EDEC-3000: Curriculum Instruction - Early Childhood (3 hours)

Overview of curriculum development focusing on both individual and group instruction in the early childhood classroom. Emphasis is placed on best practices, meeting individual needs, use of technology, collaboration in planning and teaching, and including parents in the instructional process. Field Experience: Required. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-3200: Home, School and Community Relations (3 hours)

This course explores the relationship between the home, school and community. It focuses on developing positive and productive relationships, identifying resources, communicating expectations and including parents in the educational process. Emphasis is placed on legal responsibilities in regard to families. Field Experience: Required. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-3500: Emergent Literacy (3 hours)

This course deals with the identification of developmental and readiness factors in emergent reading and emergent writing in children from birth through grade three. Attention is given to development, evaluation and special pre-reading and beginning reading needs of individual children as well as the use of assessment to plan for individual and group instruction. Field Experience: Required. Fee: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered. Fall.

EDEC-4300: Management and Assessment in Classrooms with Bilingual Learners (3 hours)

Comprehensive overview of classroom management including its theoretical foundations and application in classroom settings as they relate to all students. Details classroom procedures, rules and student consequences, as well as productive and proactive practices that are culturally responsive. Focuses on the current developments in the assessment of all learners, including how to observe, structure assessment procedures to reflect current research understandings, best classroom practices, emphasizing state and federal mandates. Includes an analysis of purposes and forms of assessment, and the barriers to fair assessment of ELLs. Students will create, design and adapt authentic assessment tools for formal and information methods of assessing language proficiency and academic development in English at varying levels, and will include designing and using portfolios, using assessment as feedback for learning, and scaffolding assessments. Field Experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC- 3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-4800: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Movement (2 hours)

This course focuses on the basic skills for the content, observation and assessment, and teaching of movement in early childhood education. There is an emphasis upon child development, the selection of appropriate activities, materials, techniques and resources used in the teaching/learning process. Field Experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-4801: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Art (2 hours)

Media, methods and materials of teaching art for birth through second grade. Emphasis on designing appropriate art experiences based on artistic development of young children and its philosophy in relationship to teaching the whole child. Field trips: Required. Fee: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-4802: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Music (2 hours)

Musical development of the young child/early childhood music methods and materials; development of course of study based upon relevant modes and types of musical experiences. Field Experience: Required. Fee: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-4803: Content and Methods of Play in the Early Childhood Classroom (3 hours)

Overview of play as a guiding principle for the development of the whole child. Emphasis on appropriate play for ages 0-8, including individual, pair and small and large group play as a means of intellectual development. Field Experience: Prerequisite Required: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-4804: Content and Methods of Teaching ESL (3 hours)

This course utilizes knowledge derived from second language acquisition about the nature and function of language, and how it is learned. Methods of teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing will be presented along with methods of teaching language and academic content known as content-based instruction. Sheltering and scaffolding instruction will be emphasized through the selection and critical analysis of various approaches, methods, techniques, activities and materials available for teaching English as a second language. Field Experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Fall.

EDEC-4805: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Social Studies (3 hours)

This course focuses on the basic skills for the content, design and teaching of social studies in early childhood education. There is an emphasis upon understanding child development, selecting appropriate activities and materials, teaching techniques and use of resources for the teaching/learning process. Fee: Required. Field experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-4806: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Math (3 hours)

This course examines curriculum, methods and materials for teaching mathematics to young children. Fee: Required. Field Experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-4807: Content and Methods of Early Childhood Science (3 hours)

This course focuses on the basic skills for the content and teaching of science in early childhood education. There is an emphasis on the selection of appropriate topics, materials, techniques and resources used in the teaching/learning process. Field Experience: Required. Fee: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-4808: Content and Methods of Caring for Infants and Toddlers (3 hours)

Overview of the care of infants and toddlers in early childhood centers. Emphasis is on the unique development of children ages 0-3 including the development of the whole child and how caregivers respond to their needs. Field Experience: Required. Prerequisite: C or higher in EDEC-3000 and Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy. Offered: Spring.

EDEC-4910: Student Teaching Internship: Early Childhood Education (15 hours)

Internship in a preschool, kindergarten, first, or second grade classroom for 16 weeks on a full-day basis under the guidance of a cooperating teacher and University supervisor. Attendance at scheduled seminars is required. Fee: Required. Prerequisite: Acceptance to the Internship Professional Semester.

EDEC-4950: Independent Study in Early Childhood Education (1-6 hours)