Course Descriptions

Environmental Education: History, Issues and Methods

This course involves a survey of the theoretical foundations and evolution of environmental education in the United States and builds educators’ expertise in leadership and environmental education.

Child Growth and Development

This course explores the major theories of human growth and development and their application to the classroom.  Students examine the effects of various cultural, socioeconomic and age considerations on development.  Students learn to recognize the physical, linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional development of children.  They explore and compare theories of learning including maturational, psychoanalytical, and cognitive-developmental.  This course will include relevant examination of issues related to physical, sexual and substance abuse, and statutes relevant to reporting such abuse.

Science Methods: An Inquiry Approach

This course is an invitation to teaching elementary and middle school science.  In the class we’ll attempt to break down the culturally constructed stereotype of a “scientist” and connect to our own “scientist(s) within.”  In addition to finding your own scientific self, we will 1) use our teaching experiences and those of others to develop understanding of how children learn science; 2) develop and understanding of constructivist principals of learning; and 3) connect what we learn to standards and the “real world” of our students.

Natural History and Ecology

This course provides an overview to the natural history of the Pacific Northwest and basic ecological concepts, particularly relating to the themes in the School Overnight Program - ecosystems and watersheds.  Students will develop basic content knowledge of local flora and fauna and gain a strong sense of place through field observations and journaling. This course will focus on developing students’ naturalist skills to lay the framework for working with students in nature.

Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

This course surveys the social, philosophical and historical foundations of American Education. Issues of cultural transference, democracy and social justice are explored through a lens of formal and informal education. The goal of the course is to inform practice through broadened perspectives of the role of education. 

Curriculum and Instruction Methods

Basic principles of instructional design, curriculum development and instructional strategies as applied to the K-8 curriculum.  Emphasis will be on teaching methods, unit development, lesson planning, instructional delivery and the current school curriculum. 

Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum

This course provides an overview of technology commonly found in schools and how these technologies are used by educators.  The focus of the class is on how technology and various tools can be used to complement and supplement educational goals. Students will be explore various technologies and ways of integrating technology into the K-8 classrooms.

Integrating Arts Across the Curriculum

This course will identify basic elements, principles, related concepts, and vocabulary of the creative arts.  Students will be introduced to various media, lesson planning, and ways of integrating the arts into planning academic and multicultural curricula for K-8 classrooms.  This course will serve as a foundation for integrating arts across the curriculum.

Teaching Practicum

Demonstration and application of the knowledge acquired in education courses including methods, classroom management and foundations of education. 

The Integrated Classroom

Emphasizing the possibilities of using communities as a context for integrated learning, this course will examine to scope and sequence of K-8 planning and implementing of lessons in social studies, integrated with all of the other disciplines pursued in a general education classroom.  Differences in learning, abilities and styles among students with different ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds are discussed. Values derived from these differences and the problems of teaching social studies in our society are considered. Practical exercises using a variety of methodological techniques for designing and developing integrated, multicultural curriculum components are illustrated.

Non-Profit Administration

Introduces successful tools for managing a non-profit organization, including strategic planning, budgeting, fundraising, board management, evaluation, human resources, partnership development, and meeting the needs of constituents.   Non-Profit volunteer experience: 5 hours       

Independent Study Project

Independent study projects allow graduate students to further their expertise in areas they would like to pursue for future employment.  Projects are based on education theory and practice, scientific research, the arts or Technology.

Seminar in Sustainability and Social Responsibility

In this course, we examine current readings and topics in sustainability and social responsibility.  We live in a time where talking about sustainability is in vogue, yet our cars use more and more gas.  We also live in a time when increasing numbers of people are dying from communicable diseases and hunger.   We challenge our selves in this course to closely examine sustainability and social responsibility on a local, national and global level and decipher what kinds of choices sustainability and social responsibility require. A variety of readings will be chosen to guide this discussion.