Required Courses:
This course examines the theories and practices of multicultural education which are presented as central to teaching and learning, not as marginal or added on to the “regular” curriculum. Study of multicultural concepts (e.g., inclusion, accurate representation, multiple perspectives, indigenous scholarship) will reveal how diverse knowledge bases have been historically muted in educational and other discourses. In order to avoid replicating this exclusionary practice, prospective and practicing teachers will explore ways in which students’ (and their own) multiple identities are embedded in teaching and learning that accurately represents diverse knowledge bases. Such an approach is multicultural and therefore emancipatory because it encourages students to become thinkers and producers of knowledge-practices that increase students’ opportunities and life chances. Three Credit Hours.
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the principles of research in education. Students will become effective consumers of educational research by analyzing the literature in a particular area of study and synthesizing the results into material that can be applied to diverse educational settings. Students will also develop practical research skills that they might use to assist them in their own professional development. Practitioners enrolled in this course will complete a field-based research project pertaining to their area of study. Three Credit Hours.
This is a required introductory course for all candidates in the Educational Leadership program. This course is one of the first courses taken in the program. Students outside of the Educational Leadership concentration may register with the permission of the instructor. In this course, leadership theory will be applied through the use of individual assessment instruments i.e., analysis of video tapes, case studies, article critiques, role playing and self-assessment critiques. The importance of style of leadership and influences that effect style will be emphasized. Other major concepts will be
analyzed utilizing the Niagara University Leadership Matrix model. These concepts include the attributes and skills to facilitate the leadership process for managing a school building organization. The focus of this analysis is to help to administrative attributes and skills in the context of school leadership. Three Credit Hours.
This course includes a study of the current Ontario Statutes and Regulations which govern the schools of Ontario. Students research the legislation both online and in class (hard copy) using a series of questions as a guide and through class discussion examine closely the language, and its implications in a school (district) setting. The history of school law is studied to show how the law changes in response to priorities, issues, and trends. Case studies are used to allow candidates to apply board policy and Ontario law to a given situation of interest. The candidates examine the
consistency and/or discrepancies of the policy with law, formulate their response to the situation and present it to the class. Various trends, reports, and court cases which have resulted in changes in the law are also examined. The court cases are presented by teams of candidates in class and used to promote discussion of the interpretation of aspects of the statutes and regulations. Three Credit Hours.
This offering orients the individual to the functions and major principles of instructional supervision. Attention is devoted to the critical examination of current research and publications about effective supervisory behaviour. Models for clinical supervision are introduced and emphasized within the framework of improving teaching performance and its impact on student achievement. Appropriate strategies for developing and implementing supervisory programs are stressed. Three Credit Hours.
This course is designed to give the participants a background in the plan, design, implementation, and evaluation of various curriculum and educational programs. Three Credit Hours.
The capstone course is an interdisciplinary approach to concepts of leadership as they relate to the school administrator. The course includes a comprehensive survey of studies and readings relative to models, styles, behaviours and problems in educational leadership. The course includes the study of motivation, job satisfaction, decision making, ethical professional behaviour and the role of an educational leader as change agent and innovator in a changing society. A major focus of the course is the development of a school reform plan for a building. Three Credit Hours.
Each candidate’s prior acquired knowledge from program courses and applied field experiences in the educational research program will provide the base for research study, application and writing for this course. Candidates will work with a graduate professor on an individual basis. Candidates will study advanced research concepts, processes and approaches including the concomitant statistical techniques and procedures necessary to bring an investigation to a successful completion and subsequent publication. Three Credit Hours.
This course provides the internship experience requirement for the master’s program in Ontario. Candidates will complete 300 internship hours. The course includes seminar sessions through-out the internship. The internship experiences are aligned with the program standards from Educational Leadership Constituent Council. Three Credit Hours.