Based upon a background of positive psychology (Seligman), and strengths psychology (Clifton) strength-based leadership emphasizes the development of employee strengths, rather than the remediation of individual weaknesses as a way of doing business. Using the framework of strength-based leadership, students will learn how to apply leadership theory in a way which promotes a culture of commitment, rather than simply compliance. Students will study their own strengths and how to build an educational community around the strengths of each employee to move their schools to greater academic achievement. Florida Leadership Standards will be addressed via a crosswalk of the strength-based approach to traditional leadership practice.
- Teacher: Angie Franklin
This course is designed to provide students with the necessary technical skills required for the classroom teacher of the twenty-first century. The course will orient students to contemporary frameworks for technology education and introduce students to technology based tools and media that support instruction, extend communication outside the classroom, enhance classroom management, and perform administrative routines more effectively.
- Teacher: Monica Johnson
In this course, students will explore and analyze various organizational, management, and instructional strategies that work best for educating culturally diverse students. While actively experiencing responsive education within a learning community, students will reflect on diverse cultural experiences to form a personal understanding as a basis to integrate multicultural school/classroom experiences to improve the academic success of all students by building on student personal strengths. The theory of “Multiple Intelligences” and current research available in educational neuroscience will be the basis for developing a plan for meeting student needs to enhance student cognitive, social, and emotional success through a nurturing school/classroom environment.
- Teacher: Heather White
This course explores a foundational overview of peace psychology principles focusing on the nature, cause, intervention, and prevention of the determinants of peace. Students will analyze how peace psychology can be applied to a variety of interpersonal settings, and to promote conflict resolution and create non-violent social environments.
- Teacher: Elena Rosemond
Students will explore various educational theorists such as Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Frobel, Montessori, Dewey, Piaget, and Gesell. Developmental Learning Theory, Behavioral Theory, Cognitive Theory, Holistic Theory, and Maturation Theory will be explored as students compare and analyze educational philosophies.
- Teacher: Julie Small
This is an introduction to the historical, cultural, and philosophical foundations of modern education, public, charter, and private, including Montessori education. Students will reflect upon and critique their own educational experiences and articulate their own beliefs and values about teaching, learning, and schooling. Students will also examine current and historical roles, expectations, stereotypes, and characterizations that define teaching, especially Montessori teaching, as a profession.
- Teacher: Jennifer Savage
This course is intended to offer a foundation in fundamental arithmetic and geometry concepts and skills. It is intended for students planning to work with preschool and elementary children. Topics include numeration, operations, fractions and decimals, powers and multiples, descriptive geometry, equivalence, area and volume, graphing, problem solving, math integration, history of numbers and mathematics, and basic number theory.
- Teacher: Miriam Magre Loren
This is a basic course designed to acquaint students with knowledge and skills necessary to create and successfully implement Montessori inspired activities, games and sports to promote health and wellness. Students will gain an understanding of the role of physical education in Montessori settings even if they are the classroom teacher. This includes curricular components and class approaches. The course will also include an orientation to concepts of PE specific observation, the structure of a typical PE class, providing feedback, encouraging participation, and using sports to teach interdisciplinary concepts.
- Teacher: Heather White
Students examine family life from historical and cultural perspectives, particularly its influence on the development of young children. A critical examination of the changing American family is central to this course. Strategies for effective parenting and educational interventions for working with young children and families from a variety of cultural settings are also emphasized. Throughout the course, students apply Montessori philosophy to their partnerships with families. Students will have opportunities to explore current issues addressing families including the changing role of fathers, the impact of economic stress on families, same sex parenting, grandparents raising grandchildren, and realistic expectations for family involvement in today’s Montessori school communities.
- Teacher: Elena Rosemond
This class will explore professional development strategies for teachers. Like young students, teachers move through different stages of professional development. The students will use reflective methods of actively conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating. They will discuss and understand five major aspects of guide’s professional growth – intellectual, physical, didactic, moral, and spiritual.
- Teacher: Kara Siegel
This course will examine eight key elements of what Montessori called Total Reading as it is taught in Montessori programs. These are Creating a Literacy Culture; Emergent Literacy; Working with Words and Grammar; Penmanship and Creative Writing; Passing from Writing to Reading; Oral Language, Vocabulary, and Fluency; Speaking; and Listening and Viewing. Each of these will be examined in terms of importance, and applicability. Special attention will be paid to materials and methods for implementing these areas in Montessori classrooms.
- Teacher: Debbie Couldrey
This course will allow participants to integrate foundational principles and strategies for leadership in the school that transcend classroom teaching. This will build on all of the learning that has been achieved throughout the master’s program. Specific areas to be addressed include application of leadership skills specific for a lead teacher, level lead, committee head, curriculum coordinator, board member, having a student teacher or practicum student, leading parent meetings and education sessions, and leading regular materials practice sessions or other peer coaching and instruction. The students will also learn to enlist parent support for their leadership management efforts. A framework for fostering cooperation, social skills, and a sense of community is generated, and guidelines for peace education are included.
- Teacher: Heather White
This required core course, a blend of both online and in-person class time, offers a thorough historical and philosophical examination of Montessori’s view of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of human life and development. A prerequisite or corequisite to all other courses after EDU 7020, this course introduces the program’s rigorous standards in writing, discussing, and presenting.
- Teacher: Jasmine Williams
This required core course introduces techniques for observing children in Early Childhood through Secondary settings. Students will learn how to use specific tools to observe children's development, activities, and use of classroom materials, as well as the environment, and teaching techniques. The course, which requires a 15-hour field experience in a classroom, also emphasizes the ways in which observation develops intellectual integrity, humility, and empathy, as well as a sense of justice and confidence in reason.
- Teacher: Krystal Perkins
This course consists of an experiential module. The student will participate in a four-week (minimum) self-guided, self-disciplined segment with a center that focuses on the student’s level of specialization. The student will examine, audit, and review the approved TEP. The student will then present findings and reflections on the experience that meet rigorous standards for clarity, accuracy, reasoning, depth, breadth, and fairness.
- Teacher: Elaine Blasi
Students are required to be registered for at least one dissertation course during each term during which they are preparing either the dissertation proposal or the final dissertation for committee presentation. This requirement remains in effect until the required 12 credits have been amassed and the dissertation is complete.
In this course, students will defend their dissertation proposal (Chapters 1-3) and complete the University’s IRB approval process prior to beginning data collection and analysis.
- Teacher: Heather Gerker
- Teacher: Ambar Saleh-Cipolloni
This course provides an introduction to research methods and exposition. Students will acquire fundamental skills in developing and conducting research through the creation of an effective research question, how to write a review of the literature, and develop an understanding of the principles of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In addition, students will gain an understanding of principles of data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of results.
- Teacher: Julie Small
This foundational course introduces and develops a frame of assumptions for strengths-based philosophy, as well as creates a framework for dealing with students from a strengths perspective. Originating from the fields of positive psychology, this course will familiarize students with elements of Seligman’s theory of Positive Psychology, Clifton’s Strengths perspectives, and Purkey’s Invitational Theory. Students will develop a new paradigm that will provide a differentiated lens to observe and evaluate students. The underlying assumption being that all students have talents and potential strengths that can provide a mechanism for performance excellence. Leaders are charged with assisting students in the discovery, development, and application of these strengths
- Teacher: Angie Franklin