Curriculum and Instruction

The MAEd with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction is for you if you want to maximize your potential as a classroom teacher.  It will help you explore and expand your ideas about teaching, curriculum, learning and working with a wide range of students and parents.  The program's unique feature is your ability to specialize in one of three concentrations: curriculum, leadership or reading (that leads to state Reading Endorsement).

Curriculum and Instruction Growth Portfolio Handbook - contains program information, matrix, guidelines to develop the growth portfolio, and rubrics.
Curriculum and Instruction Culminating Portfolio Handbook - contains guidelines on developing the culminating portfolio and rubrics.

Students in the Curriculum and Instruction program are required to take 11 courses (33 credit hours): 6 core courses (18 credit hours), 4 in an area of foucs and 1 liberal studies course.  The elective courses are intended to maximize your potential to continue studies for endorsements and certification beyond completion of the Master's degree.

1. Core Courses
EDN 501 Assessment in the Learning Environment
EDN 503 Teacher Leader 1: Professional Learning Communities
EDN 510 Classroom Management/Conflict Resolution
EDN 533 Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction
EDN 600 Teaching Diverse Learners
EDN 697 Teacher as Leader II: The Capstone Experience

2. Area of focus (select 4 courses in one area);
CURRICULUM The curriculum strand provides teachers with the opportunity to select courses to further enhance their role as facilitators of learning in the area of curriculum and instruction.  Course work provides professional development in areas such as cooperative learning, learning styles, technology, content reading, and problem-based learning.
EDN 502 Curriculum and Instruction:  Integration, Research and Development
EDN 511 Problem-Based Learning
EDN 692 Special Topics

LEADERSHIP The leadership strand provides teachers with the opportunity to further enhance their role as teacher leaders.  Course work in this strand addresses leadership for innovation and change; home, school and community; schools as learning communities; and leadership for curriculum and instruction.  Students choosing the leadership concentration can apply the course work in this strand to the Type 75 certification at North Central College.
EDN 522 Navigating Special Education and School Law
EDN 534 Leadership for Supervision and Instruction
EDN 536 Home, School and Community
EDN 620 Curriculum and Program Assessment
EDN 630 Schools as Learning Communities

READING  The reading strand provides teachers with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in literacy, addressing areas such as foundations of literacy, language and learning; content area reading; literature across the grade levels; reading assessment; and diagnostic reading instruction.  The concentration requires 12 credit hours for the degree, but students can qualify for the state reading endorsement by completing six additional credit hours in reading and applying six credits of appropriate literacy course work from their undergraduate program.  Completion of the reading endorsement leads to the classification of "Reading Teacher" by the state of Illinois in readying.
EDN 507 Content Reading

EDN 551 Foundations of Literacy Instruction
EDN 552 Language Development and Learning for Diverse Learners
EDN 562 Reading Assessment Tools and Strategies
EDN 563 Diagnostic Reading Instruction
EDN 652 Using Child and Adolescent Literature for Instruction K-12