An exploration of a variety of philosophical and historical approaches to the study of education and youth are integrated throughout this class. Students’ own educational experiences are taken into consideration through digital stories. These student experiences, in school and out of school, as well as the students’ developmental histories and personal philosophies, are considered in their relation to each other, as sources of knowledge and understanding. Students read and write about philosophers and theorists from a broad range of traditions, periods, and places. Integrated with philosophical explorations, students undertake historical investigations of schooling youth; this course focuses on the history of the U.S. and the development of ideas of democratic schooling in contexts of inequality. These explorations also include investigating how media and propaganda impact societal norms and influence education and youth. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism, and (dis)able bodies. In their writing and face-to-face interactions, students are strongly encouraged to employ philosophical and historical methodologies for their own self-expression. (5T) Offered each fall and alternate spring semesters.

In this course, students explore psychological frameworks related to the process of learning, with a focus on teaching methods, instructional processes, and individual differences in learning. Additionally, this course explores the impact of trauma on learning and the journey towards radical healing. The following psychological frameworks serve as the lenses through which students seek to explore, understand, assess, and create alternative learning environments: cognitive psychology, trauma psychology, and the psychology of radical healing. This course is designed as a seminar. Thus, students are expected to participate actively in discussions while holding themselves accountable for their realizations of and connections to the processes of learning, the impact of trauma on these processes, and the importance of radical healing in addressing trauma. Students are encouraged to apply their understanding of these processes to their own analyses. Alternative learning practices including healing circles, group assessments, and evaluative exploration of curriculum are employed. (3B) Offered each fall and alternate spring terms.

An exploration of major theories and significant research on the development and explanation of social and cultural differences and how they affect the lives and education of youth. The course will investigate student diversity, with special attention to race, class, gender, language, and the inclusion of students with special needs in general education. Issues are examined mainly through the lenses of sociology, anthropology, and education and youth policy. Using the theories and methodologies of these disciplines, students will critically examine how and why race, class, language, ability and disability, and gender have influenced education. (3B) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies.) Offered each spring and alternate fall semesters.

In this seminar, we explore comparative and international perspectives on education and youth studies by focusing on readings that primarily address comparative methodology, including the questions, what is comparative education, and why and how we compare. A prominent theme in our reading is globalization and localization, what it means and how it influences our intellectual and social landscapes, our teaching and research approaches, how we borrow and lend educational ideas, and the way we are connected to each other. We explore how particular kinds of comparative literature might shape public policy as well as our teaching and learning. Through a close examination of comparative methodologies and reading of case studies from different cultures and societies, students learn to position domestic issues on youth and education such as language, inclusion, choice, race/ethnicity, class, gender and beyond, in the global context. We also aim to draw implications for the improvement of policies related to teacher education and curriculum and pedagogy from international comparisons. Our class is largely discussion based with class participants responsible for guiding our analyses of case studies and comparative methodology in part by sharing weekly reading response and through group presentation projects. The class also incorporates other multi-media sources such as podcasts and videos to help enrich our understandings of the issues we study. (3B) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies 267 and Political Science 205.) Offered each fall.

This course is designed for students who are interested in teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). It includes foundational information on the theories, contexts, and methodology of language acquisition, as well as an overview of current socio-political issues related to teaching English abroad. Students will examine, discuss, and apply aspects of the following topics: intercultural communication, curriculum development and lesson planning, skill-based methodology, language assessment, materials critiques, computer/technology-aided learning, resource development, classroom research, and socio-cultural theory. Field experience, classroom observations, and practice teaching are included. Offered each spring. Prerequisite: sophomore standing and at least one semester of language study that is not their mother tongue/first language.

Students in this course learn about theories of math learning related to qualitative and quantitative reasoning, best practices for math teaching, how to support learning through math rigor (build conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and apply math to the world) with a focus on sociocultural theories; cognitive processes underlying math literacy (including the development of language, number sense, and symbolic communication of math); pedagogies of math; use of data and statistics in education and curriculum; and the roles of technology in math learning contexts. Students in this course design lesson plans that are aligned with Math Common Core State Standards that promote culturally relevant and inclusive learning experiences for students from diverse backgrounds. The course includes attention to pupils with diverse social, intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities, as well as how to differentiate learning through multiple levels of support. EDYS students observe classrooms with students at different ages engaged in a variety of mathematical and science activities and undertake an independent participant/observation research project in a relevant setting of their choice. Prerequisites: Two 100-level Education and Youth Studies courses. Students should take this course and Education and Youth Studies 256 during the same semester.

Students in this course learn about theories of science learning related to qualitative and quantitative reasoning, best practices for science teaching, understanding of disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices; procedural knowledge with a focus on sociocultural theories; cognitive processes underlying literacy and language with science; pedagogies of science; use of data and statistics in education and curriculum; and the roles of technology in quantitative contexts. Students in this course design lesson plans that are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and intentionally connected to Math and ELA Common Core State Standards that promote culturally relevant and inclusive learning experiences for students from diverse backgrounds. The course includes attention to pupils with diverse social, intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities, as well as different levels of opportunity to learn. EDYS students observe classrooms with pupils at different ages engaged in a variety of mathematical and science activities and undertake an independent participant/observation research project in a relevant setting of their choice. Prerequisites: Two 100-level Education and Youth Studies courses. Students should take this course and Education and Youth Studies 255 during the same semester.

This course is a theoretical and practical investigation into literacies and associated literatures across various curriculum, focused on children and youth in regular and special education settings, from primary to high school. Students learn about the acquisition/application of reading and writing ability, including emergent literacy, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, in the contexts of linguistic and sociocultural diversity. Students explore a wide range of literature — fiction and non-fiction — drawn from a range of disciplines and potential age levels. Students also learn about individual differences in reading and writing development, including learning disabilities. The course includes attention to academic language across disciplines and age levels. Students explore reading and writing pedagogies through observation and practice teaching of student placements in different subjects and engage in a variety of literacy activities for approximately 20 hours at a local school. Prerequisites: two 100-level Education and Youth Studies courses. Students should take this course and Education and Youth Studies 266 during the same semester.

This course is a theoretical and practical investigation into interdisciplinary approaches to Social Studies instruction, pedagogy, and content standards. Students become civically engaged educational problem-solvers who critically examine their roles in local, regional, state, national, and global communities and how that applies to social studies instruction in the classroom. Through studying and applying the individual disciplines of social studies (behavioral sciences, economics, geography, history, and political science), students learn how to support and develop lifelong learners as future teachers who can collaborate and thrive in our interdependent world. Students also learn about applying literacy and other related disciplines to social studies instruction. Students learn about how to address individual differences in social studies content development and ways to support a diverse group of learners. Students explore social studies pedagogies through observation and practice teaching student placements in various classrooms and engage in various Social Studies activities for approximately 15 hours at a local school. Prerequisites: two 100-level Education and Youth Studies courses. Students should take this course and Education and Youth Studies 265 during the same semester.

Courses offered under this rubric address a wide range of questions central to education and youth studies, from different disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Pedagogical approaches also vary according to instructor and topic. Recent offerings, for example, have focused on East Asian education, youth involvement in U.S. labor history, racial dynamics of Romani education, gender and education, environmental justice, mindfulness and adolescent development, African coming-of-age literature, et al. Nearly all offerings under this rubric are explicitly oriented toward the understanding of issues of inequality, injustice, and critical difference. Each offering of the course provides an introduction to, and practical experience with, the methodologies of inquiry specific to the discipline/topic under study. May be taken for credit more than once, with different topics. Offered three times each year. Prerequisite: varies by topic.

Students participate in pre-K to high school classrooms as teaching apprentices, in conjunction with an ongoing workshop devoted to learning about planning, instruction, and assessment. One unit requires a minimum of eight hours weekly in a classroom setting—a total of approximately 120 hours—with the goal of high-quality independent teaching, under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and a college supervisor. All practica take place in local schools that feature significant socio-cultural diversity and offer experience working with a wide range of atypical students in mainstream and special settings. Students are placed in classrooms corresponding to eventual teaching interests, leading in most cases to students teaching. Students aspiring to obtain certification should undertake teaching experiences with children/youth at two different levels of schooling, e.g. high school and middle school. The goal of the workshop will be the completion of a short version of the Educational Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), the equivalent to a field-based research project, requiring a written report of approximately 25 pages. Students may take this course twice, with different placements. Offered each semester. Prerequisite: junior status, and Education and Youth Studies 252 and/or 262.

Students will participate in an 18-week, full-time teaching experience in an elementary school with responsibilities for lesson planning, teaching, and evaluation, in addition to parent-teacher conferences, department meetings, and extracurricular activities. A cooperating teacher in students’ respective disciplines and a Beloit College supervisor will mentor students to help develop professional teaching habits and evaluate student teaching progress. Students will meet as a group at least once monthly on campus to discuss teaching experiences, and to work on edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment). Successful submission of edTPA, as well as passing scores on other tests required by the Department of Public Instruction, are required for certification in Wisconsin. Students may complete student teaching locally or petition to teach elsewhere. Prerequisite: senior of 9th-term status; Education and youth Studies major completed or in progress; grades of B or better in Education and Youth Studies 252, 262, and 2 units of 300; and consent of department. Course fee of $350 for official edTPA scoring. Additional fees for supervision when students teaching outside of local area.

Students will participate in an 18-week, full-time teaching experience in a middle or intermediate school with responsibilities for lesson planning, teaching, and evaluation, in addition to parent-teacher conferences, department meetings, and extracurricular activities. A cooperating teacher in students’ respective disciplines and a Beloit College supervisor will mentor students to help develop professional teaching habits and evaluate student teaching progress. Students will meet as a group at least once monthly on campus to discuss teaching experiences, and to work on edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment). Successful submission of edTPA, as well as passing scores on other tests required by the Department of Public Instruction, are required for certification in Wisconsin. Students may complete student teaching locally or petition to teach elsewhere. Prerequisite: senior of 9th-term status; Education and youth Studies major completed or in progress; grades of B or better in Education and Youth Studies 252, 262, and 2 units of 300; and consent of department. Course fee of $350 for official edTPA scoring. Additional fees for supervision when students teaching outside of local area.

Students will participate in an 18-week, full-time teaching experience in a high school with responsibilities for lesson planning, teaching, and evaluation, in addition to parent-teacher conferences, department meetings, and extracurricular activities. A cooperating teacher in students’ respective disciplines and a Beloit College supervisor will mentor students to help develop professional teaching habits and evaluate student teaching progress. Students will meet as a group at least once monthly on campus to discuss teaching experiences, and to work on edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment). Successful submission of edTPA, as well as passing scores on other tests required by the Department of Public Instruction, are required for certification in Wisconsin. Students may complete student teaching locally or petition to teach elsewhere. Prerequisite: senior of 9th-term status; Education and youth Studies major completed or in progress; grades of B or better in Education and Youth Studies 252, 262, and 2 units of 300; and consent of department. Course fee of $350 for official edTPA scoring. Additional fees for supervision when students teaching outside of local area.

The purpose of this course is to develop understanding and practical expertise in qualitative inquiry into a broad range of contemporary issues in education and youth studies. Students develop proposals for field-based research; learn about the relevant methods of inquiry for their chosen topics and settings; undertake supervised research in local settings; and write a final report of their experience/findings. In regular meetings of the entire class, small-scale group research projects are developed and executed, individual research proposals are presented and critiqued, and methods of inquiry are studied. Students are strongly encouraged to develop research projects that feature exploration of social justice issues, and to seek commensurate field placements. Students also work collaboratively on the composition of their written research reports. The class also includes a more individualized component, in which students work with the instructor and their field supervisor to carry out their own research projects. Offered each semester. Prerequisite: junior standing and either Education and Youth Studies 276 or Education and Youth Studies 252 and Data Science & Data Analytics 210.

Seniors reflect together with the instructor on issues in education and youth studies encountered over their undergraduate career. The class undertakes the joint study of a topic of common interest, producing a volume of writing that represents each student’s contribution to this study. Students also discuss post-graduate plans and opportunities. Individually, students synthesize in writing, and by other means, the portfolio they have assembled in their courses, along with recollections and records of related experiences, i.e. off-campus study and internships. Students are responsible for the completion of a substantive capstone project that represents, in most cases, their teaching experiences and/or research in Education and Youth Studies 300 and 306, respectively. All students present some version of their capstone projects publicly: in a college symposium, in departmental symposia, in another Education and Youth Studies course, or off-campus, in a school or agency, for example. (CP) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: senior standing, Education and Youth studies major or minor, Education and Youth Studies 300 or 306.

Individual research work to further specific student interest/expertise, under faculty supervision. Research may entail reading and writing, field or other kind of empirical research, skill-building, practical pursuits (building a website or organizing an off-campus event, for example), or (preferably) some combination of above. Prerequisite: Education and Youth studies major or minor, sophomore standing.

Work with faculty member in classroom instruction. Graded credit/no credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Course and curriculum development projects with faculty member(s). Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Assistance to an education and youth studies faculty member in scholarly research. Prerequisite: education and youth studies major and departmental approval.