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GRADUATE CATALOG

The information contained in this catalog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and this institution.

Ed.S. Elementary Education Courses

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Education & Research Core (18 hours)

  • The course deepens experienced educators’ knowledge of research-based best practices in diverse classrooms. This is an advanced course with in-depth study of classic and current research on learning theories and related topics in educational psychology as they relate to teaching and learning in schools. Focus is on those theories and research which have transformed and are reforming educational practice.

  • This course offers a theoretical, historical, and practical foundation in critical multicultural and global education. Candidates will gain an understanding of how structures, policies, and practices of schools in U.S. and global contexts tend to perpetuate discriminatory inequities by their effects on students and teachers. Candidates will examine their own identities, cultural assumptions, and instructional practices to enact a philosophy of teaching that disrupts deficit discourses and ensures equitable outcomes for all learners.

  • This course will serve as an introduction to qualitative research and methodologies. Methodological origins, theoretical frameworks, literature reviews, and basic methods of data collection and data analysis will be explored in conjunction with an analysis of relevant literature, educational research reports, and ethics in research. Students will apply basic skills of data collection and analysis. Students will differentiate between the types of qualitative research.

  • Candidates will demonstrate a functional understanding of the nature and design of quantitative research as applied to the educational arena including but not limited to the following topics; the nature and application of descriptive and basic inferential statistics including the concepts of variance, normal distribution, population, sample, power, effect size, hypothesis testing, parametric and nonparametric tests, interaction effects, validity, reliability; the strengths, weaknesses of quantitative research designs; the principles of data collection and analysis using computer software such as SPSS. Candidates will acquire and become proficient in analytical and interpretive skills; and will be prepared to conduct applied quantitative research that will bear positively on schools.

  • This course prepares professional educators to examine the relationship between the research base and applied practice especially as they relate to diverse learners (academically and/or culturally and linguistically). Candidates will examine the characteristics and needs of English language learners and students with exceptionalities, explore evidence-based practices for specific populations, employ a curriculum decision-making process that aligns with the Georgia Performance Standards and the Common Core, and translates to improved pedagogy and student achievement, and critically analyze existing curriculum guidelines as they relate to traditionally marginalized learners.

  • This seminar focuses on critically reviewing research and applying best-practices in formative assessment. Recent research reports effective use of formative assessment enhances student learning and teaching effectiveness. Specific topics include barriers and misconceptions to the formative assessment process, effective practices in formative assessment, theoretical underpinnings of formative assessment, relationships of formative assessment to self-regulated learning and learner autonomy. Additionally, attention will be paid to multicultural formative assessment procedures and concerns relevant to external assessment programs.

Major (12 hours)

  • Through the exploration of both traditional and advanced educational technologies, candidates will develop technological skills and strategies of implementation to build an integrated plan of utilizing technology for improving classroom teaching and student learning.

    Note: Offered as an online course.

  • This course is intended to nurture a more philosophic perspective towards planning, implementating, evaluating curriculum, teaching, and school policy. Emphasis will be on understanding the implications of the philosophic roots and ethical implications of current school reform, curriculum decision-making and classroom instruction.

  • The formation of a classroom community is crucial to the success of any elementary teacher and involves deliberate fostering of trust, care, and growth. The classroom community does not end within the school walls, however, but also extends to the families and the outside community where their students are found. This course focuses on capitalizing on the funds of knowledge their students and families bring, as well as the impact of classroom environment considerations to develop stronger classroom communities to maximize student learning.

  • This course offers an advanced study of multiculturalism and diversity in elementary and early childhood settings. Drawing upon historical and current scholarly literature on race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, language, and ability, this course provides candidates with a combination of theory, research, and practice on making elementary education more inclusive, equitable, and socially just.

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