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EDU 548: Reflective Methods of Teaching
Course Syllabus for Dr. Shindler
Wednesdays 12:30-3:30, Poucher Hall 


COURSE DESCRIPTION:
 This course is designed to help future teachers put instructional theory into practice. It will provide an integrated coverage of methods of classroom instruction, management and assessment.  The methodology of the course will include practicum, lesson construction, practice teaching, in class exercises, discussion of readings, and exams.  Students should leave feeling well prepared in the art and science of teaching, and be competent in several critical teaching practices.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: As a result of this class, students will be able to:

  1. clearly define their personal approach to instruction.(KNOWLEDGE / REFLECTION)
  2. implement teaching and presentation skills into a classroom setting. (INNOVATIVE PRACTICE)
  3. identify and implement a variety of teaching methods. (INNOVATIVE PRACTICE)
  4. develop a strategy for classroom management. (INNOVATION & SOCIAL CHANGE)
  5. develop a strategy for classroom assessment. (INNOVATION & KNOWLEDGE)
  6. integrate instructional, assessment and management strategies into their personal style. (REFLECTION & INNOVATION)
  7. articulate strategies for addressing the needs of culturally diverse and special needs students. (DIVERSITY & SOCIAL CHANGE)
  8. use TECHNOLOGY more effectively and creatively to bring about student learning.
  9. identify practices and methodologies that foster high self-concept and success psychology in their students. (SOCIAL CHANGE & REFLECTION)
  10. articulate a personal set of values and a vision for their future classroom. (REFLECTION)
  11. construct an integrated unit of instruction. (INNOVATIVE PRACTICE)
  12. COLLABORATE with classmates in designing instruction and developing teaching strategies.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND READING:

Borich, G.D. (2000) Effective Teaching Methods.
Curwin and Mendler (1988) Discipline With Dignity
Other required reading will be provided in class

ALSO: You are encouraged to supplement this reading with readings from sources that enhances the course and provided an alternative perspective to the subject.

EVALUATION:
Assignments will be assessed and then given points according to how well they met the requirements in the in-class explanation and written guidelines. Point values are assigned to each assignment (see Assignments section). End of semester grades will be awarded on the following percentage basis.
200-193 A
192-188 A-
187-178 B+
177-170 B
169-163 B-
162-155 C+
154-145 C
144-141 C-
140-120 D
120-> F

Homework Policy
Due dates are provided. If work is received late, it will be assessed more severely. You are expected to be responsible for your own records. Every effort will be made to keep you informed of due dates, but there will be no reminders after the fact. Every effort will be made to return assignments within the week. Students will be given the opportunity to resubmit written work for an increased number of points. A sincere effort to make broad systematic changes will be necessary, superficial editing is not the point here. A pre-conference may be of help if there is a question as to the major focus of the necessary revisions.

SCHEDULE:
 
Date Topics Readings and Assignments
1/24 Overview of class

Learning Styles exercise

Learning Style Packet
1/31 Teacher values exercise

Planning and Curriculum Choices

Learning Models (Bloom, Wirtz, etc.)

Writing Objectives

Borich Ch’s. 2 and 3

Handout

2/7 Outcomes: Vertical and Horizontal
Matching Assessment Targets and Methods
Borich Ch. 4

Stiggins Ch. 4

2/14 Instruction for Self-Esteem
Intro. to Lesson Plan
Direct Instruction Methods
Borich Ch. 5

Journal Article Review Due

2/21 Cognitive Processes of Learning
Assessing Reasoning
Concept Attainment
Personal Communication
Questioning
Borich Ch. 6 & 7

Wirtz Article

2/28 Day in Schools  
3/7 Intro. to Classroom Management
Discipline with Dignity Video
Management Role Play
Part A of Unit Plan Due

Curwin Ch’s 1-5

3/14 Day in Schools  
3/21 Spring Break – No Class  
3/28 Managing Cooperative Classroom
Intro. to Mini-lesson Presentations
Technical Management
Reflect on school observations
Cooperative Learning
Borich Ch. 10

Curwin Ch’s 6-9

4/4 Authentic Assessment 
Review for mid-term
Workshop
Authentic Assessment Reading

Borich Ch. 13

4/11 Midterm Quiz  
4/18 Quest – No Class  
4/25 Mini-lessons  
5/2 Mini-lessons Practicum Journals Due
Unit Plans Due
5/10 Mini-lessons Vision Paper Due 
Mini-lesson Plan Due
     

ASSIGNMENTS:
Journal Article Review (15 pts.)

Reference at the top: Author Last Name, First Name (year of article), Title of Article. Title of Journal. Volume, number, pages.
Article summary paragraph (Give the reader a general sense of the purpose and content of the article. Avoid lists, quotes or minutia. Attempt to condense the point of the article in about 100 words).
Application to your level or content area paragraph. (What does this article have to say to teachers trying to teacher your subject/level? How could you see yourself applying this idea to you future class?)
Your brief critique (As a critic, how would you judge the value, quality, sensibility of the ideas in this article? Could you see it working? Does it make sense? What are the flaws?)


Thematic/Lateral Unit Plan Assignment (60 pts.) tentative guidlines

(Examples of previous units can be found on the course web site www.oswego.edu/~shindler/lessons.htm)

Select a topic for a 2+ week unit

Unit components
  1. A two paragraph overview (3 pts)
  1. 5 unit learning goals (written in general outcome language, 3 pts)
  2. An instructional overview (10 pts)
  1. A detailed explanation of all the assessment techniques you plan to incorporate during the unit (10 pts).
  1. An authentic/performance assessment instrument. (7 pts).
  1. 5 or more individual lesson plans (20 pts).
  1. Accompanying materials (5 pts.)
  1. Bibliography (2 pts)
Unit Plan Assessment Scale (This scale is used very strictly in the assessment of units. Credit will be given for work to the extent that it meets these criteria, but none for contents that were not asked for)
 
 
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Unit

Overview

3pts. Conveys purpose clearly. Notes target grade. Introduces why topic is of interest. Noted length of unit. 2pts. Notes purpose. Notes grade level. Introduces topic. 1pt. Introduces unit.
Unit Goals 3pts. Goals written in goal form. Goals cover range of outcomes. All 5 goals are written clearly. 2pts. All 5 goals are written clearly, and in appropriate form. 1pt. Goals are written.
Instructional

Overview

10pts. Instruction is explained in-depth. Teacher facilitation is explained. Cognitive progression/structure of unit is apparent. Explanation of instructional choices is discussed. Language shows conceptual understanding.  8pts. Instruction is explained in-depth. Teacher facilitation is explained. Cognitive progression/structure of unit is apparent. 6pts. Instructional activities are explained. Teacher facilitation is explained. 
Assessment

Overview

10pts. In-depth explanation of all the ways learning evidence will be obtained. Rationale for why selected assessments were chosen. An explanation of how the various pieces of evidence of learning will be collected. Methods well matched to the outcomes. Integrity/scheme to the section as a whole. 8pts. In-depth explanation of all the ways learning evidence will be obtained. Rationale for why selected assessments were chosen. An explanation of how the various pieces of evidence of learning will be collected.  6pts. Explanation of all the ways learning evidence will be obtained. An explanation of how the various pieces of evidence of learning will be collected.
Assessment

Instrument

7pts. A reliable scale is developed (detailed, concrete, well-designed). Scale is appropriate for task. Task is explained clearly. Usage/data collection is explained clearly. 5pts. A reliable scale is developed (detailed, concrete). Scale is appropriate for task. Usage/data collection is explained. 4pts. A usable scale is developed. Scale is appropriate for task. Usage is explained.
Lesson Plans 20pts. At least 5 plans are developed. Plans are clearly explained so that another could use them. Plans state 3 objectives written in correct format. Assessment is addressed. Plan format fits the proposed learning activities. 16pts. At least 4 plans are developed. Plans are clearly explained so that another could use them. Plans state 3 objectives written in correct format.  12pts. At least 4 plans are developed. Plans are clearly explained. Plans state 2 objectives.
Other

Materials

5pts. Materials that enhance the usefulness of the unit are included. 3pts. Some materials are included.  
Bibliography 2pts. Sources are sited.    

Practicum Experience and Journal (30 pts.)

A very important part of the course is your practicum. It is up to you to get the most out of this experience that you can. Shoot for about 30 or more hours in one or more places. Try to guest teach as much as possible. But a lot of what you are doing in this situation is analyzing what a practicing teacher does and how his/her students respond. We will talk about this in class, but it is assumed that each of your situations will be different.

You need to keep an on-going journal of your practicum observations. Do this right after or during your visit. We will take class time to share what you have observed in the schools. About one handwritten page per 3 hours seems necessary to adequately reflect. Everyone’s journal should reflect their own experience and needs, but because this is an assignment and it is an important component of your practicum learning, here are some things to consider.

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR JOURNAL:

There are three main purposes for this journal:

1. A PLACE TO EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS: You are going to see many things that make you pause and scrutinize what you saw. You may also be having feelings and experiences as a teacher/student in this classroom that it would be helpful to get down. Often your most profound feelings can only be processed internally, due to the nature of being a guest in this situation. Be assured that these entries will be given utmost sensitivity if they are read by the instructor. This journal is your property and confidential.

2. A PLACE TO RECORD YOUR RESEARCH FINDINGS: "Act like a teacher and observe like a researcher." Constantly be asking yourself the question "why." Why does this kid act the way he/she does? Why does the teacher keep doing this ineffective behavior? How do they get the results with the students that they do? What would happen if you did it differently? Teaching is a series of choices. Why is this teacher making the choices they are, and what choices would you make differently?

3. A PLACE TO RECORD EVENTS: You are going to see some great practices and some practices that you see as ineffective. You will forget about them unless you write then down. This is the place to write them down.

If you are having a difficult time finding things to write about, dig a bit deeper. If you are still having trouble try jotting down 5 interesting events that you saw in the day. At the end of the day reflect on them and explore your thinking in your journal.

ASSESSMENT:

Journals will be collected at the end of the semester. Time prohibits the close analysis of their contents, but they will be examined for quality and effort. About a page of thoughtful reflections per 3-4 hours would seem to be minimum. Quality is defined by the inclusion of the suggested contents outlined above, especially 2 and 3. This needs to be a meaningful archive of your experiences. Entries that lack specifics become too esoteric, and a record of only events without reflections lacks context and meaning. You need both specifics and analytical reflections to have a useful journal (and to receive full points).

Mini-Lesson Presentation (40 pts.)

Purpose: This assignment essentially involves you teaching something to the rest of us and then doing a self-assessment of your pedagogy. This assignment is intended to be an opportunity to reflect on your teaching skills after teaching a small-sized lesson your peers.

Developing your idea: Think about something simple to teach. You don’t have much time (20 minutes). Teach something that you know pretty well (a good rule for both you and your students is: don't try to learn something new and perform it at the same time). Your style is up to you. Your strategies are up to you (bad choices here will not hurt your grade, so take a chance if you want). You can teach with a direct instruction strategy, an inquiry model, an indirect model, a discovery model, or a hybrid - you choose. Your peers can act as students of any age/grade level. It’s your class.

Requirements:

1. Develop an informal lesson plan. This should be the actual piece of paper that you use to guide yourself through the lesson. This can be in any format that you choose, in any type of language that you choose. Include a few of the objectives that you want your learners to achieve, but the rest is up to you. Plan the way that makes the most sense to you (i.e., in one of the formats we have discussed, chronologically, in an outline, etc.) (10 pts. a quality effort is all it takes here- plan for you, not me).

2. Teach your lesson to a small group. Be the teacher. Really teach. Shoot for about 10-20 minutes of teaching. Then, when you are done, be a student/professional and gather feedback from your group. This will include written feedback from your partner. (10 pts.)

3. Develop a two-page reflection of your teaching. After teaching your lesson, examine your performance and preparation and use the feedback from your peers, partner and the instructor to answer the following questions:

(10 pts.)

4. Be a good partner and peer for your classmates (10 pts).

Here is the tentative assessment rubric that will be used to assess the lesson assignment:
 
 
Presentation
Lesson Plan
Reflections
Excellent

10 pts

Clear evidence of preparation. Materials ready. Used visual aides effectively. Managed time effectively.  Instruction outlined. Objectives correctly written. Language matched lesson delivered. Assessment included. Analyzed methodological choices in-depth. Incorporated feedback. Addressed assessment. Made well-supported self-corrective suggestions.
Very Good 

7-8 pts

Some evidence of preparation. Materials prepared. Used visual aides. Time management was apparent  Instruction outlined. Objectives written. Assessment included. Analyzed methodological choices. Incorporated feedback. Addressed assessment. Made self-corrective suggestions.
Good

5-6 pts

Some evidence of preparation. Materials prepared.  Instruction is outlined into a lesson plan. Discussed lesson. Incorporated feedback.
Adequate

4 or fewer pts

Lesson was delivered. A lesson plan was written Discussed lesson

Vision Paper (15pts)
Do your best to articulate your vision of your future in a two paged, double spaced narrative. Address the following within this personal vision.

Mid-term EXAM: The exam will count 40 points. The format and content will be discussed during a review session. But it will likely involve synthesizing a wide range of course content and concepts into essay responses. The purpose of the exam is to be as close to a performance assessment of applied teaching skills as feasible.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

In this course, there is no substitute for student attendance. Because so much is based on our collective learning, you need to be here. As a result, attendance will be kept, and two (2) absences during the semester will result in the lowering of one’s grade. Also, it is important and courteous to be on time to class. Because of this, two (2) tardies will count as one (1) absence.

A FINAL NOTE: "Don’t be shy!"

When in doubt come to my office P214, or give me a call (312-2659 office), and lets talk about it. Please do not guess if you are not clear about what you think I want, or what you are doing, or are just curious what I think. I always want to know your thoughts, feelings, and feedback, positive or negative.

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