This course examines various ways of enhancing the young child's development through promoting positive interrelationships among child care providers, parents, and others in the community. Using an ecological systems framework, the course builds knowledge of the roles of diverse family structures, cultural identities, stressors and supports, economic circumstances, and community characteristics and resources in facilitating child development. Students develop skills needed for communicating effectively with families, facilitating parent education, and promoting family involvement with child care settings as well as utilization of community resources. NOTE: Prior completion of SOSC 675 Dynamics of Family Relationships is recommended.

This course provides an overview of the thirteen Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) educational disabilities and the opportunity to explore the implications of disability on learning. Students will develop knowledge of specific disabilities including: definition, diagnosis, etiology, prevalence, characteristics, adaptive behavior, and systems of support and resources. Students will explore how disability impacts learning and access to the general education curriculum. Students will research and identify teaching strategies, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies, interventions, and educational and assistive technologies to enhance learning and provide equity in the classroom for students with disabilities.

In this clinical course, students explore the theory of social-emotional development, preventative intervention strategies, and the characteristics of safe and supportive learning communities. Students examine specific strategies for motivating students and promoting positive relationships between colleagues, students, and parents in an effort to enhance learning. Students conduct a functional behavior assessment as they develop a comprehensive perspective on classroom culture through the development of proactive management skills and intervention strategies.

Technology is a necessary tool in teaching today's youth. In this clinical course, students focus on developing three broad skills: (1) how to design and teach an integrated social studies unit that challenges and assists K-8 students to think deeply, (2) how to incorporate into the plan a wide range of mostly constructivist instructional strategies, and (3) how to integrate a rich array of technology tools and digital educational content in a way that amplifies student learning.