With upperclassmen course registration starting today, many students are finalizing their plans and preparing for their own registration. Sophomore Abbey Dawson, who is one of 28 people who recently declared the new Curriculum and Instruction major, is no exception.
Within the new major, there are two concentrations: Elementary Education and Special Education. Dawson has declared the Special Education track. “For the special ed concentration, I take classes that are designed to teach future educators about working with students with disabilities,” she shared.
To work on fulfilling her concentration, Dawson is intending to take two classes: Introduction to Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (SPED 4411) and Introduction to Children and Youth with Emotional Disturbances (SPED 4417). The course description for Dawson’s second class mentions a fieldwork requirement of two and a half hours, something she is looking forward to.
“I really enjoy the [Community-Engaged Learning] that comes along with these classes because you become immersed in what you learn about during class… applying that knowledge and strategy when you’re in the classroom or here on campus… enhances the learning experience immensely,” Dawson said. In addition, she’s looking forward to participating in student teaching her senior year.
Sophomore Shannon Arsenault has also recently declared the Curriculum and Instruction major in addition to her Psychology major. She has declared the Elementary Education track, and while she has not taken any classes for it yet, she is excited to begin. “I am really looking forward to getting in the classrooms and [to] experience what it’s like to be a teacher firsthand. I’m also excited for the variety of classes because I feel like it will introduce me to a lot of different areas of the education field,” Arsenault said.
Arsenault plans on registering for a few courses for her new major next semester. “I am planning on registering for Explorations in Education for sure. I am hoping to get into either Sociology of Education or Special Learners in the Mainstream as well,” she said.
With this new major comes the opportunity to receive a teacher certification in Conn. within four years. As of now, this is the only major that allows this certification. Prior to this, students declared majors in any subject with a minor in Educational Studies. However, this option does not allow for certification after four years, and students have the option to enroll in a 4 + 1 program to earn their master’s and teacher certification.
Senior Erin Resnick, for example, is a Communications major with minors in Spanish and Educational Studies who hopes to be a kindergarten or first grade teacher. Resnick will be staying at Fairfield University for a fifth year to earn her master’s degree.
Though she has a plan to become a teacher, Resnick still wishes the Curriculum and Instruction program were available when she started her college journey. “I definitely would have chosen to participate in this new major if it was offered when I was a freshman. Having the opportunity to take more classes in what I am passionate about would have been really exciting. I know plenty of people have done the track I am on now and are very successful, but I do feel like I have missed out on an opportunity to be more prepared at this stage,” Resnick said.
Still, Resnick says she has “no regrets” and would have stayed at Fairfield University for her master’s degree regardless of her major.
Senior Nicholas Garofalo agreed that he was happy with how his college journey had turned out. Garofalo is a Psychology major with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Teacher Education. “If the new Curriculum and Instruction major were an option when I was a first year student I definitely would have double majored,” he said.
Still, he’s happy with how his studies have prepared him to become a teacher. “I feel like my background in psychology will really help me as an educator or in any other career,” Garofalo said. He also added that his master’s program will have financial benefits, as he will get tuition remission for his student teaching and fieldwork experience.
Alyson Martin, Ed.D, the program director and co-director of Special Education, and Emily Shamash, Ed.D, the co-director of Special Education and Associate Professor for the Curriculum and Instruction program, say they are “excited” to work with these students and help them get ready to be educators, both in the classroom and through 1:1 advising.
As other students prepare for course registration for the upcoming spring semester, there are a number of education classes to choose from that would satisfy requirements for either a major or minor in Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Martin and Dr. Shamash highlighted Explorations in Education (EDUC 2201), a required course for students pursuing the major or minor.
In this class, students have the opportunity to start working with local schools. The course description states, “Through participant observation, service learning, reflections, assigned readings, class discussions and collaboration, candidates contribute positively to student learning in local schools and communities with diverse (socioeconomic, linguistic, race/ethnicity) populations, understand the complexities of schooling from multiple insider perspectives and engage in the process of discerning whether to pursue a career in education.”
Beyond this course, the classes students take depend on the major track they’ve chosen to pursue. “Some courses include topics such as curriculum and methods for teaching students with disabilities in the general education classroom, teaching reading and literacy, as well as math and science in the classroom. There are also courses that cover specific disabilities, educational assessments, bilingual and multicultural education,” Shamash and Martin shared.
Martin and Shamash also discussed the purpose of this new program. A nationwide teacher shortage, which has been a crisis for years, has left hundreds of vacant positions throughout schools in Conn. and thousands across the country. An article in CT Insider says that districts across Conn. are still looking to hire teachers, though the school year is already well underway.
Those declaring a major in Curriculum and Instruction can obtain their certification to teach by the end of their senior year of college, which allows teachers to be trained and certified at a faster rate. Martin and Shamash added, “We would like students to know that the field of education is an area of extreme need. By declaring the major in Curriculum and Instruction and obtaining a certification in Elementary or Special Education, students will be filling many voids in the field, guaranteeing them a job; they will be part of the future of the field of education.”
In addition, Martin and Shamash say that their students “have [a] 100% job placement rate during or directly after student teaching is completed.” They also highlighted that for student fieldwork, they have a partnership with schools in New Haven County and in the town of Fairfield. Fieldwork, a “main component of the major and student teaching experience,” is essential to the major.
“Our students have multiple opportunities to observe and actively participate in regular and special education inclusive classrooms and to immerse themselves in the many ways in which we educate children in public schools today,” Shamash and Martin said. Any student interested in the Curriculum and Instruction program should reach out to Dr. Martin at amartin8@fairfield.edu.
Leave a Reply