a variety of cognitive and affective approaches, students will identify and analyze the cultural and structural factors that have led to unequal academic outcomes for diverse learners within the socio-political and historical context of the United States.

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EEDUC 7111
Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction: Assumptions, Relationships, and Design
Students work with several models and frameworks of curriculum development and their application to systems, classroom curriculum and instruction, and assessment. Models include standards-driven, integrated curriculum, portfolio, and performance assessment. Brain-based research and its impact on curriculum development and instruction are analyzed.

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EEDUC 6126
Classroom and School Inquiry
Classroom and School Inquiry focuses on the understanding and critical analysis of educational research and methods for accurately communicating this information to the public. As teachers participate in redefining their educational roles, decision-making and action-oriented classroom practice will be critical in promoting student learning. Both require problem-solving, which is enhanced by the forming and testing of hypotheses, gathering data that is then analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated, and generating solutions. This course will engage students in this process by acquainting them with the knowledge and techniques necessary for them to become lifelong teacher researchers, and to present the results of their research effectively and professionally to a variety of audiences. Note: This course is a prerequisite to EEDUC 6127.

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EEDUC 6127
Action Research and Seminar
Students demonstrate their expanding understandings and competencies as teachers. They also collaborate with several classmates to design a research project that can have a direct impact on their school community, through which students may extend the research plan developed in an earlier course, EEDUC 6126. The six-credit option is designed to give students who completed a required induction experience or advanced education license an opportunity to demonstrate continued learning by applying that experience to their Lesley program and using their study to reflect on what they learned from their induction or licensure program. Prerequisite: Successful completion of EEDUC 6126 or an equivalent research course.

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EEDUC 5121
Literacy: The Integration of the Language Arts
This course presents fundamental principles of elementary reading and language arts. Focus is on students understanding the interrelationship of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will also become knowledgeable about current materials, instructional strategies, and classroom-based assessment for emergent reading, beginning reading, and fluent reading.

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EEDUC 5104
Literature for Children and Young Adults
This survey of children’s books from preschool through the adolescent years identifies the characteristics of the various literary genres, develops criteria for evaluating children’s books, fosters an awareness and nurtures a consideration of how the developmental and diverse cultural needs of children affect their responses to literature, and shares strategies for integrating literature across the curriculum for enjoyment, learning, and classroom reading instruction.

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EEDUC 6001
The Teaching of Writing (K–12)
This course promotes the thoughtful examination of writers and writing instruction. Throughout the course, students are introduced to strategies and skills they can use to enhance their own writing and the writing of K–12 students. Using a process approach, students learn how to communicate ideas effectively in a variety of genres and for a multitude of purposes. Based on the most current understandings in the field, this course explores such topics as writer’s workshop, conferencing, struggling writers, assessment, reading/writing connections, writing in the disciplines, revision and editing, the use of technology to support writers, and the management of writing instruction.

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EEDUC 6101
Content Area Reading/Writing/Study Skills (4–12)
Reading curriculum is studied with emphasis on comprehension, content area reading, study skills, and readers with diverse needs in upper elementary, middle, and high school.

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EEDUC 6102
Language and Literacy: Development and Diversity
This course examines diverse aspects of language acquisition and literacy development with emphasis on educational implications. The major theories and current research in first and second language acquisition are reviewed. Educational topics in language and literacy are addressed, including concerns for reading, writing, oral language, phonics, spelling, academic English, grammar, language assessments, and language-based disabilities. Linguistic and cultural diversity, bilingualism, and second language acquisition are considered throughout.

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ECOMP 5004
Technology in the Language Arts Curriculum
Course participants will experience a variety of hands-on activities designed to integrate technological applications to students’ research, reading, writing, and publishing across content areas. This course surveys current research and best practice in teaching of language arts in combination with effective use of computers and other technology, especially the resources available on the world wide web. Participants will preview, evaluate, and discuss applications of a variety of reading software and storybooks, presentation software, writing programs, editing and grammar tools, and desktop publishing packages.

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Lesley University reserves the right to unilaterally add, withdraw, or revise any course offering in the above-mentioned program of study, including policies, provisions, requirements, and fees.

Lesley University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, or disability in its education programs, employment, or in admissions to, access to, or treatment in its programs or activities.