ED 555

2 Credits

UAA PACE, 500-Level Upper Division Course

Graded

COURSE OVERVIEW

This course is designed to be an informational course with application to teachers. The ideas and strategies presented may provide those teachers with new outcomes for working with students in classes with multi-age students and in some cases multi-grade classrooms.

As teachers, we hope that students will enter our classrooms with the skills needed for the grade level they are enrolled in. The hope with have may be a far cry from reality. While some students will be on grade level and others will be significantly above grade level, an increasing number of students will be significantly below our expectations. This class will help guide teachers in how to reach all students no matter their learning level.

 The benefits (perceived and real) of the idealized model of the multiage program are many, including: helping to develop students' social, emotional, and verbal skills and self-esteem; enabling students to learn at their own pace; building a caring child-centered and project-based learning environment; and improving student success by way of guided practice.

Course Materials:  You are responsible for ordering separately.  Roberts, Julia L., and Tracy F. Inman. Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices for the Classroom. Fourth edition, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.

Course Syllabus This is a preview syllabus only.  The official syllabus will be provided to you by Sparkman.

  • Methods of Instruction - reading, watching videos, writing assignments, and examinations.
  • Course Grading Rubric

Grade Level: K-12

IMPORTANT DATES

  • This self-paced Sparkman Media course can be completed at a pace that fits your schedule.
  • You can register and start work anytime. 
  • All work is due one year from the date of registration, with a 30 day minimum to complete.
  • Extensions and re-enrollments are not permitted.
  • You may cancel within one week of registration.  A $100.00 cancellation fee will be applied.

TUITION

$310 Level 1 District Subscriber

$360 Level 2 District Non-Subscriber or Retired Educator

CHECK IF YOUR DISTRICT IS LEVEL 1 OR 2

You may pay with Visa or MasterCard.

INSTRUCTOR

Contact Dan Sparkman directly for questions specific to coursework.  Email: dsparkman@alaskaacsa.org  Contact ASDN for registration or transcript questions.

Dan Sparkman, M.Ed. has been working in education for over fifty years, serving as a regular and Special Education teacher and working in Alaska for over 40 years. He was Assistant Professor working for five different universities. Mr. Sparkman has worked in “Bush” Alaska and Anchorage. Dan was a finalist for Alaska Teacher of the Year and awarded “Outstanding CTE Teacher of the Year.” He is certified in Alaska in a variety of teaching areas. He  has been teaching classes for ASDN for over twenty years.