Course Name:  Advanced Guidance and Planning for Teacher Education 
Course Prefix: CHF
Course Number: 4711
             Submitted by (Name & E-Mail):  Jared Lisonbee, jaredlisonbee@weber.edu

Current Date:  1/26/2012
College: Education
Department:   Child & Family Studies                              
From Term: Fall  2012 

New/Revised Course Information:

Course Title: Advanced Guidance and Planning for Teacher Education

Abbreviated Course Title: Adv Guidance & Planning--TE

Credit Hours:  3  or if variable hours:    to

Contact Hours: Lecture 3  Lab 2   Other

Grading Mode:  standard

Prerequisites/Co-requisites:

Prerequisites: CHF 2610 & CHF 2620

Course description (exactly as it will appear in the catalog, including prerequisites):

CHF 4711. Advanced Guidance and Planning for Teacher Education (3)
A synthesis of guidance and planning with an emphasis on assessment, appropriate learning objectives and strategies for individuals and specific groups of children in early learning settings. Requires both lecture and lab time. This course is intended for teacher education majors who are K-6 candidates not completing an early childhood specialization. Students majoring in EC, ECE, or taking an early childhood specialization with their K-6 license should enroll in 4710 instead of 4711. Prerequisites: CHF 2610 and CHF 2620.

Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)

With the recent changes to state teaching licensure practices extending the grades teachers receive licensure for to K-6, teacher training programs were asked by the State Board of Education to add early education curricula to teacher training programs. As a result, students pursuing elementary education licensure here at Weber State now take three early childhood education courses as part of their training (CHF 2610, CHF 2620, and CHF 4710). The CHF 4710 class, Advanced Guidance and Planning, was added to be taken along with student's Level 1 coursework because the course provides a synthesis and extension of student's learning from the CHF 2610 (Guidance Based on Developmental Theory) and CHF 2620 (Planning Creative Experiences) courses. CHF 4710 also provides opportunities for students to practice assessment, planning and implementation in an early learning classroom setting in a way that complements their other Level 1 coursework and gives instruction and practice relating to six of the state effective teaching standards for education programs (see syllabus).

The 4710 class was developed when the University switched to the semester system. It was initially designed to be taken concurrently with a student's lab teaching experience in the laboratory preschool classroom in the Melba S. Lehner Children's School. Students completing their early childhood classroom student teaching completed the 4710 class, consisting of lecture and lab experience, during the first five weeks of the semester in preparation for completing their supervised classroom teaching experience (CHF 4720) during the rest of the semester. Because the K-6 certification students do not complete their student teaching experience in the children's school classroom, and in order to accommodate student's Level 1 schedule, the early childhood faculty in the Child and Family Studies department developed separate sections of the CHF 4710 for those students pursuing K-6 certification students and those students completing the supervised student teaching in the children's school (CHF4720). Although the core focus of the 4710 classes is the same for those taking the course in conjunction with 4720 or on its own, the experience of the K-6 students is substantially different from non-K-6 students because of the specific training geared toward preparation for the children's school classroom teaching experience received as part of the 4710/4720 combination. Because of this difference, we anticipate potential advising difficulties that may arise if a student majoring in elementary education pursuing a K-6 certification without the early childhood emphasis were to, after taking the CHF 4710 class as part of their Level 1 courses, change their major to Child and Family Studies with an Early Childhood emphasis or decide to pursue a double major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education (in which case the student would need the 4720 classroom teaching experience). The student's transcript would show that they had completed 4710; however, he or she would not have the specific lab classroom teaching preparation necessary to successfully complete the 4720 classroom teaching experience.

Because of these potential logistical and advising difficulties, both the Department of Child and Family Studies and Teacher Education decided that it is necessary to create a designation for the different sections of this course. Hence, we are proposing to create a separate course, Advanced Guidance and Planning for Teacher Education with the proposed course number CHF 4711 for students solely pursuing a K-6 teacher certification in order to distinguish the course from the CHF 4710 class taken in conjunction with student's classroom teaching experience (CHF 4720) for students pursuing early childhood or early childhood education specializations.