Master of Education Degree Leading to Initial Teacher License in Elementary Education (1-6)
with Optional Add License Preparation for ESL (39-45 credits)

District-Based Clinical Collaborative Program: Elementary Education Urban Initiative (EEUI)

This program of study has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for Initial Teaching Licensure in Elementary (1-6) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The EEUI program prepares teachers to be effective in elementary classrooms in urban settings with large numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students.  This accelerated, full time program includes two summers and a year-long, school based internship during which time participants will also complete classes at Lesley as well as at their urban school site. Depending upon the needs of the district partner, paid tutoring, substitute teaching, or classroom aide positions may be available. Three ESL related courses are included in the elementary licensure program. Two optional ESL courses conclude the ESL preparation.  Individuals who complete the program and pass state tests will qualify for MA elementary licensure, and an additional ESL license.  For a full program description and financial incentives, download Elementary Education Urban Initiative (EEUI) [pdf].    For scholarship information for this program, including an application, download EEUI Balfour Scholarship [pdf].

PLEASE NOTE: As early in the program as possible, and prior to the practicum, students 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 this 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 administration dates, and the Lesley MTEL policy, see Lesley's Certification Office web page at www.lesley.edu/certification.html.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

EEDUC 5146 Issues in American Schooling: Contemporary Challenges and Historical Contexts
The course examines diverse contemporary issues in American education through a combination of field-based experiences and investigation of the social and historical forces that shape the character of schooling in a democratic society. The course opens the dialogue about the nature of teaching and learning, and the design of educational programs in the context of societal, political, and economic structures as well as within the diverse cultural values of a pluralistic society.

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EEDUC 5122 Development and Learning: Psycho-social Perspectives in Education
This course focuses upon constructivist-interactionist views of child development, spanning the preschool years through adolescence and young adulthood. Topics include early development, play, children's art, cognitive development and learning, family systems and social learning, classroom instruction and organization, communication, curriculum and cognition, evaluation and assessment, language development and literacy, moral development, gender differences, and developmental diversity among individuals and across cultures including race, ethnicity, linguistic background, and economic conditions.

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EEDUC 6120 First and Second Language Acquisition
This course addresses the theories and current research in first and second language acquisition. Participants will understand the theories and practices for developing literacy skills in English for English Language Learners (ELL) with different educational backgrounds and different English proficiency levels. A variety of programs--two-way bilingual, sheltered English immersion, English as a second language, and others--are examined.  Participants will work with the TESOL PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards and other standards-based Curriculum Frameworks and instructional materials.

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ESPED 5114 Designing Instruction for the Inclusive Classroom
The design of curriculum and instruction for diverse learners in inclusive classrooms is the focus of this course. Course participants investigate universally designed approaches that draw on brain research, differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences approaches, and new technologies to respond to the needs of all learners, including students with disabilities and students who are culturally and/or linguistically diverse. Course participants will be introduced to Response to Intervention as well as to evidence-based practices that provide access to the curriculum for all learners.

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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 5102 Teaching Elementary School Mathematics
Mathematics in the United States has historically been a difficult field because it has not always taken children's developmental and learning needs into account. In this course, we support learners gaining knowledge needed to teach school-age children and increase competency in the mathematics itself. A variety of materials and models are used to show connections to daily life, and many different approaches to mathematics are investigated. Relevant children's literature and technology are also emphasized.

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EEDUC 5135 Science in the Elementary School: Thinking With Evidence
In this course, participants develop a scientific stance and conceptual understandings important to teaching inquiry-based science to elementary school students. Participants plan and carry out sustained investigations, reflect on their own learning, and develop strategies for implementing and assessing inquiry-based science in the classroom.

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EEDUC 5136 Integrating Social Studies into the Elementary Classroom
The essence of this course focuses on those methods and materials that facilitate the teaching of social studies in the elementary classroom. Attention will be paid to the integration of technology as an instructional tool, the development of appropriate assessment models, and the synthesis of social studies with the humanities and natural sciences. Selecting, developing, teaching, and evaluating skills, concepts, and resources play an active role in class meetings.

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EEDUC 6041 Sheltered Content Instruction
This course is designed to equip teachers with essential knowledge and skills to effectively organize and implement instruction appropriate for English Language Learners at different levels of English proficiency. A primary focus will be on Sheltered English and the SIOP Model. Students will master instructional strategies and design lessons compatible with these principles and relate them to the Curriculum Frameworks. The course content will be learned through the kinds of experiential, participatory, and process-oriented strategies that are used successfully with English language learners and build reflective practices.

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ESPED 6121 Classroom Management and Behavior Support
This courses addresses the social and behavioral aspects of the classroom. Course participants analyze a range of classroom management approaches, with particular focus on preventing and proactively addressing student behavior problems in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Participants examine strategies for developing and maintaining appropriate standards of behavior and enhancing the emotional development of children. Central themes of the course include analyzing behavior, developing individualized strategies for addressing challenging behaviors, and creating opportunities for learning effective social skills. A range of environmental, social, behavioral, psycho-educational and cognitive theories and interventions are reviewed and critiqued. Effective strategies for collaborative problem-solving, conflict resolution, and family involvement are also addressed.

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EEDUC 6111 Constructing the Equitable Classroom: From Theory to Practice
This course will examine the goals, assumptions, and strategies of multicultural education and assist 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 and explore practitioner-based strategies, resources, and materials for the development of classrooms that are culturally affirming and inclusionary. Through activities and assignments, students will both explore and demonstrate a developing awareness of how various artistic mediums can be utilized as important aspects in the development of a multicultural curriculum. Reading will be placed within the context of public schooling today in order to develop students' "cultural consciousness" of the shared societal assumptions that we bring to our teaching experiences. Prerequisite: Completion of a curriculum development course in either early childhood, elementary, or middle school levels.

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EEDUC 7733 Practicum and Seminar in Elementary Education (1–6)
Full-semester, full-time practicum in an elementary (1–6) classroom under the supervision of a supervising practitioner and University program supervisor. Practicum 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.

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EECLD 6002 Essential Linguistics: What Every Teacher Needs to Know about Language
This course takes a practical approach to the study of linguistics and English as a new language with implications for teaching ESL, reading, writing, spelling, phonics, and grammar in monolingual or multilingual contexts. The basic nature of language, first language acquisition, language variation, language change, and the relations of language to society and culture are explored. The course focuses on the development of linguistic foundational knowledge elements such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics that informs planning for teaching first or second language. Structural and semantic differences between the students first and English as a new language are examined and used in planning for learning.

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EECLD 6012 Assessment for Equity and Inclusion of CLD Learners
Appropriate assessment is essential to understanding and documenting standards-based learning and the process of distinguishing learning disabilities from language differences. Second language proficiency assessment is the primary focus of this course. Participants gain the skills to administer language assessments, monitor progress, interpret results, and incorporate them into instruction. Potential linguistic and cultural biases in assessment instruments, including biases in standardized tests, are analyzed. Students are required to practice with alternative assessment measures, including portfolio and other authentic assessments.

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.