PIEDMONT COLLEGE
THEATER
DEPARTMENT & SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Mastering the
art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of all
children
I. COURSE INFORMATION:
THE 400
– Theatre Education
Credit: 3
hrs.
II. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Name: Professor William
Gabelhausen
Office Location: 103 A Daniel Hall
Phone Numbers: 706-778-8500, ext 1320
E-mail: wgabelhausen@piedmont.edu
Fax Number:
Office Hours: TBA
III. TIME AND PLACE:
CAMPUS: Demorest SEMESTER: Spring YEAR: 2007
Dates: Monday
& Friday
Time: 1:00-
2:15
Place:
Jenkins Theater
IV. TEXT AND SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:
McCasslin, Nellie. Creative Dramatics in the
Classroom and Beyond. 6th ed.
White Plains, NY: Longman, 1996.
Bailey, Sally Dorothy. Wings
to Fly: Bringing Theatre Arts To
Children With
Special Needs. Rockville, MD: Woodbine House, 1993.
Brestoff, Richard. The Great Acting Teachers and Their
Methods. 1st ed.
Lyme, NH: Smith & Kraus,
1995.
Heathcote, Dorothy. Collected Writings on Education and Drama. 2nd ed.
Evanston, IL: Northwestern
University Press, 1991.
Other Readings Provided by the
Instructor.
V. PIEDMONT MISSION:
Piedmont College Mission:
Piedmont College educates students to become successful and responsible citizens through rigorous academic instruction in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. Learning opportunities are provided through undergraduate and graduate programs offered at various locations. The institution emphasizes high ethical standards and respect for diversity.
School of Education Mission:
The theme of the School of Education is “Mastering the art of teaching: Preparing proactive educators to improve the lives of all children.” The School of Education strives to prepare scholarly, reflective, proactive educators in a caring environment with challenging and meaningful learning experiences. These practitioners effectively educate their own students to become knowledgeable, inquisitive, and collaborative learners in diverse, democratic learning communities.
Specific ideals under-gird
our conceptual framework. We advocate
the democratic ideals of: equal rights and opportunities; individual freedom
and responsibility; responsibility for the greater good; respect for diversity;
openness to possibilities; and open, informed discourse.
We endorse the following
processes as a means of striving for our democratic ideals: engaging in
participatory decision-making; collaborating in teaching and learning;
collecting information from all constituencies; examining options and projecting consequences;
nurturing open discourse; providing for field experiences; assessing processes
as well as products; modeling democratic ideals in the classroom; forming
communities of learners; and constantly revising the curriculum to reflect new insights and
understandings. Further, we endorse the
development of a sense of personal integrity and of strong habits of mind
(e.g., reflectiveness, persistence, clarity, accuracy, and responsiveness to feedback).
VI. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:
This course is designed to exercise the skills
necessary to teach theatre activities to students in grades P-12, including
using theatre as a teaching method in a variety of subject areas in grades
P-8. To that end, students will become
familiar with Georgia Department of Education requirements for theatre arts;
develop strategies for locating the resources and volunteers necessary for play
productions; and explore the goals, needs, benefits, problems and issues of
coordinating a theatre program in the secondary education environment.
VII. SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OUTCOMES:
Core Candidate Learning Outcomes :
The following outcomes, adapted from the 1994 INTASC standards (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) and updated Fall 2003, are addressed in this course.
1) Learning Environment: The proactive teacher uses an
understanding of individual and group motivation to create a caring, democratic
learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, self regulation, and collaboration. The proactive
teacher fosters the ideals of a democratic
classroom by treating students fairly and justly, providing intellectual
challenge, and supporting students as they pursue knowledge and
understanding.
2) Subject Matter: The scholarly teacher understands and can model the central
concepts, tools of inquiry, national standards, and structures of the
discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make
these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students. CO:
3) Student Learning: The reflective teacher
understands how students develop and learn and provides well-managed learning
opportunities that support students’ intellectual, social, and personal growth.
The teacher documents student achievements and contributes to systems of
accountability designed to improve schooling.
4) Diversity: By understanding that all
learners are products of their innate abilities, preferred learning styles, and
cultural experiences, the democratic teacher modifies instruction
and assessments to meet diverse needs of all students.
5) Instructional Strategies: The proactive teacher
understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage the
development of all students’ creative talents, critical thinking, problem
solving, and performance skills
6) Assessment Strategies: The scholarly,
reflective, proactive teacher designs a variety of assessments including
alternative assessment strategies, which (a) assess the acquisition of
knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected in the subject, (b) offset the
negative effects of high-stakes testing, and (c) encourage the continual
intellectual, social, and personal growth of all students to become
knowledgeable, inquisitive learners.
7) Communication and
Technology:
The proactive teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal,
non-verbal, and media communication techniques and technologies to foster
active inquiry, collaboration, and
supportive interaction in the classroom.
8) Planning and Instruction: The reflective,
scholarly teacher candidate plans & manages instruction based upon
knowledge of subject matter/pedagogy, students, the community, & curriculum
goals.
9) Reflection
& Professional Development:
The reflective, proactive teacher candidate continually
evaluates the effects of her/his choices & actions upon others, &
proactively seeks opportunities for continual development of personal pedagogy.
10) Collaborations & Relationships: Teacher candidate communicates, and collaborates
w/ other educators, parents/families, agencies & the community through democratic
processes to support learning
& well-being.
Early Childhood and Middle Grades Graduate Candidate
Learning Outcomes:
11) Constructivist Practices: The scholarly,
reflective, proactive teacher models and provides opportunities for
constructivist practices
12) Informed Teachers: The scholarly,
reflective, proactive teacher is an informed professional. 13) Scholarly Work: The reflective,
proactive teacher actively engages in scholarly work.
14) Action Research: The scholarly,
reflective, proactive teacher participates in action research.
Dispositions for All
Candidates:
In addition to the common
core learning outcomes, all candidates are expected to be familiar with the
dispositions expected of professionals.
Their work with students, families, and communities reflects the
following dispositions as defined by the School of Education faculty:
Scholarly: Inquiring; creative; seeks solutions; thinks
critically about theory and method; keeps current in discipline (conferences,
journals, classes); pursues lifelong learning.
Reflective: Bases daily decisions on in depth reflection,
done frequently and honestly; considers many possibilities for problem
solutions; stays open to constructive criticism.
Proactive: Anticipates problems in management;
anticipates problems and difficulties in instruction; addresses pertinent
issues of school and community to support student learning; encourages
students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity; plans for
important student learning; fosters visionary thinking and action; promotes
mindful leadership to improve schools.
Democratic: Facilitator; views others as capable to deal
with problems and able to make decisions; promotes equitable treatment for all
students; has high expectations for all students; seeks best interest of
students they serve; open-minded; able to view other perspectives; accommodates
individual differences; culturally sensitive in areas of communications,
learning, assessment, and cultural norms; collaborates well with others; works
for the good of the community.
Responsible: Patience, professional temperament; aims to
be the best he/she can be; good work ethic; punctual; recognizes when their own
dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do
so.
VIII. COURSE OUTCOMES (CLO):
Upon successful completion of this course, the candidate will be able to:
1) Be able to use Drama as a
teaching method in subject areas in grades P-8.
(CCLO: 1, 2, 5 & 6) )
2) Be able to identify and
manage resources necessary for play productions at the secondary level. (CCLO: 1, 8 & 10)
3) Use strategies for teaching theatre to a multi
cultural classroom and to students with disabilities. (CCLO: 3, 4 & 5 )
4) Be able to identify and
respond to ethical issues in education and theatre.
(CCLO:2 & 9 )
5) Understand and use the latest Georgia Standards for teaching theatre. (CCLO: 7, 8 & 9)
IX. COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES:
1. Class Attendance & Participation:
Attendance is mandatory in order
to complete the work assigned. For each
absence five points will be
deducted from your attendance/tardy grade (a portion of your class commitment
grade). For every tardy one point will be deducted from your
attendance/tardy grade (also a portion of your class
commitment grade). If you expect to be
excused from class, it must be submitted in writing. Remember
it is your responsibility to find out what you missed if you are absent or late
for class. If you miss more than
10 class periods you will receive an F in the course.
PARTICIPATION - Active participation means:
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:
Quality is important! Work submitted should reflect professional,
scholarly, 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. It is also wise to periodically save your work on the hard drive
as well as the disk.
INCOMPLETES – A candidate may receive an incomplete (I) for
reasons such as illness or other extenuating circumstances upon approval of
the course instructor and the dean.
An incomplete is not granted just to extend time to complete work that
should have been done in a timely manner.
(See the Piedmont College catalog for additional information regarding
an incomplete).
3. Academic Integrity:
By accepting admission to Piedmont College, each
candidate makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the
"Academic Integrity Policy" without compromise or exception (See the
Piedmont College Catalog and the Student Handbook for details of the
policy). This class will be conducted in
strict observance of the policy. The
College imposes strict penalties for academic dishonesty (cheating,
fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism) as defined in
the Catalog and Handbook.
Some suggestions for helping you abide by the policy include:
Ø All work submitted must be
your original work created in and for this course.
Ø Cite and reference work
properly using the current APA guidelines.
o
Cite all quotes or paraphrased material. It is better to over cite than not give
credit to the author of a work or source that you are using in your paper or
project.
§ Any time you use the exact
words of researcher, author, or source, you must place the words in quotation
marks when your quote is less than 40 words.
If more than 40 words, place the quote in an indented block omitting
quotation marks. (See the APA Manual
for specific guidelines).
§ You must also give credit to
an author or source when you paraphrase.
§ When referring to
information from your course text, be sure you cite and reference the
source and/or authors.
§ Follow the protocol in the
current APA manual for citing and referencing all electronic sources.
Ø Double dipping is not
permitted. For example:
o
You may not use an assignment created in one course to meet the
requirements in another.
o
Visiting a classroom for one field experience may not be used to meet a
field experience requirement for another course.
4. Special Considerations: Piedmont College makes every
effort to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to
students with disabilities. Accommodations must be coordinated
through the Office of Academic Support by contacting the director at 1-800-277-7020
ext. 1359 or by email - dtaylor@piedmont.edu.
Students are responsible for providing accurate and
current documentation of their disability and for making a written
request to the Director of Academic Support before receiving
accommodations. Students with special needs (disabilities,
problems, or any other factors that may affect their performance or that
require special instructional strategies) should also make these needs
known to the professor/instructor during the first class session.
Inclement
Weather
– In general, classes are dismissed or cancelled (day and/or night classes)
when conditions in and around Demorest become such that the main streets and
college parking lots become too dangerous on which to drive. Candidates who live outside the Demorest area
for which road conditions are too difficult to proceed should stay at
home. Candidates who miss class should
consult their instructors for assignments and make-up work. Dismissed or cancelled classes must be made
up during semester breaks, the first available Saturday, or an agreed upon
make-up by class members and the professor.
When classes are dismissed, the following radio/TV stations will be
informed of the action taken: Station WCON (99.3 FM) – Cornelia; WMJE (102.9
FM) – Clarkesville/Gainesville; WNEG (6.30 AM) – Toccoa; WAGA TV – Fox 5,
Atlanta; WNEG TV Ch. 32; and WXIA TV – 11 Alive.
X. STUDENT EXPECTATIONS AND COURSE OUTLINE:
DRAMA EDUCATOR PROJECT:
Students
will work both individually and collaboratively to build a collection of
“snapshots” of the Drama Educator in present public education. This project/portfolio will focus not only on
the teacher, but also on the content and most importantly the student within
the Drama classroom. Informational
“snapshots” will be collected in the following areas:
1. Interviews with current
Drama Educators
2. Interviews with current
Drama students, focusing on the three different levels (Primary, Middle and
High School) of students
3. Observations on classroom
management.
4. Observations on employing a
democratic classroom setting that fosters collaboration
5. Observations on successful
teaching strategies used in specific content areas and in conjunc
Field
Experience:
Candidates will spend at least 10 hours in the schools interviewing, observing
and interacting with Drama educators and Drama students from all three levels
mentioned above.
DRAMA EDUCATION WORKBOOK:
Students
will develop a workbook of Drama lesson plans that address all grade levels and
abilities. Included in this well
organized workbook will be exercises, Theater games, warm-up techniques, lesson
plans, etc. and scholarly rationale for the selections. Also included will be an implementation guide
for each exercise/plan along with a bibliography and resource guide.
Field
Experience: Candidates will spend at least 10 hours in classrooms observing
students and at least six hours
working with students using the creative dramatics games/exercises they have
developed in their workbook.
EXAMINATIONS:
There will be a mid-term exam based on the reading
material. The final exam will be in a
portfolio format and will contain the following:
1) One lesson plan for using theatre as a method for teaching another
subject area in grades
P-5.
2) One lesson plan for using
theatre as a method for teaching another subject area in grades 6-8.
3) An instructional portfolio for teaching theatre
in grades 9-12. This portfolio will
include curriculum goals and practical theatre resources and activities, as
well as notes
on ethical issues and
observations of effective teaching strategies.
Hobgood, Burnet M. Master Teachers of Theatre: Observations on
Teaching Theatre by Nine American Masters.
Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988
Gilbert, Anne Green, Creative Dance for All Ages: A Conceptual
Approach. Reston, VA: National Dance
Association, 2005
Fluegelman, Andrew, Ed. The New Games Book.
Garden City NY: Dolphin Books, 1981.
Grenough, Millie, Esdaile, Sharyn, Wolf, Mary Hunter,
eds. Bananas and Fifty-Four Other Varieties:
A Book of Activities to do with Kids. West Haven, CT: Fairfax Press, 1980.
McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the
Intermediate Grades. New York, NY: Longman, Inc., 1987.
More
resource information TBA
Webpages:
Creative Dramatics:
http://www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Creative-Dramatics.htm
Galileo: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/
Internet
Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/
(NOTE: WIKOPEDIA is NOT considered a scholarly resource)
Praxis Information:
All students seeking initial certification in the state of Georgia must pass Praxis I in order to be admitted to student teaching. Students may exempt this requirement by providing either SAT, ACT, GRE, CBEST, CLAST, or FTCE scores which meet the following criteria:
SAT: minimum required score – 1000 (w/ no minimum verbal score or math score required) The composite score is obtained by adding the verbal and the math scores. Candidates must take both the verbal and the math sections of the test.
ACT: minimum score – 43 (w/ no minimum English score or math score required)
The composite score is obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative scores. Candidates must take both the English and the math sections of the test.
GRE: 1030 minimum score (w/ no minimum verbal score or quantitative score required)
The composite score is obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative scores. Candidates must take both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test.
CBEST: Passing Scores indicated on score report – Used in California and Oregon
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/profserv/examinfo/cbest.html
CLAST: Passing Scores indicated on report – Used in Florida
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/clast/clstpscr.htm
FTCE: General Knowledge – Passing Scores indicated on score report – Used in Florida
http://www.cefe.usf.edu/TestDescGK.aspx
Teacher candidates who are seeking initial certification must also pass Praxis II in the appropriate
content area in order to be recommended for certification. Candidates who are currently certified
and are adding a new field must also pass the appropriate content exam. Information on Praxis I &
II may be found at www.ets.org/k12learn
XII. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION:
Class Commitment: 25%
Attendance &
Timeliness
Preparation
(presenting scenes in class)
Participation
(Attitude, Organization, etc….)
Drama Educator Project and Field
Experience: 25%
Drama Education Workbook Project
and Field Experience: 25%
Midterm and Final Exam: 25%
XIII. TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE:
WEEK 1 - 2 - Overview and
Introduction
Examining the QCC, Professional Standards, Content
Material: Classroom Reading
WEEK 3
- 5 – Development of Drama Educator Project
WEEK 6 - 10 – Field Experience
WEEK 11- 12 – Development of
Drama Education Project-
WEEK 13 – 16 – Field
Experience and preparation of final exam/portfolio
(Final
Exam)