Courses
EDUC 231: Perspectives on Education
This course introduces students to foundational perspectives (anthropological, historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological) on education and helps students apply these perspectives to contemporary schools and classrooms. The course considers several large questions: What should be the purpose of education in a democratic society? What should be the role of the school? Who should participate in making decisions about schools? In what ways do schools reflect and perpetuate larger social inequities, and, alternately, how can they contribute to a more just and inclusive society? Students must complete at least thirty hours of fieldwork.
EDUC 235: Teaching in the Sciences
We all possess an innate curiosity about the natural world, especially during childhood. This course explores the excitement and challenges of teaching sciences in the traditional classroom setting and experientially through lab and outdoor experiences. Through readings, conversation, research, writing, practice, and field placement in local schools, students approach the teaching of science as visionaries whose classrooms are ones of imagination, curiosity, investigation, and skepticism. A thirty-hour field placement in a local school is required. Recommended background: math or science majors preferred. A previous education class is recommended.
EDUC 242: Race and Justice in American Education
This course considers how racial identity, class, culture, and privilege intersect with education systems and structures to shape students’ schooling experiences and academic outcomes. Through readings, discussion, projects, and fieldwork, students explore several questions: What are race and racism, and how do they matter to education? How has the U.S. tradition of racially segregated and unequal schooling played out historically? What are the effects of that legacy for children and for society today? And how do schools currently work to address opportunity gaps? Topics covered include bilingual education, tracking, and access to higher education. A thirty-hour field experience is required. Recommended background: .
EDUC 255: Adolescent Literacy
This course examines various perspectives on and issues in adolescent literacy in today’s middle and high schools, focusing primarily on critical sociocultural frameworks for the study of current practices and beliefs. Topics include not only what we mean by literacy, but also how youths today make meaning within various discourse communities and contexts. Topics include multiple literacies, literacy across the curriculum, the influence of complex technologies, diverse learners, and current policies and paradigms influencing instruction. This course interweaves theory with practice through a required thirty-hour field placement in a local middle or high school. Recommended background: .
EDUC 263: Comparative and International Education
This course explores education across international contexts. Students reflect on similarities and differences in educational systems around the world, and understand that institutional practices reflect social, cultural, and national ideologies. Students evaluate educational systems against international standards and outcomes, and consider relationships among schooling, society, and development. Topics include global aims, policies, and outcomes; learning environments and pedagogies; and issues of equity across class, gender, race, ethnicity, and dis/ability. Additionally, students engage in research on an educational system of one country from among a selection of choices representing different regions of the world. Recommended background: .
EDUC 265: Teaching through the Arts
In this course students explore interdisciplinary approaches to integrating the arts into all subjects in schools. Students consider methods and models of utilizing the arts in educational settings, purposes of arts education, and theories of creativity. Class sessions include large- and small-group work, participatory experiences, lectures, group discussions, and student-led activities and presentations. A thirty-hour field placement in a local school is required. Recommended background: .
EDUC 274: Educational Psychology
A comprehensive introduction to current thinking and research in educational psychology, including theoretical, empirical, and applied issues. This course addresses our understanding of what constitutes knowledge, how we motivate and direct learning, and how we can work with diverse learners. Students adopt tools and thinking strategies to develop a critical lens of key educational psychology topics. As such, this course emphasizes critical thinking, research, and applications to teaching and learning (e.g., creating lesson plans). A thirty-hour field placement experience is required. Prerequisite(s): or .
EDUC 310: Critical Perspectives on English Language Learning
This course introduces students to interdisciplinary perspectives—historical, philosophical, linguistic, psychological, and sociocultural—that inform the study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), multilingualism, and language teaching. The course examines the evolution of English language policy and instruction, and how schools might better support learners in more equitable and inclusive ways. Students critically analyze contested concepts and issues, such as language, learner/teacher roles, instructional goals, and societal pressures, considering their implications for English language teaching. Local K–12 and community contexts serve as living texts of such tensions. Class sessions include small-group work, discussions, student-led activities, and presentations. The course culminates in the design of lesson plans that advance culturally sustaining education in local settings. A thirty-hour field placement experience is required. Recommended background: .
EDUC 317: Nature-Based Learning and Wellbeing
We are nature. In this course, we explore forms of knowing, ways of being, and modes of perception connecting humans with the more-than-human world. Multiple approaches to experiential learning and outdoor environments frame questions around nervous system regulation, attention restoration, human and climate adaptation, access, resilience, and mutual wellbeing. Students complete a required 30-hour field placement in an educational and/or environmental setting. Recommended background: and/or another EDUC course.
EDUC 343: Learning and Teaching: Theories and Practice
In this seminar, students explore K-12 teaching with an emphasis on reflective practice. They consider a variety of approaches to curriculum, instructional design, teaching methods, and research on learning. This knowledge serves as a basis for critically examining classroom practice, educational philosophy, and historical and contemporary roles of teachers in schools. Students apply what they learn by observing and collaborating with a local teacher to teach lessons or a unit. The teaching fulfills part of the required thirty-hour field experience for the course.
EDUC 360: Independent Study
Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester.
EDUC 362: Basic Concepts in Special Education
Students learn the legal requirements (IDEA, ADA) for providing special services to, and the characteristics of, students who need additional support to learn. They explore a variety of strategies and modifications teachers can use to help students with various learning differences, styles, and abilities succeed in the mainstream classroom. They critically examine how differences in students’ gender, cultural, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds affect the quality of the education they receive. A thirty-hour field experience is required. Because this course is required for certification as a teacher in Maine, it is also required for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students pursuing the minor in Teacher Education. Recommended background: .
EDUC 380: Education, Reform, and Politics
The United States has experienced more than three centuries of growth and change in the organization of public education. This course examines 1) contemporary reform issues and political processes in relation to school, research, legal, policymaking, and student/family constituencies and 2) how educational policy is formulated and implemented. The study of these areas emphasizes public K-12 education but includes postsecondary education. Examples of specific educational policy arenas include school choice (e.g., charter schools, magnet schools, and vouchers), school funding, standards and accountability, and college access. A thirty-hour field experience is required. Prerequisite(s): .
EDUC 447: Curriculum and Methods
In this course students expand and further develop the concepts and skills needed to understand curriculum design and teaching methodologies in their subject area. The course is integrated with the seminar (, taken concurrently), allowing students to plan, develop, teach, and evaluate their own curriculum units. At the same time, students also reflect on questions in curriculum and instruction, such as: How can teachers work within the context of mandated standards to create their own curriculum? What is the range of curricular models that inform curriculum and instruction in schools? How might assessment and evaluation be developed and implemented in ways that support and respond to all learners? What strategies and methods best match certain subject areas to enhance meaningful learning? Prerequisite(s): , , and .
EDUC 448: Senior Seminar in Teacher Education: Reflection and Engagement
The seminar supports students as they reflect upon and engage with their experiences as teachers. Students refine their own philosophies of education and build on these philosophies to plan and teach classes in their placement. The seminar provides opportunities to critically and creatively reflect on, develop, and refine effective practices, and addresses essential questions such as: What does good teaching look like? How do I plan lessons to ensure the engagement and success of all students? Why is it important to be a reflective practitioner? Candidates complete a state-mandated portfolio that demonstrates an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected of those entering the teaching profession. Prerequisite(s): , , and .
EDUC 450: Seminar in Educational Studies
In this culminating seminar, students reflect upon and synthesize their learning in the Educational Studies minor. Students examine purposes of education and philosophies of education in relation to their own experiences, CEL, and future involvement in the field. Contemporary issues and dilemmas in education are also explored from interdisciplinary perspectives. Prerequisite(s): and three additional courses in education. Open to seniors only.
EDUC 460: Student Teaching I
EDUC 460 is an intensive field experience in secondary education. Students begin by observing a cooperating teacher in their academic field and spending at least one class period each day in a middle or high school. Through a carefully scaffolded experience, students begin to develop and teach lessons and/or units. They are guided and supported by their cooperating teachers and a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty supervisor. Students meet for seminar sessions at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to address conceptual methods and models of inclusive teaching and instructional design. Students begin to move toward proficiency in four areas of practice: curriculum, instruction, and assessment; classroom management and relationships; student diversity and multiculturalism; and time management and organizational skills. The course includes a 60-hour field placement. Prerequisite(s): and .
EDUC 461: Student Teaching II
This course continues and deepens the student teaching experience begun in . Students spend full school days (M-F) in a local middle or high school, taking responsibility for planning and teaching at least three courses in partnership with their cooperating teacher. Students meet with, and are observed and supported by their cooperating teacher and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty supervisor. Integrated into curriculum and methods (447) and the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ seminar (), students spend extensive time planning and teaching lessons and units. Prerequisite(s): , , and .
EDUC S17: Connections to Place: Exploring Community Science & Communication
In a world marked by environmental shifts, political unrest and global challenges, this course invites students to explore their role as global citizens by connecting with place through local community science initiatives, investigating coastal ecosystems, and creating actionable proposals for local conservation efforts. The course introduces the theory and practice of community science as well as field methods including basic experimental design, data collection, analysis and effective communication. We will investigate different ecosystems in Phippsburg and at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, meet community partners and develop meaningful relationships with the land. This course includes overnight stays at Shortridge Coastal Center. Recommended background: prior coursework in basic statistics.
EDUC S19: Teaching and Tutoring Writing (With) Power
This course explores the intersection of identity, writing, and power and, in particular, the teaching and tutoring of writing in colleges and writing centers around the world. Students consider their own histories and perceptions of literacy, while expanding their understanding of tutoring as a global practice and field of research and of writing centers and writing classrooms as potential sites of social justice and anti-oppression. Through various collaborative and research activities, students grapple with theories of linguistic justice, peer-led learning, and equity-minded writing pedagogy and apply course content by engaging with their classmates and peers as writers, visiting writing tutors and writing centers at other colleges and schools in Maine, and engaging with teachers and student-writers in the Lewiston-Auburn community. This course will be of particular interest to students seeking to improve their own writing or who would like to tutor or teach writing.
EDUC S21: Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Methods
In this course, we will examine the various approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum and instruction utilized in k-12 schools such as: concept-based education, expeditionary learning, STEM, arts integration, humanities, and creativity education. In addition to critically examining a variety of interdisciplinary models, students will apply what they learn by designing curricular components that utilize works from the permanent collection at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Museum of Art in partnership with the Curator of Education and local teachers. Prerequisites: , , , or .
EDUC S22: Childhood Literacy
This course will explore the complex elements of childhood literacy learning and instruction, from birth to upper elementary school. The course builds upon the theoretical lens of an interactive strategies approach, integrating printed word recognition, language development, and instructional strategies that are contextual, interactive, and responsive to learners. Additional topics include critical literacy studies, integration of new technologies and tools, and intersectionalities of identities with literacy development. Students will access and explore storybooks available at Ladd Library through the Diverse Bookfinder project, examining representations of race, ethnicity, class, and gender in picture books. Students will also engage in a sustained, weekly field experience at a local school system, tutoring children in literacy development. Recommended background: .
EDUC S24: Rural Education in Zambia
This Short Term extra-cost course will explore aspects of education in Zambia, focusing on Kaoma in Western Province. In partnership with the nonprofit WISE-Zambia, students will engage directly with children and youth through Community Engaged Learning experiences. students will collaborate with secondary students in Zambia to develop materials and activities for an education center and engage in literacy activities with primary children in outlying villages. Students will learn about Zambian history and culture, particularly in relation to education. Topics of exploration include colonial and post-colonial impact on the region and country; political, economic, and historical understandings; and participation in cultural norms and activities, including a visit to Livingstone, Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria) Falls, and a day-safari. Recommended background: Students will benefit from previous coursework in Education and/or the sciences.
EDUC S26: Qualitative Methods of Education Research
Policymakers and practitioners often rely upon rich descriptive data to inform their understandings of schools and students. This sort of ethnographic, qualitative research typically involves observation and interviewing. This course introduces students to these methods, exploring the fundamentals of research design, data collection, and data analysis. Students consider questions concerning validity, positionality, and the ethics of qualitative research. Working in partnership with a local school or organization, students carry out a community-engaged qualitative research project, articulating research design, conducting observations and interviews, analyzing data, and presenting results. A thirty-hour field experience is required.
EDUC S38: Can Art Be Taught? Models and Methods of Art Education
What are the different models and methods that teachers and artists utilize to "teach" art? Can visual art be taught? What do students learn in art classes? In this course, students will both experience and critically analyze a variety of instructional models used in teaching visual arts including: problem solving, Teaching for Artistic Behavior, and creative inquiry. Through these explorations, students will develop a personal philosophy of art education. Recommended background: one Education course or one course designation with the (AVC: Studio) attribute. No background in art is required.
EDUC S50: Independent Study
Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term.