The Senior Capstone Experience for Human Development majors seeking teacher certification includes the preparation and public presentation of a professional teaching portfolio, including an independent action research project. Human Development majors selecting the non-certification route complete and present an interdisciplinary, independent research study based on field work, which is generally in the form of a thesis.

This one-credit fieldwork course consists of a minimum of 20 hours of off-campus supervised experiences with organizations that emphasize the overlap between the environment and education. Students observe, reflect upon, and participate in outreach and education duties at a local park, nature center, outdoor school, or other environmental agency.

This course is designed to introduce the tenets of museum education, to expose students to careers and experiences in museum education, to highlight the importance of outreach, engagement, and equity, and to encourage students to actively and meaningfully reflect on their experiences. Students connect with professionals in the field and learn what it means to be an informal educator, focusing on the four common elements of educating: the educator, the audience, the content, and the context.

This one-credit fieldwork course consists of a minimum of 20 hours of off-campus supervised experiences in a school or educational facility with a professional in the field of coaching or physical education. Students will observe, reflect upon, and participate in activities within a physical education classroom or coaching space.

A two or three credit experience with area educational partners to develop skills related to future professional work in education. 45 hours required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise. Special topic courses can only be offered 3 times; after this, the course must be approved as a regular course. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

This 1-credit course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences in a placement related to student personal and professional goals for careers in education. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. Associated coursework focuses on understanding the learning environment and includes observations of teachers, students, subject matter, and context.

This 1-credit course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences in a placement related to student personal and professional goals for careers in education. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. Associated coursework focuses on observing and reflecting on individual learners, learner development, and learning differences.

This four-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experience with special education students. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. (1 credit each)

This four-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experience with special education students. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. (1 credit each)

This course is designed for Human Development majors and students in Education Certification programs who participate in the international teaching experience. Students are responsible for planning, implementing, and assessing lessons as well as participating in the school community.

This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experiences with special needs students. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. (1 credit each)

This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences, including experiences with special needs students. For teacher candidates, these take place in a partner school classroom. (1 credit each)

This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences. Field work opportunities may also include alternative experiences studying related educational personnel. (1 credit each)

This two-part course consists of off-campus supervised field experiences. Field work opportunities may also include alternative experiences studying related educational personnel. (1 credit each)

A general summary of the field of education. The historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations of education will be surveyed; contemporary education in the United States will be examined.

A general summary of theories of education psychology. Aspects of evaluation, individual differences, and psychological adjustments that are relevant to education and applicable to classroom practices will be examined.

A two or three credit experience with area educational partners to develop skills related to future professional work in education. 45 hours required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise. Special topic courses can only be offered 3 times; after this, the course must be approved as a regular course. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

An Agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

This course provides an overview of qualitative and descriptive research methodologies shared across various fields in the social sciences. You will explore the epistemological underpinnings of qualitative and descriptive research, develop an understanding of researcher positionality, learn about ethics as they relate to research with human subjects, and deepen your critical and close reading skills as they apply to understanding methodological decision making in the social sciences. This class will develop your abilities to read academic literature across the social sciences and across methodologies, write a literature review, conduct participant observations, surveys, and interviews, complete qualitative and descriptive data analysis, and write and present a research study. Student researchers will finish the class with the ability to employ a range of theories and methods including: survey development, ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, case study, narrative inquiry, content and discourse analysis, social media research, and archival research.

A study of the educational systems of various nations. Social, political, and economic influences upon educational practice and theory are considered. Students are introduced to the origins and development of the field of comparative and international education and explore how both scholars and educational policymakers have engaged some of the debates that characterize research in education around the world.

This course offers an overview of qualitative research methods and an introduction to action research within the field of education. Course participants are asked to develop their epistemological framing of a research project, cultivate an understanding of researcher positionality and ethics, and further their engagement in critical inquiry through a qualitative lens. The class developes students' abilities to conduct participant observations and interviews; write a literature review; carry out qualitative data analyses; and write and present from a research study.

Literacy in the Content Area is designed to prepare pre-service educators to develop in diverse students the literacy skills and concepts necessary for learning across content areas. Discussions of best-practice research and theory are intended to provide future educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to identify learners' literacy needs and teach to a variety of needs. This is an MSDE-approved literacy course and meets Maryland Literacy I and II Secondary Requirements (together with EDU 401 & EDU 404).

The course examines the relationships between the physical environment, population, and culture in the evolution of global regions.

This course examines the traditional grammar structures (including words and the elements of sentences) that have been the foundation of clear communication in English, giving students a common language to discuss the ethics of the idea of Standard English. Students explore the ever-changing language of English, what it takes to change accepted usage, and the linguistic controversies of today's America. This course fulfills the MSDE Grammar requirement for secondary English interns.

This course is an examination of contemporary cultural and linguistic diversity within the United States educational environments. Special attention is given to cultural problems and issues that influence opportunities and performance in educational institutions. The basic premise of the course is that teachers play an important role in creating a positive classroom learning environment and bringing school success, especially for English language learners. Students develop understandings of the impact of culture, cultural diversity, immigration, migration, colonialism, and power on language policy and on students currently learning English as a second language.

Students learn : a) to understand the nature and range of special needs among pupils in today's public schools; b) to differentiate instruction to meet the special needs of students in our multicultural society; c) to interpret and implement an Individualized Educational Program; and d) to use a range of support services available to students and teachers.

This course prepares educators in schools, museums, and other learning contexts to make decisions about how to best design learning experiences for different student audiences and how to evaluate the success of those designs. We will discuss learning priorities, teaching objectives, curriculum scope and sequence, and planning and organization. As individuals, small groups, and in collaboration with the community, we will design and implement a diverse array of learning experiences including individual classroom lessons, semester-long units, one-day special events and field trip opportunities, and museum exhibits and other public teaching displays. We will also figure out the how to understand whether all that planning has worked to achieve learning goals by exploring best practices in assessment and evaluation. Emphasis will be placed on the process of curriculum and program development and assessment, rather than on the implementation and measurement of given curriculum.

An investigation of research explaining the relationship between language acquisition and reading development, the interactive nature of the reading process, and the interrelationship of reading and writing. Topics include assessing the stages of literacy development from emergent literacy through fluency in the language arts processes of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and applying corresponding instructional strategies. This is a Maryland-approved reading course.

Students demonstrate mastery of instructional strategies used to make educational decisions in a balanced literacy program including developmentally appropriate word recognition and comprehension strategies. Students evaluate, use, and interpret a variety of assessment techniques and processes, local, state, and national instruments. The co-requisite clinical field experience requires the student to plan, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate reading and language arts instruction and evaluation in a partner school classroom. This is a MSDE-approved reading course. Prerequisites: EDU 351 and passing score of Praxis Core.

This course involves the reading and study of literary texts by notable authors, with children and young adults as the major audience. Students explore literary elements, evaluation criteria, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, literature response in print media and the arts, classics, and contemporary works. This course provides opportunities to examine various forms of communication and interpretation, implementation of technology, and divergent thinking in order to assist those interested in children's and young adult literature to become more reflective and effective communicators. This is an MSDE-approved reading course.

This course is designed as a culminating experience for the Museum, Field, and Community Education Minor. Students work with a professional in the field, at a local community institution for informal education, or at a Washington College Center for Excellence, to synthesize their content knowledge and skills and apply them beyond the classroom, creating educational materials that can be used by the community partner in the future. While the course is governed by a standard set of objectives and themes, readings and assignments are individualized based on students' majors and areas of professional interest and the needs and goals at their placement site. Students attend their placement for a minimum of 30 hours over the course of the semester; some visits must include working with learners and/or educational materials. Students may also complete outreach/education tasks with supervision.

The two-credit internship is designed as a culminating experience for students in the proposed Coaching Minor. Students will be placed with a local partner in physical education, coaching, or other wellness instruction based on their area of experience and interest, including but not limited to public or private school teams and physical education classrooms, youth sports organizations, yoga / Pilates / dance instructors, college athletics, or related athletics orwellness professionals. Working with a professional in the field, students will synthesize their knowledge and skills and apply them beyond the classroom, taking on instructional roles with individuals and groups to create a program of study or a series of skills-based activities. Students are to spend a minimum of 40 hours over the course of the semester working with the community partner; there are no regular in-class meetings, but students will communicate regularly with the course instructor.

A two or three credit experience with area educational partners to develop skills related to future professional work in education. 45 hours required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise. Special topic courses can only be offered 3 times; after this, the course must be approved as a regular course. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.

An Agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

An exploration of the art and science of teaching and a study of curriculum. Course content, teaching methods, planning, instructional technology, as well as observation and performance of varied teaching techniques are combined to prepare prospective teachers for their student teaching. EDU 401 and EDU 404 in combination comprise an MSDE-approved reading course.

A course concentrating upon the specific teaching field of the student. Examines objectives and the nature and place of the academic discipline in secondary school, with emphasis placed on methods and materials for teaching that discipline in light of the changing demands of 21st century education.

The first of a two-semester internship, EDU 404 requires the teacher candidate to begin to show proficiency in a partner school classroom. Teacher candidates also participate in evening seminars that supplement their partner school classroom experiences. Two credits.

The second of a two-semester internship, EDU 405 represents the culmination of the professional development of the teacher candidate. The teacher candidate is required to demonstrate increasing responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating instructional effectiveness in a partner school classroom. Teacher candidates also participate in weekly seminars held on campus. 8 credits. Laboratory fee.

This seminar explores current research and theory on the writing process and prepares students for potential work as Peer Consultants in the college Writing Center. Over the semester, students develop rhetorical knowledge and critical strategies for working with other writers and their texts. To be considered for the seminar, students must submit faculty recommendations and a writing sample and complete an interview with the Director of the Writing Center. Students from all disciplines may apply.

This course examines the mathematics and science concepts, curriculum, methods and materials used for effective instruction in mathematics and science in the elementary school. The focus is on the development of strategies for active learning that help children construct a meaningful understanding of mathematics and science.

Teachers of social studies should possess the knowledge, capabilities and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of the ten social studies content themes as identified by the National Council for the Social Studies. This course provides the teacher candidate with some of the organizational tools and instructional strategies needed to conduct classroom instruction in social studies and in the language arts, primarily writing.

The first of a two-semester internship, EDU 413 requires the teacher candidate to begin to show proficiency in a partner school classroom. Teacher candidates also participate in weekly seminars held on campus.

The second of a two-semester internship, EDU 414 represents the culmination of the professional development of the teacher candidate. The teacher candidate is required to demonstrate increasing responsibility for assessing, planning, and evaluating instructional effectiveness in a partner school classroom. Teacher candidates also participate in weekly seminars held on campus. 12 credits. Laboratory fee.

A two or three credit experience with area educational partners to develop skills related to future professional work in education. 45 hours required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department's normal course offerings, chosen based on current student interest and faculty expertise. Special topic courses can only be offered 3 times; after this, the course must be approved as a regular course. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

An Agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.