The master's program in early childhood/elementary education is intended for certified teachers who wish to continue their study of learning and teaching in early childhood/elementary settings or for those who wish to learn more about the field of early childhood/elementary education but do not plan on teaching in New Jersey and are not looking to get certified to teach.
The program has five major goals:
1) to foster a vision of learning as an active process in which students construct their own knowledge and understandings;
2) to foster a vision of teaching that promotes depth of understanding and problem solving rather than mere curriculum coverage, and that recognizes children's individual and cultural differences;
3) to extend teachers' knowledge of current research and theory on learning and teaching so they can make informed decisions about educational practice and can help to bring about change in schools;
4) to encourage teachers to be teacher-researchers who reflect on and systematically inquire into their own practice; and
5) to provide an opportunity for teachers to acquire depth in an area of early childhood/elementary education that is of particular interest to them.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS I. Psychological Foundations of Education (6 credits)
Two courses chosen from the following (or others, with advisement): 15:255:512 Enhancing Learning and Development for Infants and Young Children (3) 15:290:521 Child, Family, and Community: Relationships in Development (3) 15:290:522 Cognition and Language from Birth to Age Eight: Normal Development and Implications of Risk and Disability (3) 15:293:522 Learning Disabilities (3) 15:293:525 Psychology of the Exceptional Child (3) 15:295:510 Cooperative and Collaborative Learning (3) 15:295:512 Introduction to Child Psychology: Infancy through Adolescence (3) 16:300:591 Cognitive Development (3) 16:300:595 The Psychology of Sex Differences (3)
II. Early Childhood/Elementary Education (18 credits)
A. Required Courses (9 credits) 15:251:570 Advanced Pedagogical Techniques for the Elementary Classroom (3) 15:251:577 Historical and Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education (3), or 15:251:578 Theories and Practices in Early Childhood Education (3)
B. Area of Specialization (12 credits) Courses for the area of specialization must be selected with advisement. 1. Content Area Study (in one or more of the following areas: creative arts education, literacy, English as a Second Language and bilingual education, instructional technology, mathematics education, and science education)
2. Early Childhood Education and Applied Child Development (focus on settings for children birth through age seven; child care, family and parenting issues; and developmentally appropriate practices)
3. Issues of equity in Early Childhood/Elementary Education (focus on theory, content and pedagogy of a social justice approach to teaching in elementary and early childhood settings)
III. Electives (6 credits)
With adviser's approval, may be taken anywhere in the university.
IV. To demonstrate the achievement of the goals of the program the student, together with their adviser, will create a portfolio with the following components:
A. How have the courses and other relevant experiences (such as practicum) promoted the goal/s set, and what the student has learned and taken away from these experiences. The student will write a reflective essay describing the key knowledge that he or she has developed in three broad areas:
1. early childhood education
2. elementary education
3. student's area of specialization
The essay should include references from relevant coursework taken throughout the student's program of study to support student claims as to their key areas of learning and why they are significant to the field of study and to the student's practice. This will introduce and set up the artifacts that will be presented in part B.
B. Students should provide relevant artifacts from coursework (and if appropriate, from practice) that demonstrate changes in knowledge, beliefs, and practice related to their identified goals. This may include assignments completed in courses, reflections on practicum experiences together with documentation, videotapes of classroom teaching, and artifacts from teaching experiences: lesson plans, student work, teaching evaluations. Each artifact will include a reflection that discusses how the artifact demonstrates the knowledge that the student has developed in the program (see part A). The reflective essay should clearly indicate how this artifact demonstrates what the student has learned about their practice and what they still hope to change and develop.
C. A "future directions" plan that identifies areas for improvement including additional knowledge and skills the student wishes to develop. These may or may not be areas that the student addressed within Part B.
Taken as a whole, the portfolio should demonstrate deep knowledge of core topics (as related to the goals), and ability to synthesize and analyze research in early childhood and elementary education.
The portfolio will be evaluated by the student's adviser and one other member of the program faculty. The student must obtain a passing grade on this portfolio assignment in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree. In the event that the student fails the portfolio requirement, she or he will have one opportunity to rewrite. If the portfolio fails a second time the student will be dismissed from the program.
