The second part of the course focuses both on cognitive and behavioral views of learning. Topics include classical and operant conditioning, social learning, information processing, problem solving, creativity, and constructivism. This course considers the relationship of the individual and society and of individual cultures within a pluralistic society. Topics include major theories from social psychology, multiethnic and multicultural education, and interpersonal communications skills. This course investigates the various learning characteristics of gifted and handicapped students and the strategies and practices elementary and secondary school teachers can use to develop the full range of learning abilities of individuals and groups.
Students prepare and carry out lessons in mini-teaching and real classroom situations.
This course builds on the classroom teaching strategies course and requires that students investigate the theory behind teaching in their subject. This course presents the planning, teaching, and assessment strategies that are appropriate to their teaching area. Students spend a good portion of their time observing and assisting in a secondary school classroom. They prepare and teach one or more lessons. Specific topics include national standards, scope and sequence in their subject, student knowledge of their subject, main concepts of the discipline, and design of main points and unified field charts.