School of Education, Teaching and Health

2008 Summer Content Courses

In Summer 2008, American University is offering the following graduate level content courses designed for K12 Teachers. The table below lists the courses, descriptions and times.

Teachers who would like to increase their content knowledge in these areas or who need credits in the area for which they are seeking licensure are encouraged to apply. American University is able to offer any teacher currently working in a DC Public or DC Public Charter School a full scholarship through the Alliance for Quality Urban Education (AQUE) grant.

To apply, please complete the Summer Content Courses application by March 17, 2008. If you have any questions about these courses or the full AQUE program, please contact Jennifer Dickey at American University School of Education, Teaching & Health by phone at 202-885-3745 or by e-mail at jenny.a.dickey@gmail.com

Click here to download the application form for the 2008 summer content courses.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to download the application. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you may download it free of charge.

Course Name	Time (Session)	Department	Course Description
School Mathematics Exposed	May 31 June 7, 14, 21, 28 9am – 4 pm5 day long Saturday sessions	Math	This course deepens teachers understandings of math concepts and helps them understand the overall K-12 math curriculum, as well as how to connect math concepts to curricular topics.
ESOL in a Nutshell	Required Workshops (lunch included): May 10, 10am-4 pm June 14, 10 am-4 pmRegular Class Meetings: May 13-June 12 Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-8 pm	TESOL	“ESOL in a Nutshell” provides an overview of the fundamentals of the English language and essential practical issues in teaching English to speakers of other languages. The course will focus on language and literacy issues that English language learners face in U.S. public school. Emphasis will be on ways in which mainstream teachers can respond to English language learners' needs.
Arts Based Teaching	May 17 and 31 June 7 and 14 9 am-5 pm4 day long Saturday sessions	Performing Arts	This course provides a model for applying arts-based teaching techniques and instructional resources for learning across the curriculum. The course will focus on the application of arts-based teaching for literacy, social studies/history, math and science learning. Through modeling and guided practice, teachers will be provided with both a theoretical and practical foundation for applying arts-based teaching/learning strategies. Teachers will also be provided with multiple possibilities for lesson plan development articulating the current cognitive learning theories of Jerome Bruner, Howard Gardner, Stanley Greenspan, and Lev Vygotsky into instructional practices.
Philosophy and Education: Integrating Ethics	May 19 to June 6 MTWTh 5:30-8:40 pm3 week course	Philosophy	In this course, we will work to identify the ways that ethics can (and arguably should) be integrated at different levels of our teaching—in teaching the theories we will be learning about, certainly, but perhaps more importantly, in helping students identify ethical questions emerging in their studies—of history, culture, politics, literature, or science—and in asking questions about our own pedagogical practices. We will study canonical works in ethical theory, and put the frameworks they articulate to work in an examination of a variety of narratives in contemporary film, short story, as well as personal narrative.
Proper Conduct: A Professional Workshop in the Art of Conducting for DC Music Teachers	June 21 and 28 July 7, 8, 9, 10 6 day long sessions	Music	This course is designed to further refine basic conducting and to develop more sophisticated conducting skills through exercises in baton and podium techniques, rehearsal strategy, score study and marking, and exploration of repertoire. Participants will work with a small instrumental ensemble as well as with piano. Open and relevant to both choral and instrumental conductors.
Civil War Institute	June 22 – 27 MTWThFS 8 am – 6 pm1 week course, all day each day	History	This week-long program introduces participants to the key causes and consequences of the war by exploring its remnants and remembrances in the Washington, D.C. area. The intensive program combines morning presentations and discussions with afternoon field trips. Sites include Harper’s Ferry, Antietam, Arlington National Cemetery, Sherman and Grant Memorials, Howard University, Fort Stevens, Frederick Douglass Home, Ford’s Theater, and a full-day trip to Richmond.
Nutrition for Educators	June 23 – July 31 Mondays and Thursdays 5:30-8:30 pm	Health	Nutrition for Educators is a unique opportunity to learn and understand nutrition through the eyes of your students. This course is designed to address the scientific and social contexts of nutrition while instructing on how to address nutrition concepts to school-aged children. Enjoy an interactive and highly informative class while gaining hands on experience with innovative activities and sample lesson plans.
Understanding Non-Standard English	July 31 Aug. 1, 4, 5, 6 9am - 3pm5 day long sessions	Anthropology	In today’s society, the non-standard language of socially marginalized people is still often used as a ‘mirror’ to their potential for achievement, according to Corson (1993). This notion is often reflected in school settings where speakers of ‘the standard language’ are often rewarded, and elevated in academic status, resulting in an injustice for those children who arrive at school with less of ‘the standard’. In this course, we will use a critical literacy perspective from which to explore the sociolinguistics of non-standard English, review the ethnographic findings regarding non-standard English, explore pedagogical connections and implications for reading and writing instruction, develop strategies for use in the classroom including the use of everyday text and popular culture and explore the role that new literacies and new technologies can play in teaching English Language Learners.
Narrative and the Comic Book	July 2 - August 9 Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 to 8:40	Literature	This course focuses on the literary aspects of the comic book in America. It considers the cultural and ideological history of the form, including readership, industry, practitioners, and politics; and traces the evolution of comic book moods and meanings, including the peculiar economies of comic book.