Master of Education Degree Leading to Initial Teacher License in Elementary Education (1-6)

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.

This Elementary Education program is designed to prepare teachers for the schools of the 21st century. Appropriate for students with undergraduate degrees who wish to become teachers of children in grades 1-6, the program incorporates Lesley's commitment to inclusive classrooms, differentiated instruction, and the integration of theory with practice. Classroom inquiry is a focus, as teachers engage in ongoing professional development through coursework, early field experience, and a full-semester practicum experience in a classroom setting. Students may pursue the program on a full- or part-time basis, and may choose to take classes on Lesley's Cambridge campus or at one of our off-campus sites throughout Massachusetts.

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.)

*Must be completed prior to the practicum, and many courses include field-based assignments.
**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 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 with particular attention to linguistic and cultural diversity and bilingualism.  Educational topics in language and literacy are addressed, including concerns for reading, writing, oral language, phonics, spelling, academic English, language assessments, and language-based learning disabilities.

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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 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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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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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.