This course introduces students to the norms, values, routines, policies, and relationships that form the classroom culture in a public school setting. Students spend 6/18 class days rotating through local public schools. Each student gets to experience an elementary, middle, and high school classroom environment. Furthermore, students experience two different school districts to see how context informs classroom culture practices. Thanks to the unique experience afforded by the Block Plan, students are in the field from the start. This means, students are in the classrooms, meeting with teachers and observing and interacting with students, in the first week. Responsibilities vary according to the needs of the school, but emphasis is on individualized help to K-12 students. Coursework explores educational theories and learning environment design and compares and contrasts instructional strategies. In line with our institutional DEAI commitments, the course focuses on how K-12 educators establish an inclusive and equitable classroom environment.

Course professor Nickie Coomer says: While we are studying teaching practices, we are also studying the culture of the schools in which students are placed. What that means is that students are not only beginning to study the art and science of teaching and the importance (and joy) of working with kids, they’re also learning how to study culture: how to engage in field observations, engage in reflections, and how to attend to language that reflects some of the quantitative patterns we study about race and disability in our on-campus class sessions. This includes the over representation of students of color in exclusionary discipline and special education, and the exclusion of students with disabilities from general education classroom settings.

This advanced course in curriculum, instruction, and assessment builds on foundational knowledge in environmental and sustainability education by focusing on the development and assessment of curriculum that builds environmental literacy through transdisciplinary environmental inquiry. Class discussion, lesson planning, and reflective teaching focus on developing a comprehensive framework that facilitates a broad approach for inquiring about environmental issues and detecting narrowness and bias in the arguments made by others concerning environmental challenges, issues, and problems. Teaching methods specific to environmental and outdoor education are emphasized through a practicum that spans the course. Students complete a course project portfolio that meets expectations for environmental education certification from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education