300

Teacher candidates advance their knowledge of the unique developmental characteristics and culture of young adolescents (10-14 year olds – grades 5-8) and how these characteristics Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social Development (PIES) impact middle grades teaching and learning. Candidates will have opportunities to reflect upon their knowledge, skills and dispositions for teaching in the middle grades. This introductory course differentiates middle grades education history, philosophy and practices as a distinct pedagogy from elementary and secondary education. Fifteen observation hours in middle grades classrooms are required. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 quarter hours

This course examines the collaboration of young adolescent learners, families, educators, and community resources to support meaningful education. Candidates learn about resources in schools and communities which help to protect and provide safe spaces within and outside the school. Candidates identify strategies to build supportive and caring communities for young adolescent learners. Research reviewed in this course depicts the many aspects of the social emotional, gender, health and media/ popular cultural needs of these students. Candidates support and value the need to be advocates for young adolescent learners. 30 hours of observation/teaching time will be spent in schools. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 301; passing score on TAP or ACT plus Writing (22 and above). Co-requisite(s): None. 3 quarter hours

This course combines a university seminar and a minimum of 50 hours of field experience focusing on active involvement with a cooperating teacher and his/her class. Candidates continue their professional development concerning the roles and responsibilities of teachers in grades 5-8. The course advances candidates’ engagement in the profession through study and application of dynamic instruction to support the education of young adolescent learners. Candidates help to develop a productive and inclusive learning environment for their students while improving their skills to work with families, colleagues and community. 50 hours of observation/teaching in schools are required. The course is linked with MGE 390. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 303. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 quarter hours

The course is sequentially completed over three quarters permitting candidates to explore a pedagogical middle grades topic of interest and create a dynamic inquiry/exploratory project. Candidates develop their unique strengths by connecting them to young adolescent learning and develop an inquiry/exploratory project in collaboration with a mentor and young adolescents. Candidates research theory and identify learning strategies used in multiple environments, while defining their personal beliefs and practices. Topics may be current or established development(s) in Middle Grades Education and/or in society. Candidates share their projects at the end of the term in the Middle Grades Education Program Forum. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 quarter hours

Candidates explore appropriate curricular models for young adolescent learners, including but not limited to disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and integrative models. Inquiry, creativity and critical thinking are encouraged through cross disciplinary real-world opportunities. Candidates are engaged and challenged in active thinking and questioning. Candidates work individually and collaboratively to identify and consider teaching and learning strategies to encourage young adolescent curiosity. Effective technology use is infused throughout the course. Strategies for differentiated instruction and assessment are explored. Candidates investigate standards-based teaching and learning in order to create challenging, exploratory, integrative and relevant curriculum for young adolescents. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 301. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

This course investigates exemplary science instruction for middle grades education. An in-depth focus is on exemplary science instruction, fluency with middle grades education science instructional content, and appropriate use of diverse instructional strategies including young adolescent students’ voices. Candidates enrich their understanding of the critical middle grades science content and concepts. Practical applications of the science content are explored along with formative and summative assessments to develop young adolescent learners’ understanding of how science works in their world. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 303. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

This course introduces key issues in the instruction of middle school language arts. Students become familiar with theoretically sound, research-based strategies for the assessment and teaching of middle grade reading and writing. Balanced literacy instruction, focusing on differentiation for diverse learners and multiple grouping practices, is emphasized. Candidates will spend time reading and responding to adolescent literature in order to better understand how to use literature to address the instructional needs and engagement of all middle grade students. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 303. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

This course provides candidates an in-depth focus on the subject matter, content standards, mathematical pedagogy, and issues related to the learning and teaching of mathematics in the middle grades. Candidates develop strategies and applications specific to the mathematical learning needs of young adolescent learners including read world connections. Candidates develop and use formative assessment o guide teaching and learning. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

This course identifies methods of teaching and learning social studies for candidates in the Middle Grades Education Program. It introduces candidates to varied social studies methods. In this course candidates learn to plan and implement effective social studies instruction in and for a pluralistic democracy. The course stresses primary source-centered, inquiry-based learning, unit planning and lesson planning. It also introduces candidates to varied social studies methods. Use of primary sources, especially from the Library of Congress, is emphasized. Pre-requisite(s) Admission to the Middle Grades Education Bachelor of Arts in Teaching Program. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

This course focuses on the development of reading in the middle grades, particularly reading to learn from expository text materials, digital texts and other media, and on the development of study skills. Teaching methods that develop strategic reading and writing of informational texts and the assimilation and accommodation of new ideas will be explored. The ways that middle schools can best provide such reading and writing instruction across the curriculum, as articulated in the Common Core State Standards for Interdisciplinary Literacy, Grades 6-8, will be considered. Pre-requisite(s): MGE 301. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

The course provides candidates opportunities to research, observe, and identify a range of classroom management styles to engage young adolescent learners for successful classroom and school experiences through application of PIESS+ (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, (PIESS) gender, socio economic, culture, media, special populations (Plus+). Through course readings and activities, candidates have opportunities to develop critical perspectives of appropriate middle grades classroom experiences advocating student success, research past and current classroom management trends, examine legal concerns regarding appropriate discipline, create a portfolio of diverse, respectful range of classroom management techniques appropriate for young adolescent learners and reflect how teacher behaviors can enhance and/or impede short-term and/or long-term student success. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 quarter hours

This course combines a university seminar with student teaching during the final academic term of the Middle Grades Education Program. Within the same classroom placement as MGE 305, the student teaching experience provides candidates active engagement with a cooperating teacher, young adolescent learners, support staff, other school professionals and community members. Through this course candidates advance their understanding of responsive environments and instructional strategies which support the unique developmental needs of young adolescent learners. Pre-requisite(s): EPS 300, MGE 301, MGE 320, SPE 300, CIL 331, MGE 303, MGE 305, MGE 309, CIL 305. One of the following Methods courses: MGE 310, MGE 312, MGE 314, MGE 318. Co-requisite(s): None. 10 quarter hours