Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with Electives in Special Education Bermuda,

Transcription

1 Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with Electives in Special Education Bermuda, A Collaborative Program Between Bermuda College and Wheelock College s Center for International Education, Leadership, and Innovation Background Information A premier post-secondary institution, Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, offers professional education in the fields of early childhood and elementary education, human development, social work, and child and family studies. Wheelock College provides a strong professional education, contributes to the expertise of professionals in the field, generates and shares new theoretical and applied knowledge, and influences the development of social policy. Wheelock College's Center for International Education, Leadership and Innovation delivers academic programs, technical training, and staff development globally. Since 1996, the College has offered two Master of Science degree programs taught entirely in Bermuda. This program was evaluated and approved for international accreditation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Distinctive Program Features Wheelock College and Bermuda College collaborated to design a program for individuals who possess an associate's degree with a strong arts and sciences background who want to continue to pursue a Baccalaureate degree. This Bachelor of Science degree program has a strong professional concentration in elementary education and addresses the needs of children with a variety of learning styles and backgrounds. Participants are required to be at least 21 years of age and must have had some experience in working with children and/or families. The courses for this Bachelor of Science degree program are offered in two formats, some in an intensive block style and other courses are offered over an entire semester. The intensive courses are taught by Wheelock College faculty during late afternoons and evenings and all day on Saturday and Sunday for an entire week. In addition, each learner has to complete extensive preassignment work, attend all class sessions, be involved in post-assignment work, and a culminating experience and/or follow-up projects. Participants are also required to be involved in a student teaching practicum, curriculum courses, and seminars over a 14-week designated period. The student teaching sequence is offered only once during the program. Distinctive features include: Participants must hold an A.S. degree that has a strong arts and science focus and 60 credit hours applicable for transfer from an institution such as Bermuda College. Candidates are then able to apply to the Bachelor of Science Program that grants 60 credits. A total of 120 credits of undergraduate study and a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 are required to earn the Wheelock College Bachelor of Science degree. 1

2 The entire program is offered in Bermuda and is specifically designed to meet the needs of potential educators in Bermuda with a focus on special education. This is an area of priority identified by the Bermuda Ministry of Education and Development and others to serve children with a variety of learning styles and backgrounds. Bermuda College provides technical assistance, liaison support, and an on-site advisor. Experienced Wheelock College faculty and other professionals on the Island with extensive competencies in their disciplines teach in this program. The intensive block courses are designed with the following components: Pre-assignment--approximately hours. Class sessions--monday through Friday 5:00-10:00 P.M., Saturday 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M., and Sunday 9:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. Culminating experience, post-assignment and/or follow-up projects hours to be completed within a specific period of time. Field experiences and student teaching is required in addition to the scheduled class sessions. Intensive student teaching pre-practicum, practicum experiences, and a seminar are important aspects of this program. The pre-practicum experience is approximately 75 hours and the practicum experience requires 380+ hours (approximately 14 weeks). Every effort is made to assist a candidate to work with an experienced teacher on the Island. Learners work, study, and support one another in a cohort setting. The entire program is offered over two years including summers. To enter into the next Phase, a learner must have completed payment for all previous Phases and must have a grade point average of 2.0 or C equivalent. For Summer 2005, a learner may present a plan for alternate courses if they choose not to have the designated special education electives. However, the alternate courses are not delivered by Wheelock College. A Scholastic and Academic Review Board has been established with representatives from Wheelock College and Bermuda College. Planned Course Sequence Fall 2003 (8 Undergraduate Credits) *HDV 212 Human Growth and Development (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by a THE 222 Creative Dramatics (4 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor Spring 2004 (12 Undergraduate Credits) LIT 226 Literature and History of the Caribbean (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by a 2

3 HIS 210 World History, Encounters between East and West (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by a *EDU 330 Teaching Mathematics to Elementary Children in a Diverse Society (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by a Summer 2004 (12 Undergraduate Credits) PSC 305 Physical Oceanography (4 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor *SPP 481 Educational Assessment for Students with Special Needs (4 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by a *SPE 394 Designing Curriculum and Learning Environments for Students with Special Needs (4 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor Fall 2004 (12 Undergraduate Credits) MUS 288 Introduction to World Music Traditions (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by MAT 205 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by LIT 262 Global Literature (4 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Spring 2005 (12 Undergraduate Credits) *SPE 445 Meeting the Learning Needs of Elementary Children (2 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor *EDP 446 Teaching and Learning in Elementary Grades (4 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught collaboratively by Wheelock and s *EDP 447 Elementary Practicum and Seminar (6 undergraduate credits) Semester, taught by a Summer 2005 (4 Undergraduate Credits) *EDU 322 Building Home-School Partnerships (2 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor *EDU 465 Capstone Course Developing as a Professional Educator (appropriate to the cultural setting) (2 undergraduate credits) Intensive, taught by Wheelock Professor *Related to Special Education and/or with a Special Education Component Course Descriptions HDV 212 Human Growth and Development (4 undergraduate credits) Introduces learners to major developmental shifts throughout the life span. Learners examine how social, emotional, biological and cognitive domains change and interact to affect the life process. Competing theoretical perspectives are critically examined and the role of the sociocultural context and cultural diversity in understanding human development is stressed. The relationship between theory, research and practice is emphasized. The course covers conception, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging. Learners are supported to make observations, record, and interpret children s behavior, and conduct semi-structured interviews on adult development. Relationships between theoretical and practical knowledge are considered in tutorial meetings. Guided observations and journals help learners to articulate connections between developmental theory, observed behavior, and their work with individuals in specific settings. 3

4 THE 222 Creative Dramatics (4 undergraduate credits) Integrates the disciplines of theatre and education by exploring informal dramatic activity for children. Learners gain experience as creative dramatic leaders skilled in the use of improvisation, movement, mime, storytelling and dialogue. Investigates the educational value of the creative dramatic process for primary-age children and the role of leaders in that process. LIT 226 Literature and History of the Caribbean (4 undergraduate credits) Analyzes the literature of the Caribbean in cultural and historical contexts. Work of writers from Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, Barbados, Guyana, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and other islands may be considered. Emphasizes the varied cultural, political and economic concerns of island writers and their exploration of Indian cultures, slave life, the African heritage, folk material, colonialism, and independence movements. Studies such writers as V. S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott, Maryse Conde and Willi Chen. HIS 210 World History, Encounters between East and West (4 undergraduate credits) Explores world cultures East and West in the modern period. Using the city as our focus, we investigate the historical changes unleashed by the duel revolutions of the 19th century that swept through regions stretching from England to Egypt, and from Italy to Turkey. The course probes five cities and their cultures Istanbul, Cairo, Florence, London and Paris. Fundamental questions include: To what extent does culture reflect the social, political, economic and aesthetic transformations that took place. Primary and secondary sources, films, art and music permit us to explore how diverse peoples around the world confronted the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, and World War I. EDU 330 Teaching Mathematics to Elementary Children in a Diverse Society (4 undergraduate credits) Explores the content and methods of teaching mathematics to children 3 to 11 years of age. Included are such topics as prenumber development; whole number concepts and operations; fractions, ratios, and decimals; topology, geometry, and measurement; and problem solving. Learners are expected to design and present curriculum materials. Emphasis is on the methods of teaching and sequencing the mathematical content for children in grades 1 to 6. PSC 305 Physical Oceanography (4 undergraduate credits) Investigates the physical properties of the world s oceans. Special attention is paid to understanding the physical properties, forces and interactions of waves, and tides and currents. Topics include wave generation; dynamic effects of waves, tides and currents on coastal areas; velocities of waves and currents; forces exerted on geologic features and coastal construction; forces generating tides and tidal currents; and surface- and deep-water currents. Coursework includes experimentation with simulations, models, and field experiences. SPP 481 Educational Assessment for Students with Special Needs (4 undergraduate credits) Discusses the administration and interpretation of formal and informal assessment techniques used to identify and plan programs for students with special needs, nursery through grade 9. Normreferenced and criterion referenced instruments for assessing perceptual-motor, emotional development, and academic achievement are introduced. SPE 394 Designing Curriculum and Learning Environments for Students with Special Needs (4 undergraduate credits) Provides instruction and experience in designing curricula and learning environments for students with special needs. Learners apply theoretical and assessment information to establish goals and objectives; to select, modify, and develop materials and instructional activities; to identify and use resources to meet individual and group goals; and to evaluate the appropriateness of ongoing 4

5 programs. Techniques and materials for developing language, academic, social, and career/vocational skills are presented. MUS 288 Introduction to World Music Traditions (4 undergraduate credits) Examines the roles and functions of various world music traditions within the context of human life, including Native American, Asian, African, and Eastern European. Uses music to provide exposure to aspects of history, society, and culture outside of the traditional western European genres. Provides learners with ethnomusicaological conceptual frameworks applicable to all music, western and non-western. Includes lecture, discussion, audio, and audiovisual presentations. MAT 205 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (4 undergraduate credits) Develops understanding of elementary statistical techniques needed in handling group data in the behavioral sciences. Includes setting up frequency distributions, portrayal of data by graphs, measures of central tendency and variability of data, percentiles, and standard scores. Emphasis is on sampling theory, hypothesis testing, and drawing conclusions about a population from sample data. LIT 262 Global Literature (4 undergraduate credits) Surveys the diverse voices of writers outside the literary traditions of Europe and the United States. Examines themes important to literature of the non-western developing world, such as exile, political change, colonization, nationalism, and the effects of modernization on women and families. The course may take a transnational, cross-cultural focus, comparing fiction from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. SPE 445 Meeting the Learning Needs of Elementary Children (2 undergraduate credits) Explores contemporary theoretical perspectives of causation of diverse learning needs. Addresses curriculum development and instructional methodology appropriate for inclusive classrooms. Examines students learning needs in historical and social contexts. Considers factors that affect learning, including neurological, perceptual, cognitive, language, motor, behavioral, and motivational issues. Learners use standardized and informal assessments to inform instruction. Learners examine ways to document the impact of instruction on learning. EDP 446 Teaching and Learning in Elementary Grades (4 undergraduate credits) Focuses on interactions among elementary age children, parents, teachers, and school communities. Classroom issues and events are explored. A framework is created for providing positive classroom climates supportive of children s self-esteem and responsiveness to diverse backgrounds. Strategies are presented for helping children become self-reliant and responsible for their actions. Effective communication with parents, community members and colleagues is emphasized. Learners are encouraged to become reflective practitioners. EDP 447 Elementary Practicum and Seminar (6 undergraduate credits) Provides learners with opportunities to develop skills in working with elementary-age children of diverse backgrounds and to integrate educational theories into teaching practices. After an initial observation and orientation period, learners work in an elementary setting. During the semester, learners assume responsibility for organizing and designing curriculum. Through conferences with their classroom teachers and college supervisors, and through reflection, learners evaluate all aspects of their teaching. EDU 322 Building Home-School Partnerships (2 undergraduate credits) Develops learners knowledge and skills in building partnerships with parents, based on the recognition that families are increasingly diverse. Learners study contemporary models and practices that support parent and family involvement in schools. Goals for participants include 5

6 developing awareness of different family patterns and their implications for teachers, improving sensitivity in oral and written communication with parents, discovering what parents want from educational settings, and designing activities and structures to successfully collaborate with parents and families. EDU 465 Capstone Course Developing as a Professional Educator (appropriate to the cultural setting) (2 undergraduate credits) Enables participants to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired in prior coursework and practicum experiences through the development of a Professional Teacher Portfolio. The course provides a collaborative space for learners to discuss their artifacts in relation to the standards, draft reflective/analytic essays, and outline professional development plans. Discussions may extend learners knowledge of issues related to educational philosophies, policies, ethics, and law. Learners present their portfolios orally before their classmates and the professor. Total: 60 Undergraduate Credit Hours 6