EDU 113 - Introduction to Urban Education and Reflective Teaching

3 Credit Hours

This course introduces urban learners, urban teaching, and urban school systems using case studies and first-person accounts of teaching and learning in an urban environment. Current issues facing urban P-12 students, teachers, schools, districts, and communities will be discussed. Society’s responsibility to urban schools will be examined along with the roles that teachers and schools play in increasing student achievement and leading school improvement. Key facets of effective concepts of an urban education are introduced including the importance of high expectations, student and teacher resiliency, educational equity, using the community as a resource, and reflection. Various perspectives and dimensions of the achievement gap will be examined, including causes due to discrimination and perspectives on what constitutes high educational achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Students in this course are expected to explore and express their own experiences, assumptions, beliefs, motivations, and commitments related to teaching and learning in the urban environment. Various types of teacher reflection will be introduced as important means for continual professional growth to meet the needs of urban learners. Field experience hours are part of the course requirements (5 hours).