2007-2008 UNK Catalog/ TE Courses

Offered by Department of Teacher Education
College of Education

TE Courses

TE 100 - Teaching in a Democratic Society - 3 hours: Prereq: none
The first course for all teacher education majors. The key course themes are democracy, diversity, and technology. Current educational issues will be explored. The course includes a field experience in K-12 school sites and, also, includes a community service learning component. Concurrent enrollment in a matched section of PSCI 110 is encouraged.

TE 204 - Typical/Atypical Growth and Development - 4 hours: Prereq: none
This course is one of the two required for Level II education majors. Students will become aware of human growth/development and exceptionalities. As students explore these areas, they will also be made aware of the necessity to adapt to the changes brought to the classroom via diversity. Students will be involved in K-12 field experiences that will provide them opportunities to observe student development, exceptionalities, and diversity.
TE 206 - Instructional Technology and the Preservice Teacher - 3 hours: Prereq: none
This course will introduce preservice teachers to a variety of technologies and strategies for their use in the instructional process to accommodate diverse students. Preservice teachers will comprehend and model ethical and democratic principles of instructional technology integration in their classrooms. One course requirement is a P-12 school-based project.

TE 306 - Reading and Inclusion in K-12 Classrooms - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
This course is designed to introduce practical techniques for teaching reading and inclusive methods for learners with exceptionalities in content areas. Content area reading instruction and effective inclusive practices for both elementary and secondary students will be addressed.
TE 311 - Math Methods I - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 100
Co-Requisite: MATH 230, TE 313
This course focuses on the teaching of mathematics in an elementary classroom setting. The philosophy of teaching mathematics, as advocated by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will be introduced. The teaching methodology will center on the mathematical content strands of number/operation and algebra as well as the process strands of problem solving, making connections, and reasoning.
TE 312 - Math Methods II - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 311 * and either TE 318 * or TE 472, Admission to TE
Co-Requisite: MATH 330, TE 313
This course focuses on the teaching of mathematics in an elementary classroom setting. The philosophy of teaching mathematics, as advocated by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will be emphasized. The teaching methodology will center on mathematics content strands of number/operation, geometry/measurement, and data analysis and probability.
TE 313 - Field Experience: Math - 0.5 hours: Prereq: none
Co-Requisite: TE 311 ** or TE 312 *
The course is designed to provide practical application of effective mathematics instructional skills and assessment techniques. Students will be placed in one or more elementary classroom settings for a total of fifty (50) clock hours. Students will develop and implement math activities, lessons plans, and assessment procedures with individual students, small groups, and the entire class.
TE 314 - Phonics and Word Study - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 315, TE 316, TE 317
This is a two-credit undergraduate course designed to teach phonics/word study skill instruction in inclusive K-6 classrooms. The course will emphasize phonemic awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, and spelling in a balanced literacy program.
TE 315 - Literacy Assessment - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 314, TE 316, TE 317
This course emphasizes the assessment of literacy in grades kindergarten through three. The teacher candidate will learn how to administer and interpret assessments of reading and writing ability.
TE 316 - Primary Grades Literacy - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 314, TE 315, TE 317
This course focuses on the teaching of literacy in the primary grades (K-3). The course will emphasize a balanced literacy perspective for the development of reading and writing abilities by primary age children in the inclusive primary grades classroom.
TE 317 - Field Experience: Literacy - 1 hour: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 314, TE 315, TE 316
The course is designed to provide practical application of effective primary literacy instructional skills and assessment techniques. Students will be placed in one or more elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 3) classroom settings for a total of fifty (50) clock hours. Students will develop and implement primary literacy lessons plans and assessment procedures.
TE 318 - Management and Assessment in Preschool/Elementary Classrooms - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 100
This course is designed to prepare students for the challenges of effectively managing the classroom and assessing student progress. The course emphasizes: planning, preparing, establishing routines, monitoring and managing student behavior, aligning standards-based assessments, determining assessment alternatives, and interpreting assessment results.
TE 319 - Management and Assessment in K-12/Secondary Classrooms - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 320 or PE 471 or CDIS 311 or ART 371 or MUS 469
This course is designed to prepare students pursuing K-12/Secondary endorsements for the considerable challenges of effectively planning and designing classroom instruction, assessing student progress toward defined objectives and managing student behavior. The course will emphasize: planning and preparation, standards-based instruction, assessment alternatives, creating quality assessment tools, standardized testing, interpreting assessment results, and managing student behavior in a variety of K-12 settings.
TE 320 - Field Experience in Secondary Classroom - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
This 50 clock hour minimum field-based experience is designed to induct students K-12/Secondary endorsements into classroom teaching and develop an awareness of the many roles of a professional K-12/Secondary educator. Under the mentorship of a middle/secondary educator, students will progress through a three-stage process including assisting, co-teaching, and limited teaching. Students will also be required to engage in a variety of school-related activities commonly encountered by professional educators.
TE 323 - Partnerships with Families - 1 hour: Prereq: TE 100
This course concentrates on the teacher's role in building successful relationships between families, educators, schools, and communities. Concrete strategies for increasing respectful, successful family-school partnerships that enhance children's school success will be emphasized.
TE 327 - Introduction to Language Minority Students - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 204
The purpose of this course is to provide the prospective entry-level teacher with information relating to changing demographics underlying the presence of language minority students in the public schools, the acculturation process, the terminology of second language education, legal issues for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students, and program models designed to serve them. Special attention is given to identifying the attitudes, skills, and behaviors which the monolingual classroom teacher needs to develop in order to effectively teach language minority students.
TE 328 - Content Methods in English as a Second Language - 3 hours: Prereq: TE 204
This course is designed to provide classroom and English Second Language (ESL) teachers with knowledge and skills necessary to work with ELLs in mainstream classrooms or in pull-out, sheltered, newcomer, or structured English immersion programs. The aim is to satisfy the twin goals of learning social (BICS) and academic (CALPS) English while not allowing students to fall behind in content instruction.
TE 329 - Educational Assessment of ESL Students - 3 hours: Prereq: TE 204
This course is designed to prepare the ESL classroom teacher to organize and implement an appropriate ESL assessment program in a public school. While the course will review principles of measurement and interpretation of current educational tests (intelligent, achievement, language proficiency, and adjustment scales), special emphasis will be placed on other areas as well: cross-cultural communication which include parent-teacher conferences, home visits, and promoting cultural understanding in the classroom; the development of alternative and equitable forms of assessment (authentic, portfolio, and curriculum assessment); and the implementation of a program including hands-on testing practice, the placement of students within an ESL program (or in the regular classroom), and the justification of the program to both regular classroom teachers and administrators.
TE 331 - Intermediate Literacy - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
This is a reading class designed for undergraduate students seeking an endorsement in Elementary Education or for those students seeking a Middle School Endorsement. This course will emphasize the following: the development of literacy skills in the intermediate child including comprehension skill development, vocabulary development and fluency development in narrative and expository text. The class will emphasize a balanced approach to reading instruction. A variety of theoretical approaches will be explored.
TE 332 - Collaboration, Consultation, and Teamwork - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 323 * or FSID 371
This course is designed to prepare educators for collaborative consultation and teamwork in serving the educational needs of students, families, educators and communities. Skills for communication, collaboration, and team building are practiced.
TE 341 - Foundations of Early Childhood Education - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 100 or FSID 250 or FSID 253
The focus of this introductory course is on historical and philosophical developments in the care and education of children with typical and atypical development, birth through age eight. Legal basis of services for young children and current social issues and legislation are studied. Components of appropriate screening and assessment of all young children will be identified. Students are introduced to the range of children served and services provided in a variety of settings. This course is the prerequisite for other early childhood courses.
TE 342 - Literacy Methods for the Preschool Teacher - 2 hours: Prereq: TE 204 or FSID 250 or FSID 253
This course will emphasize the role of the preschool teacher in the literacy development of children birth through age 5.
TE 343 - Methods of Inclusive Education Birth through Age 3 - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 345
This course is designed to provide students with the experiential knowledge and practical skills necessary to select, evaluate, develop, adapt, and implement developmentally appropriate inclusive instructional strategies for infants and toddlers birth through age three across developmental domain areas. Students will focus on arranging inclusive environments, monitoring children's progress, working with IFSP's, and embedding inclusive teaching strategies within the context of developmentally appropriate curriculum materials to maximize healthy development and learning for infants and toddlers with and without disabilities.
TE 344 - Methods of Inclusive Education Ages 4 through 8 - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 345
This course is designed to provide students with experiential knowledge and practical skills necessary to select, evaluate, develop, and adapt, and implement developmentally appropriate inclusive instructional strategies for young children from age four through eight across curriculum areas. Students will focus on arranging inclusive environments, monitoring children's progress, working with IEP's , and embedding inclusive teaching strategies within the context of developmentally appropriate curriculum materials to maximize healthy development and learning for young children with and without disabilities.
TE 345 - Field Experience: Early Childhood Unified - 0.5 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 343 or TE 344
This course is designed to provide practical application of integrated, inclusive instructional strategies and assessment procedures for all young children birth through age eight. Students will be placed in early childhood teaching environments with children birth through age eight including children with disabilities. The experiences shall consist of 25 clock hours with 20% of the hours (5 hours) in settings with children with a range of disabilities.
TE 351 - Reading in the Content Area - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 352, TE 353, TE 354
This is a reading class designed for undergraduate students seeking an endorsement in Elementary Education or for those students seeking a Middle School Endorsement. The course will emphasize the following: the reading process, textbook selection, the structure of texts, vocabulary, comprehension, questioning and study skills, writing across the curriculum, curriculum, literature and technology integration.
TE 352 - Elementary Social Studies Methods - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 351, TE 353, TE 354
This course provides the student with an overview of the purpose and structure of social studies in the elementary school curriculum. Specific focus on appropriate knowledge and skill in teaching social studies. Students will be engaged in constructivist activities that promote an inquiry-based social studies program for the elementary grades.
TE 353 - Elementary Science Methods - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 351, TE 352, TE 354
This course is designed to help students develop knowledge and skill in the teaching of science at the elementary school level. The course emphasizes the rationale and techniques used to develop and implement inquiry-based science lessons in grades K-6.
TE 354 - Field Experiences in Elementary School Science, Social Studies, and Content Area Reading - 1 hour: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 351, TE 352, TE 353
This course provides students with 50 clock hours of field experience in the teaching of science, social studies, and content-area reading at the elementary school level.
TE 400 - Student Teaching - 14 or 17 hours: Prereq: Admission to Student Teaching; Student teaching is the capstone experience in the teacher education process and is the culminating course for all endorsement programs. During student teaching, teacher education students spend a minimum of 16 weeks in an approved PreK-12 school, to observe, participate and teach under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
TE 401 - Context of Education - 6 hours: Prereq: permission
This is the first course in a sequence comprising a post-baccalaureate pathway to teacher certification. This courses addresses the historical context of education in the U.S., including class/race/gender/access issues; key legal rulings and contemporary reform agendas; adolescent development, relationships, and culture in contemporary context. This course requires a 45-hour community service learning activity and a minimum of 15 hours in school-based activity.
TE 402 - Professional Knowledge and Skills: I - 6 hours: Prereq: TE 401 and permission
This is the second course in a sequence comprising a post-baccalaureate pathway to teacher certification. This course focuses on instructional models, validated instructional practices and issues related to exceptionality and diversity. A minimum of 20 hours subject-specific applications in a supervised, directed field experience in an approved secondary classroom setting is required.
TE 403 - Professional Knowledge and Skills: II - 6 hours: Prereq: TE 402 * and permission; This course is the third course in a sequence comprising a post-baccalaureate pathway to teacher certification. This course focuses on instructional planning and assessment, with special attention to the manner in which these are informed by equity, inclusion, technology and diversity issues. A minimum of 20 hours subject-specific applications in a supervised, directed field experience in an approved secondary classroom setting is required.
TE 408/808P - Human Relations - 1 hour: Prereq: none
Designed to enable the future classroom teacher to promote multicultural understanding through varied learning experiences focusing on language and cultural diversity. (Grading A-F)
TE 411 - Inclusive Practices for Students with Exceptionalities in PreK-8 Classrooms - 3 hours: Prereq: TE 204, Admission to Teacher Education
The course addresses the instructional needs of students with exceptionalities and giftedness in integrated settings. Special education referral process, Rule 51, Rule 3, Section 504, analysis of instruction/environment and its impact on learning, assignment/assessment modification, behavioral issues, and evaluation of student learning will be emphasized.
TE 431 - Medical Aspects of Individuals with Disabilities - 3 hours: Prereq: TE 204 or FSID 250 or FSID 253
This course provides students with a general knowledge of the medical conditions seen in children with disabilities. It will familiarize students with terminology, medications, procedures, equipment, and interventions used for children with medical complications. Teacher responsibilities in regards to medical conditions will be covered.
TE 461 - Legal Issues in Special Education - 3 hours: Prereq: TE 204
This course provides students with the competencies needed to develop individualized programming for children with exceptionalities. Verification criteria, parents' rights, IEP development and implementation, goal and objective development, placement procedures and IEP monitoring will be emphasized.
TE 462 - Academic and Behavior Assessment in Special Education - 4 hours: Prereq: TE 318 *, TE 461, Admission to Teacher Education
This course develops the student's ability to conduct academic and behavioral assessment in special education. Academic assessment will include administration, scoring and interpretation of standardized and informal assessments instruments. Behavioral assessment will include basic observational skills, ecological inventories, functional behavior analysis and standardized behavioral checklists.
TE 463 - Instructional Strategies for Individuals with Disabilities - 4 hours: Prereq: TE 462 *
Co-Requisite: TE 464 *
The course is designed to address the instructional needs of students with disabilities. Academic instructional interventions, behavior change plans, and assistive technology interventions will be emphasized. Students will apply their knowledge of lesson plan development and classroom management strategies.
TE 464 - Field Experience in Special Education - 1 hour: Prereq: none
Co-Requisite: TE 463 * or TE 465 *
The course is designed to provide practical application of learned skills. Students will be placed in an elementary special education setting for a total of fifty clock hours. Students will develop and implement lesson plans and a behavior change plan.
TE 465 - Methodology for Secondary Students with Disabilities - 4 hours: Prereq: TE 318 *, TE 461 *
Co-Requisite: TE 464 *
The course is designed to address the instructional needs of secondary students with disabilities. Academic instructional interventions, both school and community-based, and assistive technology interventions will be emphasized. Students will apply their knowledge of lesson plan development and classroom management strategies.
TE 466 - Transitional Issues for Individuals with Disabilities - 5 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Assessment planning and instruction to facilitate educational and employment post-school outcomes will be emphasized. Federal and state laws governing minimum transition practices will be covered. Assessment, transition planning, services, interagency collaboration, resources, and instruction will be discussed to facilitate a successful transition.
TE 469 - Psychology and Education of Gifted and Talented Learners - 3 hours: Prereq: none
This introductory course will focus on the cognitive, social, and emotional characteristics of gifted/talented learners at various developmental levels and development of appropriate differentiation. Additional topics include methods of identification, implications of cultural diversity, working with families, historical perspectives, important research studies, equity in education, and use of technology.
TE 470 - Guiding the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted/Talented Learners - 3 hours: Prereq: none
This course focuses on understanding the social and emotional characteristics and development of typical and special populations of gifted/talented learners, current theories and issues related to their guidance and counseling, and principles and strategies of intervention.
TE 471 - History and Philosophy of Middle School - 3 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
This course is designed to prepare students to understand the background and current trends in middle level education. It also will prepare students to understand the particular developmental needs that young adolescents experience and how middle level teachers develop curriculum and classroom activities to meet the cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs in the classroom.
TE 472 - Management and Assessment in Middle Level Classrooms - 2 hours: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 473
This course is designed to prepare students for the considerable challenges of effectively planning and designing classroom instruction, assessing student progress toward defined objectives and managing student behavior at the middle level. The course will emphasize: planning and preparation, standards-based instruction, assessment alternatives, creating quality assessment tools, standardized testing, interpreting assessment results, and managing student behavior at the middle level.
TE 473 - Field Experience in Middle Level Classrooms - 1 hour: Prereq: Admission to Teacher Education
Co-Requisite: TE 472
This 50 clock hour minimum field-based experience is designed to induct students into classroom teaching and develop an awareness of the many roles of a professional educator at the middle level. Under the mentorship of a practicing middle grades educator, students will progress through a three-stage process including assisting, co-teaching, and limited teaching. Students will also be required to engage in a variety of school-related activities commonly encountered by professional educators at the middle level.
TE 474 - Problem Solving in the Elementary and Middle School Classroom - 3 hours: Prereq: none
Topics include activities with hand-held calculators, topics from number theory, geometry, new looks at old geometry problems, problem solving as a process, probability, statistics and mathematical systems.
TE 498 - Independent Study - 1-3 hours: Prereq: none
Investigation of a selected topic or problem on an individual basis. Designed to serve students in teacher education who desire additional study in an area of interest. (Grading A-F)

* This course is the immediate prerequisite. Other preparation is required prior to this immediate prerequisite.