Course is designed to provide freshmen in the Program for Academic and Student Support with a learning environment in which to develop the cognitive and affective strengths needed for college success. The course offers opportunities to become inquisitive, competent, and confident learners.
In this course, students examine multicultural children's literature as both aesthetic form and instructional tool. They examine the social, political and educational implications of such literature and its use in classrooms. The course assists students in recognizing the significance of their development as critical readers, writers and thinkers. Additionally, the course enables prospective and in-service teachers to serve their students in a more efficacious manner with an enhanced instructional repertoire. The course concentrates on analysis of literature for young children (i.e., pre-school through third grade). Additionally, students read and analyze literature for advanced readers and books read by adolescents. Satisfies SEEDS Literary and Artistic Analysis student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
Prerequisite(s): WRIT 105 or HONP 100. This course examines the public purposes of education in our social and political democracy. Students inquire into the role of schools in fostering the development of democratic principles and practices, and examines various curriculum designs and pedagogical strategies. Students also explore the main issues stemming from the efforts to teach democratically in public educational institutions. They examine and analyze successful practices of instruction and classroom management. Students complete 25 hours of fieldwork in an assigned high-performing urban school, which provides a context for these explorations. In order to participate in the fieldwork, students will be required to undergo a criminal history background check with fingerprinting as a required component of this course, which carries a separate fee paid to the state of New Jersey. Attendance at the first class and the fieldwork orientation is required. This course is prerequisite for admission into the teacher education program. Satisfies Interdisciplinary Studies GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value. Mutually Exclusive with SASE 210 and EDFD 210.
Corequisite(s): SASE 310; and SASE 312 or EDFD 312 or READ 312. Prerequisite(s): SASE 210, READ 210, or EDFD 210; and admission to Teacher Education Program. This course examines the qualities of teachers, teaching, and schooling that foster the learning of students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Students explore the ways in which socialization experiences shape perceptions. They reflect on their own beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions about sociocultural identity and how their own socialization has shaped their perceptions of themselves and other people. Students also examine the nature and impact of the increasing social and cultural diversity in K-12 schools in the United States. They learn ways of teaching all children well and to develop positive relationships among teachers, parents and children. Mutually Exclusive with EDFD 305 and SASE 305.
Corequisite(s): SASE 310; and SASE 305 or EDFD 305 or READ 305. Prerequisite(s): SASE 210, READ 210, or EDFD 210. Restriction(s): Admission to the Teacher Education program. This course module exposes students to the central issues in the education of English language learners in US schools and helps them learn about best practices in education through hands-on experience creating and adjusting lessons and instruction to benefit the academic performance of English language learners as well as of all students. Issues addressed include sociocultural, legal, and political influences on the education of English language learners; principles of second language acquisition; and explicit practice in planning academic content instruction for English language learners. Mutually Exclusive with SASE 312 and EDFD 312.
Restriction(s): Admission to Teacher Education Program. This course introduces future teachers to language and literacy development and instruction in preschool through 3rd grade classrooms. Students learn the components and stages of literacy development from emergent literacy through reading fluency, and examine the cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural and instructional influences on this process. Students carry out an assessment of a child's reading and build a repertoire of culturally responsive teaching practices that address the five essential components of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel (2000) (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). They practice standards-based lesson planning and design instructional adaptations for English Language Learners.
Prerequisite(s): READ 399. In this course, prospective elementary teachers continue their exploration of key theories and methods for teaching literacy, with an emphasis on the intermediate grades. They focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary development, writing instruction, literacy across the content areas, and the use of technology to develop a breadth of pedagogical knowledge. Particular attention is given to developing expertise in differentiated instructional planning that meets a diverse range of learners, including English Language Learners, students with learning disabilities, struggling readers, and advanced students.
Corequisite(s): SASE 314 and SASE 316. Prerequisite(s): SASE 210, READ 210, or EDFD 210; SASE 305, READ 305, or EDFD 305. Restriction(s): Admission to Teacher Education Program. This course is designed to assist pre-service middle and secondary school teachers across majors in understanding the nature of language and literacy teaching and learning in their content areas. Students review basic components of reading, social and cultural aspects of literacy practice, and the specifics of language and literacy in different disciplines (e.g., distinct vocabulary, particular writing and reading demands). Students learn to develop a repertoire of teaching/learning literacy strategies that enhance comprehension. Students conduct sample assessments and content-area lessons with middle and high school students. Through observation in a content classroom, students learn ways of integrating literacy learning into their lessons as well as ways of organizing and managing the classroom to extend literacy learning. Fieldwork or service-learning experience is required.
This course presents an overview of relevant theory and research along with practical strategies for literacy instruction from the early years through high school. Students examine foundational aspects of literacy (e.g., phonemic and phonological awareness, concepts of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, etc.) and evidence-based strategies to support younger children, including those experiencing difficulty with their literacy development (e.g., multisensory approaches). Students also explore how literacy becomes increasingly complex across grade levels (e.g., different genres of text, the use of content-specific vocabulary, etc.) and the need for continued literacy instruction in secondary schools. The review of each of these topics includes discussion of key topics in writing development and pedagogy.
This course examines reading and writing across content areas in secondary schools. Students identify skills and practices that may be required regardless of the course (e.g., the ability to self-monitor for meaning making) and what is distinct about the literacy demands in different disciplines (e.g., science, math, social studies, etc.). Students learn how to ground literacy strategies in purposeful and meaningful curricular and pedagogical projects. Throughout the course, explicit attention is paid to supporting the writing development of students in secondary schools. As part of a required mentoring project, students gain experience addressing nonclinical reading difficulties.
Prerequisite(s): READ 500 and READ 501. This course is designed for in-service teachers to learn the skills necessary to be a reading specialist and/or literacy coach. This includes the ability to organize schoolwide reading programs and to create professional development opportunities designed to improve literacy instruction. Students in the course will spend 10 hours shadowing an experienced reading specialist or literacy coach, and then will develop their own comprehensive school-wide literacy project that teachers can use with their students. This project is expected to be grounded in current literacy research and theory, and it should be informed by input from faculty and school personnel, students, parents/caregivers, and local communities. The project should include guidance for teachers about the diagnosis of reading problems and information about how to provide appropriate support in classrooms and in supplemental settings. Potential foci for the project include integrating more comprehension-based literacy strategies into existing curricula, addressing the needs of multilingual learners, and increasing support for writing within classrooms.
This course is designed to help students identify what might be unique about adolescent literature and how this literature can be used to support the development of middle and high school aged readers. The class will focus on important themes and topics that are present in adolescent literature as well as issues of adolescent reading engagement and the availability and teaching of multicultural texts. The course will also review how the needs of various learners can be met when teaching with adolescent literature, including multilingual learners and students who are experiencing difficulties in their literacy development. Work in this course will combine the writing of book reviews with several projects that look toward the practical uses of adolescent literature, giving students the opportunity to put what they have learned in class into practice. The course will be conducted as a seminar and active participation in class discussions is required.
Language learning and related psychological factors; methodology and reading instruction; literature and the reading program and innovations in reading instruction are examined.
Prerequisite(s): READ 511 or departmental permission to enroll concurrently with READ 505. Students learn to be savvy consumers and producers of literacy research within this course. Students engage in practical ways with the key dimensions of conducting effective research, including developing a theoretical framework, designing and implementing a coherent and manageable study, and reporting findings to peers.
Reviews software, hardware, multi-media sensory materials available in schools and in adjunct facilities. Philosophical, psychological and academic considerations of reading resources are considered. Materials are demonstrated and assessed.
This course is designed for in-service teachers to examine the concept of reading comprehension with the goal of providing students with relevant and targeted support in reading a variety of text types. The class will focus on making the link between influential theories of reading comprehension and real-world reading and teaching situations, including classrooms with multilingual learners and those who may be experiencing literacy difficulties. Over the course of the semester students will work to articulate and reflect on their own concepts of reading comprehension. The class will investigate specific texts (e.g., novels, documents, web pages) from a variety of angles and will also think about ways to support comprehension of these types of texts. The class will combine theoretical reading, field-based research and sample lesson planning. One key goal for the course is for all participants to both make theory as helpful as possible and to move from isolated moments of practice to larger theoretical reflection.
In Critical Thinking and Literacy, students learn various epistemological approaches to critical thinking and literacy development and practice, including, for example, sociological, psychological, cultural, historical and sociolinguistic approaches. Students link approaches to classroom pedagogy, and use insights gained from this course to critique habituated ways of knowing, seeing, and acting with respect to literacy teaching, with a particular emphasis on how language and literacies condition reality and our belief in the possibility of transforming it.
Prerequisite(s): Departmental approval. Provides students opportunities to observe, participate and report community-based activities of agencies. For students in long-range research, students with limited teaching experience, and students who need additional field and clinical experience. Independent study.
Prerequisite(s): READ 500 and READ 501. The course is designed to help teachers who are becoming reading specialists and literacy coaches to understand K-12 students’ difficulties with literacy and how to make data driven, pedagogically sound decisions about how to meet those students’ needs (both in and out of school). Students in the course will learn techniques for diagnosing reading difficulties and the instructor will review the most frequently used tests and inventories, including group and individual tests, survey and diagnostic assessments, and standardized and informal tests. The assessments will cover the following aspects of literacy: phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. In addition, students in the course are expected to shadow a working reading specialist and/or literacy coach for 10 hours to learn about coordinating support within a school and communicating with parents and relevant agencies.
Corequisite(s): READ 514. Prerequisite(s): READ 511. For advanced students and specialists involved in some aspect of remedial instruction. Investigates and interprets serious reading problems, causes of reading difficulties, and techniques of remedial and corrective treatment. Clients are drawn from children in surrounding communities. Additional tutoring hours will be arranged.
Corequisite(s): READ 513. Prerequisite(s): READ 511. This course is designed to provide in-service teachers with supervised experience working with individual students and to broaden these teachers’ understanding of students’ literacy development in K-12 classrooms. During this 80-hour practicum (three hours a day, four days a week for four weeks), Masters students will work one-on-one with K-12 students of various ages who need additional literacy support. This includes multilingual students and those with specific learning needs. The Masters students will conduct assessments, analyze the results, and create intervention plans for their assigned K-12 student. These plans will identify appropriate strategies, materials and any necessary modifications. Potential targets for improvement include, but are not limited to: phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing. K-12 students and their families may also ask for literacy enrichment or support in content area reading and writing. Documentation of work with the K-12 student will be compiled into a case study report which will be submitted at the end of the course.
Prerequisite(s): ECSE 502 and ECSE 505. Students develop a) an understanding of literacy as a multiple, complex set of practices including issues of identity, context, definition and assumption, and b) a repertoire of pedagogic strategies for supporting the literacy development of diverse groups of learners in inclusive classrooms. Particular attention is paid to structurally differentiating workshop models of literacy instruction for diverse learners, incorporating assessment and intervention initiatives such as Response to Intervention (RTI), and integrating new literacies and multimedia, along with assistive technologies (AT) (including the role of augmentative/alternative communication systems [AACS]), in literacy instruction. Students are expected to have completed at least one initial literacy course (e.g READ 399 or READ 500) prior to enrollment.
This course examines the nature of language, communication, and literacy development in children of diverse backgrounds and abilities during the foundational early childhood period from birth through age five. Students explore how children acquire language in social context and the impact of biological, psycholinguistic, and sociocultural factors on language development in both typically and atypically developing children. For example, the course explores the impact of speech disorders on language and literacy development and evidence-based interventions to address them. As another example, the course highlights the role fine motor skills play in young children’s writing development and what types of research-based remediation is appropriate for children experiencing difficulty. Students also explore state and national policies that seek to improve preschool supports for language and early literacy development and the impact of increasing linguistic and cultural diversity on early childhood language arts/literacy education.
This course examines the theory and practice of language acquisition and bilingualism in multilingual learners from preschool through grade 12. Students explore current understandings of "language proficiency" in the context of first and second language acquisition processes, as well as teaching principles and practices that support emergent bilingual students’ multilingual development. We investigate the nature of language and linguistic subsystems (phonology, vocabulary, morphology, grammar, and pragmatics), how to assess bilingual language development as part of an assets-based pedagogy, and how to use a range of bilingual teaching methodologies to support students’ multilingual learning and academic growth.
This course explores the reading, writing and academic language development of multilingual learners in preschool through grade 12. We examine the social and policy context of literacy achievement for multilingual learners (MLs) and the research base for varying ML program models, including dual language models, transitional bilingual education, and ESL services. Teachers learn to create culturally sustaining and academically engaging literacy environments, to teach foundational literacy skills such as decoding, fluency and comprehension using effective instructional supports for multilingual learners of varying backgrounds and language proficiencies, and to appropriately assess dual language literacy development through an assets-based pedagogical lens.
Prerequisite(s): READ 500 or READ 501 or instructor's permission. Students learn about the history of literacy and media from early sign-making systems, to the printing press, to broadcast media and education, to the internet, and across ancient, modern and post-modern eras. Students also learn the history of a range of literacy educational initiatives from Dame Schools and tutor systems, to literacy "readers" in schools, to national policies that shape education, and more. In learning about the history of literacy and media, students engage with issues concerning dominant literacy discourses in education and wider society, children's and youths' literacy practices and the extent to which these are built upon in schools, and the relationship between literacy policies and classroom practices over time.
This course is designed to increase students’ knowledge of multicultural and multilingual literature and increase their confidence in integrating such texts into their classrooms. Students will review a variety of notable multicultural and multilingual texts, and consider the educational, social and political dimensions of using such texts as classroom resources. This includes the texts being part of a unit of study (e.g., exploring the experiences of different communities) and their use in targeted instruction of literacy skills. Students in the course will identify ways to support readers of varying ages and abilities and ways to address the needs of multilingual learners.
This course is designed to help teachers support adolescents’ development of literacy skills in secondary schools. Particular attention will be paid to the nature of reading and writing across multiple content areas (e.g., history, science, math, etc.) and how technological changes create new opportunities and challenges for readers and writers. Students in the class will mentor an adolescent for a total of seven hours, starting with conducting an assessment of their literacy skills and then creating and implementing one-on-one lessons. The class as a whole will review a variety of strategies for literacy instruction for learners with varying abilities, including multilingual learners and those experiencing learning difficulties.
Students have the opportunity to learn about current literacy-related issues, developments, pedagogies, policies, and so on within this course. Each workshop is topic-specific and designed by faculty on a course-by-course basis. Students within the program are encouraged to request that this course be offered to target a specific topic they themselves find timely or pressing.