This course serves as a pre-requisite to the school based research project and thesis. Students will examine current research on educational change, qualitative, quantitative, and technological methodologies in school-based action research, and various school improvement and change models. Students will learn how to evaluate school programs for continuous improvement, including curricular and instructional practices, professional development, athletics, co-curricular, technology, support services, and community involvement. Students will extend and reinforce their knowledge, skills, and competencies related to professional and educational practice through identification and preliminary research of an authentic school-based problem, which will be developed and completed during the implementation and thesis segment of the program.
This course examines the nature and development of curriculum, assessment procedures and strategies within a contemporary context. Models for curriculum design will include critical thinking, cooperative learning, constructivist instructional strategies, and brain-based concepts. Performance based tasks and assessments will be an additional focus. Issues relating to 21st century learning environments that include relevance and rigor within the context of authentic intellectual work will be addressed. Students will develop a personal view of how to develop curriculum in the twenty-first century using appropriate research methods.
This course is designed to introduce the concepts of change and action research and their importance in the field of education. The experience will provide a theoretical and practical foundation for contemporary educators with emphasis on the relationship among leadership; action research; pedagogy, and the implication for student learning. Students will gain additional insight into the characteristics of effective instruction and further enhance their ability to serve as exemplary teacher leaders in the Information Age. The overall learning experience is organized around an authentic performance task that allows students to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge and skills relevant to applied research and complex change. This overarching task will require students to work both individually and collaboratively on a research prospectus that will address an issue and ultimately serve to improve the performance of the school community within a critical area. The action plan will be presented in a multimedia format and supported by a summary. This course is meant as an overview of the action research process and its components. It serves as a foundation for later courses in which students will write an individual action research proposal and carry it out.