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ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS |
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION |
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT The collections of the Buley Library show considerable strength in the field of Education, which parallels the long and esteemed presence of Southern Connecticut State University in the area of teacher preparation. This presence dates back to the University's beginning in 1893, as the New Haven Normal School, and its growth into an institution that achieved its reputation during the 1950s and 1960s as a training ground for preparing teachers in virtually every major scholastic area. Today, the collections continue to provide extensive support to the four major programs offered at the elementary education level, as well as fifteen separate subject area specializations in teaching at the secondary level. In addition to these teaching specializations, a variety of special programs that are essential in supporting the effectiveness of educators in public and private education have been introduced at the University over the years, most notably the Counseling and School Psychology program at Southern, with its emphasis on assessment, counseling techniques and interventions with students of all ages. It is also important to note that the Education School of Education offers the only doctoral program currently in existence at the University, in the field of Educational Leadership. Over the past several years, the collections of the Buley Library have been expanded to accommodate the needs of those pursuing the Ed.D. degree option, with its emphasis on leadership in the field of education, educational policy and the law, educational planning, and adminstration of the public schools. June Cheng , who has served as the Buley librarian-liaison to the School of Education since 2001, works closely with the six individuals who have been appointed by the School of Education as library liasions for their respective departments. These six individuals, for the 2008-2009 academic year, are: Dr. Louisa Foss, Counseling and School Psychology; Dr. Nancy Marano, Education; Dr. Peter Madonia, Educational Leadership; Dr. Robert Axtell, Exercise Science; and Dr. Nancy Boyles, Special Education and Reading. The university offers an M.S. degree in Counseling, an M.S. degree in School Psychology, and a sixth-year professional diploma in Community Counseling, School Counseling or School Psychology through the Counseling and School Psychology Department. Resources that support the School Psychology Program specifically emphasize such subjects as neuropsychological assessment, crisis and intervention techniques in the classroom and the application of psychological theory in the educational setting. The collection is particularly strong in its treatment of such contemporary topics as school violence and bullying, as well as the related subjects of domestic violence and substance abuse. To support the Counseling component of this program, resources have been acquired that address individual counseling techniques, as well as counseling in the family, school or group setting. Most of the resources that support this program deal with theories of counseling, materials needed, and successful practices for counseling students in various age groups, from kindergarten through college and university students. An opportunity exists for the acquisition of additional resources that deal with the career development of counselors in their role as change agents and consultants, the organization of school counseling services, and student personnel services in higher education. Educational Leadership Program The Educational Leadership Program at Southern is extensive, as it offers options at the graduate level to specialize in a one of four Sixth Year Programs, in Educational Foundations, Educational Leadership, Intermediate Administrator, or the Superintendent of Schools Certification Programs. In addition, the student may opt to obtain a Master of Science degree in Research, Statistics and Measurements, or to obtain the terminal degree in the field, the Doctorate in Educational Leadership. The doctoral dissertation is the culminating component of the doctoral program; therefore, the Buley Library must work diligently to acquire resource material on the subjects of education law, school finance, organizational development, school policy, and secondary school administration, which is appropriate to this advanced level of graduate study and research. In addition to these very specific subjects, general issues of leadership are interwoven throughout the program, and numerous resources acquired to support the Management program in the School of Business, as well as the Communication Program in the School of Communication, Information, and Library Science, will find significant application here. Aspects of effective decision-making and relationship-building skills are emphasized in all three of these programs, as are empathetic listening skills, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. However, to address the unique management and leadership issues that emanate specifically from the challenges of working within the public school system, the Buley Library maintains a clear focus on the acquisition of resources for the Educational Leadership program that specifically address instructional leadership and supervisory skills as they may be practiced to promote instructional effectiveness in the classroom, enhance the design of quality programs in the schools, direct school change, and manage overall school improvement efforts. Elementary Education The four major programs offered by the Elementary Education Department: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Elementary Education/Special Education, and Elementary Bilingual Education are supported by extensive acquisitions in each of these subjects. Selections have been made covering such specific topics as personality development in children; mainstreaming exceptional children; assessment for instructional planning in Special Education; history and theory of early childhood development; play as a learning medium; music and movement instruction for young children; infant, toddler, and preschooler development; student teaching; and instructional strategies and curriculum development in elementary art and music, language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics. The Bilingual Elementary Education Program supports the teaching of second language acquisition and the study and teaching of English to foreign speakers. This has necessitated the acquisition of many resources that offer research and pedagogical perspectives on teaching English writing, reading, vocabulary and grammar to speakers of other languages. Also found in this section is a significant amount of material relating to the subject of bilingual education in the schools, and specifically learner assessment, including material on vocabulary tests, ability testing and student portfolio development for self-assessment. Some excellent resources published by the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages organization (TESOL), have been acquired in recent years to support this program, as well as the M.S. Program in Multicultural Bilingual Education/TESOL. At the secondary level, acquisitions for the collection emphasize the three core areas of: English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science. Specifically, the library seeks to acquire titles that address curriculum design, teaching methods, and assessment of teaching in the following fields:
In addition to these teaching specializations, a significant number of acquisitions have been made in subjects that are fundamental to the field of education, and support the infrastructure of the teaching profession, as practiced in the contemporary elementary, middle or secondary school. These include:
Exercise Science Department The Exercise Science Program at Southern Connecticut State University is supported by the acquisition of resource material that addresses Physical Education and Training, Physical Fitness Testing, and Athletic Training, which target the needs of those students preparing to teach Physical Education in public and private schools. A strong emphasis is placed on those resources that deal with curriculum and methodologies for teaching, and the coaching of individual, dual and team sports. A recent area of expansion for the Buley Library is observed in the growing number of acquisitions for the collection that address the intriguing subject of Sport Psychology, an area of specialization at the graduate level of the Exercise Science Program, with courses also taught at the undergraduate level. Specifically, these library resources effectively address such subjects as emotional arousal, motivation, perception and team cohesion. In addition to drawing upon the Behavioral Sciences, the Exercise Science Program at Southern Connecticut State University draws heavily on the basic sciences and the medical disciplines in the design of its curriculum. Therefore, library resources that are acquired in the categories of Human Anatomy and Physiology are of considerable importance to the program, particularly those that address such specific subjects as the physiology of exercise, heart physiology, kinesiology and pathophysiology. Lastly, many acquisitions for the medical disciplines are of interest to our students enrolled in the Exercise Science Program, and the collection shows considerable strength in the area of sports medicine, which includes numerous publications published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Other subjects like orthopedic assessment, therapeutic modalities and pain management, and rehabilitation techniques are well represented by new acquisitions. Finally, those students who are specifically enrolled in the Athletic Education Training Program have a significant interest in resources that address the subject of therapeutics and pharmacology. Numerous pertinent acquisitions on such timely and controversial subjects as steroids, doping, and sports drugs have been made over the years to administer to this need. School Health Education Department For those individuals who wish to teach health in public schools, the Department of School Health offers a minor in this subject at the undergraduate level, as well as a master of science degree with a specialization in School Health Education through the Exercise Science Department. This program is supported through library acquisitions that cover the current organization, content and practices of school health programs, with an emphasis on the competencies that are essential to being a successful health educator or consultant at either the elementary or secondary school level. Aspects of both mental health education and physical health education are addressed, and the collection shows considerable strengths in the specific topics of drug education, sex education, and family planning practices. Selected acquisitions have also been made in the area of holistic health to assist the individual in understanding holistic approaches that may benefit overall health and wellness and prevent illness. Courses offered within the Department of Special Education and Reading at Southern Connecticut State University place a considerable emphasis on the education of the learning disabled; consequently, acquisitions for the collections continue to focus on the education of individuals with both moderate and severe mental and/or physical disabilities and health impairments. The collections of the Burley Library emphasize three specific components of special education:
These methods may address the development of cognitive, language, motor, social and emotional skills at the early childhood education level, which are then reinforced by the selection of other titles that discuss general techniques for the teaching of reading, spelling, writing, mathematics and science in students with special needs at the elementary and secondary level. Specific subjects addressed will include finger spelling and instructional sign language. Also acquired, are resources that introduce teachers to the value and application of the visual and performing arts to the education of special needs students, including the significant role of creativity, laughter and play in the promotion of a happier and more balanced life. Secondly, because of the emphasis placed on the role of adaptive and assistive technology in the M.S. Program in Special Education at Southern, subjects like classroom design and accommodations for special needs students represent key areas in which to concentrate new library acquisitions. Titles selected to support this component of the program will focus on such subjects as adaptive technology assessment, evaluation and selection of hardware and software for students with reading and writing disabilities, and the use of collaboration and consultation techniques in the adaptation of classrooms for the educationally at-risk student. Currency of publication to support this aspect of the special education program, with its heavy technological emphasis, remains a key focus for the library. Lastly, some portion of the acquisitions for the collections in this area must address a variety of critically important issues that impact substantially on the success of any Special Education program. These include the following subjects of interest:
The Buley Library collection dealing with reading instruction is particularly extensive, and resources that are acquired for this program focus on three core subject areas:
Individuals interested in the subject of reading instruction will find a significant amount of material in Library of Congress subclass LB1050, which includes handbooks, classic texts, case studies, teacher training manuals, and selected conference proceedings on all aspects of reading, including research, theory, instruction, and assessment. Titles dealing with classroom practice and instruction address the standard topics of phonics and word study, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and learning to spell, while resources that address reading research and theory illuminate what the research has to say and the promises and limitations of applying research to reading education. A selection of the newer titles on this subject will address reading in the digital era and the use of technology to individualize reading instruction, as well as research on reading instruction with the Internet. A majority of the resources selected for the Reading and Language Arts Consultant certification program also complement the School Library Media Specialist concentration very effectively, a program which is offered through the School of Communication, Information and Library Science. |
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