Jason Bryer

EDU 506 Educational Foundations
Students will study a variety of competing factors (philosophical, historical, sociological, and political) that have influenced past and present debates, theories, and developments in education. The influences of such factors on current models of curriculum and instruction and on state and national K-12 standards will be considered. The consideration of these factors will trace the development of programs for pupils with diverse needs. Students will investigate and analyze the interrelationships of the individual, the home, the community, and the society with regard to schooling. Students will examine their personal educational perspectives and, through reflective study, develop new understandings of the purposes of schooling, the nature of the learner, and the roles of teachers, including the role of the teacher as an agent of change. Basic elements of planning (educational aims, goals, and objectives) and research-based practices are introduced. A 5-hour field experience is required.

EDU 530 Middle School Education: Theory & Practice
This course examines the theoretical basis for curriculum design and implementation. Discussion concerning the relationship between learning theory and curricula emphasizes current research and practices in the field, and includes analyses of curriculum development influenced by politics, social issues, culture, and professional trends. The focus of this course is on the issues and possibilities that frame educators’ efforts to provide inclusive and effective educational experiences. Students link their classroom experiences and insights from the literature with curriculum design and implementation strategies. For students in the Professional Teacher Education program, assignments will accommodate students needing to integrate content and pedagogy. A 10-hour field experience is required for those in initial licensure programs.

EDU 590 Research Seminar
In-depth course in which students engage in research about important current issues in the field. Students share research findings in symposia format. Round-table discussions, poster sessions, demonstrations, exhibits, displays, traditional talks, debates are possible options the instructor may select for presentation of research. Prerequisites: EPY 500, permanent matriculation, completion (or concurrent completion) of all course work although students in the Elementary or Secondary program may take student teaching and student teaching seminar subsequent to seminar if they so choose.

EPY 500 Educational Research
An introductory course. A course which prepares students to be consumers and designers of educational research. Discussion includes research designs (qualitative and quantitative approaches), problem selection, review of the literature, measurement issues, proposal writing and critical evaluation. Library use, descriptive statistics and a discussion of inferential statistics are also included.

EPY 502 Survey of Educational Psychology
A study and survey of psychological principles and concepts relevant to education. The course focuses on human growth and development, theories of learning, teaching and motivation; individual and group differences including multicultural issues; learning outcomes; testing and evaluation and classroom management.

SEC 515 Curriculum & Instruction in Secondary Schools
Teacher candidates will develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions for planning curriculum and instruction for secondary education in order to meet the needs and interests of adolescents who are culturally diverse, who are English language learners, and who display the full range of abilities and dispositions. The study and use of literacy will provide candidates with a means to link the construction of knowledge with New York State standards across disciplines. Teacher candidates will engage in the development of goals and instructional objectives, IEPs, lesson and unit plans aligned with state and national standards and assessments. Candidates will explore the integration of technology with instruction, as a teacher resource and as an instructional tool. Appropriate formal and informal assessment tools and methods will be included within the context of unit and lesson plans. Research-based instructional models, strategies, methods, and procedures are introduced and linked to theoretical and factual knowledge of learning processes and human development. Assessment of learner progress, appropriate classroom accommodations and modifications for students with the full range of abilities, and the development of collaborative teaching partnerships are examined in course work and addressed in field experiences. A 20-hour field experience is required for the Adolescence Education program. A 30-hour field experience is required for the Adolescence Education Certification-Only program.

SEC 518 Literacy Improvement in Secondary Schools
Students are expected to develop an understanding of the scientific and theoretical bases for approaches to developing adolescent literacy. Standards and best practices for literacy issued by New York State and by national and international organizations are addressed. Multiple definitions of literacy are considered, and the development of literacy in various contexts is explored. Strategies and methods for adapting curriculum and instruction in the content areas are examined in an effort to foster literacy among pupils with a variety of needs. The use of all types of print and non-print texts for adolescents is emphasized. A 5-hour field experience is required for the Adolescence Education program.

SEC 522 Methods of Teaching Math in Secondary Schools
The course addresses curriculum and the application of principles of teaching/learning to mathematics instruction in grades 7 through 12. Practical approaches to implementing NCTM and New York State Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science and Technology are emphasized. The use of technology for instruction, mathematical and interdisciplinary problem-solving, communication, and reasoning and connections within mathematics and with the real world for all pupils, including multicultural and exceptional populations, are explored. Course topics also include use of manipulatives and concrete materials, the ability to design and write mathematical tasks, the need to structure the environment so that pupils construct their own learning (i.e., pupil-centered instruction), and the design of assessment techniques, including portfolio evaluation. Students complete a 20-hour OPT in conjunction with this course.