GED 516 - Educational Foundations: Understanding the Past and Creating the Future

This course is designed as an introductory course for people considering careers as teachers. The course begins by exploring schools and schooling in the United States, including an examination of motives for teaching, the functions and purposes of schools, and what life is like in schools today. We will then look at the diversity of students who populate our schools, and how various societal factors affect schools. Next, the course focuses on teachers, including what constitutes effective teaching, what teachers should know about teaching with technology, and what subjects are taught as part of a school’s curriculum. We will then examine the foundations of education (philosophy, history, legal and ethical considerations, and governance and finance issues) that provide the intellectual underpinnings of educational practice. We will also examine current reform efforts in education. We will finish the course by looking at career issues, including the job options in education, salary expectations, and what it means to be a professional teacher.

Required: Five hours per week school placement during school hours.

Credits: 3