Sample Syllabus for Teaching Div

SCHEDULED Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.-9:30 A.M. and Tuesday and Thursday 1:45-2:45

1. The Intersection of Cultures: Multicultural Education in the United States. Joel Spring. (New York: McGraw Hill, 1995)

2. Non-Western Educational Traditions: Alternative Approaches to Educational Thought and Practice. Timothy Reagan. (New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2^nd edition).

REQUIRED: Personal email. If you don't have this, apply to hotmail, geocities or other free email service. Lab TECs in the computer lab can help you accomplish this.

REQUIRED: Personal journal, daybook or diary for recording thoughts about classroom visitations and other educational related issues

REQUIRED: Two large sized Blue Book exams available at the book store for 25 cents each.

Course Description: EDG-2701is a course designed to introduce diverse perspectives.A major feature of a liberal arts education is to explore varying viewpoints. Our major objective will be to explore each of the above topics in a rational and analytical manner. At times we will probably discuss controversial issues. To explore means to investigate systematically. It does not mean to shout, to accuse, and to promote individual agendas. By listening to one another in this class you should be able to leave this class armed with information and methodology to enhance your (future) career in the diverse classrooms of our county, state and nation. The people of the United States participate in a dynamic society that is constantly creating and re-creating itself, therefore it is imperative that educators be prepared to understand and teach students from the diverse populations that form the society. This course aims to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the history of diversity in American culture, social thought, social institutions, and intergroup relations. Race, ethnicity, social class, gender, religion, language and exceptionality are categories that include all groups and individuals. Hence this course is designed in part to take a broad look at diversity in American life and its impact on teachers and schools. The primary focus of this course is the challenge faced by contemporary educators, administrators, and policy makers in the public schools in addressing the needs of a diverse student population.

1. Identify the major social and cultural conditions, conflicts, and challenges in American society, both past and present, and consider their influence on education, teaching practice, and student outcomes.

2. Identify and critically analyze the relationship between schools and the communities they serve with respect to educational access and outcomes, the diverse needs/expectations of students, parents and other members and groups within the society.

3. Identify key approaches to teaching that address the needs of the diverse populations of students who attend schools; use historical and sociological perspectives in the critical analysis of education/school policy and practice.

4. Strengthen observation and reflections skills through the field experience. Actively observe in schools and classrooms; begin to formulate a personal philosophy of teaching and learning; begin to develop a repertoire of professional practices that will be effective in teaching all students.

This course is about awareness and understanding. It is not about denigrating our nation's culture or the subcultures of the various groups that make up our country's fabric.

Course Requirements: There is a mid-term and a final exam which will cover material presented in lecture. Students will also interview a practicing teacher as well as observe a K-12 certified teacher for fifteen (15) hours in a public or private school. This observation component is mandated by the Legislature of the State of Florida as a requirement for EDF 1005 Introduction to Education and EDG 2701 Teaching Diverse Populations. An oral presentation and written response are also required.

Methodology: The student will, through observation, objective assessments as well as a brief oral presentation indicate synthesis of

1. The changing demographics in the world in general and the United States in particular;

7. The effects of educational policy & practice concerning democratic/inclusive schooling.

Assessment and Attendance: The final letter grade will be determined objectively in terms of total points awarded for examination, presentation, and observation response paper.

A = 100+ B = 90-99 C = 80-89 D = 70-79

Exam (midterm 30 points, final exam 40 points)

Multicultural Presentation (possible 5 pts)

Multicultural Presentation Outline of Activities (possible 5 pts)

Group Presentation (possible 5 pts)

Lesson Plan (possible 5 pts)

Reflective Teaching Portfolio (possible 10 pts)

I consider both written and verbal communication valuable and essential skills. Every paper submitted will be graded with this in mind. Please be sure to proofread. Proper subject-verb agreement, grammar, sentence structure and spelling are expectations for at least an average evaluation.

1. Unless otherwise stated, all assignments must be typed, double spaced and stapled.

3. Please staple all assignments with one staple in the upper-left hand corner of the paper.

4. When you submit an assignment by email you must include the course # (EDG 2701) and the assignment name in the subject line of the email. For example: "EDG 2701: Initial email submission." I do not accept email attachments due to virus problems. Please paste your assignment directly into the email body.

E-mail submission: You will e-mail the following information to me by Wednesday:

g. May I e-mail, to your e-mail address, your grades and/or progress notes from this class?

Class Presentations: Presentations will be made from time to time by individuals and groups. Presenters will be expected to be prepared, to be respectful of the audience and of themselves and to demonstrate professional teaching behavior to the best of their ability. Group and individual presentations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Credibility: the information shared, presented, taught is based on facts, research, and other sources that can be checked for reliability, authority. Personal experience may be used to highlight points but cannot usually be the sole basis for the content presented.

2. Clarity: the information is shared, presented, taught in a manner that assists learning and understanding and recognizes the diversity of the people in the audience.

3. Creativity: the presenter(s) use strategies and resources that will engage the class in discussion, questioning, and learning the material presented. Respect for persons must be maintained but controversy does not need to be avoided.

A Resource to Share: This may be an article from the newspaper, a magazine or professional journal, or a Website related to topics in the course that will further our understanding of an issue as it relates to a diverse population of students, teachers, or parents or any subgroup in the population. Please provide the correct web address or citation, a brief summary of what can be learned from the resource and why it would be a resource a teacher might save for future use in a classroom. Create a way to share this with all members of the class

A portfolio is “more than a compilation of student papers or materials stuffed into a manila folder or a collection of memorabilia pasted into a scrapbook. To qualify as a portfolio, each piece of evidence must be collected or created and organized in a compelling manner to demonstrate proficiency in or progress toward a purpose”. (Barton & Collins, 1993, p.203).

In other words, you collect evidence throughout the semester, but at the end of the semester you decide what to include which will show what you have learned and how you have learned it. Much of the evidence you will collect will be responses to assignments you have completed for me (and for other instructors) throughout this semester. The skill involved in the portfolio is organizing the evidence to demonstrate personal growth in the learning.

The focus for the portfolio developed in this course is for you to show your evolving knowledge of how students can successfully learn concepts. Thus the portfolio will:

(i) provide a forum for you to demonstrate your emerging understanding of the complexities of teaching;

(ii) help you link the theoretical with the world of practice. Additionally, by completing this portfolio yourself, you will have a heightened awareness of the complexities involved in assessing learning by this means which will help you to use portfolios in your own teaching.

Remember that at the end of the semester you will sit down with all the evidence you have collected throughout the semester and you will use your portfolio to demonstrate your initial understanding of how students learn, what education is and how this understanding has evolved throughout the semester. You may have gathered evidence from such sources as: discussions with peers, teachers, methods instructor, students, assignments which explore student learning (e.g. readings, interviews, lesson plans), observation of classroom teaching and video tapes, and other classroom experience.

Examples of Portfolios and Types of Evidence from the Research Literature (some examples taken from Barton, J. & Collins, A (1993). Portfolios in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 200-210.

Evidence Explanation Examples

the program tape of peer teaching

the work of students with a classroom teacher

one other than the student article

about the student

...”although the word document, as a synonym for evidence, often conjures up the image of paper, the documents in a teacher education portfolio are not limited to formal paper. Students can use notes, drafts, journals, and diary entries, and sketches as well as drawings, photographs, audio tapes, video tapes, models and computer discs.” Note: Any audio or video recording of children made in a school, must be done with the consent of the principal and must follow the school’s specified guidelines for such activities.

the student teacher included audio tapes of student interview, several articles from different journals, note from her observations in middle schools...(also appropriate might be a paper written on the development of the middle school child completed for the Developmental Pysch. course).

• Portfolio Focus: determining the criteria for quality laboratory work in science...

the student teacher interviewed two experienced teachers about how they defined the key components of good laboratory experiences. He observed labs in each of these teacher’s classrooms and compared the experience to his own criteria for lab experiences and designed and conducted a lab during his early field experience. He completed his portfolio with a reflection on what he had learned about the essential elements and putting theory into practice.

• Portfolio Focus: Two students wanted to learn more about technology for instruction. Eventually they taught themselves Hypercard and presented their portfolio as a stack.

• Portfolio Focus: A student in an Intro to Education Course wishes to convey his/her knowledge of how their understanding of educational issues will enable them to be successful as a teacher and facilitate student learning and inquiry habits of mind. This is your focus! How will you demonstrate your learning?

1. Submit the evidence which clearly shows the evolution of your knowledge of how students learn science concepts. Each piece of evidence must be captioned. A caption is a statement attached to each piece of evidence which describes why it is included, what it is evidence of.

2. At the end of the portfolio include a reflective statement - written as you review your own portfolio and organize it. You will summarize the documents included and “trace how they have captured and portray growth”.

3) Include a table of contents with two columns, with columns 1 and 2 completed .

Evidence Included Reason for Inclusion

3. Is the evidence organized in such a way that it helps to demonstrate the student’s

5. Is there evidence of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation; creativity; reflection?

This assignment is a reflective portfolio, which integrates and describes your experiences with particular activities, demonstrations, presentations and discussions in and out of class. I suggest that you keep a daily log which describes specifically your reaction, analysis, evaluation ... hence reflection on what transpires in class and do this as soon as possible after each class. Some entries may only be a paragraph long. Others (particularly when we encounter various activities) may be longer. A summary statement that ties together several major themes in your journal will be required as an ending page to your journal or diary. This is to be personally meaningful and reflective of your growing understanding of the joys and challenges in the field of teaching and as such will be graded on its depth of reflection and not on the content of your personal opinions. This should be fun and useful, as well as a foundation to your permanent teaching portfolio.

Attendance is crucial in this course; thus the instructor reserves the option to lower the final letter grade for unexcused absences which exceed two weeks for the semester, early departures or for repeated late arrivals. An excused absence must be arranged with the instructor before the class which the student is not going to attend. In an emergency, a message should be left with the secretary at 813-253-7808. Participation in class activities are required for accomplishing grades C and higher. Since this is an introductory class, all efforts toward participation will be rewarded. Thorough reading of the text prior to class meetings is expected and will enhance your ability to participate fully in class activities. Rereading the text after class will help you prepare for exams.

Students sometimes fail to progress in courses because adequate prerequisite skills are not possessed or because adequate time management and study skills are not exercised. These are NOT appropriate bases for the issuance of an "Incomplete" grade. No "I" grades will be awarded in this course without extenuating, documented circumstances, such as death in the family or extended illness. If you should happen to arrive in such unfortunate circumstances, be sure to provide suitable documentation when you approach me about the "I". Three Fouths of the course must be completed in order to be eligible for the “I” according to HCC policy. Your "I" will buy you one more semester in which to finish your work. If you haven't earned a higher grade by that time, your grade will convert permanently to an "F" and there will be no way to complete the course. If you wish at that point to continue, you will have to start anew by re-registering (and re-paying) for the course.

Please notify the instructor within the first week if a reasonable accommodation for a disability is needed for this course. A letter from the Office of Student Disability Services must accompany the request. Additional resource information is available through the Graduate Student Handbook. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class meeting.

Professional Conduct: Read assignments and display vigorous (and meaningful) positive participation in all class lessons and activities (hence attendance is required, but it is my sincere wish that you will also want to come to class). Group presentations of readings will be assigned in class and points awarded for this task.

We will be examining a number of lesson plans and discussing ways in which teachers plan and prepare. Provide in outline form the nature of 1 lesson (Selected from any of the “content” areas such as Science, social studies, health, reading, math, etc). The lesson plan outline will include:

- Place the lesson holds with regard to State Standards, Educational Concepts, age and ability level

Lesson plans should include the following ten (10) items (additional items may be included if appropriate):

2. Purpose Paragraph: Why are you teaching this unit/lesson? Why is it important (rationale)? What preceded it? What will follow? What are you hoping the students will get out of it (Cognitively, Conceptually, Affectively)?

List what students will do during the lesson and describe what the intended learning is (these are your performance, behavior, and/or conceptual objectives). For example:

6. Lesson Introduction. (How long will it take? Describe what will be happening and list any important questions you will ask or hope the children will raise? How will prior knowledge be solicited?)

7. Link. (How will you connect the introduction to the next part of the lesson - write the sentence(s) that you might say.)

9. Closure. (How will you bring the lesson to a close? What connections will be made to other subject(s)/topic(s) - or other fields? Will there be an assignment for the students to follow-up?)

10. Informal/Formal Assessment. (How will you know that you have achieved the intended learning outcomes?)

Note: Include any visual aids or worksheets, data sheets etc. that might be used in your plan. Other considerations like Clarity, Flow and Sentence Structure will be used in the evaluation of the lesson plans. The above criteria may be incorporated into the Learning Cycle approach. Other considerations: Overall Approach, Clarity of Expression.

The Internet provides a wealth of information--and a wealth of garbage. Here is a short activity to get you into the Internet with a critical eye. Evaluate one of the sites you can locate under an appropriate keyword for Diversity. Answer the following questions. Remember to submit this as a typed report. Please number your responses to correspond with the items below. You may email it to me. It is due to me by next Monday.

1. The common name of the site. This is usually found on the home page of the site.

2. The exact URL of the site. This is the address/location of the site. It will typically begin with http:// or http://www. This is important so that I, and other students, may access the site. (If I can't access the site then you cannot get credit for visiting it.) NOTE: When typing the URL be sure to type it exactly as it appears. If only one character is incorrect, the site will not be located.

3. Who is the author of the site? What are the credentials of the author? Include any affiliations (e.g., university professor; government agency). If none are listed, state that. What evidence exists that the author(s) is (are) qualified to publish this material? What is your opinion of the credentials of this author? (This section can be accomplished in 2 or 3 sentences.)

4. Is the material accurately presented? Biased? Why? (This section can be accomplished in 2 or 3 sentences.)

5. Explore some of the hot links of this site. A hot link is a link that takes you immediately to another page simply by clicking your mouse button. What types of links exist? Specifically discuss one of these links. (This section can be accomplished in a couple of sentences.)

6. Would you recommend this site to other students? Why? (This section can be accomplished in 2 or 3 sentences.)

7. How does this site relate to our course? (This section can be accomplished in 2 or 3 sentences.)

8. Briefly summarize what you learned from this site. (This section can be accomplished in 2 or 3 sentences.)

Journal. You will write journal entries during the semester. The purpose of the journal is to reflect on the concepts and issues surrounding diversity in education and in our society. From time to time, I will ask you to write on an assigned topic. I want you to reflect on the topic. You may discuss it with class members, family members, friends, me, or with anyone else you so desire. Don’t rush these entries. Take time to complete them. The entries will be typed, double-spaced and cumulatively kept in your three-ring binder (see below). Each entry must be from 250-500 words (e.g., approximately 2 to 4 pages, double-spaced typing, 12 point size, 1 ¼” margins).

Chapter Reviews. One of the texts for this course is the Spring book, The Intersection of Cultures: Multicultural Education in the United States. The assignment calendar indicates when the chapters are to be read. For each chapter read, you will submit (on the date indicated) a one (1) page typed summary (approximately 200-250 words) of the main concepts presented in the chapter. (a) You will describe in your own words the meaning of those concepts. (b) You will also identify the main focus of the chapter. That is, what was Spring’s reason for writing the chapter? (c) Finally, what is your reaction to this material?

You will also be expected to read the assigned chapters in Non-Western Educational Traditions: Alternative Approaches to Educational Thought and Practice by Timothy Reagan. While there are no written reviews due on the assigned chapters, each student will be expected to read and formulate responses to the assigned question for each chapter. If this approach does not work, we will then move to a quiz and or written assignment to make sure the material is reviewed.

Portfolio. Some students in this course previously kept a 3-ring loose-leaf binder for this course. They used a labeled tab divider to separate each section. The divider was placed in the front of the appropriate section. Each tab was labeled as follows:

Section 3: Chapter reviews (and any notes you may take while reading the books.)

This would be considered a passing “C” grade organizational scheme. I will review the portfolios according to the class schedule you will receive in a few weeks.

Field Experience. A requirement of this course (see college catalogue) is to do field experience. You will fulfill this requirement by doing the following:

1. Visit one (1) school (K-12) in Northeast Florida. You will need to do a total of ten (10) hours observation.

2. You will complete a 2 to 4 page-typed paper (500-1000 words) that describes the following:

c. particular challenges (e.g., behavioral, academic, cultural) the teacher had with this group of students;

d. how you would apply 2 or 3 of the multicultural concepts or strategies we have discussed in class;

g. a personal reflection of your experience; include one organizing generalization which captures the experience.

3. Have the classroom teacher complete the “Evaluation of Field Experience” attached to the end of this syllabus (make copies as appropriate).

Be sure to get permission from the school’s front office (i.e., administration) before you start roaming around the school rounds. Security is important on each and every campus.

**A word of caution: Do not wait until the last moment to tackle this assignment. While it may seem daunting, field experience is an excellent way to get a feel for what the front-line workers--the teachers--are really doing. Start immediately.**

Term Multicultural Project: Your term project is to complete a multicultural project. The general aim of the project will be to develop a lesson of material, as if you were to teach it, that specifically incorporates three (3) of the concepts (and at least two of the ethnic/racial groups) we have discussed in class this term. While you will need to implement some of the strategies we have discussed in class, I am leaving you with plenty of latitude to develop a meaningful unit of material according to the sensitivities and sensibilities of your group. If possible, you may wish to try some of your activities during your field experience (with the classroom teacher’s permission of course).

Your initial draft outline for this project is due by the date indicated on the assignment calendar.

1. A demonstration activity (20 minutes) that involves our class. Don’t describe the activity, actually do it (50% of final grade);

b. organizing generalizations for your presentation (organizing, intermediate, low-level) (15%);

c. measurable objective(s) of your lesson--i.e., expected outcomes (these must connect to your generalizations) (5%);

3. Include one example of a commercial multicultural/education catalog listing resources and activities for teachers. That is, you must turn in the actual catalog (5%).

4. An evaluation tool to gain feedback from your students about the objectives. In other words, how will you measure if your objectives have been attained? (5%)

Late Assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. After that time they are considered late. I will accept tardy assignments according to the following conditions:

2. The late assignment must be turned in within one week of the original due date. Please do not ask to turn in late work at the end of the term.

A word about reading assignments: These assignments are to be read prior to coming to class. Please do not come to class unprepared and start flipping through your book as we are holding a class discussion. This is not only distracting, but also a signal that you have not completed your assignment.

Cheating Policy:

Students are expected to uphold Hillsborough Community College’s standard of conduct relating to academic honesty. Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student's submitted work, examinations, and projects must be that of the student's own work. Students shall be guilty of violating this policy if they:

2. Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the purpose of obtaining additional credit.

Any student violating this policy is subject to receive a failing grade for the course. If a student is unclear about whether a particular situation may constitute a violation, the student should meet with the instructor to discuss the situation. For this class, it is permissible to assist classmates in general discussions of computing techniques. General advice and interaction are encouraged. Each person, however, must develop his or her own solutions to the assigned projects, assignments, and tasks. In other words, students may not "work together" on graded assignments. Such collaboration constitutes cheating. A student may not use or copy (by any means) another's work (or portions of it) and represent it as his/her own. If you need help on an assignment, contact your instructor, not other classmates. Blue Book Exams will be retained by the instructor.

Assignments and due dates are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

You may find it useful to contact your team members through email. If you do not have computer access at home, there are computers available in the library and also in the computer lab. Assignments are expected to be typed.

The Brandon Computer Lab is located in BTEC 203 (the north east corner of the campus, on the second floor).

Start your work early, so that you don't miss the assignment deadlines because of lab closures.

Personal meetings with your instructional staff. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL LATE IN THE TERM TO DISCUSS PROBLEMS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IN THE COURSE. SEE ME FOR AN INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NOTE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Beginning fall semester 1997, according to guidelines established by Florida HB 1545, all students may enroll in a specific college credit course only twice at the regular tuition rate. If the first two attempts are unsuccessful (all grades will count as an attempt including audit, IW, AW, W, and NP), the third time a student enrolls in a course he/she must pay the full cost of instruction. This cost is equivalent to the out-of-state tuition rate, approximately four times the cost of regular tuition. Only “drops” submitted by the advertised deadline date (during the first week of a term) will not count as being enrolled.

If you need help in any way with this course, first contact the professor via the course email listed at the top of this document. You should, of course, frequently access the assistance of your team members, read the course text and attend all classes. Individual and team help cannot replace class meetings, but rather are an assistance to supplement class attendance and careful study. Your success is highly valued. Education needs bright and talented teachers.

Schedule appointments by	PHaun@hcc.cc.fl.us	Or call 253-7808
Send assignments to	pennyhaun@aol.com	Label EDG MW in subject
Office: BTEC 112 A	Phone: (813) 253-7832	Hours: By Appointment

Welcome to Teaching Diverse Populations!