syllabus

THE SECONDARY BLOCK
includes
ED 285 READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES
ED 286 FIELD PLACEMENT
ED 287 INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN FOR ADOLESCENTS

Meeting Times: Monday and Friday -- 8:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.
Classroom --in 100 East 8th Building -- B-01
Leslie Wessman (VZN 280) -- Instructor
Office phone: 395-7738 SD DHome phone: 335-8983

I. COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

ED 285: This course will focus on the integration of reading and language arts strategies into grades 6-12 content subjects. Course topics will include the use of literature; reading, writing, listening and speaking as tools for diverse learners in content subjects; diagnostic teaching; study skills; direct skill instruction and formal/informal assessment practices. Planning for content area lessons and units will be integrated with ED 287.

ED 286: A coordinated, supervised field placement in an appropriate content area middle school or high school classroom. This placement is shred with ED 286/287 and requires a minimum of two hours a week.

ED 287: This course will examine critical dimensions of adolescent (ages 12-18) development and identify appropriate instructional structures which create effective middle and high school learning environments. Research and instructional strategies will be utilized to design, monitor, assess, and evaluate instructional plans. Includes an overview of classroom and behavior management theories and techniques.

II. RATIONALE

SO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO BE A MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER?

The Hope College Education Department has organized its two programs (Elementary and Secondary Certification) and the Special Education Endorsements around a developmental perspective. This focus is based on the assumption that we human beings are dynamic, growing systems living in, and interacting with, a world of other systems. Each system has influence or impact on the others.

You have been influenced by many "systems"--your family and friends, your schools, church and community. From your own learning experiences and relationships with teachers and coaches, you hold some assumptions about adolescents and their willingness and ability to learn. In this Secondary Block we are going to invite you to think more professionally about the experiences you have this semester--1) in your field placement, 2) in class with your peers and your instructor, and 3) as a result of reading, research, and class discussions. In these interactions, you will begin to think about what content and instructional approaches you will commit yourself to in your own future classroom.

In addition, over the past 6-8 years the State of Michigan's Legislature and Board of Education have identtified multiple categories of standards which they are requiring that Teacher Education programs guarantee that certification candidates are able to demonstrate that they have met these standards.

I also want you to use this opportunity to think about who you will be as a teacher--a professional educator whose responsibility it will be to influence many young people during your career. We want you to be the BEST you can be!

III. PURPOSE

THE PURPOSE of this Block of courses is to provide you with opportunities to collect, articulate, and synthesize effective instructional strategies for content subject areas into your own "buffet of choices" s a professional secondary teacher. (This is NOT to be considered a methods course; rather it is an "instructional foundations" course for promoting adolescent literacy across all content areas.)

IV. GUIDING STANDARDS

The following standards will guide the content and instructional strategies throughout the course. These will be indicated at the beginning of each Unit and will be used to assess your performance and "products" in the course.

sssss1. Entry-Level Standards for Michigan Teachers
sssss2. Standards for Authentic Teaching and Learning
sssss3. Michigan Curriculum Framework
sssss4. Michigan Standards for Reading (Literacy) Instruction
sssss5. Educational Technology Standards (NETS)

V. COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. You have joined a professional learning community. Think of yourself as entering an APPRENTICESHIP- both in Monday/Friday classes and in the field placement. Therefore, appropriate attire is expected. (No bad-hair baseball caps are allowed in the 8:00 a.m. class sessions OR in the field placement!)

2. You will come to class prepared with readings, papers, and projects completed as assigned.

3. It matters that you are here EVERY class session, on time, and fully participating. If you must be absent for a legitimate reason, please notify me in advance. I depend on knowing the correct number of participants when designing instruction for each class session.

VII. DEPARTMENT EXPECTATIONS

Education faculty have identified six PROFESSIONAL ABILITIES that we believe are the critical final outcomes of our certification programs. We expect each of our graduates to leave Hope College with an entry level confidence and demonstrated competence as...

sssss...an EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR,
sssss...a PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATOR,
sssss...a CURRICULUM DEVELOPER,
sssss...a PROBLEM SOLVER,
sssss...a DECISION MAKER,
sssss...a SCHOLARLY EDUCATOR.

VIII. LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COURSE

The Block has been organized to assist you in putting theory into practice, to conduct some of your own research in the field, and to discover your own professional voice:

sssssA. In-Class Instructional Methods and Activities
shssssjsI will model and reflect on a variety of instructional methods in the class: lecture, class discussion, cooperative learning shssssjsgroups--think-pair-share, jigsaw, partnerships-advanced organizers, reading guides, inclusion activities and anticipatory shssssjssets, student presentations, video/film segments, etc. You will be expected to use "higher order thinking" responses to shssssjsinstructional designs and to participate in discussions about critical issues in order to gain deeper understanding about shssssjsadolescent learners.

sssssB. Related Field Experiences
shssssjsIn the field you will have the opportunity to work closely with a multi-dimensional mentor teacher--one who must shssssjscommunicate with diverse groups of people; who has strong, positive interpersonal skills and enjoys working shssssjscollaboratively with others; who knows how to bring curriculum expectations alive in the classroom; and who daily shssssjsconfronts situations as diverse as the students in his/her classroom.

sssssC. Communicating What You Know and What You Have Learned
shssssjsLike your future students, you will need to "show" or demonstrate what you have learned by explaining what you know shssssjsto others. I will expect you to articulate your learning in many ways. All work for this Block of courses, by necessity, shssssjsmust be reflective, original, and well organized. Your work will be examined to see if you have followed instructions; if it shssssjsdoes not meet requirements for quality, purpose, and clarity, and if not, I will return the assignment to you for further shssssjsresponse through a "corrective" conference with me.

D. Academic Integrity VS Plagiarism -- Dangerous Territory -- Dont' Go There!
shssssjsAs your instructor, I will create assignments and demonstrations of knowledge, skills and dispositions, which will allow you to present your own personal and creative responses. If there should be any question that an individual has not submitted his or her own work with integrity and honesty, I will follow the guidelines from the "Hope College Code for Academic Integrity."

Quoted from the 2002-2003 Hope College Catalog, p. 81:

Academic integrity is based on the principles of honesty and individual responsibility for actions. As these principles are applied to academic life at Hope College, it follows that a student will not:

** Give, offer, or receive aid on examinations other than that specifically allowed by the professor.
** Do course work in a manner that is inconsistent with the standards of conduct set forth by the professor.
** Knowingly represent the work of others as his/her own. This includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined in the St. Martins Handbook (the official writing handbook of the College.)
** Falsify or fabricate data. This has particular application to laboratory work and research.
**Engage in conduct that destroys another person's work or hinders another in his/her academic endeavors. This has particular application to computer files, library resources, and laboratory or studio work.

IX. COURSE TOPICS

Adolescent Development -- Who's here to learn?
Literacy and Content Standards --What are we expected to teach?
Direct Instruction vs. Cooperative Learning -- How do I create a classroom where collaboration is valued and learning is shsssactive?
Technology -- How do I use technology to enhance instruction & learning?
Lesson Planning --- How do I design instruction to ensure achievement for the diverse learners in my classroom?
Materials -- What's worthwhile for my students to explore?
Assessment -- How do I continually observe, assess and adjust instruction to promote optimal student learning?
Evaluating--How do I know my students are learning? How do I make judgments about the quality of this learning?
Classroom and Behavior Management -- How will I organize my classroom for optimum learning and respond appropriately shsssto my students' needs?

X. REQUIRED TEXTS (IN ORDER OF USE)

XI. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

Your instructor will attempt to model some of the current practices in assessment, evaluation, and grading which reflect "diagnostic, formative, and summative" approaches.

Purposes for Assessment will be to:
sssss1) communicate progress to students;
sssss2) communicate achievement to students;
sssss3) provide information for certification purposes;
sssss4) evaluate the instructor's effectiveness in planning the unit; and
sssss5) evaluate the instructor's presentation effectiveness.

Progress and/or Achievement will be rated in terms of established criteria/standards. These will be communicated in advance with rubrics throughout the content of the course.

Elements for Assessment will include 1) depth of understanding of the concept, framework, or skill being taught; 2) quality of the student's product or presentation/performance; 3) academic progress from the beginning of the course; 4) consistent class participation; 5) professional attitude; and 6) attendance.

The quality of your work will be assessed on four dimensions: Excellent, Proficient, Developing Proficiency and Unsatisfactory in compliance with all of the Department's Evaluation rubrics for field placements, course work, and student teaching.

XII. GRADING SCALE
Final grades in the course (EDUC 285, 286, 287) will be determined from a total of numerical scores from assignments, presentations, and final evaluations over the course of the semester. The following percentage scale will be used on the total points to determine the grade which will stand as a record of the total professional effort:

PLEASE NOTE: Only students with A or B final grades will be recommended for student teaching.

Also, in December 2000 the Education Department adopted a policy that any student who received below a C+ grade in an Education course would not be allowed to continue in the sequence toward certification.