PIEDMONT COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

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

 

                                                                     

 

1.              COURSE INFORMATION:

             EDUC 632.1: LANGUAGE ARTS

                Co-requisite:             EDUC 631                            

                Credit:                        Three                                    

                Period:                        345                                        

               

II.            INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

                Name:                         Dr. Charles Lucado

                Office Location:        L-124, Demorest Campus

                Phone Numbers:       (706)778-8500 X1231 (Office)

                                                    (706)754-1251 (Home)

                E-mail:                        clucado@piedmont.edu

                Fax number:               (706)776-0135

                Office Hours:            Monday & Tuesday 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

                                                    Wednesday & Thursday 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

                                                    Others by appointment

 

III.           TIME AND PLACE:

        CAMPUS:  Demorest         SEMESTER:  Fall                YEAR:  2006

        Dates:     August 17 – October 5

        Time:      5:00 pm – 9:30 pm, Thursday

        Place:      L-122

 

IV.           TEXT AND SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:

Thompkins, G. E. (2005).  Language arts: Patterns of practice (6th ed.).  Upper Saddle River,

          NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

            Lynch-Brown, C., & Tomlinson, C. M. (2005).  Essentials of children’s literature (5th ed.).

                          Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

American Psychological Association.  (2001).  Publication manual of the American Psychological

          Association (5th ed.).  Washington, DC: Author.

 

Supplemental readings will be required as needed throughout the course.  These readings will include research and professional documents, personal reading, and children’s literature.  Also, copying some materials to share with the class may be required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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 Early Childhood Education Mission:

The goals of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Arts (MA) programs at Piedmont College are to provide the graduate candidate extended knowledge in the social and educational development of students. The programs seek to:

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

Ø               use and facilitate critical thinking skills;

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

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

Ø               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 program seeks to:

¨       build the candidate’s knowledge base and understanding of P-5 students’ characteristics, knowledge, skills, experience, interests, 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 ways 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 life long learners who improve the lives of children.

 

VI.           COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:

This course is designed to enhance and strengthen the theoretical base for teaching the process components of communication arts including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing.  Candidates will explore current research, issues, materials, techniques, and methods for teaching the process components.  A variety of applications of these modes will be explored to enable prospective teacher to become proactive in planning, implementing, and evaluating effective language arts programs.  Topics include: how children learn language; language rich classrooms; the reading and writing processes; the listening process; conversations; dramatic activities; reading and writing stories, reports, and letters; reading and writing poetry; and spelling, handwriting, and grammar tools.  A focus will be on integrating children’s literature in all areas of the curriculum.  Emphasis will be placed on strategies and skills, reasons for selecting certain teaching strategies in particular situations, and reasons behind the teaching strategies.

 

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), 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.

     CO: 6, 13, 14 

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: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 14

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.  CO: 1, 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16

4.  Diversity. By understanding that all learners are the 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. CO: 6, 10, 12, 16

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. CO: 7, 8, 11, 13, 14

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. CO: 17, 18, 19

7.  Communication and Technology:  The proactive teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, non­verbal, and media communication techniques and technologies to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.  CO: 8, 13, 15, 16

8.  Planning Instruction: The scholarly, reflective, proactive teacher plans and manages instruction based upon knowledge of content, pedagogy, students, the community, and curriculum goals. CO: 3, 4, 5,  6, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17

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, and proactively seeks opportunities for the continual development of a personal pedagogy. CO: 16, 20, 21

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. CO: 10

               

Early Childhood Graduate Candidate Learning Outcomes:

11.  Constructivist Practices: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher models and provides

        opportunities for constructivist practices.  CO:  1, 7, 13, 21

12.  Informed Teachers: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher is an informed professional. CO: All

13.  Scholarly Work: The proactive, reflective teacher actively engages in scholarly work.  CO:  1, 5, 6,  

       13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21

14.  Action Research: The proactive, scholarly, and reflective teacher participates in action research.    

      CO:  13, 20, 21

 

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 (CO):

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

1.        Develop knowledge of current philosophies and issues in the area of language arts. 

2.        Explore developmentally appropriate reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing activities.

3.        Show familiarity with the various genres of children’s literature and how each might be integrated into the school curriculum.

4.        Understand developmental stages and types of books appropriate to use within each stage.

5.        Explore and analyze the QCC objectives and the IRA and NCTE standards.

6.        Analyze and develop measures and methodologies for diverse students and students with special needs.

7.        Demonstrate competence in assisting children to think critically, express themselves creatively and learn to make independent decisions. 

8.        Demonstrate an ability to read orally both prose and poetry in an entertaining fashion and to develop storytelling techniques.

9.        Show familiarity with noted authors and illustrators of children’s literature.

10.     Be aware of censorship of children’s books and ways to deal with would-be censors.

11.     Know the characteristics of effective teaching with core books and literature units.

12.     Show awareness of the way diverse cultures (past and present) are portrayed in children’s literature.

13.     Develop and apply developmentally appropriate instructional communication strategies and create activities that promote self-esteem, group responsibility and relationships.

14.     Be able to design, role play, and teach literature lessons which encompass a variety of literature-related activities and purposes.

15.     Explore strategies for use of classroom technology for the communication arts.

16.     Question and select materials and media appropriate to the instructional level and needs of the students, with emphasis upon the implications of the learning process.

17.     Analyze and select appropriate methods for observing, recording, and evaluating students’ behavior, progress, knowledge and attitudes in order to plan an appropriate instructional program and learning environment.

18.     Be able to critique audiovisual materials, games, simulations, and computer software programs related to children’s literature and the communication arts.

19.     Know evaluation criteria for children’s picture books, fiction, and nonfiction.

20.     Reconsider old and new knowledge and skills and make decisions leading to effective instruction.

21.     Reflect on his/her own teaching and make suggestions for improvement.

 

IX.           COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES:

1.       Class Attendance & Participation:  

Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required and part of your grade.  The School of Education policy states that more than the allotted number of excused absences for any reason will result in failure of the course.  The allotted number of excused absences for this course is one.  Only those absences due to emergencies, illness, or extenuating circumstances will be excused.  Additionally, tardiness or leaving class early will be considered a partial absence reflected in your grade.  Work missed due to an excused absence may be made up.  Please contact me prior to an absence when possible.  It is your responsibility to inform me in writing how you make up the work.  Make-up work must be submitted within two weeks of the absence.  If you are absent on class #7 or #8, you need to immediately discuss arrangements for make-up with me   Your writing should be professional and include: the date you were absent; a statement about why you were absent; a detailed, quality description of the process you undertook to make up the work; and a comprehensive summary of the content that was covered in class.  Be sure to include a cover page.  If work is not made up satisfactorily, the highest grade a candidate can receive for the course is a B.  Any candidate who misses more than one class will be asked to drop the course or will receive an F at the end of the semester.  However, if make up work is approved by the professor and satisfactorily completed, a passing grade is still possible.  Also understand that reading a classmates notes cannot easily duplicate many of the experiences of the course.

 

INCOMPLETES – A teacher 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). 

 

If the candidate’s illness is extended, causing more than two class absences, the candidate may need to request in writing a medical withdrawal.  If the Registrar approves the request, a candidate may receive a “W” for the course. 

 

 

 

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 time 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.

 

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:

Use APA style (5th 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 page with your name, course number and name, assignment, and date clearly typed on the front.  For example (double spaced and centered), Your name; EDUC 632.1: Language Arts, Field Experience A: Classroom Observation, Date.

 

Quality is important! All work submitted should reflect professional, scholarly, graduate level work.  Your writings and reflections will be assessed according to the depth, breadth, clarity and accuracy they convey.   (10% Assignment Parts; 20% APA Format / Citation and Standard Edited English; and 70% quality).