EDSE 736/737 Advanced Instructional Methods-Apprenticeship

EDSE 743/744 Advanced Instructional Methods-Internship

Fall 2005 and Spring 2006

Name: Dr. Joan Jackson

Office Location: Hancock Building, Athens Center

Room: 203 Hancock

Phone: 706-548-2344 (office) and 678-284-0258 (any time until 11pm)

Email: alphagirl2@hotmail.com (personal) or jjackson@piedmont.edu (office)

Fax # TBD

Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00 -4:30

Thursday 2:00-4:30

Other days & times By appointment

Required Textbook:

Arends, R. (2002). Teaching to Learn, (6ed.).

PIEDMONT MISSION:

Piedmont College Mission:

Inspired by the liberal arts tradition and a historical association with the Congregational Christian Churches, Piedmont College cultivates a diverse, challenging and caring intellectual environment to encourage academic success and spiritual development.

To accomplish this mission, the college offers a number of major fields of study that are informed by the liberal arts, including specialized professional programs and selected graduate programs. Instructional opportunities are also provided at distant locations to meet student needs.

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 children.” The School of Education strives to prepare reflective, scholarly, 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).

Graduate MA and MAT Program Goals:

The goal of the Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs at Piedmont College is to provide the graduate candidate knowledge in the social and educational development of students. Through an individualized program of study based on the candidate’s undergraduate program, experience, and professional goals, the programs seek to:

· provide the candidate with the ability to communicate and teach effectively using an interdisciplinary knowledge base and understanding of multidimensional classrooms;

· use and facilitate critical thinking skills;

· enhance candidates’ content knowledge, integrating it with instructional technology;

· enable candidates to interpret and assess educational research, and conduct their own classroom-based research; and to

· provide experiences that enable candidates to assume roles as scholarly practitioners and develop their skills and abilities as professional teachers.

MAT Program Goals

Through an individualized program of study based on the candidate’s undergraduate program, experience, and professional goals, the MAT program

seeks to:

¨ build the candidate’s knowledge base and understanding of P-5 students’ characteristics, knowledge, skills, experience, interest, approaches to learning, special needs, and cultural heritage;

¨ prepare candidates who have knowledge and understanding about multicultural and global issues and perspectives as well as to plan and implement instruction based on these perspectives;

¨ build the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of content, pedagogy, record keeping and a wide variety of diagnostic and assessment techniques and strategies;

¨ develop the candidate’s understanding and use of educational technology including the use of computer and other technologies in instruction, assessment, and productivity;

¨ build candidate’s ability to create classroom environments that include: respect, rapport, a culture for learning, effective management of classroom procedures, appropriate management of student behavior, and efficient organization of physical space;

¨ inform candidates of resources available for teachers and students to support and enhance student learning;

¨ develop the candidate’s repertoire of strategies for effective teaching;

¨ enable candidates to plan and implement instruction based on acquired knowledge of subject matter, students, and the community;

¨ provide candidates with concrete field experiences across grades P-5 that help them link theory and practice through observation and participation;

¨ develop the candidate’s understanding and use of effective interactions with parents or guardians for supporting students learning and well-being;

¨ develop the candidate’s ability to use research, research methods, and knowledge about issues and trends to conduct research on an educational topic of interest;

¨ help candidates grow and develop professionally toward becoming proactive, scholarly, reflective practitioners, and lifelong learners who improve the lives of children.

MA Program Goals

Through an individualized program of study based on the candidate’s undergraduate program, experience, and professional goals, the MA program seeks to:

¨ enable candidates to critique their planning and teaching strategies so they can more effectively plan instruction based on extended knowledge of subject matter, students, and the community;

¨ broaden the candidates’ knowledge of developmentally appropriate content and resources needed for teaching and interacting with their students;

¨ expand the candidate’s repertoire of strategies for effective teaching and communication with parents;

¨ enhance and expand the candidate’s knowledge and understanding about multicultural and global issues and perspectives as well as ways to plan and implement instruction based on these perspectives;

¨ expand the candidate’s understanding and use of educational technology including the use of computer and other technologies in instruction, assessment, and productivity;

¨ diversify field experiences for candidates to strengthen their understanding of the link between theory and practice;

¨ develop the candidate’s ability to use research, research methods, and knowledge about issues and trends to improve practice in schools and classrooms;

¨ develop the candidate’s ability to assume roles as leaders and mentors in the profession;

¨ establish procedures that candidates can use to continually keep up-to-date on changes in the field;

¨ help candidates become more independent in their professional development as scholarly, reflective, practitioners and lifelong learners who improve the lives of children;

¨ encourage candidates’ involvement in professional activities and endeavors; encourage candidates to present at local, state, and national conferences.

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.

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 Instruction: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher plans and manages instruction based upon knowledge of content, pedagogy, students, the community, and curriculum goals.

9) Reflection and Professional Development: The scholarly teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of her/his choices and actions upon others, institutes research aimed at improving instruction, attends to the development of policies affecting education at the state and national levels, proactively seeks opportunities for the continual development of a personal pedagogy.

10) Collaboration and Relationships: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher communicates and collaborates with other educators, parents/families, agencies and the community through democratic processes to support student learning and well being.

Secondary Education Masters-level Candidate Learning Outcomes:

¨ For both Initial and Advanced Certification Programs

15) Research: The teacher refines instructional practices informed by critical consideration of relevant research and by the application of action research as an ongoing aspect of practice.

16) Democratic Classroom: The teacher guides students toward involvement in activities that provide skills and dispositions to fulfill the roles of a citizen engaged in pursuing the ideals of democracy.

17) Philosophical Orientation: The teacher studies initiatives, patterns, trends and policies for their philosophical underpinnings as part of a continuing assessment of the efficacy of those underpinnings.

18) Integrity: The teacher pursues her/his professional practices with a strong sense of mission beyond keeping a job, and with a keen sense of ethical integrity.

19) Philosophical Pragmatism: The teacher maintains an intellectual spiral in which practices are improved by conceptual refinements, which are in turn refined by assessing the results of implementations over time.

¨ For Advanced Certification Programs

20) Modeling and Mentoring: The teacher both models best practices and accepts responsibility to mentor new and veteran teachers.

21) Professional Discourse: The teacher participates actively in the professional discourses related to the field of certification--at the school and in regional and national venues.

22) Proactive Involvement: The teacher takes advantage of opportunities to influence the school toward curricula, instructional practices, policies and professional climate which result in students acquiring more durable knowledge and skills and in-depth understanding, as well as positive dispositions toward learning.

Objectives of the Course:

Instructor: To facilitate candidates’ understanding of content specific pedagogy and their application of specific methods in the in the content classroom

Candidate Target: To learn to apply content specific pedagogy:

1. To achieve these objectives the instructor should model for candidates how to apply methodology specifically to their content field. Ways of doing this may include but are not limited to the following:

a) Modeling content specific instructional practices with candidates

For example:

English instructor could use literature circles to explore readings or writing circles to comment on candidates’ writing.

b) Sharing content specific lesson plans

c) Sharing content specific unit plans

d) Sharing and discussing content specific ideas related to teaching methodology

2. To achieve these objectives the instructor should critique content specific methodology products created by the candidate. Ways of doing this may include but are not limited to the following:

a) Requiring students to submit sample lesson plans for your review

b) Requiring students to submit sample unit plans for your review

3. To achieve these objectives the instructor should answer content specific methodology questions raised by the candidates.

It is essential to read about the latest trends and issues in education if one would like to keep current about possible practices that may enhance one’s instruction. Listed below are some possible journals that candidates may find beneficial.

English Journal Educational Leadership Curriculum Review Research in The Teaching of English

English Education Phi Delta Kappan High School Journal Teaching History

Middle School Journal Callilou English Leadership Quarterly Social Education

Mathematics Teacher The Science Teacher Hispania

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.

NOTE: Our class will have a listserve where students may share, discuss and reflect on the class reading, assignments and any other instructional content of the course. Students will be given the list serve login information in class. If there should be inclement weather, students will be expected to participate in the class discussion. This method will be used in lieu of having a separate make-up date for any lost instructional time. If a student does not log in, s/he will be considered absent from class.

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. Quality is important! Written work, such as reflective papers and reports, should have at least five (5) referenced sources. Journals are excluded from this requirement. 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.

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. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the policy. Refer to your Piedmont College Student Handbook for details. All work submitted must be your original work created in and for this course. It should be referenced properly using APA (including information from the internet). Double dipping (to be discussed in class) is not permitted.

Standards

Candidates should refer to the standards of national content standards when planning instructional materials and for ideas as to the types of instructional environments that are needed to maximize student learning. Content area standards can be found at the following websites:

National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) http://www./ncte.org

Georgia Council of Teachers of English http://gacte.com

Piedmont College’s Web Page: www.piedmont.edu

Library: http://library.piedmont.edu

Galileo: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/

Bookstore: http://www.piedmont.bkstr.com/

Georgia Professional Standards Commission: www.gapsc.com

Georgia Department of Education: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/

QCC objectives/GPS: http://www.glc.k12.ga.us

US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/

Education World: http://www.education-world.com/

Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/

Education Website Clearinghouse: http://library.ucf.edu/internet/Education/webed.htm

Educational Software Institute: http://www.edsoft.com/

National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.ncte.org

Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE): http://www.crede.ucsc.edu

Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA): http://cela.albany.edu

Better Teaching: Tips and Techniques to Improve Student Learning: http://www.teacher-institute.com

a. Attendance

Attendance, promptness, and participation are required and part of your grade. Absences are not expected. The School of Education policy states

that more than the allotted number of excuse absences for any reason will result in failure of the course. The allotted number of excused absences is

as follows:

This course is valued as one credit hour. We will have sixteen (16) class meetings as outlined. Students will be allotted only two (2) missed sessions. Only those absences due to emergencies or professional obligations will be excused. Work missed due to an excused absence should be made up. However, it should be noted that due to the interactive, hands on nature of the class many of the classroom experiences can not be made up outside of class. It is the candidate’s responsibility to inform the professor in writing how he or she plans to make up the work. Any candidate who misses more than the allowable number of classes will be asked to drop the course or will receive an F at the end of the semester. Please contact the professor prior to absence when possible. Similarly, more than two tardies will affect a candidate’s final grade. A candidate who is who is more than an hour late to class will be assessed two tardies instead of one tardy.

In order to benefit fully from this course, the candidate is expected to be fully involved in the readings, class discussions, and activities. Active

participation means that every candidate prepares for class by reading the text and/or other assigned readings and that each candidate actively

participates in discussions and activities conducted during class. Accordingly, this course will be interactive in nature. It will involve a variety of

instructional modalities, including reflective activities, group work, writing, discussions in various formats, candidate presentations, demonstrations,

observations, lecture, etc.

b. Schedule & Topic Outline

The candidates and teacher have planned assignment for this course. The readings and assignment due dates are listed on the schedule of classes attached. The calendar may be modified to meet the class’s needs and interests. Topics which will be discussed are:

Designing content area instruction in the diverse classroom

How do I decide where to focus, what to spend time on in class?

How can I get students interested in the unit?

-concept attainment

-before/during/after reading strategies

-role playing as a model of learning

How can I get students to really think about the content?

- questioning techniques (Socratic method, open & closed questions)

- developing scaffolds to support content-specific modes of thinking

- inquiry units

- Social Content Theory method

- Learning Focus Concepts (acquisition, redefining, extending, enrichment)

How can I find out what they know?

- efficient, effective assessment--portfolios, essay, selected response, & performance

assessment

-performance-based assessment-art, music, video presentations, juried projects

How can I have high expectations or even just teach language arts when half the class can’t read?

- content area reading

- Reciprocal Teaching

-Choral Reading Strategy

-“Stop and Go” Reading Strategy

How can I use creative methods to reach my students in writing, reading and literature?

reflective activities, group work, collaborative pairs, think pair share, round robin, fish tanks, student presentations, projects, writing, discussions in various formats, role-playing, case study analysis, candidate presentations, field experiences, demonstrations, observations, lecture, discovery lessons, literary analysis, interpretative text analysis, looking at literature through multiple lenses, anticipatory set, closing lessons, modeling, simulations, methods for teaching vocabulary, peer tutoring, drill, compare and contrast strategies, learning centers, various questioning techniques, debate, games, reading circles, problem based-inquiry learning, direct instruction, indirect instruction, panel of experts, braining storming, videos, worksheets, story telling, concept maps, outlining, learning logs, story telling, differentiation strategies like compacting, tiered assignments, interest centers, learning contracts

Relationships between instruction, assessment, and learning

How can I figure out what’s working—as a whole class & for individual students?

-using evidence to make judgments

-Paideia Methods

How can I effectively assess students’ learning?

-quizzes, standardized tests, projects

-formative assessment and instruction modification

-interpretation of standardized exams and impact on curriculum

Understanding the school and community

How do the school and the larger community impact my classroom teaching?

-GPS and No Child Left Behind, NCTE standards

How to teach the content with those guidelines?

- teaching Language Arts/English from a standards-based approach

c. Description of Assessments & Assignments, Due Dates

The School of Education wishes for its Masters candidates to become scholarly, reflective practitioners. The requirements for this course reflect this aim as well as meeting the outcomes stated earlier in the syllabus. NOTE: Other textbooks for this course will be decided by the class. The Arends text, Learning to Teach will be the primary text.

PART A: Diversity/Multicultural Lesson/Unit Planning

Implementing the various strategies and lesson planning methods shared in class, students are to create and implement a multicultural unit or lesson. The lesson/unit plan should include any GA, QCC or National standards objectives, hand-outs, notes, quizzes and exams. Student work should also be submitted. Once the lesson our unit has concluded, students should prepare a reflection paper discussing the following: thoughts regarding the lesson, classroom management and discussion, teaching tools and strategies implemented to conduct the lesson, assessment and evaluation methods, an evaluation to include pre- and post-data of the unit and a written evaluation of the unit from a student’s perspective, evaluation of the lesson from the teacher’s perspective and an evaluation from a colleague. Criteria for evaluating your work is listed below.

1.Develop a three-week comprehensive plan for a unit of instruction in your content area.

This assignment will help candidates meet CLOs 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 19 and 20.

2. Develop formal assessment plans for a grading period in your content area.

This assignment will help candidates meet CLOs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 22.

PART B: Methods Notebook

Students are asked to construct a methods notebook featuring lessons used in their classes. Student should compile at least one semester worth of lessons, observations, reports and the like that were used to instruct students. Commentary and reflection may also be used to give depth to the material presented. Full lesson plans should be photocopied and placed in the notebook. In the lesson plans, students should highlight:

-demographics and composition of the lesson’s class

-the warm up activity with the lesson’s objective

-the method used and why that particular method is/was used

-the assessment tool

-the classroom management strategies, if any, used

-a reflection of your lesson from a student’s perspective

Other class members may ask questions, offer suggestions for instruction or comment on these lesson plans. Each plan will be rated for its effectiveness. The class will create the rubric on Class Meeting # 4.

This assignment will help students meet CLOs 2, 3, 6, 8, and 19.

PART C: Observation

Students are asked to observe another teacher in your field within their buildings. They are to construct a 4 to 8 page critique of their time in the class. The paper should discuss methods, diversity, student participation and engagement, the lesson concepts, any unique characteristics of the class, and the evaluation or summarization of the lesson.

This assignment will help students meet CLOs 1, 3, 5, 8, 12, 17 and 22.

PART D: Journals

The student should construct a reflective journal each month. These journals should touch upon these topics: teaching, collaborating with other teachers, school and district policies, parent involvement, student achievement, instructional delivery, curricular issues, personal strengths and weaknesses, course material application, special education modifications, national field and state assessments, and the like. These journal should be sent via email to jjackson@piedmont.edu no later than 12 noon the day which they are due.

Grading System for assignments:

15 pts	Journals Due Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2, & Dec. 1
10 pts	Attendance and Class Participation
10 pts	Observations
25 pts	Diversity Lesson Plans Dec. 7
20 pts	Methods notebook December 7
20 pts	Professionalism, Participation, and Preparation (PPP) November 9

Schedule of Classes and Readings

Date of Class	Topics Covered	Chapter Readings	Work Due	Things to Do for the Following Meeting
August 17	Introduction and First Month of School Activities Discussion
24	Talking to and Reaching MS/HS Students	AR, Chps. 4 and 7
31	Learning Styles/ Multiple Intelligences/Classroom Management Strategies	AR, Chps. 8-11	Chapter 8, 9,10 & 11 Presentations due
September 7	Chapter Presentations: Types of Lesson Delivery. Presentations should be a maximum of 30 minutes! (Journals are also due!)
September 14	Note-taking, Cooperative Groups and Graphic Organizers for Learning
September 21	Identify/Organizing Content: GPS/LFS/ Curriculum Mapping	AR, Chps. 1 and 3		Prepare lessons to share with class for 9/28 and 10/19
September 28	Lesson Delivery - Part 1
October 5	Lesson Delivery - Part 2		Journals Due
October 12	No Class-Fall Break			PPE Notebooks are due on Nov. 9 for all students.
October 19	English Report to Class-Reading in the Content Area	AR, Chp. 6
October 26	Social Studies, Math, and Science Report to class-Reading in the Content Area	AR, Chp. 6		Observations should be conducted
November 2	½ Social Studies and ½ English Report to Class-Interdisciplinary Planning	AR, Chp. 13		Observations should be conducted
November 9	½ Social Studies and ½ English Report to Class-Interdisciplinary Planning	AR, Chp. 13	PPE Notebooks due
November 16	No Class-NCTE Conference in Pittsburg, PA		Are you working on Observations, PPE and Diversity plans?
November 23	No Class-Thanksgiving Break		Are you working on Observations, PPE and Diversity plans?
November 30