MS Science of Instruction

Presents major instructional design concepts students will use in developing their own curricular materials. Describes and discusses various kinds of teacher-developed instructional tools in relation to appropriate instructional task or learning environment. Primarily uses the Macintosh microcomputer and appropriate authoring systems. Provides extensive hands-on instruction and experience using various authoring systems to create many different kinds of instructional tools. Students must be experienced with the Macintosh.

For students who lack professional-level classroom teaching in grades K to 12. Examines and develops skills in instructional planning, pedagogy, motivation, classroom management and discipline, interrelationships among diverse populations within school settings, and identification of instructional resources. Discusses current principles of developmental and learning theories and instructional design applied to teaching.

Provides study and experience in quantitative and qualitative assessment. Methods for assessing student learning include informal test procedures such as rating scales, checklists, observations, and student self-assessment and formal test procedures such as essay tests, developmental criteria and rubrics, teacher-made objective tests, and standardized tests. Authentic alternative assessments include journals, portfolios, and performance assessments. Processes and problems in test construction and analyzing, summarizing, and reporting student outcomes are examined. Standards for validity and reliability are studied. Qualitative research includes gathering data through observations, interviewing, documentation, and triangulation in field settings.

Examines the relationship of curricula and instruction to current research in learning and knowledge construction, developing higher-order thinking in specific disciplines and content areas, and the role of understanding and metacognition in learning. Complex problems of pedagogy are identified and analyzed (e.g., interdisciplinary curricula, team teaching, collaborative learning), with attention to designing learning goals and outcomes with effective instructional strategies.

Applies contemporary research to processes and problems in teaching oral and written communication, with the basic assumption that listening, speaking, writing, and reading are integrated processes and should be taught as such. Covers analysis and use of instructional strategies for teaching developmental reading and writing, reading and writing in content areas, written correspondence, research reports, journal writing, poetry, and appreciation of children's literature.

Provides supervised field experience at a cooperating school designed to develop skills in instructional planning, pedagogy, motivation, classroom management and discipline, interrelationships among diverse populations within school settings, identification of instructional resources, and applications of current research on effective teaching.

Focuses on teaching that attempts to identify the student's level of performance and all the relevant information that contributes to that performance. Involves analysis of material to be learned and implementation of instruction that integrates the learner's cognitive and emotional development with the appropriate part of the knowledge or task to be learned. Investigates various learning styles, including field-dependent/independent, convergent/divergent thinking, right/left brain activity, reflective/impulsive personalities, risk-taking/cautious, and attention to locus of control. Includes analysis and application of generic influences on cognitive, social, emotional, psychomotor, and physical aspects of learning. Investigates curriculum in terms of its psychological nature and selection and development of instructional strategies that enhance learning and prevent learning problems. Provides opportunities to work with elementary and secondary school students in the Drexel Diagnostic Mathematics Learning Laboratory.

This course introduces participants to foundational theory in both first and second language acquisition and instruction. The course explores how learners acquire language, what influences the learning process, and how instruction best aids that process. A practicum component includes observations of classrooms and tutorials of English language learners.

This course explores the needs, experiences, values, and beliefs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners and their families and communities. Building home/school relations and adapting and supporting curriculum through school services will be a focus. For a practicum, participants will engage in a case study of an English language learner.