The current field of special education was established by law and further refined through the courts in litigation. In this writing intensive class, students trace the historical development of federal, state, and local laws and regulations such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the New Hampshire Standards for the Education of Students with Disabilities. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between constitutional law, statutory law, regulatory law, and case law as it relates to current special education law. The focus on policies and procedures provides the background future teachers and paraprofessionals need to fulfill their legal and ethical responsibilities and to understand the ever changing, complex nature of special education law.

In this clinical course, students examine basic principles and components of life skills that children need as foundation for the development of positive social skills, e.g., attachment, affiliation, self-regulation, initiative, problem solving, and respect. The student develops and implements a variety of activities and lesson plans to teach young children these critical life skills. Students develop strategies to be used with young children receiving early intervention services and/or to motivate young children in their preschool programs/classrooms by facilitating the development of positive peer relationships, addressing emotional needs, and minimizing disruptions resulting in increased learning. The student documents the use of individual activities and/or classroom strategies in a professional portfolio. Fifty to sixty supervised clinical hours are required.

In this clinical course, students focus on STEM content, effective practice, instructional strategies, materials and curriculum integration, based on standards, inquiry, and connections to the real world. STEM concepts of curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking are researched and explored. Students will learn about the Scientific Method, as well as the roles of observation, classification, description, experimentation, application, and imagination. Students will learn how to use technology and interactive media in the early childhood classroom to support learning. The role of engineering in the curriculum will be investigated, including design of methods and ideas for product development. Students will understand and apply math process standards of problem-solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connection, and representation. The course emphasizes application of principles in order to investigate and create experiences which employ STEM concepts and teaching strategies.

In this clinical course, students examine, develop, and evaluate developmentally appropriate curriculum and instruction in early childhood and special education settings, for young children age five (kindergarten) through age eight (grade 3). Students use district and state curriculum and integrate subjects with one another. Students develop skills to create and advocate for healthy, supportive, respectful, and challenging learning environments for all children, ages five through eight.