Master of Education in Early Childhood: Teacher of Students With and Without Disabilities (PreK-2) and Creative Arts in Learning
Leading to Initial Teacher License
In response to Massachusetts state license guidelines, the School of Education's Division of Creative Arts in Learning offers initial teacher license programs in which the arts play an integral part. The program below leads to licensure in Early Childhood Education in Massachusetts. The curriculum honors cultural, racial, linguistic, economic, and social diversity; empowers students through fostering creativity and individual expression; and explores various avenues of learning through the arts in order to accommodate different learning styles and modalities. This program can be completed in four semesters of full-time study, or on a part-time basis.
| PROGRAM OF STUDY | CREDITS | |
| Required Courses | 36 | |
| GARED 6110 | Arts and Education: History and Philosophy** | 3 |
| (must be taken in the first semester of the program) | ||
| GARED 5018 | Arts and Human Development** | 3 |
| EEDUC 5139 | Learning Mathematics in Early Childhood** | 3 |
| EEDUC 5137 | Language, Literacy, and the Arts for the Early Years | 3 |
| EEDUC 5138 | Language, Literacy, and the Arts for the Primary Grades* | 3 |
| (prerequisite: EEDUC 5137) | ||
| EEDUC 5120 | Young Children with Special Needs* | 3 |
| EEDUC 5130 |
Integrated Curriculum in Early Childhood I: Science and Health |
3 |
| GARED 6116 | Early Childhood Arts, History and Social Science | 3 |
| EEDUC 6109 | Observation, Documentation, and Assessment | 3 |
| GARED 6003 | An Arts Approach to Multicultural Education | 3 |
| GARED 6090 | Critical Pedagogy Through the Arts | 3 |
| GARED XXXX | Arts Elective (chosen with approval of Creative Arts faculty advisor) | 3 |
| Practicum | ||
| EEDUC 7727 | Practicum and Seminar in Early Childhood Education (PreK-2) | 6 |
| Prerequisites: successful completion of a 75-hour early field experience*** and required pre-practicum courses; satisfactory completion of appropriate Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) requirements.**** Full-semester, full-time practicum is accompanied by a weekly seminar and requires a field experience fee. Approximately one-third of the practicum must be in a PreK or kindergarten classroom and two-thirds must be in a first or second grade classroom. |
||
| TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED | 42 | |
*Must be completed prior to the practicum.
**Must be completed prior to the practicum and include field-based assignments.
***As early in the program as possible, and prior to the practicum, graduate students and Adult Learning Division students with education minors must complete a 75-hour Early Field Experience in a classroom appropriate to the license sought. In some cases, recent appropriate classroom experience may be used to document the requirement. (This is not a credit-bearing course, and there are no fees required.)
****For current information on state testing requirements for initial licensure programs, Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) test dates, and the Lesley University MTEL policy, see Lesley's Certification website.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
GARED 6110 Arts and Education: History and Philosophy
Considers the history and philosophy of American education with special emphasis on the arts and their place in education. The approach includes using both mainstream sources and those (especially biographical narratives) from minority groups (African- American, Asian-American, Native American, Latino, religious minorities and recent immigrants). How the arts emerge from various racial and cultural communities and how schools, communities and the arts can come together in the education enterprise are examined.
GARED 5018 Arts and Human Development
This course familiarizes students with stages of human development from childhood through adulthood. Knowledge of human development is enhanced through interaction with arts materials, music, movement, drama and writing.
EEDUC 5139 Learning Mathematics in Early Childhood
This course is designed to develop knowledge of content and pedagogy that is essential for teaching mathematics in schools. Assessment strategies, adaptations for special needs, and classroom management are all addressed. The “big ideas” and how they develop and become represented is a strong emphasis.
EEDUC 5137 Language, Literacy and the Arts for the Early Years
This course will focus on the development of emergent and early literacy skills (oral and written language) in young children. Throughout the course, instructional techniques, activities, and materials relevant to young children’s literacy development, as well as the interconnection between language arts/creative arts, assessment/instruction, and theory/practice, will be addressed.
EEDUC 5138 Language, Literacy and the Arts for the Primary Grades
This course focuses on the instruction and assessment of primary grade oral and written language. Emphasis is placed on constructing meaning and empowering all learners with skills and strategies they need to become competent, independent readers and writers. Approaches and resources for the meaningful integration of the arts into the language arts are explored.
EEDUC 5120 Young Children with Special Needs
This course examines concepts relating to young children, preschool through second grade, at risk for or exhibiting developmental delays or mild to moderate disabilities. It focuses on the identification, assessment, diagnosis, and referral of young children with special needs. Class participants will analyze and reflect upon inclusive strategies for classroom structure and curricular/instructional accommodations and modifications. Strategies for collaborating with families with young children with special needs will also be addressed.
EEDUC 5130 Integrated Curriculum in Early Childhood I: Science and Health
Young children learn about their world in an integrated, exploratory way. Children’s understanding of the world continuously changes with the interaction between their development and the quality of these experiences. This course focuses on helping the pre-service teacher develop skills and intuitions in creating a rich learning environment for young students in the areas of science and health.
GARED 6116 Early Childhood Arts, History, and Social Science
This course is designed to introduce pre-service teachers to the practice of using the arts to enhance teaching and learning in the history and social science classroom. A variety of hands-on approaches for planning and integrating the arts—storytelling, visual arts, music, drama, literature, poetry, and movement—into the history and social science content areas for preK-2 students will be applied. We will explore materials and strategies desirable for facilitating higher order thinking, oral and written communication competencies, different learning styles, different points of view, and diversity and social issues in the classroom and beyond. We will examine theories of arts-integrated curriculum as they relate to Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework and National Standards.
EEDUC 6109 Observation, Documentation, and Assessment
This course provides an opportunity to examine a variety of ways to study children in their natural environment and in clinical settings. Emphasis is placed on looking at classroom settings, children’s work, group interactions, and teacher behavior. Authentic assessment and work sampling systems are addressed. Strategies for presenting information about children and portfolios are developed.
GARED 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.
GARED 6090 Critical Pedagogy Through the Arts
This course is an exploration of the theory and practice of critical pedagogy within arts-integrated teaching and learning. Participants will engage with issues of justice and equality in education as they explore the arts as a medium for critical inquiry and multicultural understanding among learners of diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This course will provide participants with the opportunity to translate theoretical analysis into arts-based curriculum development and pedagogical practice.
EEDUC 7727 Practicum and Seminar in Early Childhood Education (PreK–2)
Full-semester, full-time practicum, approximately one-third of which must be in a PreK or K classroom and two-thirds in a first or second grade classroom. Practicum is supervised by a supervising practitioner and University program supervisor and is accompanied by a seminar addressing issues in the field. Prerequisites: Completion of a 75-hour early field experience, required pre-practicum courses, and MTEL requirements. Permission required.
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.
