Curriculum and Supervision (C-S)

Course participants explore the fundamentals of curriculum; that is, curriculum cultures, traditions, perspectives, theories, or models that have significantly affected the field of curriculum design. Participants also learn about historical and contemporary issues in the development of national, state, and local academic standards, and how these issues have shaped the design of particular curriculum programs. Participants engage in curricular analysis of a content-specific program through examination of "what is behind the curriculum" (purpose, goal, perspectives, assumptions), "what is in the curriculum" (the nature of the content, basis for its selection, content and media structures), and "what are the experiences with the curriculum" (how curriculum may be taught, what methods may be used, how the program success may be judged, the "frame-factors") in order to outline the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and how it can be adapted to maximize its benefits and minimize its limitations for a specific institutional or educational context.

In-depth study of issues and trends in the understanding and practice of curriculum. C & S 553 Issues in Curriculum (3 per semester/maximum of 6)This course provides for in-depth study of issues and trends in the understanding and practices of curriculum. Readings and class activities provide students with the opportunity to examine theoretical implications for the world of practice and life in schools.

Study of the components and design of teacher education programs within the constraints of institutional, professional, and legal contexts. C-S (EDLDR) 555 Development of Teacher Education Programs (3) Enrollees study various models of teacher preparation such as professional development schools and fifth year programs. Participants also discuss various aspects of teacher education such as field experiences teaching and learning ("methods") courses, and content knowledge courses and review research in each of these areas as it relates to the initial continuing education of teachers.

Analysis of particular curriculum studies, methods and paradigms, and the general status of current research in the general curriculum field. C & S 557 Seminar in Curriculum Research (3) This course is a foundational course that supports the diverse inquiries undertaken by doctoral students within the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and throughout the broader university community. Readings and class activities provide students with the opportunity to learn about different research epistemologies and to explore taken-for-granted assumptions about educational research in general and research design and methodology in particular.

Social and institutional settings for instructional supervision; functions, activities, and practices of supervision; supervisory case studies. EDLDR 560 C-S 560 Principles of Instructional Supervision (3) This course explores themes, trends, and key ideas that influence current supervisory practices. Course content gives specific attention to supervisory practice in relation to teaching practices and to life in schools.

Strategies and techniques for supervision/coaching of instruction intended to enhance teacher reflection, self-direction, and autonomy. C-S 562 Methods of Classroom Supervision and Coaching (3) This course has been designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to engage in a variety of supervisory processes aimed at teacher growth and renewal as well as enhanced student learning. The outcome of these supervisory activities should be the development of teachers who are more analytical about their practice and its impact on learners, are more adept at solving the complex problems of teaching practice, and are more reflective about their teaching capabilities.

Designing, implementing, and evaluating effective staff development programs for personnel in educational settings. EDLDR 563 Designing Staff Development Programs (3) This course has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the process of professional development in education at the theoretical and practical levels as well as the ability to apply this understanding to the design, evaluation, and analysis of professional development activities and programs.

Critical analysis of alternative theories of instructional supervision and in-depth examination of trends and issues in supervision. C & S (EDLDR) 564 Supervision Theory (3) This course entails critical analysis of alternative theories of instructional supervision and in-depth examination of trends and issues in supervision. Students critique and contrast existing models of instruction, identify and analyze issues in supervision and conceptualize and articulate their own supervisory model.

A school-university partnership (SUP) is as "a living, learning community intended to close conceptual and practical separations that tend to exist between teacher education programs and the nation's schools" (NAPDS, 2021, p. 10). SUPs are well-positioned to convene community members from disparate institutional role identities as partners who learn together through reflection and inquiry. The challenges inherent in creating learning communities that actually involve all community members has been long acknowledged in SUP work. One approach to supporting the learning of a wider range of SUP partners is to create and sustain an inquiry community that is continually engaged in the cyclical process of practitioner inquiry. C-S 565 provides one such community. In light of systemic racial discrimination and oppression, this course more specifically focuses on the use of inquiry/research in a SUP inquiry community to address issues of social justice, and concentrate on ways schools and universities can partner in the urgent and crucial work of educational equity. In this course, students (target: SUP partners from both PreK-12 schools and the university) will work within a SUP inquiry community to develop theoretical and practical understanding about practitioner inquiry, teacher education across the career-span, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). They will engage in scholarly discussion and research related to these concepts and situated within their own unique contexts: 1. What do we mean by social justice and DEIB? 2. What is practitioner inquiry and how can it be useful to my practice as a teacher, teacher educator, and/or educational researcher addressing issues of social justice? 3. How can schools and universities partner for educational equity?

A basis in theory, findings from research, research design, and methodologies related to teacher education.

Recommended Preparation: This course is ONLY for students admitted to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Curriculum and Supervision. Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.

Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.