Program Information
Each course meets one day per week (fully online) at 9:45 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Classes are held on Wednesdays during the Fall semester and Mondays during the Spring semester. ALL courses are offered fully-online.
There are four courses offered for the Teacher on Sabbatical program. All “full year” students will enroll in two courses each semester (fall and spring), for a total of four courses in one year. “Half year” students will enroll in a total of two courses (EDD 690 and CSC 704) for one semester (spring).
EDD 690 Special Topics Course: Applying Assessment Data to Promote Student Learning in the K-12 Classroom
4 hours; 4 credits
The course helps teachers use well designed assessments to promote students’ learning and academic achievement. Students will interpret standardized test data for decision-making and explore the link between good assessments and good instruction. Such assessments may be formal or informal, norm-referenced or criterion-referenced, and have appropriate qualities of tests (e.g., reliability and validity). The course will also examine techniques in the testing of students who are English language learners (ELL), who have multicultural backgrounds, and who have special needs, as well as contemporary issues in the public debate about high-stakes testing.
ENG 630 Special Topics Course: Writing Across the Curriculum in the K-12 Environment
4 hours; 4 credits
In a seminar designed for K-12 teachers, we will explore how to effectively incorporate writing in the disciplines, beginning with an examination of the core concepts of “writing to learn” and various models of the writing process. While the course will have a theoretical component, a major focus of the course will be on practical applications, adapting courses to include a significant writing component; creating assignments; and responding to and assessing students’ writing. We will consider the differences in writing conventions between disciplines, how we can best assist students in learning these “codes,” and how writing can help students learn these subjects better.
CSC 704 Special Topics Course: Technology-Infused Curriculum Development and Instruction
4 hours; 4 credits
This course will explore many aspects of infusing technology into curriculum development and instruction. Designed for veteran practitioners in the Teachers on Sabbatical Program, course participants will be exposed to technology relevant to instruction, including web development tools, educational support systems, software, mobile robots, podcasting, and Smart Board technology. Incorporation of technology in classroom enhancement, particularly with respect to differentiated instruction and fostering positive student outcomes, will be emphasized. Participants will be expected to redesign or create curriculum using enhancements presented in class.
EDD 691 Perspectives on Managing Diverse Learning Settings
4 hours; 4 credits
The course will address a variety of social-psychological approaches that are appropriate for learning settings with diverse populations, including students with special needs and those with varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Specific learning objectives are to: a) provide teachers with a theoretical understanding of the origins and consequences of students’ behaviors; b) prepare them to develop multiple positive classroom management approaches based on empirical research for addressing these behaviors and; c) give them the opportunity to re-examine their personal practices and philosophy. Readings and activities are intended to encourage exploration of the conceptual foundations and underlying principles of such approaches and interventions. These foundations and principles will lead to the development and application of management strategies that confront the challenges faced by teachers and students in diverse educational settings. These strategies will be designed in ways that foster the development of a productive learning environment through positive supports that serve the needs of current P-12 teachers’ unique contexts.
Schedule
The Teachers on Sabbatical Program follows the regular 15-week semester at the College of Staten Island. Two four-credit Teachers of Sabbatical courses will be offered on one weekday during traditional school hours.
Tuition
Participants in the Teachers on Sabbatical Program are eligible for CSI's affordable graduate tuition. Minimal student fees are also applicable.