All Courses = 36 Hours; Minimum 6 Sessions

/ After School Professional Development Program
Zoe- Souliotis-Foley, Director

Course Syllabus Template

All Courses = 36 Hours; minimum 6 sessions

Spring 2015: February15, 2015– June 26, 2015

Please complete a full course syllabus using this format. The number of sessions held will depend on how you allocate the 36 hours. This syllabus will be uploaded to the ASPDP web site. Please be sure it is in a word or PDF document format.

Title of Course:Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher
Course Code:P13-160
Course Location: Online;
Instructor’s Name: Sophia Thwaites / Presenter: Gary Howard
Instructor’s Telephone #: 1.800.728.0032 / E-mail:
Course Begins:February 15, 2015 / Course Ends: June 26, 2015 / Total Hours: 36

Course Description

This course provides thought-provoking background and practical suggestions for teachers seeking the answer to the question, how do you reach students who are culturally and racially different from you? Participants explore their own assumptions about race, class, and culture; and learn strategies for creating classrooms that are culturally inviting to all. Classroom footage illustrates principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching, including affirming students’ cultural connections, stressing collectivity as well as individuality, and managing the classroom with firm, consistent, caring control.

Gary Howard leads workshop participants in activities that explore historical and personal perspectives. What groups were empowered to take part in government when the Constitution was drafted? What voices have been added to the conversation since then, and how has a history of disenfranchisement affected the ways in which we view each other? Mr. Howard makes a compelling case for knowing who your students really are, advocating an approach that celebrates culture and history, rather than requiring students to give up parts of their identities in order to survive in school.

Finally, participants will hear from teachers who are trying a new approach to cultural difference, and visit their classrooms to see the results.

Calendar
Session # 0
Date: self-paced Time: self-paced
Number of hours for this session: 1
Topics: List session topic and material, e.g. handouts. Indicate midterm and final exam date.
Setting Learning Goals
KDS has implemented a topic at the beginning of the course, Setting Learning Goals, that instructs participants to read the syllabus that contains a course and unit descriptions and then to develop student learning goals related to the domains and components from Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching (at may also consult the NYC Teacher Effectiveness site (at and the NYC CCSS (at (Participants may also draw from existing classroom data they have collected from pretests and assessments or know anecdotally.)
Objectives: Specify instructional goals and standards for each session.

To set goals for participant and his or her students

Method of Instruction: List the method of presenting: Classroom video or interactive hands-on activity. Include strategies to meet diverse learning needs (differentiated instruction).

Reflection prompts

Classroom Practice: Specify what skills and strategies the participant will bring back to his/her classroom.
Resources (readings, artifacts, internet sites, videos, etc): Provide the title, author, edition, publisher, cost, and where it is available. If there is a guest speaker, include the presenter’s name and affiliation.
Guest Speakers:
Calendar
Session # 1
Date: Self-paced Time: Self-paced
Number of hours for this session: 3
Topics: List session topic and material, e.g. handouts. Indicate midterm and final exam date.
Introduction
In this unit, Gary Howard makes the case for the importance of this course: the data shows that “difference” can predict negative academic outcomes. As educators, we must consciously work at transforming both ourselves and our professional practices so that school is a place where all students feel welcomed, and authentic relationships across differences make academic success possible.
Objectives: Specify instructional goals and standards for each session.
Participants will learn:

A working definition of cultural competence
The relationships between inclusion, equity, and excellence
To identify culturally competent behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes
To connect the course to own work and life

Method of Instruction: List the method of presenting: Classroom video or interactive hands-on activity. Include strategies to meet diverse learning needs (differentiated instruction).
Participants will view video presentations by the instructors, participate in online discussion forums, and collaborate through peer review. Transcripts and slide presentations supplement the video to accommodate diverse learning styles. Participants will be challenged by reflection questions and a unit quiz.
Classroom Practice: Specify what skills and strategies the participant will bring back to his/her classroom.
Participants will bring their learning goals to the students.
Standards
The Framework for Teaching:
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Competency a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
Competency b: Establishing a Culture for Learning
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
Competency a: Reflecting on Teaching and Learning
Resources (readings, artifacts, internet sites, videos, etc): Provide the title, author, edition, publisher, cost, and where it is available. If there is a guest speaker, include the presenter’s name and affiliation.
Required eBook: Introduction and Chapter 1, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know, Gary R. Howard, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2006
Guest Speakers:
Calendar
Session # 2
Date: Self-paced Time: Self-paced
Number of hours for this session: 3
Topics: List session topic and material, e.g. handouts. Indicate midterm and final exam date.
Personal Growth Toward Racial and Cultural Competence
This unit begins with a “Culture Toss” activity, in which participants identify six characteristics by which they define themselves (race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, language, life value, vocation, and possession), then think about the cost of giving any of these parts of themselves up. Participants consider the big question: What happens to a student’s academic energy when the school environment pressures him to be someone other than who he is?
Howard identifies seven steps in personal growth toward cultural competence, and teachers and students share personal narratives. Finally, each workshop participant identifies a personal growth plan, a goal to enhance his or her cultural competence as an educator.
Objectives: Specify instructional goals and standards for each session.
Participants will learn:

The relationship between teachers’ cultural competence and students’ achievement
The steps in a developmental model used to track growth toward cultural competence
How to learn from students’ personal narratives
To design a personal growth plan

How issues of privilege and social dominance impact student success and engagement
A historical perspective on issues of privilege, power, and social dominance
To apply the lessons of this unit to teaching practice
To examine how teachers’ race consciousness impacts students’ feelings of inclusion and efficacy

The Seven Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching
How to assess equity outcomes in school or classroom
To identify teacher behaviors and beliefs that serve as keys to equity and inclusion.

Method of Instruction: List the method of presenting: Classroom video or interactive hands-on activity. Include strategies to meet diverse learning needs (differentiated instruction).
Participants will view video presentations by the instructors, participate in online discussion forums, and collaborate through peer review. Transcripts and slide presentations supplement the video to accommodate diverse learning styles. Participants will be challenged by reflection questions and a unit quiz.
Classroom Practice: Specify what skills and strategies the participant will bring back to his/her classroom.
Participants will bring their learning goals to the students.
Standards
The Framework for Teaching:
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Competency b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Competency a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
Competency b: Establishing a Culture for Learning
Competency d: Managing Student Behavior
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
Competency a: Reflecting on Teaching and Learning
Resources (readings, artifacts, internet sites, videos, etc): Provide the title, author, edition, publisher, cost, and where it is available. If there is a guest speaker, include the presenter’s name and affiliation.
Required eBook: Chapter 7, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know, Gary R. Howard, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2006.
Guest Speakers:
Calendar
Session # 5
Date: NOTE: Midterms may be submitted anytime but are due no later than 2 weeks after the final registration date.
Time: Self-paced
Number of hours for this session: 4
Topics: List session topic and material, e.g. handouts. Indicate midterm and final exam date.
Midterm
For your midterm, you’ll view the “Student Voices” video clip, in which middle- and high-school students describe how they like to learn, and what gets in the way of learning. Then you’ll survey your own students to elicit similar information about your own classroom. Finally, you’ll design a plan to improve a practice you’ve identified as “getting in the way. For your final, you’ll return to your midterm to review your progress.
A. Student Voices Video
View the “Student Voices” video in the e-classroom.
Answer the following: To what extent do the concerns voiced by the students in the video seem similar to or different from concerns you might hear from your own students? Explain.
B. Survey Your Students
Survey your students to find out what’s working/not working for them in the classroom. Provide each student with a 3 x 5 card and instruct them to write 3 things that “make them feel smart” on one side and 3 things that “get in the way of learning” on the other.
In your paper, describe the results of the card activity, reflecting on whether responses differ from group to group (eg. White students feel their concerns are heard in class and Black students feel like they’re not listened to). You should consider student responses across any area of difference: gender, language spoken at home, etc. In your response, note whether the results confirmed or contradicted your expectations. Reflect on anything striking, for example, comments that were gratifying or troubling.
C. Graph the Results
Based on the information you collect, create a graph, chart, or other graphic organizer that shows 3 or more things you do that make students “feel smart.” Create a second graph or chart that shows 3 or more things you do that “get in the way of learning.” Your graph should show the differences between responses that vary by group and indicate clear areas of strength and weakness. It may be helpful to group student responses by similarity (i.e.” I like when the teacher gives me a gold star” and “It makes me feel smart when my teacher says good job” could be grouped as praise).
D. Identify a Practice to Improve
From the chart, choose a teaching practice you’d like to improve (eg. a positive behavior that you’d like to do more of, or a negative behavior you’d like to reduce). Justify your choice and explain how you will begin to make the necessary changes.
E. Gather Data
Collect information on your current practice in one of the following ways:

Arrange for a colleague to visit your class in order to provide feedback on the practice you’re working on. Describe his/her observations.
Arrange for someone to videotape your class. View the videotape and describe your observations
Chart information yourself. For example, use a class roster and place a checkmark next to each student’s name as you call on him/her, or note the amount of time you spend reprimanding students, and for what infraction. Describe what you observe.

Write a reflection on what you or your colleague observed. How do your observations compare with student survey results? What steps can you take to improve your practice at this point in the course?
Note: If you’re an administrator, you may choose to adapt the midterm to identify the needs of a larger population (for example, teachers, parents, or students from a particular grade level) or to work with a teacher to collect similar data for his/her classroom, make a classroom observation, and devise a plan for improving practice.
Objectives: Specify instructional goals and standards for each session.
Method of Instruction: List the method of presenting: Classroom video or interactive hands-on activity. Include strategies to meet diverse learning needs (differentiated instruction).
Classroom Practice: Specify what skills and strategies the participant will bring back to his/her classroom.
Resources (readings, artifacts, internet sites, videos, etc): Provide the title, author, edition, publisher, cost, and where it is available. If there is a guest speaker, include the presenter’s name and affiliation.