Piedmont College
School of Education
Spring 2005
Syllabus
Preparing Proactive Educators to Improve the Lives of All Children
EDUC 712 Group Processes and Interpersonal Skills
Name: Dr. Angela Humphrey Brown
Office Location: 345 West Hancock Avenue; Second floor, Room 205
Phone: 706-548-2780 Email: piedmontwork@cs.com Fax # 706-548-8871
Office Hours: Thursdays 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 pm. Online office hours are held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Other office hours are by appointment. Please do not hesitate to make an appointment with Dr. Brown. She is willing to meet with you to aid in your learning and to discuss any concerns that you have. She is very accessible by email.
Day: Thursdays 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Class Location: Hancock Annex Building; Room 206
Required:
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F. P. (2003). Joining together: Group theory and group skills. (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Shulman,
J. Lotan, R.A., & Whitcomb, J. A. (Eds.). (1998). Group work in diverse
classrooms: A
casebook for educators. New York: Teachers College Press.
Supplementary:
Other readings will be required throughout the course to meet the diverse needs of the different candidates in the class. Candidates are responsible for finding appropriate resources for required readings (with instructor guidance) for the Scholarly Reading Project. Candidates may find appropriate resources on the Internet, from the instructor’s library, from Piedmont College’s library, the Athens Center Curriculum Library, and the University of Georgia Library. The instructor may distribute additional readings as needed.
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is required for bibliographical information and research. Please refer to the fifth edition. If necessary, candidates may purchase a copy of the APA manual from the bookstore. A candidate may also explore the instructor’s APA short cut guide on the Group Processes CD. Candidates may also wish to visit the APA’s Frequently Asked Questions website. http://www.apa.org/journals/faq.html
All candidates are expected to have a working email account. Candidates should contact the main office to establish a Piedmont email account if they do not already have e-mail access. The course instructor will be communicating with candidates via email throughout the course. Therefore, candidates should regularly check their email.
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 candidate needs.
School of Education Mission &
Philosophy:
The theme of the School of Education is “Preparing Proactive Educators to Improve the Lives of Children.” Reinforcing the mission of Piedmont College, the School of Education strives to prepare reflective, scholarly, proactive educators. These practitioners effectively educate their own candidates to become knowledgeable, inquisitive, and collaborative learners in diverse, democratic learning communities.
Specific ideals undergird 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 MAT and MA Program Goals:
The goal of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Arts (MA) programs at Piedmont College is to provide the graduate candidate knowledge in the social and educational development of students. 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 candidate’s content knowledge, integrating it with instructional technology;
¨ enable candidates’ to interpret and assess educational research, and conduct their own classroom-
based research;
¨ provide experiences that enable candidates to assume roles as scholarly practitioners and develop
their skills and abilities as professional teachers.
ECE 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.
ECE 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.
Secondary Education Program Goals;
A. In order to enhance the learning opportunities of their 7-12 students, participants in the Secondary Education Program need to possess the “habits of mind” of a scholarly, reflective practitioner. We feel that these habits of mind are as follows:
1) a spirit of teaching indicative of excitement and joy for teaching and learning;
2) an understanding of the purpose of education, and how one’s beliefs about such purpose effect
the learning possibilities of students and teachers;
3) a commitment to professional development, exhibited by engaging in scholarly discourse,
collaborative endeavors, personal assessment, and action research; and
4) a critical awareness and open-mindedness about thinking, processes, activities that affect
student learning, and teacher effectiveness.
B. The program will assist candidates in the acquisition and/or refinement of appropriate and innovative instructional skills for use in a variety of contexts.
1) Candidates will identify and acquire appropriate instructional skills.
2) Candidates will understand the uses as well as the limits of instructional technology in developing teaching skills for content exploration and understanding.
3) Candidates will understand and appreciate the variety of learning styles, cultural backgrounds, and capabilities of the student, and develop methods of teaching appropriate for these differences.
C. The program prepares candidates with a working knowledge of subject matter in the field of certification beyond the minimums required for teaching in the secondary schools, including methods of scholarship, current trends in the field, connection with other fields, and pedagogical possibilities inherent in the disciplines of this field.
D. The program prepares participants to evaluate and implement scholarly and practical uses of educational research. Specifically: (I) be familiar with current publications, conferences, and studies in their field; (II) have practical knowledge and competencies to conduct educational research in their own professional environments for positive changes. Specifically, candidates should be able to: a. be familiar with publications; b. interpret qualitative and quantitative research; c. use research to make improvements with self, students, classes, school and systems; and d. demonstrate ability to write research for publication.
E. Using a combination of assessments, observations and advisements, we ascertain whether the candidate possesses the combination of habits of mind, ethical standards, skills and content knowledge to be recommended for certification as a teacher.
This course consists of an examination of group processes and interpersonal skills with an emphasis on cooperative learning, interaction processes, cultural diversity, and patterns of verbal and nonverbal communication in the classroom.
This course aims to provide participants with an understanding of group processes as applied to real life situations, pertaining to both teachers and students. By combining a review of the historical perspectives of group dynamics with the practical experience of in-class group activities, members of the class will gain a broad repertoire of skills from the theories and concepts in this field. These skills will be useful in analyzing and understanding group issues as they occur in daily interactions with others.
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 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.
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, nonverbal, 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, and 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 CLOs (To complement the 10 [Core] Candidate Learning Outcomes)
For both Initial and Advanced Certification Programs
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.
Democratic Classroom: The teacher guides students toward involvement in activities which provide skills and dispositions to fulfill the roles of a citizen engaged in pursuing the ideals of democracy.
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.
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.
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
Modeling and Mentoring: the teacher both models best practices and accepts responsibility to mentor new and veteran teachers.
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.
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.
Early
Childhood 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.
An understanding of group processes can enable a classroom teacher to manage the learning environment and plan more effectively for instruction. Since interaction among students enhances learning, a teacher must be knowledgeable about group processes and prepared to help students from diverse backgrounds understand those processes as well.
Upon successful completion of this course, the candidate will:
1. Possess an enriched repertoire of concepts about group processes and interpersonal skills.
2. Be able to diagnose group processes and personal interactions in the classroom and other
schooling settings.
3. Be able to articulate alterations in personal perspectives on group processes and interpersonal
interactions.
4. Be able to describe how she/he will implement knowledge gained from this course in order to
plan instruction and assessment in their area(s) of concentration as well as how to foster
positive relations and appropriate communications with students, colleagues, and parents.
This course is designed to help its participants gain skills and knowledge so that they might meet the School of Education’s Core Candidate Learning Outcomes 1 through 10.
Course outcome 1 meets the School of Education’s Core Candidate Learning Outcomes 1 through 10.
Course outcome 2 meets the School of Education’s Core Candidate Learning Outcomes 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
Course outcome 3 meets the School of Education’s Core Candidate Learning Outcomes 7, 9, and 10.
Course outcome 4 meets the School of Education’s Core Candidate Learning Outcomes 1 through 10.
To aid the development of the of the personal, scholarly synthesis required for the secondary capstone exhibition, each secondary education candidate will (a) review the capstone evaluation criteria, then (b) reflect on the key insights, skills, and understandings gained from the course and (c) construct a list of points to be added to your capstone prep file with reference to specific capstone evaluation criteria.
The faculty of the Piedmont College School
of Education, has a charge to model dispositions of the scholarly, reflective,
proactive and democratic practitioner and to guide, encourage, and enable our
candidates’ development of these dispositions, as well as professional
dispositions toward interactions with students, schools, families, and
communities as reflected in the Professional, State, and Institutional Standards. In fulfilling that charge, Piedmont College
School of Education Faculty consider the following dispositions to be vital for
teacher candidates to work to achieve, in order that they excel in teaching all
children:
q
A
proactive disposition fosters visionary thinking and action. It promotes mindful leadership to address
pertinent issues of school and communities that support student learning. This holistic thinking and action seeks new
and responsible ways to help all students to learn and to improve schools.
q
The
democratic disposition creates a caring community where each person is treated
with dignity and respect. The
democratic teacher values choice, student involvement, and diverse populations
of students.
q A candidate’s work with students,
families and communities is evidenced in careful introspection, as well as
reflection upon teaching and learning experiences. Candidates embark on a continuing journey by being inquisitive,
honest, open and self-reliant.
q
The
scholarly teacher candidate is a lifelong learner who is knowledgeable in his
or her field, exhibits critical and creative thinking and problem-solving
skills, and is committed to continued scholarly improvement.
These dispositions are manifested through a professional work
ethic that demonstrates commitment, maturity, responsibility, and upholding of
ethical standards. The School of
Education faculty recognizes the responsibility to both assess and teach to
promote these dispositions in our candidates, for the benefit of their future students.
See the disposition scale latter in this document.
Attendance/Participation:
Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required and are a part of your grade. Absences are not expected. The attendance 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 is as follows: 1absence
Only those absences due to emergencies 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 cannot 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.
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.
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, or Geneva. 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. Candidates may also wish to visit the APA’s Frequently Asked Questions website. http://www.apa.org/journals/faq.html
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. . Academic dishonesty is defined as Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any exercise. Fabrication: Intentionally falsification or unauthorized invention of any information or citation in academic exercises. Facilitating academic dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s won in any academic exercise. A student found responsible for any act of academic dishonesty, including a first offense, will be subject to dismissal from the College unless specific and mitigating factors are present. Please refer to the Piedmont College Student Handbook for details.
All work submitted must be your original work created in and for this course. It should be properly referenced using APA style (including information from the internet). Double dipping (to be explained in class) is not permitted.
Grading Policies:
The registrar will mail candidates their final grades one week after the conclusion of the semester. Candidates may provide the instructor with a self-addressed stamped envelope with adequate postage to cover the costs of mailing the final product to the Candidate. If the Candidate chooses this option the instructor will mail the final paper/product within one week of the conclusion of the class. The Candidate may also choose to visit the instructor during her office hours after grades have been turned in to the register. Please note that in December and May Piedmont Faculty may be absent from the campus as a result of holidays and vacations. If this is the case, the Candidate may make an appointment to reclaim his or her graded product(s) during the beginning weeks of the following semester. In accordance with the Students Right to Privacy Act no products will be left unattended in the main office for repossession. Candidates should please make arrangements, based on the options outlined above, for retrieval of their graded final product(s). Final products left longer than one semester will be filed in the trash.
Incompletes will only be given in the cases outlined in the
catalog. “Extenuating circumstances” refers to situations like a death in the
immediate family, a seriously ill child, call to active duty, or similar
events. The candidate will need to provide medical or military documentation to
the instructor. An incomplete will not
be given when a candidate doesn’t meet deadline, had a work conflict, could not
get the work done or took a vacation during the final exam, etc. The Dean of Education who will follow the
policy outlined in the Piedmont College catalog must approve all incompletes.
The Piedmont College catalog states “when prolonged illness results in extended
class absences, a student may request permission in writing from the registrar
to withdraw from courses. A grade of “W” will be given for medical withdrawals.
Withdrawals based on circumstances other than illness will be assigned a grade
of “W: or “WF” based on the determination of the Academic Vice-President.
a.
Special Considerations:
Candidates with any special needs
(disabilities, problems, or any other factors that may affect their performance
or that require special instructional strategies) should make these special
needs known to the instructor during the first class session.
a.
Schedule & Topic Outline
This is a tentative schedule and subject to change depending upon the progress of the class.
*J & J = (Johnson & Johnson, 2003) **Case Study = (Shulman & Whitcomb, 1998)
|
|