Apr 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Course Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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EDUC 1045 - Introduction to the Teaching Profession

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab None
Course Description: The course explores pathways to the teaching profession with teachers as changemakers in our communities. It includes an introduction to the historical and current philosophical, social, and curricular issues facing the U.S. education system. Course topics focus on increasing the achievement of all students through an examination of educational theories, reflections on personal experiences involving student learning, instructional strategies, and learning environments. Participation in 10 hours of field experience activities in K-12 schools is a course requirement. Students provide their own transportation. A Minnesota Human Services background study with no restrictions may be required.
MnTC Goals
None

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950 with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940 with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950 with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090 with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051 with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052 with a grade of C or higher OR concurrent enrollment of high school students by instructor consent.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content
  1. Subject Matter
    1. Educational principles
    2. Belonging and family connectedness
  2. Student Learning
    1. Asset-based approach
    2. Developmental characteristics
    3. Levels of readiness in learning
    4. Strategies for organizing and supporting individual and group work
  3. Instructional Strategies
    1. Cognitive processes
    2. Universal Design for Learning
    3. Multiple modes of representation
  4. Learning Environment
    1. Technological resources
    2. Culturally responsive
    3. Motivation and behavior
  5. Communication
    1. Sensitive communication
    2. Verbal, non-verbal, media communications
    3. Listening techniques
  6. Reflection and Personal Development
    1. History and philosophies of education
    2. Implications for teachers
    3. Reflective practice
    4. Racial consciousness
    5. Professional dispositions
  7. Collaboration and Ethics and Relationships
    1. Educational equity
    2. Schools as organizations
    3. Operations of systems
    4. Influence of factors outside of school
    5. Data practices
    6. Mandatory reporting laws and rules
  8. Basic Skills Testing
    1. Plan for passing exam
  9. Special Education legislation
    1. Inclusion
    2. Least restrictive environment
    3. Individualized education programs
    4. Disability areas

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:

  1.  explain educational principles relevant to physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development of young children.
  2.  examine the concepts of “belonging” and “family connectedness” as crucial to the development of young children.
  3. explain developmental progressions of learners and ranges of individual variation within the physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive domains.
  4. explain the cognitive processes associated with various kinds of learning and how these processes can be stimulated.
  5. explain human motivation and behavior.
  6. identify factors and situations that are likely to promote or diminish intrinsic motivation and strategies to help students become self-motivated.
  7. evaluate sensitive communication by and among all students.
  8. explain the historical and philosophical foundations of education.
  9. analyze schools as organizations within the larger community context and understand the operations of the relevant aspects of the systems within which the teacher works.
  10. examine how factors in a student’s environment outside of school, including family circumstances, community environments, health and economic conditions, may influence student life and learning.
  11. identify data practices.
  12. explain mandatory reporting laws and rules.
  13. plan for passing the MN NES EAS/Basic Skills testing–Reading, Writing and Math subtests.
  14. knowledge of the Special Education legislation to the classroom setting.
  15. apply developmental characteristics of students by age level, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics.
  16. describe implications for teachers of gender, culture, language and socio-economic diversity.
  17. describe mindset and professional dispositions and their impact on the methods used in teaching children.
  18. explain an awareness of the process of reflective practice in teaching.
  19. describe the importance of nonverbal as well as verbal communication for educators.
  20. explain effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques in the classroom.
  21. use effective listening techniques for the human services profession.


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