This course is for people interested in teaching in schools and/or community agencies serving multilingual populations. Topics include: theories of first and second language acquisition, translanguaging, language policies and laws, strategies for teaching academic content to emerging bilinguals in mainstream classroom, creating classroom/school cultures that invite all students into learning, and the role of advocacy and professional collaboration in linguistically diverse public schools. In addition to designing and exploring a variety of teaching activities and techniques, students conduct a rich collection of field assignments including interviewing bi-/multilingual adults; visiting community agencies; and collaboratively designing community engagement activities.

This course examines the role and responsibility of the elementary educator as an advocate for, and educator of, students with diverse learning needs. Methods and structure to enable educators to understand, engage, and respond to the challenges presented within an academically diverse classroom are addressed. Special focus is given to research and applications for facilitating emergent literacies and social, emotional and behavioral development.

Needs of children (birth to eight years) with developmental delays or who are at risk for disabilities. Strengths and special needs of such children; causes, identification, and treatment; current legislation; parent and family concerns; program models.

Learning in formal and informal contexts and cultural aspects of learning and development with an emphasis on childhood and adolescence. Theories of learning including behaviorism, constructivism, sociocultural, and design perspectives. Topics include research and varied cultural perspectives on intelligence, motivation, identity and the self, concept learning and knowledge, noncognitive aspects of learning, social and emotional learning, deficit thinking and social justice perspectives, design-based perspectives on educational innovation, and assessment.