Academic Programs

Course Descriptions

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Education Courses

EDUC 500-549 | EDUC 550-599 | EDUC 600-699 | EDUC 800-849
EDUC 850-899 | EDUC 900-999 | Other Courses

Courses are listed in the following format:

Course Title
Course number--# of credits (terms offered)

Please use the following key to the codes used to indicate terms offered*:

(A) - All terms (Fall, Spring, Summer I, Summer II)
(F) - Fall term
(S) - Spring term
(Jan) - January term
(S1) - Summer I term
(S2) - Summer II term
(S1-S2) - Across Summer I and Summer II terms
(2/S) - Every other Spring term
(2/F) - Every other Fall term
(2/S2) - Every other Summer II term
(3/S2) - Every third Summer II term

*Every effort is made to offer courses as listed. Offerings are subject to change.

Comparative Migration Experiences and Cultural Perspectives of Immigrant Groups
EDUC 600--1 credit (Jan)
Designed to make students more aware of and sensitive to ethnic groups in the United States, this course focuses on the history and culture of the people from the areas of the world most represented in our schools. This course will provide our students with a multicultural perspective in education. The course discusses the topic of immigration and its impact on the education of culturally diverse children in urban settings and their future employment opportunities as well as the ways in which immigrant groups are perceived in our society. Participants will survey the student population in schools located where there is a high percentage of immigrant families and visit the schools in the respective areas to see how the school serves this population.

Special Education for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Children
EDUC 601--1 credit (S1)
This course helps students develop the insights and skills needed to work with special needs children who are linguistically and culturally diverse. Topics covered include legislation and litigation affecting second language learners, mainstreaming psychoeducational assessment, definitions and classifications, instruction models, and funding for the exceptional child. Approved for Human Relations credit by the New York City Department of Education. Prerequisites: EDUC 560 and EDUC 870 or permission of instructor.

Research for Educational Change
now known as LEAD 660 (please see Leadership courses)

Assistive Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom: Developing Visual Tools and Strategies, The Boardmaker (tm) Example
EDUC 603--1 credit (S, S1)
This course is designed to prepare graduate students to respond to the needs of diverse learners in early childhood classrooms by using technology to create visual tools that promote communication, improve classroom organization and management, and expand literacy opportunities. Many children with developmental disabilities experience difficulty attending to and understanding auditory input, yet have relative strengths in visual skills. Graduate students will have hands-on experiences using the computer to create a variety of visual tools that they can incorporate into their teaching practices to support all children. Students will work independently and collaboratively using Boardmaker (tm), a simple drawing program and graphics database, to learn how to create learning tools (customized schedules, songboards, adapted books and stories placemats, signs, games and charts) and to devise strategies for implementation. Videos will be used to demonstrate situations in which visual tools enable children to communicate and actively participate in classroom activities and routines. 

Family, Child, and Teacher Interaction in Diverse and Inclusive Educational Settings
EDUC 604--2 credits (A)
Students examine the role of the teacher in the classroom in order to develop insight into their own professional and personal styles. The culture of the school and its influence on teachers and families is explored. The course also examines the implications of working with a multicultural community and differing family structures. Students develop skills and procedures in parent conferencing, as well as an understanding of the concerns of parents of children with special needs. The regulations and implications of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are also studied. The course includes the recognition of indications of child abuse and a review of the legal and moral responsibilities of classroom teachers. The New York City Department of Education accepts one (1) credit of this course as special education credit. Approved for Human Relations credit by the New York City Department of Education.

Designing and Managing Classroom Environments for Children and Youth with Special Needs (Grades K and up)
EDUC 605--3 credits (F, S1)
This course is designed to help teachers create classroom environments that will meet the needs of all children, including those with learning and/or behavioral problems. Addressing the concerns of both general and special education teachers, it incorporates presentations, role-playing, discussions, analyses of filmstrips and videotapes and informal diagnostic procedures. Teachers examine the complexities of their day-to-day responsibilities and concerns, including classroom management, styles of discipline, and the interplay between curricula, rules, routines, expectations, and children's behavior. Approved for Human Relations credit by the New York City Department of Education.

Block Building and Dramatic Play
EDUC 606--1 credit (Jan, S1)
The first session examines the function of blocks in the classroom and how block building fits into the nursery through primary school program. The second session is a block workshop. Later sessions include discussion of blocks in relation to the child's development, the role of the teacher in facilitation of dramatic play, the use of supplementary materials, fantasy and reality in dramatic play, and the creation of a nonsexist learning area.

Group Processes in The Middle School
EDUC 607--1 credit (S)
Using this class as an experiential demonstration model, participants will explore the functioning of small and large groups in middle school classrooms. We will also examine the role of cooperative learning on individuals and individuals on the group, group formation and stages, group roles, patterns of interaction, and the role of the teacher as a group leader. In-depth discussion of a series of case studies involving middle school students provides additional insight into the complexity of group work. Additional readings explore theory and practical application. Course assignments integrate computer technology and involve both individual and small group tasks.

Classroom Management and Discipline in a Supportive Environment
EDUC 609--1 credit (F, S)
This course will examine the day-to-day aspects of classroom management. It will address, among other things, such concerns as setting up the physical environment, planning for the first day, establishing routines, rules, transitions, approaches to assessment, and systems of record keeping. It will include discussions of various approaches to discipline and use of participants' classroom observation and experiences as resources for discussion around this issue. It will also consider how to include families and other adults in the classroom in working with children who may have behavioral issues.

Infancy Institute: Infants, Toddlers, Families: Supporting Their Growth
EDUC 612--l credit (S1)
This three-day Institute, held during the month of June, consists of workshops, guest presentations, and site visits. Topics vary each summer.

Understanding and Working with Parents of Young Normal and Exceptional Children
EDUC 613--2 credits (F)
This course helps students understand the psychological underpinnings of parenting across a range of families and contexts. A multi-level framework utilizes the concepts of containment and holding as a way to understand what parents must provide for their children and what adults must also provide for themselves in order to work effectively with families. Stages of parenting are looked at within a wider lens that incorporates the incredible variety not only amongst parents, but within the same parent at different times. Students continue to develop a self-reflective ability that helps them think deeply about their responses to families, and learn when and how to provide developmental guidance through practice with their own case material and readings on basic counseling techniques. Approved for Human Relations credit by the New York City Department of Education.

Exhibition Development and Evaluation
EDUC 614--2 credits (F)
This course focuses on the development of interpretive exhibitions, with emphasis on participatory exhibitions for children and families. The exhibition is viewed and analyzed as a learning environment that conveys cultural values. Students study the process of creating an exhibition from inception to installation and examine the roles of educator, designer, curator, and evaluator in a team approach to exhibition development with focus on the role of the educator. Through class sessions and assignments, students meet with exhibition designers, observe visitor behavior, critique and evaluate exhibitions, and engage in problem-solving activities related to exhibition development. Throughout the course, students work in small groups to develop exhibition projects that are informed by theories about learning and curriculum development. At each stage of the exhibition development process, students informally assess exhibition components with children and revise their projects based on these assessments. The course also addresses the role of technology in exhibitions. Throughout the semester, students engage in online conversations and use Internet resources related to course ideas. For matriculated Museum Education students or by permission of the program director.

Introduction to Research Practice in Museum Education
EDUC 616--2 credits (S)
This course responds to increased emphasis in the museum field on researching the visitor experience. The course prepares museum educators to understand and use educational research to strengthen interpretive programming and the visitor experience. Students are introduced to appropriate research tools through readings, discussions, and critical inquiry into the research process. Working in small groups, students conduct a small research study in a museum or school environment. For matriculated Museum Education students or by permission of the program director. 

Working with All Children and Families: An Introduction
EDUC 618--1 credit (Jan, S)
This short format course introduces students to the content of the Early Childhood General and Special Education program. Central to the program are a number of concepts, including progressive and special education, family-centered practice, child-centered curriculum, and cultural and linguistic diversity. Students will be exposed to the idea of play as the young child's way of knowing and being in the world. They will also be introduced to observation, culturally responsive assessment, curriculum and instruction as a dynamic cycle supporting educational practice with young children of varied backgrounds and developmental needs. Through readings, presentations, case studies and discussion, students cultivate the habits of mind and collaborative learning relationships necessary for responsive practice with young children and their families.

Healthcare Environments
EDUC 620--1 credit (S1)
In this course, students will be introduced to the hospital experience. They will become familiar with the professionals who make up a multidisciplinary healthcare team and will learn of the various types of pediatric units. Students will also learn about the importance of effective and positive communication. Internship meetings will be set up during the last session. For Child Life students only.

Process Pedagogy: The Teaching Methods of the National Dance Institute and the Implications for the Teaching/Learning Process
EDUC 625--1 credit (S2)
This innovative graduate course is offered in collaboration with the National Dance Institute (NDI), an exemplary arts education program founded by Jacques d™≠Amboise, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. The term process pedagogy was conceived by Dr. Nancy Rambusch, noted early childhood educator and founder of the American Montessori movement, to characterize the methodology employed by NDI. In their year-long program in public schools throughout New York City and elsewhere in the country, NDI serves children from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of learning needs. Drawing upon NDI™≠s year-long program, this course is a one-week summer institute in which dance is used as an experiential text that preservice and inservice teachers can use to reflect on pedagogical practices. The course has two integrated components: a dance program, where adult participants prepare for an ensemble performance along with children ages 9 to 12; and a pedagogical component in which the adult participants study the methodology of NDI in order to consider its implications for teaching in their own contexts and to reflect on the value of arts education in children™≠s lives. The course offers a unique opportunity for general and special education teachers, teacher leaders, arts educators, and teaching artists to explore the connections between arts education and pedagogical practice across grade levels and curriculum areas. A background in dance is not required.

Education of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Assessment and Intervention
EDUC 629--1 credit (S, S1)
This short course will help graduate students consider the significance of educational intervention as the primary effective treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders. This course will help graduate students recognize and develop a broad understanding of the unique pattern of characteristics of learning and development attributed to people with autism, while encouraging participants to consider the importance of providing young children who are on the autistic spectrum with an educational program that is responsive to each child's personal pattern of relative strengths and vulnerabilities. Graduate students will be asked to consider some of the issues raised by a variety of currently used educational interventions and methods of assessments. The "characteristics of effective interventions," as outlined by the National Research Council (2001), will be used as a guide to this exploration of interventions. There will be a primary focus on the importance of structured teaching, with specific references to the TEACCH approach, for promoting independence, improving adaptability, identifying and working from relative strengths and accepting disabilities. Students will have an opportunity to explore this methodology in some detail and to work collaboratively to create an instructional plan that demonstrates understanding of the structured teaching approach to working with children. Observation of children with autism will take place by use of videos. The use of assistive technology will be explored as a tool for supporting student learning, communication and independence. Issues concerned with cultural differences as they relate to how families respond to the needs of a child with autism will be considered.

Individual Study
EDUC 650--1/2/3 credits (A)
This course provides an opportunity to investigate an educational problem, area or interest under the supervision of a faculty member. Permission of the student's advisor is required.

Special Study
EDUC 651--1/2/3 credits (A)
A group of students is provided with an opportunity to study an area of interest related to education under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Offered by special arrangement.

Special Study: Distinguished Speaker Series
EDUC 651--1 credit (S)
This three-evening series, held each spring, consists of guest presentations and selected readings from noted professionals in the field of special education. Topics vary each year.

Special Study: Strategies for Language and Concept Development
EDUC 651--1 credit (S)
This series of meetings promotes an in-depth discussion about dual language principles and methodology, with a focus on issues of language development and assessment in the dual language classroom. The Language Series takes place annually and consists of three Saturday sessions.