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
Students will investigate the impact of school law on the rights of students and educators as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and will include federal and state statutes and regulations (state and federal statutory and regulatory provisions) as well as tort and contract liability as they influence public education. Students will explore federal and state regulations covering specific processes and procedures when working with parents, students and educators.
- Teacher: Gerardo Leal
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: Ayize Sabater
In this course, students will explore brain research to examine developments in the field of neuroscience, and how these new understandings about the brain and learning can influence classroom practices. Class participants will actively construct their own learning making it personally relevant to their various teaching settings. Topics to be explored include how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information, art infused across the content areas, processes involved in higher order thinking and learning, transfer of learning, and critical thinking.
- Teacher: Elena Rosemond
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: Debbie Couldrey
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
How did language come to be? Are we shaped by our words, or do we shape words to fit our understanding of the world? Beginning by looking at what defines “language,” this course introduces the study of human language, explores the history and development of human language, language families, and language relationships. We will look at how language changes over time as well as other key topics in the field.
- Teacher: Monica Johnson
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: Ranna Raval
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 course offers an overview of the Montessori Cosmic program and the five Cosmic themes—the universe, life, humanity, communications, and math—and answers the fundamental questions: what does cosmic mean? What does the cosmic curriculum encompass? What are its elements? In defining the five Cosmic themes, the course explores how they develop from seeds planted in Early Childhood into the Great Lessons of Elementary and extensions in Secondary that naturally teach practical life skills, characteristics of gratitude and appreciation, and values such as honesty, fairness, and cooperation.
- Teacher: Adam Darlage
This course introduces the assumptions, theories, and processes of qualitative inquiry in order to provide advanced graduate students with necessary theoretical foundations and to enhance their abilities to conduct qualitative research and evaluation.
- Teacher: Savannah Thomas
This course will provide an in-depth study of adult education theory and the evolving practice as they relate to education pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy. The planes of growth, including the biological, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, shall be discussed from conception through the lifespan. The emphasis will be on theory to practice as they relate to individual perception and practical application of development principles across career paths, higher education, and into professional development. Topics will include adult and traditional learning, self-directed learning, transformative learning, experiential learning, motivation theory, cognitive development, and critical thinking.
- Teacher: KaLinda Bass-Barlow
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.
- 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
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