2009-2010 Catalog - Graduate School - Bethel University

Course DescriptionsEDUC603 • Introduction to K–12 Schools2 creditsExamination of the profession of teaching. American education is becoming increasinglymore complex, visible, highly organized, professional, and controversial.To adequately evaluate calls for reform and provide needed leadership in shapingeducational opportunities, learners considering careers in education need tounderstand its foundations including history, philosophy, psychology, sociology,legal matters, and current issues related to education. Focus is not principallyconcerned with “how to,” but rather with the forces and ideas that have influencedand now shape education in America.EDUC604 • Introduction to Theories and Practicesof Teaching and Learning3 creditsFocus is on the theories and practices of the most current research on how peoplelearn and how to design instruction that capitalizes on what we know about learning.Application of various pedagogical theories and methods in teaching throughthe practice of planning, implementation, and assessment procedures. An activelearning and activity-centered course. The goals of activities and learning tasks willbe primarily to meet the Minnesota Standards for Effective Practice for Teachers(the license standards). Prerequisite: EDUC603.EDUC605 • Special Education: Historical and Legal Issues(EDUG, SPEG)2 creditsExamination of historical and legal issues of special education. State and federallaws, due process, data privacy requirements, and exclusionary rules will be discussed.Historical and philosophical background of special education and attitudestoward the exceptional child will also be discussed. A thorough examination of theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act, and a review of significant litigationrelated to the education of special education students.EDUC606 • Teacher as Leader(EDUG)3 creditsFocus is on the centrality of the teacher in the educational process. Examinationof a variety of informal and formal ways in which teachers are leaders. Provisionof a framework for thoughtful interaction with the changing image of teachersand the challenges of teacher leadership. The format for examining teaching inthis light incorporates encounters with autobiography, critical reflection, and largeand small group conversation.EDUC607 • Reading Instruction in Intermediate Grades(CTRD, EDUG, LIEG)2 creditsDevelopment of skills and understandings to teach reading in the intermediategrades (3–6). Emphasis on the development of comprehension in a wide range ofreading contexts, including fiction and expository text in a context that developsengagement in reading for pleasure and learning. Examination of methods to88