Integrated Early Childhood Education (PreK-3)

In this course, students will learn about the organization of life from cells to organisms to ecosystems. This course will explore exchange of energy and resources in ecosystems, and students will be introduced to ways in which natural selection and inheritance of genes drives ecosystem composition. From this foundation, students will examine how human activities impact the natural world in which we reside and assess the sustainability of these practices and behaviors. Students will be challenged to examine the ethics of sustainability in light of Christian stewardship. In the laboratory, students will directly consider specimens from microscopic organisms to whole ecosystems, and they will implement field and laboratory techniques for assessing ecosystem health.

This course introduces students to university-level writing and focuses on communication structure, rhetorical strategies, writing processes, argumentation, research, and documentation. The course also includes an emphasis on revision through workshops and other formats.

This course surveys the field of children’s literature. It includes an examination of effective ways to use literature with students in primary and intermediate educational settings. It is designed to enable students to become familiar with many books, authors, and illustrators.

This course examines the global history of humanity from paleolithic times to the present. This will be accomplished by focusing on three interrelated topics: the relationship between human beings and the environment; the development of religious ideas and institutions; and the development of political, racial, economic, and gendered structures.

This is the first class of a two-semester study of the basic concepts of elementary mathematics, including the nature and structure of the real number system, number theory, whole numbers and integers, and rational and irrational numbers. Basic concepts of algebra, geometry, and measurement are studied including applications of percent, metric conversions, probability, data analysis and statistics.

This is the second class of a two-semester study of the basic concepts of elementary mathematics, including the nature and structure of the real number system, number theory, whole numbers and integers, and rational and irrational numbers. Basic concepts of numeration systems, algebra, geometry, and measurement are studied including applications of percent, metric conversions, probability, data analysis and statistics.

This course is an integrated science course encompassing major concepts and principles of physics, chemistry, astronomy, or earth sciences. The emphasis is on these concepts and principles and their application to real-world views.

Choose one:

American History I
This is a study of the social, political, economic, religious and cultural developments of the United States from the era of exploration and settlement through the Civil War. It focuses on events and processes involved in the expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean and leading to the Civil War.

American History II
This is a continuation of American History I. It presents the development of the United States from the post-Civil War Reconstruction to the present time. Its focus is on America’s modernization and emergence into a world leadership role.

Choose one:

Art Appreciation
Students develop an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts through a study of the basic elements of art, the major movements of modern art, and art as a reflective and contributing force in society. Art from both Western and Global cultures is examined.

Music Appreciation
This course exposes students to the fundamentals of musical notation and literature. It introduces music of four historical perspectives (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century) of Western civilizations, as well as composers and forms of music from each of these perspectives. The course also addresses cultural and historical aspects of each historical perspective and how these influenced composers and their music. Jazz, rock music, and musical theater are introduced through independent study units. The course addresses non-Western music as an individual unit in addition to highlighting similarities between Western and non-Western music throughout the term.

History of Rock
This survey course examines the musical, historical, cultural, political, and social trends of post-World War II to present-day America through the lens of popular music. This course is open to all majors and assumes no prerequisite musical knowledge.

Christian Thought and Film
This course offers instruction in discerning theological elements inherent in modern film. Films selected for study feature examples of either Christian theology or theologies in competition with Christianity. Students receive tools for making moral decisions about movie-going and for evaluating a film’s content.

This course gives students an initial experience teaching in an elementary school setting. Students study principles of education with an emphasis on aiding struggling readers, assessment, and lesson planning. They implement these principles as they engage in a one-to-one tutoring session with an at-risk child. The course is made possible through a partnership between Mooreland Heights Elementary School and Johnson University.

Students identify and discuss how parents teach, guide, and influence children and adolescents, as well as the changing nature, dynamics, and needs of the parent-child relationship across the lifespan. Topics include significant childcare, work, media, and community issues, as well as communication techniques, values clarification, learning principles, disciplinary techniques, family dynamics, diverse family forms and functions, and a theological perspective on parenting children.

This course provides an understanding of the general philosophy and broad principles of family life education in conjunction with the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate such educational programs in a variety of setting (government, non-profit, faith based, etc.). An understanding and application of employing various strategies, educational principles, techniques and technologies, to meet the needs of diverse audiences are addressed. Special emphasis is given to the implementation of evidence-based programs.

This course explores various early childhood teaching principles and strategies. This course will provide guidance for identifying and choosing approaches that promote child engagement, learning, and independence in everyday activities, routines, and transitions. Topics covered include child directed strategies, working with professionals in planning and instruction, an in-depth look at early childhood standards including but not limited to NAEYC standards, Tennessee Literacy standards, and the CEC’s Division for Early Childhood.

This course considers principles of administration and their application to early childhood programs. Students examine the role of state standards, national accreditations, and childcare center licensing requirements as they relate to the principles and administration in early childhood programs. Principles from this course can also be applied to children’s programs at church.

Theoretical and experiential base for designing play based, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children which promotes discovery and problem solving in mathematics, sciences, and social studies. Play-based learning enhances the early childhood curriculum by creating play opportunities in the classroom. Explore options for embedding play in the classroom aligned with the curriculum and supported by research. Implement checklists for observing and assessing play and acquiring strategies to support students’ academic and social-emotional development. Participants develop a play-based activity based on research and reflect on the outcome in the early childhood classroom. Students in this course will also study the contemporary research-based perspective of learning through play in early childhood and how it supports optimal brain development and executive function skills. Coursework also explores biblical integration, administration and management principles, parent involvement, and community resources.

Students develop knowledge and skills needed to teach writing, spelling, handwriting, and study skills. Students employ appropriate practices to promote effective communication, expression, and reflection in all subject areas. Students become more aware of the interactive nature of the language arts.

This two-part methods course introduces students to theory and methods regarding the teaching of social studies and the Bible as classroom subjects. Students develop and use knowledge of spiritual development in children and effective methods to support student acquisition of spiritual knowledge and understanding. During the second part of the course students learn effective instructional strategies that integrate the ten strands of Social Studies as developed by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) —including culture, economics, geography, governance, civics, history, individual development, and group interaction.

This methods course gives students an overview of teaching methods and strategies for science, health, and physical education. Students learn and apply skills needed to apply inquiry-based, open-ended and materials-based investigation to the classroom. Students develop understanding and use strategies and pedagogy to enhance children’s learning of life science, earth and space science, and physical science. Students also learn strategies for encouraging children to adopt healthy lifestyles, practice wellness concepts, and incorporate physical activity into their lives.

This methods course includes in-depth study of methods of teaching reading in early childhood, elementary, and middle grades classrooms. Students come to know, understand, and use appropriate practices for promoting and developing beginning literacy skills for integrating reading instruction across all subject areas and for enabling all children to become proficient and motivated readers. Students begin to develop skills in applying explicit approaches to support student acquisition of phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

This course examines the development of Christian education through the ages and philosophies that have influenced it. Major educational philosophers and schools of philosophy are discussed, and students are encouraged to apply insights to their own educational philosophy.

This methods course is a comprehensive study of effective instructional strategies that integrate mathematical content and processes. Students develop knowledge, understanding, and skill in problem-solving, number operations, algebraic concepts, geometry, measurement, data analysis, probability, reasoning, communication, connections, and representations. Students apply those skills in planning effective units of study that develop these processes in children, and they integrate appropriate reading and technologies.

This practical field experience is designed to acquaint entry-level students with a variety of schools and classrooms in the Knoxville area. Students examine various aspects of the classroom environment, management, and teaching methods in the classrooms they visit. This information is shared in written and oral form with their classmates and the faculty supervisor at regular meetings. This course is a prerequisite for other field experiences.

This course is a one-on-one tutoring session with an at-risk child in partnership with Mooreland Heights Elementary and Johnson University.

This course is a term-long experience spending after-school hours on Mondays at Bonny Kate Elementary School. Students work in teams preparing and teaching science lessons complete with hands-on activities, incorporate technology into lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.

Practicum: Day in School
This course is a term-long experience for five full days at Maryville Christian School. Students observe classroom teacher instruction, prepare weekly lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.

Practicum: Christian School
This course is a term-long experience for 30 hours in a Christian school classroom. Students observe classroom teacher instruction, prepare weekly lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.

This course is a term-long experience working with literacy and reading activities, assessing an individual child’s reading fluency and comprehension, preparing activities, and participating in Math Day at Gap Creek Elementary School. Students observe classroom teacher instruction, prepare weekly lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.

The course is a 40-hour field experience in a local public school taken with EDUC 4111 Reading Methods. Students will observe and practice what they are studying in their course in the public-school classroom.

This practical field experience is designed to acquaint entry-level students with a variety of schools and classrooms in the Knoxville area. Students examine various aspects of the classroom environment, management, and teaching methods in the classrooms they visit. This information is shared in written and oral form with their classmates and the faculty supervisor at regular meetings.

Emotional, behavioral characteristics, assessment and intervention strategies and theories will be examined with particular reference to the needs of the mildly and moderately disabled student.

Students will explore special education legislation regarding the rights of persons with disabilities and the effect on our educational system and society. Consideration will be given to major current problems and issues concerning persons with disabilities and those with learning problems. Specific attention will be given to those with severe challenging behaviors. The class will guide students into developing a model for appropriate interaction with persons with disabilities informed by Christian principles, values and dispositions.

Terms and constructs used in describing and interpreting test results will be studied with the uses, purpose, nature and procedures of formal and informal tests. A brief history of psychometric testing will be presented. The student will learn to transform the assessment data into programmatic guidelines for instructional objectives.

This course examines the ways to diagnose errors and reading problems and then offers students tools to remediate these problems.

This course includes a study of the physical, social, emotional and mental development of the child from birth to adolescence. This includes the role of preschool through eighth-grade teachers as they work with these children. Observations and assessments of children are included in this experience. Special attention is directed to working with students with emotional and family problems in early childhood, elementary and middle schools.