College of Education

Education Core

The Education Core applies to undergraduate and MAT courses. A course listing along with syllabi and assessments is available at www2.winthrop.edu/rex/rex/core_courses.html. In addition, content resources for candidates, teachers, and faculty are available through online modules. These modules are short videos, strategies, overviews, etc. of content learned in each course and can be used to build or refresh knowledge in a "just in time" fashion (www2.winthrop.edu/rex/rex/core_module.html).

Course Chairs 

Each Core course is assigned a leader or course "chair." This person meets with other chairs on a regular basis to ensure a developmental sequence to the Core as well as discuss programmatic topics such as scheduling, assessment, and curriculum. Course Chairs communicate with the section instructors of their respective courses to ensure delivery/assessment is consistent.

• While contacting the instructor of individual sections is definitely appropriate, questions regarding courses content, scheduling, etc. should be directed to the Course Chair.
• Current Course Chair names and contact information are available at www2.winthrop.edu/rex/rex/core_courses.html. 

Sequence

The Education Core is designed as a set of developmentally sequenced courses. Through deliberate field and content integration, candidates have an opportunity to work with and understand individual learner needs then move into small group and whole class instruction. It is important to note that the Education Core focuses on knowledge and skill acquisition for transfer and application in the K-12 school setting; therefore, content is not presented singularly, but throughout the sequence of courses. This does not mean concepts and ideas are repeated, creating unnecessary redundancy; instead, they are deliberately integrated at multiple points to support candidate development of (1) fluency, (2) maintenance, and finally (3) generalization.

• While many Core courses build upon each other, some flexibility exists in the order in which courses are completed. Visit the "Core Advising Notes" in the EPP Blackboard User Group for information on specific undergraduate Core courses sequencing, pre-requisites, and other logistical details.

Key Assessments

Each Core course has a key assessment to evaluate candidate mastery of outcomes that is submitted in the LiveText system. For courses with a field component, two key assessments are utilized (one for "content" and one for "field"). Candidates must pass both assessments in order to successfully complete the course. These two statements are common to all Core courses:

• "Teacher candidates must earn a C or better on key assessment(s) in order to earn a C or better in [course designator]."
• "A grade of C or better in [course designator] is required for successful completion of the Winthrop University initial teacher preparation program." 

Additional Assessments

Although all sections of a Core course share the same key assessment(s) and general materials, instructors may have additional readings and/or assessments.