M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education Courses

This course covers current policy and practice related to English Learners (ELs) in schools with a special focus on Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Settings. Topics will include diversity issues, content/academic vocabulary development and literacy skills (including listening, speaking, reading and writing) to provide teachers with the knowledge and strategies to support ELs in classrooms. 

*May be waived with documented, state-approved sheltered English immersion (SEI) endorsement.

This course introduces students to the reality of schools as diverse spaces encompassing a range of student needs and examines efforts to ensure equity in education. Issues of race, class, culture, language, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and ability will be discussed & examined, especially how they intersect to reproduce inequality. Students will reflect on individual beliefs in relation to social justice education and democratic education and examine unintended consequences of policy/practice that create or perpetuate inequitable environments and opportunities in schools. Strategies for promoting educational equity and inclusivity will be discussed.

This course examines and unpacks contemporary issues in the field of education and provides prospective teachers with a beginning foundation for understanding the teaching profession and the U.S. education system, including policy and governance. The historical, legal, ethical, and pedagogical foundations for social justice education and democratic education will be explored, as well as the education reform context and emerging policies. The course will include an examination of professional ethics and standards. 

Required field experience.

This course explores supportive, preventative, and proactive approaches to addressing the social and academic behaviors of students with disabilities and other diverse populations. Strategies for developing a positive classroom climate to support social and emotional development, including trauma and anxiety, will be central to the learning of the course. A variety of approaches, including the connection between communication & behavior, identifying contributing factors to challenging behavior, FBA, and behavior support plans will be explored. 

This course is taken concurrently with a graduate practicum or internship. This capstone seminar will focus on social justice education, professional culture, family & community engagement, collaboration, and curriculum and planning for educational contexts. Students will reflect on experiences in the practica/internship site and current issues and best practice in education, including trauma and social emotional learning.

In this course, teacher candidates will explore the theory and practice of teaching social science, including history, civics and government, and geography to early learners in grades PreK-2. Candidates will learn how to design and implement inclusive social science and history lessons and units that are culturally and linguistically relevant and sustaining. Candidates will learn how to assess early learners in social science and history. Teacher candidates will also evaluate and analyze high-quality curricular materials and will also learn how to utilize primary and secondary sources within the design of lessons.

This course provides teacher candidates with strategies to teach science and technology to early learners in grades PreK-2. Candidates will learn key content knowledge in earth/space science, life science, physical science, and technology and engineering and effective instructional methods for teaching all these areas. Candidates will focus on grounding content learning in phenomena that connects to students’ lives, supporting sense making for students, and providing multiple opportunities and modalities for students to demonstrate understanding of content. Throughout the course, candidates will focus on how to support all students within the classroom by implementing units and lessons that are inclusive and utilize principles of Universal Design for Learning.

This course focuses on the teaching and learning of mathematics in early childhood. Candidates will deepen their understanding of high-quality mathematics curricular materials, mathematical concepts taught in early childhood, and effective instructional practices in grades PreK-2. Candidates will learn high leverage routines in math, problem-based learning, and how to utilize authentic assessment for young learners.

This course provides teacher candidates with strategies for teaching literacy (both reading and writing) to students in PreK-second grade. During this course, teacher candidates will learn research-based methods for teaching early literacy, including developmental stages of writing and how to support students with early writing and content writing. Teaching candidates will explore how to utilize literacy assessments to guide instruction. Candidates will also analyze and evaluate literacy curricular materials and design and implement inclusive literacy lessons into a PreK-2 classroom.

This course focuses on increasing access to the curriculum using the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help educators customize instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities and other diverse learners. Course participants will determine how to deconstruct curricular barriers and create and apply curricular solutions that maximize access and academic success. Assistive technology and AAC will be explored and leveraged.

In this course, teacher candidates will spend the semester within a fieldwork setting aligned with their area of licensure. Teacher candidates will design and implement cross-cutting lessons in their area of licensure and will also have experience evaluating and utilizing high-quality curricular materials, collaborating across the school setting, assessing students’ understanding, and designing individualized plans for students. Teacher candidates will receive targeted feedback throughout the semester from a qualified supervising practitioner and Stonehill course instructor.

Graduate clinical licensure capstone. Candidates spend a full semester in a PreK-2 classroom, with at least 100 hours in a PreK-K classroom and at least 200 hours in a grades 1-2 classroom to gain teaching experience while assuming gradual responsibility of the teaching role, culminating with a takeover of all responsibilities of both a PreK-K teacher and a 1-2 teacher.