Liberal Studies
Mount Saint Mary's College
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Liberal Studies

Future Teachers Seminars—Descriptions and Student Responses

Student responses to EDU 100 -- “I loved the course. Every class was a new experience.” “Opened a new set of horizons for critical thinking.” “Provided an overview of the Liberal Studies program.” “I gained a lot of knowledge from the class that will help me when I become a teacher.” “Helped me start to grasp what it is to be a teacher.”

In EDU 100 you will be introduced to the interrelationships among subject matter areas and to the essential connection between subject matter preparation and pedagogy (methods of teaching and assessment of learning). Two program themes, diversity and technology, are introduced in this course. Other topics include the program philosophy and the goals of the Concurrent Program of Teacher Preparation. The California Content Specifications are introduced so that you know from the outset of your program what will be tested on the CSET.

A favorite activity in this course is a simulation focusing on assessment. In another activity, you will think back to an early learning experience and relate it to one of the Frameworks for the California Public Schools to introduce you early in your college program to subject area standards for K-5/6 teaching.

Student responses to EDU 101 – “An enjoyable, easy-going class.” “The classed forced me to think critically but did not overwhelm me with work.” “Prompted us to be early, prepared, independent, and self-starters.” “Every class posed challenging questions.” “Kept me on track with the program.”

EDU 101 serves as a mid-way, check point seminar to review requirements for the Liberal Studies portfolio introduced in EDU 100 and to introduce the exploration essay that is one of the culminating adventures in this major. Program themes of diversity and technology are reviewed. Basic elements of curriculum theory are introduced.

Student responses to EDU 102 – “This course taught me how to think outside the box.” “Important topics were broken down in understandable ways.” “Really helped with the Portfolio” “Overwhelming at times.” “Essential in building my understanding of the Liberal Studies Major” “Modeling of teaching strategies will be extremely helpful in the classroom.”

EDU 102 Integrative Seminar in the Liberal Studies completes the sequence and, in conjunction with this course, you will submit your Liberal Studies Portfolio, a story of your academic learning which will have prepared you for teaching

It is the culminating course required to complete the Liberal Studies Major as part of the undergraduate concurrent program of elementary teacher preparation. Students examine the relationships among the disciplines included in their program of study, synthesize major themes, and compare forms of inquiry. Requirements for the Liberal Studies Portfolio are reviewed and selected requirements discussed and submitted as class assignments.

A highlight of this course is the opportunity to complete an exploration begun in EDU 101 of a significant question from three different academic subject areas. Students identify a significant question of interest to them and choose the three subject areas from which to explore the question.

Student explorations have included:
What is love?—

explored from the perspectives of literature, religious studies or psychology, and music.

What is a rainbow?—

explored from the perspectives of art, science, and anthropology or myth or literature,

and numerous other questions such as:
What is a Family?
What is identity?
What is courage?
What is war?

Successful completion of the course requires submission of the Liberal Studies Portfolio and an opportunity to present the story (Portfolio) to an advisor.