MS-Instructional Specialist Elementary Education

Course Descriptions

Core Courses (15 hours)

EL 725 Differentiating Instruction (2 hrs): The term differentiation is currently used in the educational world to describe implementation of instruction that encompasses diverse learners. The content of this course focuses on diversity under a broader term - differentiating instruction. This better describes the personalization of a student’s instruction and the content of the course.
EL 751 Application of Development Theories (3 hrs): This course is for students who are practitioners in any educational setting from pre-K through secondary school. Course covers the main theories currently used as the foundation for quality education, pre-K through late adolescence and young adults. Effective practitioners can articulate the theoretical bases for teaching goals and strategies.
EL 810 Information Literacy (3 hrs): This course focuses on the process of becoming web literate or finding, understanding, and using information from the web. A foundation will be built from what we know about reading, learning, and effective teaching practices with print text in order to understand the benefits and challenges of reading on the web. Course projects will encourage participants to actively use models of inquiry with the web to pursue answers to their own questions and learn ways to guide students through the online inquiry process.
EL 828 Instructional Leadership and Coaching (2 hrs): This course focuses on the theory and instruction of leadership and coaching across all disciplines. Course activities and assignments will allow students to broadly view effective roles of the coach/leader in the schools and apply the content to a specific subject area (literacy, math, STEM, etc.). This course is a prerequisite for EL829, Literacy and Coaching Practicum.
EL 829 Leadership and Coaching Practicum (2 hrs): (Prerequisite, EL 828.) Students will participate in a practical experience related to the literacy professional leadership and coaching roles the reading specialist plays at the school, district, and state level.
EL 854 Action Research in the Classroom (3 hrs): This course is designed to develop the educators' knowledge and skills in appropriate action research techniques with the participants developing an action research project that will be implemented in their school/classroom. Students will produce a research proposal and then complete a final paper that reports the outcome of the research.

Courses for the Instructional Specialist Concentrations

Reading Specialist courses

EL 721 Reading Theory and Literacy Practices: Elementary (3 hrs): Emphasis is placed on the teaching of reading and its relationship to the language arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing). The content includes an overview of theories and learning models that have influenced the teaching of reading. Discussions will focus on the importance of a literacy-rich environment both in the classroom and home. Prominent research in reading education will be reviewed and applied to the student’s own learning situation.
EL 723 Reading Theory and Literacy Practices: Secondary (3 hrs): This course is designed to help middle/secondary school teachers view reading as an integrated part of the school curriculum. Issues to be explored include elements of reading/learning styles, techniques for teaching vocabulary, comprehension, study skills, special approaches for adapting instruction to all types of learners, motivation for lifelong reading and learning, and technology/reading. Emphasis is on reading (and writing) as an interactive and developmental process.
EL 823 Analysis of Reading Assessment and Instruction I (3 hrs): (Prerequisites, EL 721) This course is designed to provide the reading specialist or classroom teacher with the knowledge, skills and pro
EL 827 Assessing and Instructing Learners: Literacy Practicum (3 hrs): Students will apply knowledge and skills from EL 823 by working with a reader with a reading disability. The student will gather materials, tutor and assess a student for a minimum of 25 hours, and write a diagnostic/prescriptive summary.
EL 821 Curriculum and Standards in the Literacy Environment (3 hrs): Teachers of reading create environments that engage students and foster literacy practices through standards, curriculum, instructional practice, grouping, and assessment. The course is designed to help PreK-12 teachers examine state standards in literacy, organize the literacy environment to foster literacy development, and create an awareness in literacy practices that support and value differences in society.

Dyslexia Courses

EL 727 Challenges of Dyslexia (3 hrs): This course is an introductory course to dyslexia, covering the Knowledge and Practice IDA standards. The course will examine the definition and characteristics of dyslexia. Topics in the course will examine the domains of language, factors, and reciprocal relationship between phonology and orthography in the science of reading.
EL 737 Science of Reading Foundations I (3 hrs): This course is an introductory course to dyslexia, covering the Knowledge and Practice IDA standards. The course will examine the definition and characteristics of dyslexia. Topics in the course will examine the domains of language, factors, and reciprocal relationship between phonology and orthography in the science of reading.
EL 739 Science of Reading Foundations II (3 hrs): This course emphasizes literacy acquisition, reader profiles and the phases of typical developmental progression by examining evidence-based instruction within a structured literacy framework for teaching phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and other foundational skills.
EL 827 Assessing and Instructing Learners: Literacy Practicum (3 hrs): This course emphasizes literacy acquisition, reader profiles and the phases of typical developmental progression by examining evidence-based instruction within a structured literacy framework for teaching phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and other foundational skills.
EL 823 Analysis of Reading Assessment and Instruction I (3 hrs): (Prerequisites, EL 721) This course is designed to provide the reading specialist or classroom teacher with the knowledge, skills and processes necessary to assess, analyze and instruct the reading performance of beginning readers (pre-reader through 3rd grade level).

STEM Courses

EL 726 Elementary Engineering and Robotics (3 hrs): This online course engages students in sequential scientific discussion activities that will increase your competence in (1) problem-solving process skills in engineering and robotics and (2) planning, teaching, and evaluating the effectiveness of science lessons for children in the elementary school setting. The course is designed on a competency based, mastery model. Throughout the course, students practice using logic, cognitive processing skills, and strategies from recently developed activity based K-8 science curricula including strategies for enriching a more conventional, textbook-oriented curriculum.
EL 740 STEM Concepts Through Fiction & Nonfiction (3 hrs): An exploration of children’s literature, fiction and nonfiction, with a focus on ways both print and digital texts can be used to create interest in and to teach STEM concepts. Course content is appropriate for K-12 educators, including classroom teachers, library media specialists, support teachers, as well as public librarians who focus on youth services.
EL 784 Trends in Elementary STEM Education (3 hrs): This course is designed to develop the educators’ knowledge and skills in appropriate research techniques and topics in elementary STEM education. Students will develop a research project that will be implemented in their school/classroom. Students will produce a research proposal and then complete a final paper that reports the outcome of the research.
EL 802 Best Practices in Elementary Mathematics (3 hrs): Methods and content. How children learn is related to methods of teaching mathematics. The content includes that of modern mathematics in the elementary curricula and in research programs.
EL 803 Best Practices in Elementary Science (3 hrs): A self-paced sequence of laboratory activities which will increase the teacher's competence in (l) a sequence of problem solving laboratory skills in science, (2) designing, teaching, and revising entire units of science instruction for children. Options include planning children's science activities for entire year using one's own curriculum materials or materials from any or all of newer elementary science curriculum programs.

Elementary Content Courses

EL 801 Best Practices in Elementary Language Arts (3 hrs): This course is designed to assist prospective and in-service teachers in understanding practical application identified by research; including the implications of current theory and recommended practices in Language Arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing) that create learning experiences to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving.
EL 804 Best Practices in Elementary Social Sciences (3 hrs): This course is designed to assist prospective and in-service teachers in understanding effective methods for planning, teaching and assessing elementary social studies (people and places, civics and government, geography, economics, and history). Resources that promote critical thinking, creativity and collaborative problem solving appropriate for all learners will be identified.
EL 802 Best Practices in Elementary Mathematics (3 hrs): Methods and content. How children learn is related to methods of teaching mathematics. The content includes that of modern mathematics in the elementary curricula and in research programs.
EL 803 Best Practices in Elementary Science (3 hrs): A self-paced sequence of laboratory activities which will increase the teacher's competence in (l) a sequence of problem solving laboratory skills in science, (2) designing, teaching, and revising entire units of science instruction for children. Options include planning children's science activities for entire year using one's own curriculum materials or materials from any or all of newer elementary science curriculum programs.
One elective selected from any other Instructional Specialist concentration: Students may choose one elective from any other concentration offered in the Instructional Specialist concentration.