05-Elementary Education

This field experience course is designed to  develop pre-service teachers’ abilities to view the total picture of the teaching profession; to foster effective collaborative relationships within and among families and communities; to reflect on the impact of personal beliefs and actions on teaching and learning in order to build capacity for respectful and ethical conduct toward all learners; to explore the characteristics and assets of the communities in which partner schools are embedded; to consider the role communities play in educating students and finally, to dialogue issues of social justice within the neighborhoods and communities of their partner schools so that pre-service teacher candidates begin to develop their own personal understandings about what it means to carry out the Lewis University College of Education standards of becoming a knowledgeable critical transformative educator, a multicultural educator and a social justice advocate.

This course is designed to provide an overview of the nature of the teaching profession, including the purpose, organization, curriculum alignment and standards in American public school education. Professional dispositions, reflective practice and critical thinking skills will be emphasized. Candidates will collaborate with mentor teachers, observe student/teacher interactions and behavioral issues and demonstrate an overall awareness of the classroom environment.

This advanced instructional planning course explores the rationale and necessity for differentiation in today's diverse classrooms. It addresses the effective planning of research-based instruction to meet the diverse needs of students in the regular education classroom and promotes social justice and equal access to learning for children who have been traditionally underserved including: English Language Learners, struggling learners and already proficient learners. Candidates will learn various instructional, assessment and management strategies to assist in designing effective learning experiences for a range of students in the regular classroom setting. The role of technology across all aspects of instructional planning is also included.

This field experience course is designed for candidates to engage in a broad review of research based theories of classroom management for creating classroom environments conducive to learning that provide equitable access to learning outcomes for all students.  During this experience, candidates will be supervised and assessed by the mentor teacher and the University supervisor so that candidates may exhibit their abilities to plan, teach and assess lessons that meet the needs of all learners both academically and behaviorally.

This course introduces candidates to the field of educational psychology and its application to the classroom for children and adolescents. Content covers theories of learning, motivation, personality, growth, development and intelligence, including the impact of cognitive, emotional, physical and sensory disabilities on learning. An emphasis on professional reflection, collaboration and communication encourages candidates to actively apply theoretical information to a variety of learning situations.

This course prepares the candidate to design and implement age appropriate inquiry lessons to teach the fundamental concepts in life, physical, earth and space science as well as physical development and health. NSES and Illinois State Standards are used, along with those of ACEI, to design a program that builds upon the candidate's relevant background knowledge, awareness of current achievement issues and knowledge of the disparate needs of all learners including English language learners, struggling learners and already proficient learners. Methods of differentiating instruction, using technology and developing assessment strategies to meet the individual needs of students are embedded throughout the course. It is recommended that this course be taken concurrently with a field experience course. Candidates will be evaluated on their ability to successfully plan and implement strategies taught in this course.

This course prepares the elementary education teacher candidate to design, implement and differentiate mathematics lessons to teach concepts in the areas of numbers and operations, geometry, measurement, algebra, data analysis and probability in grade levels 1-6.  It is recommended that this course be taken concurrently with a field experience course.

This course addresses theories and methods of reading and writing instruction for P-3 classrooms. Emphasis is placed on research-based instructional and assessment practices that support literacy development for all learners in primary settings.  Candidates will become familiar with current policies and state and professional standards for reading and will explore how these are addressed in practice through field experience assignments. 

This course focuses on research-based instructional strategies, technology, resources, national (NCSS) curriculum standards, Illinois State Standards and Common Core Standards.  The emphasis of this course is on understanding and using the interrelationships among history, geography, economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, psychology and archeology to develop in students an appreciation and responsibility toward citizenship, multiculturalism and a democratic society.  In addition, this course includes planning and organizing for instruction, material selection and evaluation in social studies and multicultural education.  Methods of differentiating instruction and assessment to meet the individual needs of all students.

This series of workshops covers topics of interest and importance to both the teacher in training and the experienced teacher. The focus of these workshops is practical applications in the classroom. Offered: Every semester.

This workshop introduces candidates to the educational, communicative and aesthetic value of dance, drama, music and the visual arts and the role the fine arts play in reflecting history and culture. Candidates actively participate in the development of a curriculum project that incorporates all of the fine arts and culminates in a performance, as well as learn strategies for promoting creative expression in the elementary classroom.

This field experience course is designed for candidates to apply scientific research based theories of effective instruction that demonstrate their abilities to plan, teach and assess lessons that allow full access to academic content to meet the diverse needs of all students in their class: highly proficient students, ESL students and those with special needs.  Technology will be infused to accomplish differentiated instructional objectives. 

This course investigates literature appropriate for early childhood, primary and intermediate students. Candidates will read and use a wide range of texts and genres, from traditional print, digital and online sources.  The course provides a critical approach that considers how issues of perspective and identity are represented in literature and media for children.  Particular attention is paid to culturally relevant literature that provides students with a global perspective and allows children to see themselves and empathize with others in the materials they read.  Candidates will also explore techniques for sharing and responding to literature in the 1-6 classroom and will become familiar with the resources available for educators to evaluate and locate appropriate texts and media. 

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates for the development of tests and performance based assignments that inform instruction of all students.  Candidates will learn to use assessment for instructional purposes by developing biased free tests, assignments that produce authentic data that can be used to enhance instruction, learn about communicating informative feedback to students and developing clear and useful rubrics.  Candidates will learn how to teach students test taking skills and how to interpret the results of standardized tests for parents and other related constituents.  Statistical concepts related to tests such as measures of central tendency, measures of variability, norm and criterion reference tests, validity, reliability, coefficient correlation and different types of tests used in measurement such as t-test will be covered.

This course is intended for those candidates who need extended field experiences with the ongoing supervision by University personnel.  Length of field experiences will be determined by the Department and is subject to Department Chair approval.  Completion of this experience does not guarantee eligibility for clinical practice.

Various topics dealing with issues and skills applicable to education settings.

This course examines instructional approaches for using reading, writing, listening and speaking to learn across the curriculum.  The major emphasis of the class will be the study of methods and strategies for comprehending a wide range of texts and materials.  Approaches for teaching students to comprehend informational text and synthesize information across content areas will be explored and practiced.

This course is designed to demonstrate and assure the teacher candidate’s capacity as an ethical and reflective practitioner who exhibits professionalism and provides leadership in the learning community.  The candidate models professional behavior that reflects honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, confidentiality, altruism and respect.  The teacher candidate uses leadership skills that contribute to individual and collegial growth and development, school improvement and the advancement of knowledge in the teaching profession.

This course includes a study or project done under the direction of a member of the Department of Elementary Education.