Calvary University  

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higher education, offered
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Faculty of Education

Syllabus: Certificate in Education

Programme details for the Certificate in Education

Courses Presented in This Programme

The Cert. Ed includes the following compulsory courses:

• Study Skills (No assessments)
• Educational Praxis
• ... and two recommended courses from other faculties:
• Psychology of the Learner
• Interpersonal Communication

Duration of the Programme

This programme has a minimum learning duration of eight months before the qualification certificate can be issued. The maximum learning duration is normally two years.

Prerequisites

An applicant may be granted admission to this programme being in possession of one of the following certificates:

• A valid tertiary education entrance qualification
• Any other certificate deemed equivalent and which the CU Senate has approved

Study Skills

Credits: 13

Synopsis. This guidance course to study skills is essential for students going to university for the first time. Whether it is studied before or alongside a study skills module, Study Skills will enable students to gain the necessary skills and confidence to really make the most of time at university. The aim is to equip students with the key skills to enable success in the highly competitive era of mass higher education, and to cope with the increasing trend toward independent study and lifelong learning. It has been designed to help develop the skills necessary for working life as we move into the new millennium. Since this is primarily a self-study course, an active learning approach has been adopted.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• PREPARING FOR STUDY
  • Learning to learn
  • Managing stress and time
  • Group working skills
  • Finding information
  • Reading for study
  • Taking notes
  • Working with numbers
    
    
• ASSESSMENT SKILLS
  • Essay writing
  • Writing reports and dissertations
  • Case studies
  • Presentations
  • Examinations

Educational Praxis

Credits: 20

Synopsis.

For K-12 general methods of Education. This course uses a three-phase model of teaching—planning, implementing, and assessing — as a framework for fostering a success-oriented K-12 environment by promoting student learning.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

1. Introduction: A Model for Teaching
2. The Goals of Instruction
3. Formulating Goals and Objectives
4. Planning for Learning
5. The Affective, Psychomotor, and Cognitive Domains
6. Questioning Strategies
7. Teaching Strategies
8. Utilizing and Building Upon Learning Differences: Instructional Strategies
9. Classroom Management: Prevention
10. Classroom Management: Intervention
11. Assessing Student Learning

Psychology of the Learner

Credits: 22

Synopsis. This Educational Psychology course has been “chunked” to give instructors greater flexibility and to help students master the material easily. Through the Active Learning method the course material is broken into manageable 43 “modules” which are easy to cover in shorter academic terms and will make learning easier for students. In addition to presenting comprehensive, expert coverage of all topics, teachers need to understand about how students learn and all the classroom applications, the modules are grouped into clusters that allow for deeper context and background for each topic. Further, each module is a self-contained learning unit, with learning objectives and review questions (“Check Yourself”) that provide immediate reinforcement of key concepts and build students' confidence in their grasp of the material.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• TEACHERS, TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY.
  Educational Psychology for Teachers.
• COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND LANGUAGE.
  Development: Some General Principles. Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development. Vygotsky's Sociocultural Perspective. Implications of Piaget and Vygotsky for Teachers.
• PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT.
  Understanding Ourselves and Others. Moral Development. Socialization: Family, Peers, and Teachers.
• LEARNER DIFFERENCES AND LEARNING NEEDS.
  Individual Differences: Intelligence, Cognitive Processing, and Learning Styles. Integration and Inclusion: Teaching Every Child. Ability Differences and Teaching.
• CULTURE AND COMMUNITY.
  Diversity in Today's Classrooms. Girls and Boys: Differences in the Classroom. Creating Culturally Compatible Classrooms.
• BEHAVIORAL VIEWS OF LEARNING.
  Behavioral Explanations of Learning: Contiguity, Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning. Applied Behavior Analysis. Behavioral Approaches to Teaching and Management.
• COGNITIVE VIEWS OF LEARNING.
  Elements of the Cognitive Perspective: Information Processing. Long-Term Memory: The Goal of Teaching. Cognition and Metacognition.
• COMPLEX COGNITIVE PROCESSES.
  Learning and Teaching About Concepts. Problem Solving. Teaching for Transfer.
• SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVIST VIEWS OF LEARNING.
  Social Learning and Social Cognitive Theories. Constructivism and Situated Learning. Applications of Constructivist and Situated Perspectives on Learning.
• MOTIVATION IN LEARNING AND TEACHING.
  Motivation: A Definition and Four General Approaches. Goals, Interests and Emotions. Self-Schemas. Motivation to Learn in School.
• CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.
  Creating a Positive Learning Environment. Maintaining a Good Environment for Learning. The Need for Communication.
• TEACHING FOR ACADEMIC LEARNING.
  The First Step: Planning. Teacher-Directed Instruction. Student-Centered Teaching in Content Areas and Inclusive Classrooms.
• TEACHING FOR SELF-REGULATION, CREATIVITY, AND TOLERANCE.
  Self-Regulation and Agency. Creativity and Community.
• EVALUATION, MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT.
  Definitions and Concepts. Standardized Tests. Issues and New Directions in Standardized Testing. Getting the Most from Traditional Classroom Assessment Approaches: Testing and Grading. Innovations in Classroom Assessment.

Interpersonal Communication

Credits: 18

Synopsis. Interpersonal Communication offers a blend of theory and skills that students can use to become “other-oriented”—mindfully considerate of the thoughts, needs, and values of others.

The course is guided by the conviction that “skills inform principles; principles inform skills,”Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others maintains a careful balance between a theoretical and a skills-oriented course. This course integrates a key emphasis on diversity with examples drawn from a variety of age and ethnic groups and special focus on gender and diversity issues. A lecture on intercultural communication supplements this integral course by relating it to the “other-oriented” approach.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• I. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION FOUNDATIONS.
• Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. Defining Interpersonal Communication. The Importance of Interpersonal Communication to Our Lives. An Evolving Model for Interpersonal Communication. Mediated Interpersonal Communication: A New Frontier. Principles of Interpersonal Communication. Interpersonal Communication Myths. How to Improve Your Own Interpersonal Communication Competence.
• Interpersonal Communication and Self. Self Concept: Who Are You? Self-Esteem: Your Self Worth. How to Improve Your Self Esteem. How Self-Concept and Self-Esteem Affect Interpersonal Communication and Relationships. Self Disclosure: Connecting Self to Others Through Talk. Understanding How We Learn about Ourselves from Others: The Johari Window Model of Self-Disclosure. Characteristics of Self-Disclosure.
• Interpersonal Communication and Perception. Understanding Interpersonal Perception. Perception and Interpersonal Communication. Perceiving Others. Identifying Barriers to Accurate Perception. Improving Your Perception Skills.
• Interpersonal Communication and Cultural Diversity: Adapting to Others. The Nature of Culture. Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication. Improving Intercultural Competence.
• II. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
• Listening and Responding Skills. Listening Defined. Listening Styles. Listening Barriers. Listener Apprehension. Improving Listening, Comprehension, and Responding Skills. Improving Empathic Listening and Responding Skills. Responding to Confirm or Disconfirm Others. Improving Critical Listening and Responding Skills. Improving Your Responding Skills.
• Verbal Communication Skills. Understanding How Words Work. Recognizing the Power of Words. Avoiding Word Barriers. Using Words to Establish Supportive Relationships. Using Words to Be Appropriately Assertive.
• Nonverbal Communication Skills. Why Learn about Nonverbal Communication? The Challenge of Interpreting Nonverbal Messages. Nonverbal Communication Codes. Interpreting Nonverbal Communication. Improving Your Ability to Interpret Nonverbal Messages.
• Conflict Management Skills. What Is Conflict? Myths about Conflict. Types of Conflict. Conflict as a Process. Conflict Management Styles. Conflict Management Skills.
• III. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIPS.
• Understanding Interpersonal Relationships. An Interpersonal Relationship as a System and a Process. Relationships of Circumstance and Relationships of Choice. Intimacy and Attraction in Relationships. Interpersonal Power in Relationships. Relationships with Friends, Lovers, and Family.
• Developing Interpersonal Relationships. Stages of Interpersonal Relationships. Interpersonal Relationship Development Theories. Strategies and Skill for Developing Interpersonal Relationships.
• Managing Relationship Challenges. Relationship Challenges. The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication in Relationships. Relational De-Escalation and Termination.
• Interpersonal Relationships at Home, on the Internet, and at Work. Interpersonal Relationships at Home. Interpersonal Communication on the Internet. Interpersonal Relationships at Work.