EDUC 4113– Language Arts (Primary-Junior)
Douglas Gosse, PhD, Professor, Schulich School of Education
Assignment 3: Student led Seminar (30% of final mark)
DUE: Winter term
DESCRIPTION: Seminars will take place throughout the year. The date of your presentation can be found on the weekly schedule. Presentations must start on time and the total time for the presentation will be 50 minutes (40 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion & a transition period). Rehearse your presentation; it makes for a smoother delivery!
RATIONALE: During your career as teacher you will be asked to participate in a variety of professional development activities, such as curriculum writing teams and workshop presentations teams. This assignment is designed to help prepare you for this responsibility. It also allows you and your classmates to become ‘experts’.
CONTENT: You will be randomly assigned to a collaborative learning group of 4-5 colleagues (number determined by the professor) on of the following topics.
1) The funding of education: Explore how changes in education finance law have impacted on the classrooms of today.Examples of these laws include; Bill 160 (1997), the Rozanski Report (2002), The Drummond Commission (2011), Recent financing changes (i.e. funding full-day Kindergarten (2010-2014). Explain the funding formula for public and separate school boards. Do schools and classrooms have enough money? What does the future hold for education finance particularly in a time of high deficit and debt? Why are new schools being built today?
2) Poverty and the children our schools: How is poverty defined in Canada? What is the prevalence of poverty in Ontario? How is it affecting the children in our schools? What can schools, and teachers do to make learning more inclusive? What community supports are available? What learning materials are available? How are the statistics for Aboriginal peoples similar or different?
3) Child abuse: Research indicates that many of the students in our classrooms are victims of abuse and/or neglect. Examine how abuse and neglect impact on the learner and the learning process. What are the indicators of abuse? How can teachers make a difference? What programs currently exist to support teachers' actions? How is child abuse reported on First Nation territories (“reserves”)?
4) Diversity: Canada's classrooms have been and continue to be increasingly diverse. Explore the implications of an increased cultural or ethnic diversity on classrooms and teaching. What is anti-racist education? Explain the fallacy of ‘race’. How can teachers, most of whom are “white, female, and middle class”, create inclusive classrooms that play a role in transforming the biases and prejudices that exist in society? What do teachers need to know to adequately meet the needs of a diverse classroom?
5) Violence in our schools: Violence in schools - student to student, student to teacher - is a reality. How is violence defined? Is violence in Ontario schools increasing? What can teachers do to deal with and help eliminate violence in the classroom and in the school?
6) Gender bias in education: In Canada, while boys and girls tend to achieve similarly in math and sciences in secondary school standardized testing, men still dominate in the maths, sciences, and engineering in post-secondary education, and in occupation such as plumbing and electrical fields. Men also tend to occupy among the most dangerous occupations, such as logging, heavy machine operators, construction, fire fighters, truck drivers, police officers, soldiers, etc. Moreover, there is a majority of women enrolled in many of the arts and humanities, and in faculties of law, medicine, education, and clerical fields. How can teachers, most of whom are white, middle-class women, help to address gender bias in the classroom and school? What programs exist to address achievement gaps and social challenges for boys? What specialized programs exist for girls? Are these clubs, activities, and programs truly advancing education and opportunities for diverse boys and girl? Could they be further entrenching gender bias, and the oppression of certain demographics…or not? What can educators, parents, and communities do?
7) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, 2-Spirited and Allies (LGBTIQQ2SA): Issues related to gender and sexual orientation are contentiously debated in political, religious, as well as social circles. How do these issues impact education and classroom practices? How are the needs of LGBTTIQQ2SA youth being addressed in contemporary classrooms? What are some of the issues teachers will typically be faced with in this regard? What should we as educators be doing to address these issues? Be certain to define relevant terms including sex, gender, and sexual orientation (among others) near the beginning of your presentation.
8) Aboriginal education: Who are the Aboriginal peoples in Ontario, where do they live, and where do they go to school? What are the most recent indicators of their school achievement? What can educators, most of whom are non-Aboriginal, do to create inclusive classrooms and encourage high achievement for Aboriginal students? What are Aboriginal authorities doing about educational issues? What does the future hold? N.B. this topic is different from the history of Residential Schools, but will have some connections. The topic is present and future oriented.
9) International education: What is education like in other countries? Do all children have the same access to education? Who is responsible for education worldwide? What about war and education – child-soldiers? Who goes to elite international schools? Where would you teach abroad?
10) Early school leavers: “drop outs”, “push outs”, and “pull outs”: The school completion rates in Ontario and Canadian schools, in general, consistently show that we continue to under serve anywhere from 25-30% of our school population. This presentation will explore reasons for the alarming rates of early school leavers, and shed light on what we as educators can, and are being called to do to affect change in this regard.
3.Research your Topic: Your group is expected to gain knowledge of your topic and to share this with your classmates. The level of knowledge must be meaningful to you and to your audience.
4.Presentation Format: The format of your presentation is your choice. Do keep in mind that the effectiveness of your presentation will increase with the participation of the audience. Also keep in mind that the use of a variety of media will also heighten interest. Ensure you engage the audience by using several different teaching/learning strategies.
5.Written Summary: You must distribute a two-page summary of your presentation, with references. This summary can be in electronic booklet or pamphlet form if you wish. This summary will be distributed to your classmates at the start of your seminar. You must include all relevant research references in APA, 6th edition. These references will be of value to you and your classmates in the years to come. You are to include 6 higher level (Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy) multiple-choice questions. These questions may appear on your final evaluation. Please be sure to include the names of all of the members of your group on your hand-out, your section number and the date. ANY PHOTOCOPYING IS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE GROUP.
6.Before the seminar begins, please provide the professor with a paper copy of your two-page summary and your PowerPoint and any other associated materials. You can email these to the professor.
7.Once the seminar is over, consider the feedback from your peers and professor: What went well? Why? What would you do differently next time? Why?
EVALUATION
Letter Grades And Grading Standards: NU Academic Calendar, 2014-15, p. 43
· “A” (80-100%): indicates Exceptional Performance: comprehensive in-depth knowledge of the principles and materials treated in the course, fluency in communicating that knowledge and independence in applying material and principles.
· “B” (70-79%): indicates Good Performance: thorough understanding of the breadth of materials and principles treated in the course and ability to apply and communicate that understanding effectively.
· “C” (60-69%): indicates Satisfactory Performance: basic understanding of the breadth of principles and materials treated in the course and an ability to apply and communicate that understanding competently.
· “D” (50-59%): indicates Minimally Competent Performance: adequate understanding of most principles and materials treated in the course, but significant weakness in some areas and in the ability to apply and communicate that understanding.
· “F” (0-49%): indicates Failure: inadequate or fragmentary knowledge of the principles and materials treated in the course or failure to complete the work required in the course.
Group Seminar Rubric (20 marks)Answers the questions raised in the assignment outline using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy / A B C D E F
Used several diverse teaching and learning/instructional strategies / A B C D E F
Engages peers orally and actively, incl. question period / A B C D E F
Effective presentation and use of technology / A B C D E F
Addresses multiple intelligences / A B C D E F
Total: /20
Two Page Summary incl. references (10 Marks)
Information is clearly articulated, written concisely and is relevant to the topic / A B C D E F
Summary is visually appealing; engages the reader with interesting techniques / A B C D E F
Includes 6 higher level (Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy) quality multiple-choice questions / A B C D E F
Free of gross errors (i.e. spelling, grammar). Hint: use proof readers / A B C D E F
Uses APA, 6th edition effectively, including a “references” section. / A B C D E F
Total: /10
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