PIEDMONT COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of all children.

 

 

COURSE SYLLABUS B

EDMG 788, CAPSTONE

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Name: Dr. Barbara Benson                           

Office Location:          E201, Office C           

Phone Numbers: 706-548-8505, ext. 8007; home (706) 613-8287

E-mail: bbenson@piedmont.edu

Fax Number: 706-433-1750              

Office Hours:

            Tuesdays: 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

            Wednesdays: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

            Thursdays: 9:30 am- 11:00 am

I am also available to meet before and after class and at other times so please email me or call me.   

Campus Security:        706-433-1789

 

TIME AND PLACE

CAMPUS: DEMOREST                  SEMESTER: Spring              YEAR: 2008

Dates: ALTERNATING MONDAYS

Time:   5:00-9:30 p.m.

Place:  

 

COURSE INFORMATION:

Must be taken during last semester on campus;                     

Credit: 03                                           

Period:                        

 

I.          TEXT AND SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS (In addition to information provided on School of Education Syllabus A – I).

            Strongly recommended: American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) Wadhington, D.C.: Author.

 

Supplemental readings will be required as needed throughout the course. These readings will include research, professional documents, personal reading, and reading of other capstone notebooks produced by past candidates. Also, copying some materials to share with the class may be required.

 

 

II.        PIEDMONT COLLEGE MISSION; SCHOOL OF EDUCATION MISSION; & GRADUATE MAT AND MA PROGRAM GOALS (See School of Education Syllabus A – II)

 

III.       COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this course is to bring together a candidate’s graduate experience, culminating in a project which demonstrates the individual’s mastery of conceptual, content, and pedagogical skills. In other words, students will demonstrate the integration of theory and practice related to content knowledge and pedagogical strategies. The culminating project could consist of such things as an action research project, an exhibition, or a professional paper. While collaboration is encouraged, students will be assessed individually. Students will give a public demonstration of their culminating project at the end of the semester.

 

                       

IV.       SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OUTCOMES (See School of Education Syllabus A – IV) (Core Candidate Learning Outcomes by Program and Dispositions for All Candidates)

 

V.        COURSE OUTCOMES :

 

            This course is designed to synthesize the student’s graduate experience, culminating in a project that demonstrates the individual’s mastery of the material covered in the graduate program. Students will be expected to demonstrate the integration of theory and practice in regard to content as well as pedagogical strategies. In short, it is expected that students will use this opportunity to demonstrate the attainment of all Core Candidate Learning Outcomes.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

A.   Demonstrate the integration of technology in their teaching: (CCLO: 7,12,13)

B.    Give evidence of reflective teaching; (CCLO: 5,6,7,8,9,14)

C.    Demonstrate the integration of theory and practice (CCLO: 1-10)

D.   Communicate and teach effectively using an interdisciplinary approach and knowledge base; (CCLO: 2,8,10).

E.    Demonstrate an understanding of the various social and cultural contexts in which teaching takes place (CCLO: 1,3,4) and

F.    Demonstrate the use of critical thinking and analytical skills (CCLO: 1,3,5)

 

VI.       COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES: (In addition to information provided on School of Education Syllabus A-VI).

 

1.     Class Attendance/Participation:

Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required and part of your grade. NOTE: This Capstone class only meets seven times with the whole class. Time is designated later for dry runs and exhibitions. Active participation means that EVERY student prepares for class by turning in drafts of the written paper on time and that each student actively participates in discussions and activities conducted during class. Attendance and participation are expected for all classes and activities. It is also important that you arrive in a prompt and timely fashion. THIS WILL IMPACT YOUR CLASS PARTICIPATION GRADE. Criteria for successful participation and attendance include arriving on time, collaboration with your critical friends, contributing to discussions, turning in assigned drafts of the written paper as designated on the syllabus, staying until the end of class, and successful completion of the dry runs and capstone exhibitions. Additionally, the participation grade will be strongly influenced by efforts to turn in written drafts and /or revisions when they are due as outlined on the syllabus.

 

A grade of “in progress” (IP) may also be given for a limited number of courses, including Capstone. See the 2007-08 Piedmont College catalog for details.

 

PARTICIPATION - Active participation means to:

Ø    prepare for classes by reading the text and/or other assigned readings;

Ø    attend all classes for duration of allotted class time;

Ø    take active part and contribute significantly during class discussions and activities;

Ø    be attentive and respectful of peers and the professor during the discussions, dialogue, and presentations;

Ø    submit all assignments on time.

 

2. Written Work:

Use APA style (5^th ed.). All papers for the course are to be typed using size 12 print and one of the following fonts: Bookman, Times New Roman, Geneva, or similar font. Papers should be double-spaced, error-free, and grammatically correct (including punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.). Make good use of writing references such as dictionaries, writing handbooks, and computer spelling and grammar checks. Each paper should have a cover sheet with your name, course number and name, assignment and date clearly typed on the front.

 

Quality is important! Work submitted should reflect your professionalism and graduate level work. Your writings and reflections will be assessed according to the depth, breadth, clarity, and accuracy they convey.

 

Be sure to keep a duplicate copy of all submitted work for your own records.

 

3.     Academic Integrity                        (See School of Education Syllabus A – VI)   

4.     Special Considerations             (See School of Education Syllabus A – VI)

5.     Cell Phone Usage              (See School of Education Syllabus A – VI)

 

 

 

 

 

 

VII.   INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS, DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS, AND FIELD EXPERIENCES:

            I. Instructional Methods: See School of Education Syllabus A – VII.

            As we progress through the class, we will be using the following checkpoints:

A. Preparation of a formal proposal for approval. The proposal will include the following: Title Page (Title of the Capstone exhibition and names of Capstone members), Introduction (Explanation of the Capstone theme, rationale for the project/theme, and description of what you plan to accomplish in the Capstone exhibition), and Literature Review (brief description of what you plan to review and a brief outline of names of some of the theorists to be reviewed). DUE SECOND CLASS MEETING

B. Presentation of a timeline for completing each stage of the project. DUE SECOND CLASS MEETING

C. Submission of sections which are completed in order that they may be reviewed. DUE ACCORDING TO CLASS MEETING SCHEDULE

D. A plan for the presentation

E. A final Capstone notebook (4 copies). This will provide the College with archival material for future reference and will be given to the evaluators to review two weeks prior to the presentation. This document should serve as a stand-alone summary of all of your work as outlined in the Capstone notebook description (invitation, formal written document, presentation guide, video, and technology component). See the description of a Capstone notebook for a complete listing of all items to be included in the notebook.

F. A dry run of the Capstone with the instructor present. Additional dry runs may be recommended or required by the instructor.USUALLY COMPLETED DURING THE LAST CLASS MEETING PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED CAPSTONE PRESENTATION

 

2. Description of Assignments:

Readings from the assigned texts will be one focus for discussions, writings, and group activities. Please read the assigned readings before coming to class in order to facilitate quality discussions. Think about how the readings relate or could relate to your classroom teaching experiences. Also keep in mind that you are responsible for the reading assignments even if we do not go over them in class.

 

Assignments to Be Completed for This Course:

 

Each student will participate in the planning, implementation and presentation of a final project.

Students will be expected to attend and participate in all Capstone meetings. The course assigns a PASS or FAIL grade to the PROJECT. In order to pass the project, the candidate must:

·      Select an appropriate topic for a written project or presentation

·      Submit the topic for approval to the professor in the form of a proposal

·      Turn in all draft materials and meet with the professor as required

·      Make ALL necessary corrections to the project as suggested by the professor

·      Follow APA style in the written work

·      Present the findings of the project to a public forum

·      Receive final approval of the project from the professor

·      And, receive an overall pass rating on the Evaluation Matrix asd assessed by the three-faculty member team.

 

Each student will complete a reflective paper in which the following will be evaluated:

2.     The process of the development and presentation of the project and, in the case of group capstone presentations, the role of each candidate in developing and presenting the final project

3.     The usefulness of the project in the student’s future teaching

4.     The project and program’s overall impact on the student’s growth and development as a teacher.

All work for the course is to be in on time, or handed in on an agreed upon future date. Work submitted late will automatically lose 15 points per class meeting unless prearranged by the professor and candidate. To meet the deadline, assignments may be mailed (post marked by the due date), sent electronically on or before the due date, or delivered by a peer at the class meeting. Make-up tests will be considered if a reason for missing the original test is justified. Completion of all assignments is required for a passing grade in the course. If at any time you are unclear about assignments or expectations, please contact me for clarification.

 

Other assignments or activities may be required as deemed necessary to assure the mastery of the course objectives as stated.

 

3.     Field Experiences (Initial and Advanced Ceritification Tracks):

Different county and city school systems require that specific field experience procedures and forms be used for placement of candidates in their schools. Also, certain field experience placement forms may be required by your college professor. Make sure you are using the appropriate placement request form(s) for the field experiences in this course.

Candidates will complete field experience as they work through the assignments required to prepare the presentation. It is the responsibility of each candidate to document these experiences appropriately.

 

VIII.    RESOURCES:

1.     Bibliography:

 

                        A. Previous Capstone Projects

Please schedule appointments in the appropriate departments to review and select previous Capstone materials for review.

                        B. Bibliography

                       

Bernhardt, V.L. (1998). Data analysis for comprehensive schoolwide improvement. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.

Burnaford, G., Fischer, J., & Hobson, D. (2001). Teachers doing research: The power of action through Inquiry (2^nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Mills, G.E. (2006). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Schmuck, R.A. (1997). Practical action research for change. Arlington Heights, ILL: Skylight Training and Publishing.

Stringer, E. (2004). Action research in education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C.A., & Eidson, C.C. (2003). Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

 

2.    Relevant Web Sites: (See School of Education Syllabus A – VIII)

3.     GACE Information:        (See School of Education Syllabus A – VIII)

4.   Admission to Teacher Educ. (See School of Education Syllabus A – VIII)

5. Application for Certification (See School of Education Syllabus A – VIII)

 

IX. Course Assessment and Evaluation:

Participation/Attendance—20% of grade as described above

      Final Capstone Presentation and Notebook—80% of grade. This portion of the grade will be strongly influenced, but not totally determined by the evaluations given by the three-member panel during the final presentation of the project. Requirements that candidates revise or repeat portions of the capstone before successful completion of the project will be considered as part of the final grade.

X.      TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Date                                                                 Topics and Assignments

 

 

JANUARY 7, 2008	Introductions/ Syllabus overview/Capstone description/Discussion of Conceptual Framework/ Discussion of previous capstone exhibitions/ tentative schedule for dry runs and exhibitions/Review of Assignment due January 21, 2008.
JANUARY 21, 2008 (OR ALTERNATE DATE)	Due: TURN IN PROPOSAL and LITERATURE OR PEDAGOGY QUOTES and proposed names of evaluators. Discussion of introduction/conferencing with instructor to ask questions and/or share concerns/Group assignments/Review candidate list of evaluators/ review criteria
FEBRUARY 4, 2008	DUE: INTRODUCTION/PROJECT DESCRIPTION Work on the written components of Capstone/Discuss script/Update progress/Review criteria/Discuss APA
FEBRUARY 18, 2008		DUE: FIVE PAGE BEGINNING OF SCRIPT AND LITERATURE REVIEW / Run through of exhibitions using script/group and individual conferences/colleague review of literature review
MARCH 24, 2008		DUE: FINAL SCRIPT , SYNTHESIS, AND ALL REVISED SECTIONS Rehearsals using complete script/ group work/Review criteria/Draft of invitations due
APRIL 7, 2008		DUE: FINAL SCRIPT WITH TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT / Final revisions of all sections also due/ rehearsals for all candidates
APRIL 21, 2008		FINAL RUN THROUGH OF CAPSTONE PRESENTATION
APRIL 25, 2008		CAPSTONE EXHIBITIONS. FINAL REFLECTIVE PAPERS ARE DUE WHEN CANDIDATES PRESENT THEIR CAPSTONE EXHIBITIONS.