Special Education (K-8)

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 course explores two areas of significance and potential difficulty for the beginning teacher: effective classroom management and successful organization of the inclusive classroom. In this course, participants study management theory and teacher style and explore a variety of strategies for developing a plan for classroom management based on Christian principles. They also gain an understanding of the special needs of the mainstreamed child and ways to meet these needs within an effective inclusive setting.

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 discusses the principles of inclusion, how to work with students with disabilities in an inclusive setting, the role of the special educator in an inclusive setting, and ways to team teach with the general education teacher. Theories of inclusion will be discussed.

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.

Students will explore the content, materials and methods of all areas of the curriculum, except reading and language arts, giving special attention to meeting the needs of the student with disabilities.

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

This course examines the particular nature, needs, and development of the gifted student. Pertinent issues such as creativity, cultural differences, gender, and underachievement are examined. The history of gifted education is explored, as well as how to recognize and identify giftedness in the classroom. Students also examine characteristics of the teacher of the gifted.

This course provides learners with an understanding of the instructional needs of gifted students and the resources available to teach and enrich the education of the individuals. Emphasis is placed on curricular models, teaching strategies of differentiated instruction, and processes for learning.

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.

This course provides candidates with the skills needed to acquire a deeper understanding of the academic needs of English learners in order to prepare them for the field of ESL education. Special emphasis is placed on specific ESL educational policies, legal requirements, and professional responsibilities. The administration of both formative and summative English language assessments is explored and practiced. Students analyze how the RTI process applies to students developing English proficiency. Students learn strategies in developing strong collaboration with administrators, educators, and parents in order to benefit English learners and their families. Students practice adapting general school and classroom practices in order to meet the linguistic needs of the English learners.

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 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 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.

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 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 semester-long experience spent in a classroom for moderately disabled students. It is a thirty-hour experience. It also includes a weekly meeting with the field experience coordinator to discuss their experiences and complete assigned tasks.

This course is a semester-long experience spending time in a special education classroom working with a partner or in a small group with several special needs students. They will reflect and discuss experiences with the field experience coordinator and complete assigned tasks.

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.

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 semester-long experience in special education. Students will spend time in RTI2 Tier II and Tier III. They will gain experience working with students with an IEP in a regular classroom and also in a pull-out situation. This is a 30-hour experience where students reflect and discuss experiences with the field experience coordinator and complete assigned tasks.