Masters Degree Courses: Schedule

The newly designed course recognizes that the urge to play exists in all of us. It is a major part of how we have evolved as a species. Plato says, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play, than in a year of conversation.” Backed by research and grounded in our understanding of the human brain, we will explore the genius of play through the lens of self-awareness and the four attributes of neuro aesthetics—curiosity, open-ended exploration, heightened sensory awareness, and a drive for creative expression—we will explore the profound role of play in personal and intellectual growth. You will have an opportunity to experience the interconnection between various aspects of our intelligence including logical reasoning, sound, language, spatial perception, nature, bodily movement, both interpersonal and intrapersonal awareness, and more. Come prepared to fully engage, experiment, and rediscover the transformative power of play.

This course is designed to guide students through the process of action research. Students will choose an area of social emotional learning to focus on, and attempt to secure solutions through the action research process. 

Harvard Medical School research has told us for over 20 years that the neo-cortex (the adult, highly evolved thinking brain) needs to engage in problem solving, creativity and play, in order to grow and develop.  The same part of the brain that we need to pass the PSSA will only be at its best when engaged in regular problem solving, creativity, and play.  Play lies at the core of creativity and innovation.  We are built to play and we develop through play. Through problem solving and play we learn how the world works and how people interact. This class will be highly experiential with significant time spent fully engaged in problem solving, creativity and play activities for the benefit of all in class.

We teach who we are. This course is for teachers who have both good and bad days. We will explore the research that cites vulnerability as one of our greatest strengths. This course is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts because we love our work so much. Our primary intervention tool will be to dig deeper into self-awareness. Teaching, like all human activity, comes from our inwardness. As we teach, we project our inward condition onto our students, our subject and our relationships together. Good teaching cannot be reduced to techniques and test scores. Good teaching comes from integrity, authenticity, and vulnerability. In every interaction, our ability to connect with our students depends less on methods and curriculum and more on our depth of self-awareness. Are we willing to be available and open in the service of learning?

This course focuses on the development of theoretical-pragmatic foundations for reflective teaching and educational leadership in collaborative school environments. Philosophical systems are examined as they relate to the realities of classroom instructional leadership.

This course will examine the most significant at-risk issues impacting the lives of PreK through 12th Grade students today. The physical, psychological, social, emotional and academic implications of these issues will be explored in depth. The indicators, signs, and symptoms of each issue will be shared through a culturally relevant lens that reflects the experience of students. Learners will engage and explore the systems and supports that do and can exist in a school environment and a community to support all students through authentic collaboration with family, school, and community partners.