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

This program is designed to prepare teachers for the schools of the 21st century, as well as to respond to state regulations. 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 which theory is applied in classroom settings.  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. For a list of sites, click here.

*Must be completed prior to the practicum
**Must be completed prior to the practicum and include field-based courses
***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 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 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 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 Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes and other appropriate frameworks and instructional materials.

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ESPED 5037 Strategies for Inclusive Schooling
This course provides an overview of instructional and curricular strategies for students with disabilities in inclusive schools. Theory and effective practices are presented in relation to the educational, social, and academic components of classrooms. The course reviews the historical and legal perspectives of special education, the Individualized Education Plan, effective collaboration, and models of inclusion.

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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 6111 Multicultural Curriculum: Pedagogy and 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 6118 Multicultural Issues in Education
A comprehensive interdisciplinary study of the impact of culture and language on the curriculum, relationships, and pedagogy in schools. The course provides a rigorous theoretical and experiential exploration of cultural pluralism in school settings. Intercultural interaction such as cross-cultural enrichment, inclusionary practices, discrimination, racism, ethnocentrism, development of cultural identity, and cross-cultural transition is a central focus. The manifestation and implications of these issues are studied on the individual, group, and systems levels. Prerequisite: Early field experience or equivalent.

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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.