Concordia
Concordia students will be prepared to face life’s unscripted challenges and thoughtfully influence the affairs of the world.
Enhance your pedagogical knowledge and skills to develop innovative curricula and learning activities, through relevant coursework.
The Teaching & Learning concentration consists of 34 credits, completed in 2 years.
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| EDUC 600 Impactful Practices in the Classroom 4 Credits |
This course contains the professional body of knowledge necessary for the effective teaching of diverse learners for student success. It focuses on understanding theories and strategies that address the needs of a diverse population that compose today's classrooms in the public school systems. Included in this course will be diversity issues, planning techniques, effective teaching strategies, differentiated instructional and assessment strategies, motivational concepts, and informal and formal assessment practices. Most importantly, this course is focused on practices that impact student learning positively and engage students in the content. |
| EDUC 612 Meaningful Assessment Practices 4 Credits |
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the principles of assessment and the challenges of evaluation. Students will discuss the theoretical and practical foundations in learner-centered and performance-based assessments. The role of national and state standards in assessing language learning will be presented. Students will examine a variety of assessment tools and their use in providing meaningful feedback to both teachers and students. |
| EDUC 604 Motivating Students via Technology 2 Credits |
Students will discuss how technology can be used in the second language classroom to motivate language learners. Through observations and discussions of how technology is used at the Language Villages, students will design a unit of instruction incorporating technology. |
| EDUC 610 Social & Emotional Elements of Learning 4 Credits |
This course focuses on the social and emotional needs of K-12 learners in today's classrooms. Teachers will gain both a deeper understanding of complex emotional and behavioral issues, and a clear sense of how to apply principles of social and emotional learning to students in their own classrooms. |
| EDUC 620 Critical Pedagogy & Equity 4 Credits |
This course examines social, environmental and ecological justice in educational settings. Power inequalities in society shape these injustices in ways that are systemic and structural but also personal. The study of social, environmental and ecological justice and then planning curriculum and teaching accordingly is a core feature of the curriculum. |
| EDUC 602 Educational Research 4 Credits |
Students will be introduced to the vocabulary, theory, primary principles, methods and techniques of qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry. Students will read and review a variety of research articles related to second language methodologies. |
| EDUC 624 Special Topics in Education 2 Credits |
Summer 2024 | AI in Education Introduction to AI in Education is a course designed to equip educators, instructional designers, and educational technology professionals with foundational knowledge and practical skills in artificial intelligence (AI) applications within educational contexts. This course covers the theoretical underpinnings of AI, including machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics, while emphasizing their implications for personalized learning, assessment, and instructional design. Participants will engage with case studies of AI implementation in diverse educational settings, explore ethical considerations surrounding AI in education, and develop competencies in designing AI-enhanced learning experiences. Through a blend of hands-on projects and collaborative discussions, students will critically evaluate the potential of AI to transform teaching and learning practices, preparing them to lead innovative educational initiatives in the digital age. |
| EDUC 626 Effective Approaches to Teaching English Learners in the Classroom 4 Credits |
In this course, students will investigate and evaluate a variety of approaches for supporting English learners such as translanguaging, assessment in both the L1 and L2, phonemic awareness and decoding, acquisition of vocabulary, and explicit versus interactive teaching. |
| EDUC 690 Online Seminar 2 Credits |
Students will participate in an online seminar to work on their thesis with their faculty adviser and to share progress with others who are working on their thesis. Instruction will be provided in online units that will vary according to the students' needs and the topics of the thesis. |
| EDUC 699 Research Thesis or Professional Project 4 Credits |
The thesis will be a written work of publishable quality. Students may choose from one of three options for their thesis: Curriculum project, research thesis, or literature review. All options are intended to be meaningful and rigorous. Finished work should be approximately 50 pages with additional pages containing references and appendices. |
| EDUC 600 Impactful Practices in the Classroom 4 Credits |
This course contains the professional body of knowledge necessary for the effective teaching of diverse learners for student success. It focuses on understanding theories and strategies that address the needs of a diverse population that compose today's classrooms in the public school systems. Included in this course will be diversity issues, planning techniques, effective teaching strategies, differentiated instructional and assessment strategies, motivational concepts, and informal and formal assessment practices. Most importantly, this course is focused on practices that impact student learning positively and engage students in the content. |
| EDUC 610 Social & Emotional Elements of Learning 4 Credits |
This course focuses on the social and emotional needs of K-12 learners in today's classrooms. Teachers will gain both a deeper understanding of complex emotional and behavioral issues, and a clear sense of how to apply principles of social and emotional learning to students in their own classrooms. |
| EDUC 620 Critical Pedagogy & Equity 4 Credits |
This course examines social, environmental and ecological justice in educational settings. Power inequalities in society shape these injustices in ways that are systemic and structural but also personal. The study of social, environmental and ecological justice and then planning curriculum and teaching accordingly is a core feature of the curriculum. |
| EDUC 604 Motivating Students via Technology 2 Credits |
Students will discuss how technology can be used in the second language classroom to motivate language learners. Through observations and discussions of how technology is used at the Language Villages, students will design a unit of instruction incorporating technology. |
| EDUC 612 Meaningful Assessment Practices 4 Credits |
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the principles of assessment and the challenges of evaluation. Students will discuss the theoretical and practical foundations in learner-centered and performance-based assessments. The role of national and state standards in assessing language learning will be presented. Students will examine a variety of assessment tools and their use in providing meaningful feedback to both teachers and students. |
| EDUC 626 Effective Approaches to Teaching English Learners in the Classroom 4 Credits |
In this course, students will investigate and evaluate a variety of approaches for supporting English learners such as translanguaging, assessment in both the L1 and L2, phonemic awareness and decoding, acquisition of vocabulary, and explicit versus interactive teaching. |
| EDUC 610 Social & Emotional Elements of Learning 4 Credits |
This course focuses on the social and emotional needs of K-12 learners in today's classrooms. Teachers will gain both a deeper understanding of complex emotional and behavioral issues, and a clear sense of how to apply principles of social and emotional learning to students in their own classrooms. |
| EDUC 620 Critical Pedagogy & Equity 4 Credits |
This course examines social, environmental and ecological justice in educational settings. Power inequalities in society shape these injustices in ways that are systemic and structural but also personal. The study of social, environmental and ecological justice and then planning curriculum and teaching accordingly is a core feature of the curriculum. |
| EDUC 602 Introduction to Quantitative & Qualitative Research 4 Credits |
Students will be introduced to the vocabulary, theory, primary principles, methods and techniques of qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry. Students will read and review a variety of research articles related to second language methodologies. |
| EDUC 690 Online Seminar 2 Credits |
Students will participate in an online seminar to work on their thesis with their faculty adviser and to share progress with others who are working on their thesis. Instruction will be provided in online units that will vary according to the students' needs and the topics of the thesis. |
| EDUC 699 Research Thesis or Professional Project 4 Credits |
The thesis will be a written work of publishable quality. Students may choose from one of three options for their thesis: Curriculum project, research thesis, or literature review. All options are intended to be meaningful and rigorous. Finished work should be approximately 50 pages with additional pages containing references and appendices. |
| EDUC 698 Continuing Registration 1 Credit |
This credit is used for registration after all course requirements are completed or when a student is not otherwise actively enrolled. Students must register for at least one semester credit in the term in which the oral examination is scheduled. |
The research thesis or professional project will be a written work of publishable quality. The options below are intended to be meaningful and rigorous. All projects should be approximately 50 pages with additional pages containing references and appendices.
Option 1: Curriculum Project
Description:
The curriculum project is designed to allow teachers to apply knowledge from the program and evidence from research and literature from the field to their own curriculum and context. In order to do this, they will build the curriculum project around content they are teaching in one of their classes. The ultimate purpose of this project is to demonstrate your ability to, a.) plan instruction that is congruent with current literature on best practices; b.) implement evidence‐based instructional practices (in other words, be able to justify your instructional decisions); c.) Reflect upon key learnings from creating the curriculum for this project.
Option 2: Research Thesis
*This option is recommended for anyone who is considering continuing their graduate studies and earning a terminal degree.
Description:
This is a carefully written scholarly paper of approximately 50 pages that contains documentation from primary and/or secondary sources and involves data collection. The thesis must demonstrate a sound research design of a quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods nature. The focus should fall within the field of education and is often specific to the content area you teach.
Option 3: Literature Review
Description: In this project option, students will write a 50-page (approximately) literature review. This is an appropriate project for a student who enjoys reading and synthesizing research and literature and has a desire to dig more deeply into a particular topic. Concordia College faculty from a wide range of disciplines serve as advisors throughout the thesis process. The expertise and special interests of the faculty are matched to the topics in pairing cohort members with an advisor.
Completion Process:
A final, edited copy (PDF) of your capstone project must be submitted to the program director in order to gather signatures and to receive a final check from the program. When all signatures have been gathered, a final signed version of your capstone will be sent to you.
You may choose to order hard copies of your project through HF Group (formerly Houchen Bindery), a company Concordia has worked with for years to produce hard copies of capstone projects.
Visit the HF Group website to begin the order process. You will send them the signed PDF version of your capstone.
Understand the costs and fees related to the program. Find information for financial aid.
learn moreOur exceptional Concordia College faculty have rich educational backgrounds and a variety of teaching experiences.
meetConcordia students will be prepared to face life’s unscripted challenges and thoughtfully influence the affairs of the world.
Contact the admission team at MasterEd@cord.edu with questions about the program.
Learn more about Concordia's education department.