An overview of teaching opportunities, requirements and certifications in California in a range of school settings. Career opportunities and labor market demand will be covered. Credentialing, permitting and certifications to be defined. ECE, Transitional Kindergarten, K-12 (elementary, middle and high school) and community college teaching requirements will be reviewed.

An overview of TK-12 teaching from multicultural perspectives including the history of US public education, inequities in the field, actions to address inequities, current trends in the field, philosophies of teaching, and teaching strategies.

Learn about emotional development of young children, and using empathy and brain science to understand and solve children's behavioral challenges through connection, responsiveness, co-regulation and tools for understanding the roots of behavioral responses to the environment.

Learn about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) for children with special needs, including planning IEP/IFSP meetings, setting goals and objectives, writing the IEP plan, legal rights of children with disabilities, and the importance of working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including culturally diverse families, advocates, general education teachers and support personal to meet the social and academic success of each student.

Explore specific learning disabilities including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and non-verbal learning disability. Identify multi-sensory strategies for teaching children with learning disabilities; identify student strengths and use them to address weaknesses; learn how to create an inclusive learning environment; and become aware of community resources.

Explore the definition and etiology of social emotional differences (also known as social emotional disturbance or SED), disproportionality and strategies to address it, prevention/intervention strategies for supporting children diagnosed with SED, and strategies for teacher self-awareness and reflection.

Explore behaviors, strengths, and needs of children with ADHD and develop teaching strategies that support them and their families. Conventional and alternative approaches to diagnosis and treatment as well as prevention and inclusion strategies will be explored.

Introduction to basic issues in special education TK (transitional kindergarten-12 including legal rights of children with disabilities and their families, Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), disability sensitivity and awareness, inclusion, collaboration strategies and community resources.

This course will provide on or off-campus experience in early childhood/child development- ECE, K -12 classroom, after-school or youth work settings. The focus will be on providing practical experience in the methods and principles of teaching in early childhood and school-age classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the teacher in the field experience setting. One unit of credit is earned for 54 hours of unpaid or paid work.

Importance of communication in child care and school settings. Family needs, differences, and expectations are stressed. Special attention paid to cultural, racial, economic, gender, and family structure differences and their various impacts on communication strategies.