Masters Degree Courses: Schedule

This course will include providing students with a framework for becoming culturally responsive teachers.  An assortment of topics that reflects cultural diversity in education, including a historical overview of programs for students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, contemporary multicultural and bilingual education, and education for social justice and equity are addressed. This course, through the use of varied literature, relating to issues of diversity will focus on strategies that will ensure all students are achieving their fullest potential. Gaining insights into the interconnection between the diversity of students and the process of teaching will be critical to your continued success as a teacher in the 21st-century classroom.

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 is designed to move our students from risk to resiliency by identifying and fostering the developmental competencies needed for students to succeed.  The course hinges on the belief that resilience is not something you do, but something you are and can become.  To that end, the course is designed to guide educators through a paradigm shift, away from the Deficit Model and toward the Strengths/Asset Model.  Drawing on research from Nan Henderson, Mike Milstein, Robert Brooks, and Bonnie Benard, the attributes seen in resilient students will be identified and specific strategies for fostering these traits in all students will be taught.

In this course, the philosophical bases and legal structures of educational policymaking are studied. Students, as educators, develop their own philosophies of education and examine the underlying philosophical assumptions of major educational policies and practices. The course also prepares teachers to understand the legal structures that determine educational policies and how issues of equity affect the implementation of those policies. This level of understanding is necessary in order for teachers to be knowledgeable and active decision-makers in their own classrooms, schools, and communities.

NEWLY REDESIGNED COURSE

In education, we often discuss “preparing students for the future,” yet the core of what students truly need remains unchanged—connection, empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to navigate relationships and challenges. These essential skills are embedded within the five core competencies of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. These are the skills that the 21st-century student needs to develop in order to thrive in an ever-evolving world, and the opportunities to learn and grow in these areas are vital for success.

This course takes a deep dive into these competencies, moving beyond theory to practical implementation in the classroom. Educators will explore strategies to explicitly integrate these skills into their curriculum. We will prioritize teaching the whole child, addressing both academic and social-emotional needs, and tackle common challenges—such as finding time and aligning SEL with content areas—offering solutions that make integration seamless rather than an added burden.

Participants will leave with concrete lesson plans, adaptable strategies, and access to a wealth of resources and research to support SEL implementation at all grade levels, ensuring that students are equipped with the skills they need to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

This course is designed to help educators become more effective in their personal and professional lives, thus enhancing the lives of their students. We will use Stephen R. Coveys, # 1 National Bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as the framework for the course. Concepts of study include: personal growth, interpersonal leadership, empathetic communication, creative cooperation and balanced self-renewal. There will be an emphasis on how these concepts transcend into our classrooms and provide the foundation for how we embrace teaching and learning. We will examine how our habits shape our lives and define our character. We will explore our current level of stress and how our viewpoints on our circle of influence vs. circle of control affect the outcome of each situation. We will examine how continuous learning is part of what keeps us feeling empowered in our relationships and accomplished in our work. Through highly engaging, interactive and reflective activities, this course is bound to transform the lives of each participant, while simultaneously, giving you tools to take back to your classrooms.