Leadership in Teaching Courses

This course serves as the introductory vehicle for the Master’s Program in Leadership in Teaching.  There are three major focal components of the course.  First is identifying and developing leadership skills, especially communication skills within the context of working with groups; for teachers as leaders are continuously engaged in group process.  Second is developing professional growth plans as a foundation for reflection and transformation into effective teachers as leaders within their educational communities.  Third is the identification of the twelve Catholic social teaching principles as vital areas for action, specifically action research.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This course engages the professional educator in a comprehensive overview of current educational research.  Participants will evaluate quantitative, qualitative, and action research approaches.  After designing and implementing action research in their classrooms, participants will develop professional growth plans utilizing action research as a foundation for reflection and transformation in their professional educational practice.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course

This comprehensive course provides an in-depth study of the foundations and theories of literacy and learning.  Research, professional literature, and trends in literacy development with their implications for instruction, will be examined.  Current issues and practices in reading and writing will be explored and related to their philosophical antecedents.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This course addresses the specific professional needs identified by the teacher practitioners.  Issues chosen for exploration may include topics such as student achievement, motivation, and performance; relationship management with students, colleagues, and administrators; and collaboration with parents.  Once concerns are identified, participants will examine evidence-based solutions in professional literature, apply selected solutions, and evaluate the outcomes of the interventions.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This comprehensive course encourages the professional educator to take a critical look at current instructional practices such as cooperative learning, direct instruction, experiential learning, and differentiated learning and to consider how effective these strategies have been in the educator’s own classroom experience.  As the positive and negative outcomes of each instructional strategy are examined, participants will engage in developing an eclectic instructional approach that blends the positive elements of these strategies.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This comprehensive course engages the professional educator in the current debate regarding the necessity, design, development, and implementation of effective formative and summative assessment in the classroom.  As positive and negative characteristics of current assessment practices are examined, participants will develop greater effectiveness using a variety of assessment strategies and instruments in their own classrooms.  Participants will engage in the creation of teacher-made instruments and revise them based on actual use.  Action research will lead participants to develop a comprehensive philosophy of assessment and classroom assessment program.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

In this course, the professional educator researches theories that support and sustain effective and successful classroom organization and management.  The educator will review current school/system policies on discipline and behavior management and assess how these align with best practices.  A critical review of the vision and mission statements of the school/system will support/negate the use of current discipline policies and procedures.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.  May substitute for LIT: 540

This comprehensive course involves participants in applying action research in their classrooms and educational communities.  Participants will finalize their designs for action research begun in previous teaching strand learning units and conduct the action research.  Participants will then analyze the outcomes and make suggestions for action research design improvement.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.
NOTE:  Only one Practicum Course (LIT 523 or LIT 540) is required.

This course introduces the students to leadership theory in general and as applied to the educational setting.  A major premise of the course is that teachers as well as administrators serve as leaders for their classroom and educational communities.  The course focuses on identifying major leadership theories and the characteristics and skills of effective leaders. By participating in the course, the professional educator will also come to identify their own personal leadership styles in the effort to enhance their leadership performance.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This course investigates the social and cultural conditions that influence education.  Education that is truly diverse provides an environment that values diversity and portrays it positively.  Participants in the course will examine the cultural norms and beliefs of the school and compare and contrast these with the cultures, beliefs, and experiences of the student population.
Topics include an examination of the beliefs, attitudes, and values around which schools are organized, as well as, student/family environments, perceptions, and attitudes and how these perspectives mutually influence each other and student achievement.  Participants will investigate and propose strategies to strengthen relationships, communication, and collaboration between the school, the home, and throughout the community.
The belief that educators can deliver an equitable education for all students supports personal research and inquiry, readings, and class discussions.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

Many educational practitioners have found staff development programs planned by school administrators to be ineffective.  This is the case because teachers, educational practitioners in the field, often find that staff development programs are not developed with the teachers’ interests and needs in mind.  This course will take a new approach to staff development, wherein the teacher takes leadership responsibility for creating effective staff development opportunities for herself or himself and for professional colleagues.  Therefore, staff development will become a broader concept than just the traditional teachers’ in-service programs:  different models of staff development will be explored; application will involve experimenting within participants’ school communities. Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.

This comprehensive course will involve participants in applying action research in their classrooms and educational communities.  Participants will finalize their designs for action research begun in previous leadership strand learning units and conduct the action research.  Participants will then analyze the outcomes and make suggestions for action research design improvement.  Professional growth, communication strategies, technological facility, and field experience permeate the course.
NOTE:  Only one Practicum Course (LIT 523 or LIT 540) is required.

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