Education

Programs

Courses

EDUC 221: Outdoor Trip Leadership

Credits 2
This is a 7-week course that includes a weeklong, student-led field trip over Spring Break. OTL is required for students wishing to pursue the Outdoor Education Applied Minor or lead outdoor education trips such as August Wilderness or AWPE courses. Topics covered include trip planning and preparation, risk management, lesson facilitation, and outdoor skill acquisition. Course fee: $150.

EDUC 248: Theory and Practice of Education

Credits 4
The course reflects upon the central premise that prospective teachers need both to do some teaching while they also read about teaching and its circumstances, thus integrating doing and learning. Students focus on the role of teaching and curriculum theory, while also offering experience with a teaching practicum unit in cooperation with a local school. Prerequisites: Earlham Seminar and one previous course in Education, or consent of the instructor.

EDUC 290B: Public Speaking

Credits 4

Many people are filled with anxiety when even thinking about public speaking. This fear stems from the fact that communication in general, and public speaking specifically, is not something that most people naturally know how to do effectively. Introduction to Public Speaking provides students with a supportive, interactive environment in which to learn fundamental communication theory and to put theory into practice through a variety of formal and informal speaking opportunities. Each student will leave this course feeling more confident in his/her ability as a communicator and better equipped to create and present an effective oral message.

EDUC 302: Disabilities Studies

Credits 3
This course explores the growing field of disabilities studies. Students will examine the idea of “normality” and consider how power is exercised over people with disabilities in U.S. cultures and in other cultures of the world. A variety of theoretical perspectives will be employed including feminist and critical disabilities studies.

EDUC 310: Experiential Education

Credits 3
This seminar course explores the theory and practice of experiential education through several key educational philosophies (Existentialism, Romanticism, Progressivism and Critical Theory). Students will examine how those theoretical stances inform educational practice in both formal and informal learning contexts (schools, museums, community centers, etc.) while developing a richer and more complex understanding of what some call “learning by doing.” The course will also explore specific methodologies common in the field such as project-based learning, community-based learning, and active learning.

EDUC 363: Children's Thinking

Credits 3

Focuses on how children's cognitive processes and mental representations change from infancy to adolescence. Theoretical claims, empirical findings and methodological issues are critically evaluated. Topics include children's visual and auditory perception, languages and literacy, learning and memory, mathematical and spatial thinking, logical and scientific reasoning, problem solving, theory of mind and social cognition.