Readings in Education

An independent study course allows students to thoroughly investigate selected topics in education. Students research a topic or issue in education and observe the topic in a classroom setting.

Recent topics:

Contact: Mike Taber

Studying Education Off-Campus

The following programs have been approved for specific CC Education Department requirements.

CC Teaching & Research in Environmental Education (TREE) Semester
A fall semester program off-campus at the Catamount Center in Woodland Park, the CC TREE Semester is designed by CC's Education and Environmental Studies departments. It is a 16-week, residential, transformative academic experience founded in field-based teaching, inquiry-based learning, and an interdisciplinary approach to education. During the program, TREE scholars explore the social, spiritual, and scientific dimensions of complex environmental and ecological systems. In working directly with local master teachers, TREE participants will develop science curriculum and work first-hand with local elementary school students to investigate the ecological and cultural wonders of the surrounding environment.

Education majors or minors would fulfill at least three departmental requirements by completing the TREE Semester:

-ED225: Foundations of Environmental Education (a Foundations course)
-ED120: Practicum in Environmental Education (a Practicum course)
-ED385: Environmental Education (a Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction course)

In addition, there is the potential for the independent research study (ED 490) to also count towards departmental requirements, if the student is at an advanced enough level in their completed Education coursework already. The hours for this program do count towards the State of Colorado's requirement of 800 hours for teacher licensure (because this is taught in Colorado), and in addition, there is the potential for the portfolio that all students complete on the TREE Semester (for the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education) to earn a student the Certified Environmental Educator certification.

DIS Copenhagen
The four major tracks in the Child Development and Diversity program that include a practicum component, thus equaling 6 semester hours will satisfy 1.0 unit in the foundations category for the major/minor.

• Adolescence in Northern Europe
• Child Development in Scandinavia
• Children in Multicultural Context
• Children with Special Needs

All above courses must include the accompanying practicum to earn 1 unit towards foundations category for the major/minor.

Other courses can be taken for enriching knowledge about educational issues/topics, but will not count towards the major or teacher licensure.

SIT Chile: Comparative Education and Social Change
Pre-req: Coursework in education, Latin American studies, or development studies; 3 semesters college-level Spanish or the equivalent (at a mid-Intermediate level of Spanish or beyond).

You will complete coursework in Education Quality and Equity, Bilingual Intercultural Education and Popular Education, Spanish language, Research Methods & Ethics, and an Independent Study Project. Upon completion of this semester, one foundation credit can be applied toward the major/minor.

HECUA
The Higher Education Consortium on Urban Affairs (HECUA) offers social-justice oriented programs that blend interdisciplinary, community-based academic coursework with an internship or practicum at all site locations. Their core work is the operation of experiential off-campus study programs focusing on justice, social change, and imaginative approaches to difficult problems. For the semester program Inequality in America: Policy, Community, and the Politics of Empowerment (located in the vibrant Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) - One foundation credit can be applied toward the major; internship and integration seminar MUST be in a school setting and the paper must specifically be related to Education.

There are other HECUA program options domestic and abroad, including the Art For Social Change: Intersections of Art, Identity, and Advocacy semester in Minneapolis, which would be suitable for a student considering art education, although would not yield credit to the Education major or minor (although it does include a handpicked internship, which could be in an educational setting).

Budapest Semester in Mathematics Education
This is a new program within the longstanding CC partner program for mathematics study in the Central European city of Budapest. It is geared towards students who wish to teach math. Coursework includes (for example): Introduction to Math Education in Hungary and Discovery Learning for Gifted Students. Above courses must include the accompanying practicum to earn 1.0 unit towards foundations category for the major/minor.

Also, Colorado College's Education Department offers the option to pursue your student teaching semester internationally.