Early Childhood Education Degree Online Courses

An introduction to early childhood, elementary, and secondary education for students interested in teaching. Students will explore their potential for teaching in light of admission criteria and licensure requirements. Includes study of historical and social foundations of education; topics such as inquiry into the teaching and learning process, schools in a multicultural and diverse society, the profession of teaching; principles of cooperative group learning; and cultural differences, communication, and stereotyping. Fifteen hours of field experience is included.

The focus of this course is educational uses of technology. Students will explore computer applications as tools for their own learning, as well as the ethics of electronic communications, and will begin developing a Teacher Education portfolio using LiveText software.

Emphasis will be on constructivist approaches to hands-on creative activities, expressive arts, and discovery learning for young children that is inclusive. Facilitating children’s development through planning implementing, and evaluating learning experiences in the visual arts, music, movement, dance, and dramatic play will be the heart of this integrated curriculum course. A lab experience is included.

The course focuses on various developmentally appropriate and best curricula in the field of early childhood education in which instructional strategies, theories of curriculum development, and integrated curriculum for traditional/thematic types, to newer experimental and/or research-based models are explored. Approaches to anti-bias curriculum and inclusion of all children will be studied. A lab experience is included.

This course develops a framework for establishing and maintaining high quality programs for infants and toddlers and their families. Students will develop techniques for care giving, facilitating learning, and assessment that are developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive. Attention to infants and toddlers with special needs is included.

In order to teach young children it is necessary to be familiar with patterns of growth concerning physical, mental, social, emotional, and aesthetic development of this age group. And to know both methods and materials is essential in order to create a living/learning environment where children can experience the best possible educational program. This course requires a 15-hour field experience.

Note: For the BS in Educational Studies program, students may take either take MATH 129 or ED 418 to fulfill the requirement.

This course provides information on the various exceptionalities and facilitates understanding of the basic special needs education services provided to children with disabilities, and includes gifted and talented. Topics include federal and state mandates, planning with parents, team approaches, teaching methodologies, and curriculum modifications and adaptations. A portfolio, reflective journal, and field experience will assist students in valuing diversity and inclusion.

Causes and consequences of prejudice, discrimination, and segregation; relationships of ethnic, racial, and religious minorities to dominant categories in the United States and globally; remedial programs to reduce racial, ethnic, and religious tensions.

Exploration of parent-child relationships within diverse family and cultural settings. Examination of parenting styles, attitudes, and behaviors and their effects on children’s development.

This course is a study of children’s literature at pre-primary, kindergarten, and elementary levels, with emphasis on diversity.

Candidates will complete a supervised field experience in an agency that serves young children and their families. Candidates will have opportunities to understand the infrastructure of the Early Childhood field and to demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors.

This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of health, safety, and nutritional issues of the child from birth to grade three in preparation for a profession of working with children. The prenatal environment and its impact on the health of the individual will be given great emphasis.

An understanding of the issues, resources, and techniques of communication, collaboration, consultation, and transitions for children, their families, the school, and all stakeholders in regular and special education settings. This includes professional reflection and development. The role of mental health professionals and agencies is included.

This course is designed to introduce TESL teacher candidates to fundamental theories in the field of teaching ESL. The course builds a foundation of understanding of English learners and topics impacting the academic experiences of language minority students in the United States. TESL teacher candidates will participate in a 15 hour lab field experience with focus on culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

The required preparation includes two years of HS foreign language or one year of foreign language in a post-secondary setting.

This course is an introduction to early literacy and linguistics, which is the scientific study of language. The theory of linguistics and teaching methods will be investigated. Topics taught in this course are language development, including the sounds of language and how they are produced (phonology); the structure of words (morphology); sentence structure (syntax); and how meaning is expressed (semantics). Early literacy topics addressed in this course include concepts about print, alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fluency, and written language. Emphasis will be placed on teaching techniques, strategies, and assessment tools used to instruct beginning readers, with special focus on the need to differentiate instruction to accommodate the needs of all learners, particularly the struggling reader and students for whom English is a second language. There is a 15-hour field experience attached to this course.

The course enables teacher candidates to improve communication proficiency as language develops in the child from early childhood through adolescence. With consideration of the academic ELA standards and inclusion of the ELA literacies: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing – including media/digital literacy, the focus of the content of English language arts includes: literature, writing, vocabulary, spelling, grammar/language conventions & effective usage, poetry, phonics, and handwriting. This course explores the process of language development and appropriate strategies to stimulate and encourage the continuation of language growth, and includes focus on understanding interrelationships among culture, language, and thought, with emphasis on technology, diversity, and the needs of English learners. Teacher candidates will complete an informal (self-placed) eight-hour field experience.

This course addresses the total spectrum of an inclusive P-6 developmental literacy program, including a study of phonemic, graphemic, and semantic systems, as well as strategies for teaching fluency, vocabulary, writing, and comprehension skills to learners. This course includes a field experience with structured assignments for teaching reading skills to diverse learners in grades P-6.

Provide education teacher candidates an understanding of the principles of effective classroom management and an opportunity to use a range of strategies to promote positive relationships, cooperation, and purposeful learning in the classroom; grow in their knowledge on how to create learning environments that contribute to the self-esteem of all persons and to positive interpersonal relations, establish a positive climate in the classroom and participate in maintaining a positive climate in the school as a whole. Participants will professionally grow in their development of skills necessary to lead with confidence, compassion, creativeness and commitment and team planning and teaching with multi-age grouping for K – 6 diverse learners. Teacher candidates cooperatively plan and teach content and skill objectives during a special two-day clinical lab experience in a K – 6 setting with diverse learners.

This course focuses on the central concepts and tools of inquiry for effective standards-based teaching and learning of mathematics from pre-kindergarten through grade 8. The course will address concept development, skill attainment, problem solving, lesson planning, assessment procedures, and techniques for accommodating different learning styles. Fifteen hours of classroom visits for guided practice and teaching a unit using appropriate methods for diverse learners are included.

This course focuses on the central concepts and tools of inquiry for effective standards-based teaching and learning of science from pre-kindergarten through grade 8. This course will address concept development, skill attainment, problem solving, lesson planning, assessment procedures, and techniques for accommodating different learning styles. Fifteen hours of classroom visits for guided practice and teaching a unit using appropriate methods for diverse learners are included.

This course includes the study of pedagogy, standards, teaching strategies and assessments for social studies concepts at the preprimary, kindergarten and elementary levels for PreK – 6 diverse learners. Early Childhood and Elementary Education teacher candidates teach social studies content and skill objectives during a 15 hour lab experience in an elementary school for PK -6 diverse learners.

This course focuses on the exploration, discussion, and critical analysis of contemporary issues regarding children, families, and early childhood programming. Areas will include advocacy; understanding legislation, rules, and regulations; child abuse; parenting roles; and professionalism.

The purpose of this course will be to learn research techniques and applications by participating in action research, specifically the performance assessment required by the State of Minnesota for teacher candidates who want to obtain a Minnesota teaching license. This course will focus on action research and researching learning strategies in preparation for teaching.

This required course will help the teacher education student begin a plan for professional development. A portfolio will be an ongoing project for the course, as well as discussions and activities related to preparing for the teaching profession. Students taking the course will complete their Pre-Student Teaching Experience.

This required course will help the teacher education student begin a plan for professional development. A portfolio will be an ongoing project for the course, as well as discussions and activities related to preparing for the teaching profession. Students taking the course will complete their pre-student teaching experience.

A supervised semester-long field experience evaluated by a classroom supervisor and a University supervisor, in Birth-Grade 3 classrooms, required for ECE licensure fields. Students demonstrate Teacher Education program outcomes and present a portfolio at a final conference.