Differentiated Instruction Catalog

Differentiated Instruction (MSEd and Gifted Extension)

Program Director:  Barbara A. Burns, PhD

Faculty:  Amber Chandler, Kristen Frawley, Lynn O'Connor,  Patrick Wirth

Degree: Master of Science in Education

Introduction

The Differentiated Instruction graduate program is a rigorous 30-hour program that meets the master’s degree requirement for permanent or professional teacher certification in New York State. The degree also meets the requirements for a certification extension in Gifted Education.

Our mission is to provide a meaningful, hands-on approach to delivering the best pedagogical methods and strategies available in order to meet the diverse needs in the classroom, including the gifted population. Our courses are taught by instructors who are practitioners in the field, who each day integrate the most widely recognized aspects of differentiated instruction into their own classroom. The curriculum is based on the following tenets:

• We believe that all people are creative, with unique gifts to contribute.
• We encourage cultivating habits of mind such as critical thinking and risk-taking through which one can discover and uncover the content.
• We expect the creation of multi-modal products by which students demonstrate their understanding of material.
• We find the above works best when offered in an environment that sparks individual creative spirit and connects people together through collaboration, idea-sharing, openness and trust.

The experience you gain in this program will seamlessly translate into the classroom and beyond, as you go forth in making your mark in differentiating yourself as an educator and change agent in the classroom, school, community and the world.

Licensure Disclosure

Canisius College cannot determine whether completion of this program would be sufficient to meet licensure requirements outside of New York State for the intended occupation. We advise you to contact your state licensing board or appropriate licensing entity to determine whether the program meets requirements for Professional Licensure in the state where you are located or the state in which you intend to pursue licensure. Please contact the associate dean of your school if you have further questions.

Curriculum

Program Details

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses
EDDI 500	Dimensions of Learning	3
EDDI 505	Introduction to Differentiated Instruction	3
EDDI 510	Introduction to Gifted Education and Collaboration	3
EDDI 515	Identification and Assessment of Students in Gifted Education	3
EDDI 520	Curriculum Development for Gifted Students	3
EDDI 600	Practicum and Seminar in Gifted Education	3
EDDI 615	Action Research for a Differentiated Classroom	3
Elective Courses
Select three of the following (additional courses may be used with prior approval from program director)		9
EDDI 530	Differentiated Instruction in Mathematics K-12
EDDI 540	Social and Emotional Issues in Gifted Education
EDDI 575	Enhancing the Differentiated Classroom through Creativity
EDDI 585	Integrating Technology in the Differentiated Classroom
EMC 552	Human Growth and Development: Middle Childhood
EMC 553	Cognition, Learning, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching: Middle Childhood
Any Special Education (SPE) elective except SPE 536 or SPE 541 or any EDDI course at the 500 or 600 level.
Total Credits		30

Please note, the Differentiated Instruction program curriculum above fulfills the coursework requirements for the certification extension in Gifted Extension. Students interested in that extension must pass the CST exam for New York State certification.

Learning Goals & Objectives

Learning Goal 1 (Knowledge – Observed in Writing)

Candidates in the Differentiated Instruction program will demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical, and professional knowledge necessary for successful performance in their field.

Candidates will:

• Demonstrate recognition of how foundational influences affect professional practice, including assessment, instructional planning, delivery, and program evaluation. They further demonstrate understanding of issues of human diversity impact families, cultures, and schools, and how these complex human issues can interact in the delivery of gifted and talented education services.
• Express how different characteristics interact with the domains of human development and use this knowledge to describe the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals with gifts and talents, understanding how families and communities contribute to the development of individuals with gifts and talents.

Learning Goal 2 (Knowledge – Observed Skills and Dispositions)

Candidates in the Differentiated Instruction program will demonstrate professional skills and dispositions necessary for successful performance in their field.

Candidates will:

• Educators of the gifted understand the effects that gifts and talents can have on an individual’s learning in school and throughout life, and understanding of these learning differences and their interactions provides the foundation upon which educators of the gifted plan instruction to provide meaningful and challenging learning.
• Select, adapt, and use these strategies to promote challenging learning opportunities in general and special curricula and to modify learning environments to enhance self-awareness and self-efficacy for individuals with gifts and talents, enhancing the learning of critical and creative thinking, problem solving, and performance skills in specific domains.
• Create learning environments for individuals with gifts and talents that foster cultural understanding, safety and emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and active engagement, fostering environments in which diversity is valued and individuals are taught to live harmoniously and productively in a culturally diverse world.
• Understand the role of language and communication in talent development and the ways in which exceptional conditions can hinder or facilitate such development and use relevant strategies to teach oral and written communication skills to individuals with gifts and talents.
• Develop long-range plans anchored in both general and special curricula. They systematically translate shorter-range goals and objectives that take into consideration an individual’s abilities and needs, using differentiated instructional strategies.
• Collaborate with families, other educators, and related service providers, enhancing comprehensive articulated program options across educational levels and engagement of individuals with gifts and talents in meaningful learning activities and interactions.

Learning Goal 3 (Service)

Candidates in the Differentiated Instruction program will demonstrate willingness to use their skills to benefit and serve society. Within the contexts of their work, candidates promote authentic learning, social and emotional development, and a commitment to social justice in environments that foster respect for diversity and the dignity of all.

Candidates will:

• Demonstrate respect for their students as unique human beings, understanding variations in characteristics and development between and among individuals with and without exceptional learning needs and capacities.
• Educators of the gifted can express how different characteristics interact with the domains of human development and use this knowledge to describe the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals with gifts and talents.
• Educators of the gifted also understand how families and communities contribute to the development of individuals with gifts and talents. Educators of the gifted are familiar with assistive technologies to support and enhance communication of individuals with exceptional needs. They match their communication methods to an individual’s language proficiency and cultural and linguistic differences. Educators of the gifted use communication strategies and resources to facilitate understanding of subject matter for individuals with gifts and talents who are English language learners.

Learning Goal 4 (Professionalism)

Candidates will demonstrate self-reflection as a habit of mind, continuously assessing and refining their professional practice as they construct a rich repertoire of research-based knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective performance ensuring that all students and/or clients have optimal opportunities to learn and grow.

Candidates will:

• Engage in professional activities that promote growth in individuals with gifts and talents and update themselves on evidence-based best practices, regularly reflecting on and adjust their practice. They are aware of how attitudes, behaviors, and ways of communicating can influence their practice.

Learning Goal 5 (Leadership)

Candidates will become adept at applying their acquired knowledge in the process of evaluating their own professional performance and decision-making with respect to its impact on students and/or clients, organizations, and the wider community.

Candidates will:

• Use the results of assessments to adjust instruction and to enhance ongoing learning progress, understanding the process of identification, legal policies, and ethical principles of measurement and assessment related to referral, eligibility, program planning, instruction, and placement for individuals with gifts and talents, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Courses