CI 2800

Teachers, Schools, and Learners

Fall 2007

Instructor: Dr. Diane Marks

Course Meets: Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 rm 214

Contact Information:

Office Location: 326D

Phone: 828-262-2290

Hours: Monday & Thursday- 11:00-1:00, Tuesday-3:30-4:30

Email:

** I will be supervising field experiences during some office hours so please call first.

Course Description: Provides the conceptual basis for understanding teaching as a profession, diverse learners, and classroom and school contexts. It also provides the foundation for thinking about inquiry and the knowledge base in education. Students are also required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of observations and/or participation. (Writing; Computer)

The course will be arranged around three key questions:

·  What is teaching?

·  Who are the students we teach?

·  What is school culture?

Texts:

Parkay, F. W. & Stanford, B. H. (2004). Becoming a Teacher, 6th edition. Allyn & Bacon. (Rental)

Other assorted readings available on electronic reserve or distributed in class.

Course Goals: The purpose of CI/SPE 2800 is to introduce prospective teachers to the many dynamic components of the teaching profession.

  1. Involve prospective teachers in experiences which lead to an understanding of the importance of reflection and continual professional development in the teaching and learning process.
  2. Assist prospective teachers in analyzing their background knowledge about teaching.
  3. Involve prospective teachers in experiences which enable them to develop an understanding of the responsibilities entailed with, as well as the work involved in being a teacher.
  4. Involve prospective teachers in experiences which lead to greater understanding of the conceptual frameworks, curricula, and processes of effective teaching.
  5. Assist prospective teachers in developing an understanding of what teachers need to know and how teachers acquire, organize, and access what they need to know.
  6. Assist prospective teachers in developing insight into what they have learned about teaching and learning.
  1. Involve prospective teachers in experiences that lead to greater understanding of learner diversity.
  2. Assist prospective teachers in understanding their personal assumptions and connections to diversity.
  1. Involve prospective teachers in providing accommodations and services for students with special needs.
  2. Assist prospective teachers in learning to be participants/observers in students’ learning activity.
  3. Assist prospective teachers in learning to write summaries and records of their interaction in a student’s learning activity.
  4. Assist prospective teachers in gaining experience with telecommunications and microcomputers.
  5. Assist prospective teachers in gaining experience with educational software.
  6. Assist prospective teachers in connecting abstract concepts with concrete learning experiences.

Course Evaluation:

Assignment / Due Date / Percentage of Final Grade
Attendance, Participation, and Preparation / On-going / 15%
In-class Assignments and Assessments / On-going / 10%
Tutoring and Reflective Fieldnotes / 3 per month / 15%
Diverse Learners Small Group Presentation / 9/27 / 15%
Current Issues Related to Schools Paper / 10/25 / 15%
Teaching Philosophy Paper / 11/13-Draft
11/20-Final / 15%
Synthesis of Fieldnotes / 12/4 / 15%
Total / 100%

Attendance Policy: Much of what we do in this class will involve class discussion and group work. It is required that you attend class and are prepared for each session. Your absence is detrimental to both yourself and your classmates. Arriving late and/or leaving early are disrespectful to the instructor and to your classmates and disrupt the classroom community. In order to obtain full credit for the attendance, participation, and preparation portion of your grade, you should arrive punctually for each class and be prepared to participate fully in class discussions and activities. More than 1 absence or habitual tardiness will negatively affect your grade.

Your tutoring internship is a critical component of this course. Attendance is required for all tutoring sessions. You will also be expected to post reflective journal entries to the CI 2800 course website which your instructor will respond to in a prompt manner. Details of how to post the reflections as well as an explanation of what it is expected in the postings will be discussed in class. If you do not successfully complete your tutoring and reflective journals, you cannot pass this course.

Grading Scale:

A = 94-100 C = 74-79

A- = 92-93 C- = 72-73

B+ = 90-91 D+ = 70-71

B = 84-89 D = 64-69

B- = 82-83 D- = 62-63

C+ = 80-81 F = < 61

Summary of Major Assignments:

Attendance, Participation, and Preparation (15%): This course will involve class discussion, activities, and group work. It is imperative that you attend class, come prepared, and participate fully. In order to be prepared, you must complete all reading and additional assignments prior to class.

Various Forms of In-Class Assignments and Assessment (10%): Throughout the semester, you will be asked to complete various types of assignments during class or prior to coming to class. These assignments may be small writing assignments, quizzes, role-plays, or other performances. These assignments will be individually assessed and the cumulative score will be used as your final grade.

Tutoring and Reflective Fieldnotes (15%): You will tutor a child in an assigned setting for four hours per week. Three times a month you will post a reflective journal entry to the CI 2800 website relating to your experience with your student. There will be more discussion about this requirement during class.

Diverse Learners Small Group Presentation (15%): Working with a small group, you will research an area of learner diversity such as a particular learning disability, physical disability, emotional/behavior disorder, racial/ethnic group, or SES. Using what you have learned, you will develop a 12-15 minute PowerPoint/Keynote presentation that will inform other members of the class about the particular learning needs of your group of diverse learners. As an alternative choice, you can develop a website that would be useful and informative to teachers relating to your topic and make your presentation based on your website. You will describe the learners and their unique needs and focus on strategies that teachers can use in their classes to help these students be successful. A detailed rubric will be provided to help you plan and execute this assignment.

Current Issues Related to Schools Paper (15%): For this assignment, you will choose a topic that is relevant to schools and is discussed frequently in the popular media. You will collect at least 7 articles or news clips relating to your topic and write a 4-5 page paper summarizing your findings. Examples of topics could include: NCLB, school funding, charter schools, distance education in public schools, bullying, merit pay for teachers, voucher plans, high-states testing, successful programs etc. Your paper should include several perspectives and conclude with your own opinion and a justification of your position. A detailed rubric will be provided in class.

Teaching Philosophy Paper (15%): During this semester you will have the opportunity to examine your beliefs about teaching and learning. Your experiences with tutoring, readings, and class discussions will allow to you to expand and clarify your thoughts about teaching. This 5-6 page paper provides the opportunity for you to formulate your thoughts into a coherent teaching philosophy appropriate for a beginning teacher. Your paper will address such topics as: what is the role of the teacher in a classroom; what is the role of the students; how do children learn; and how can teachers help all students succeed to their full potential. A detailed rubric will be provided in class.

Synthesis of Fieldnotes (15%): Using the fieldnotes you generated during the semester, you will write a 3-4 page paper synthesizing what you have learned from the experience. Your paper will focus on the following topics: diversity, learner development, social interaction, management, and assessment. A detailed rubric will be provided in class.

All assignments must be typed in APA format with a cover page and reference page. These guidelines can be found at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Late work is not acceptable and ½ a letter grade will be deducted for each day that work is tardy.

Course Outline:

(Subject to Change)

Date / Topic / Readings and Assignments
Class #1
T 8/21 / Introductions and course overview
Intro-literature circles (choose groups)
Class #2
R 8/23 / Introduction to the Teaching Profession
Literature Circles INTRO-DIVERSE LEARNER PROJECT / Textbook-Ch. 1-Teaching: Your Chosen Profession
Essay Due: Why I want to teach
Literature Circles
Class #3
T 8/28 / Education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow
Literature Circles / Textbook chapter 3-Ideas and events that have shaped Education in the United States
Literature Circles
Class #4
R 8/30 / The art of teaching / Chapter One: Schools that Work (ER)
Class #5
T 9/4 / The art of teaching
Independent workday:
Is teaching an art or a science?
Literature Circles / Textbook: Chapter 2-Learning to Teach
Position posting due: Is teaching an art or science?
Literature Circles
Class #6
R 9/6 / What teachers need to know / Nurturing Passionate Teachers (ER)
Class #7
T 9/11 / Students in 21st century schools-demographic trends
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 7: Teaching Diverse Learners
Literature Circles
9/13 / JEWISH NEW YEAR-NO CLASS / Work on Diverse Learner Presentations
Class #8
T 9/18 / Students in 21st century schools-individual needs
INTRO-CURRENT ISSUES PAPER / Star Teachers of Children in Poverty: Chapter 1(ER) OR Reach Them to Teach Them (ER) (come prepared to share your reading)
Class #9
R 9/20 / Students in 21st century schools-to accommodate or not to accommodate
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 8: Addressing Learners’ Individual Needs
Literature Circles
Class #10
T 9/25 / Students in 21st century schools-strategies that work
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 9: Authentic Instruction and Curricula for Creating a Community of Learners
Literature Circles
Class #11
R 9/27 / Group Presentations / Group Presentations Due: Diverse Learners
Class #12
T 10/2 / Group Presentations
Class #13
R 10/4 / Current issues in education-schools today
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 4: Social Realities Confronting Today’s Schools
Literature Circles
Class #14
T 10/9 / Current issues in education-public perceptions of teachers
Independent workday:
What is the public perception of teachers? / Reading: Review popular media for three sources that reflect on teaching in America (last 5 years).
Posting Due: Annotated Bibliography, response, and at least two ways to promote positive educational issues in the media.
10/11 / FALL BREAK-NO CLASS
Class #15
T 10/16 / Current issues in education-standards and assessment
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 10: Curriculum, Standards, Assessment, and Student Learning
Literature Circles
Class #16
R 10/18 / Current issues in education-teaching and the law
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 6: Ethical and Legal Issues in Education in the United States
Literature Circles
Class #17
T 10/23 / Share papers
INTRO-PHILOSOPHY PAPERS / Current Issues Paper Due
Class #18
R 10/25 / Philosophy of teaching-teacher beliefs / Richardson, V. (1996). The role of attitudes and beliefs in learning to teach. In
J. Sikula, T.J. Buttery, & E. Guyton (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education (2nd ed., pp. 102-115). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillian. (ER) OR Teacher Beliefs and Student Achievement in Urban Schools Serving African American Students (ER)
Three Third-Grade Teachers’ Gender-Related Beliefs and Behavior (ER) (come prepared to share your reading)
Class #19
T 10/30 / Philosophy of teaching-curricular / Gupta, R. & Saravanan, V. (1995). Old beliefs impede student teacher learning of
reading instruction. Journal of Education for Teaching, 21(3), 347-360 (ER)
Middle School Mathematics Teacher Beliefs About Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities (ER)
Class #20
R 11/1 / Philosophy of teaching- assessment
INTRO-FIELD NOTE SYSNTHESIS PAPER / Teacher Classroom Assessment and Grading Practices Decision Making (ERIC #ED447195)
Class #21
T 11/6 / Philosophy of teaching-classroom management / Relationship-Driven Classroom Management Chapter 2: Attributes of Relationship-Driven Teachers (ER)
Class #22
R 11/8 / Philosophy of teaching-philosophy and practice / Transforming Teacher Practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher (ER) OR
Philosophy of Teaching: Developing a Statement That Thrives in the Classroom (ER)
Class #23
T 11/13 / Critical Friends Group: Give Feedback on papers / Philosophy of Teaching Draft due
Class #24
R 11/15 / Securing a Teaching Position
Literature Circles / Textbook Chapter 13: Your First Teaching Position
Literature Circles
Class #25
T 11/20 / First year in the classroom-Harry Wong video #1 / Teaching Philosophy Due
11/22 / THANKSGIVING BREAK-NO CLASS
Class #26
T 11/27 / First year in the classroom / Teacher Man Chapter 1 (ER)
Class #27
R 11/29 / INDEPENDENT WORKDAY / Work on Field notes Synthesis paper
Class #28
T 12/4 / Last Class
Culminating activity, snacks, course evaluations, etc. / Field notes Synthesis Paper Due

5