St. Francis Xavier
University
School of Education
Bachelor of Education
Whatsoever things are true
Education 439
Elementary
Principles and Practices
Fall 2008
|
Professor |
Jennifer Connors, M.Ed. |
|
Office |
XH 227 |
|
Phone |
867-2402 |
|
Email |
jconnors@stfx.ca |
|
Class Location |
XH 124 |
|
Class Time |
Mon/Wed 10:10-12:00 |
Please note office hours are on a
drop-in basis. If you require a specific time please contact me for an
appointment.
Text
|
Lemlech, J. (2004). Teaching in elementary
and secondary classrooms: Building a learning community. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Pearson Education.
|
Readings
Rationale and Philosophy
Principles and
Practices 432/439 explores the process of becoming a secondary or elementary
school teacher. Our belief is that beginning teacher education is best
facilitated through an examination of self, while also inquiring into the
contexts of teaching, the rudiments of pedagogy and learning, the official
curriculum, and moral and professional purposes of education. We believe
teaching requires an understanding and proficiency in the principles of
learning. Competent
teaching also depends upon the ability to reflect upon the complex
pedagogical, psychological, and sociological processes occurring in the
classroom and to develop professional judgment. Competent teaching
requires the formation of positive, caring relationships rooted in a vision
of meaningful and inclusive education. Learning to teach well also depends
upon the learning of specific pedagogical skills of teaching
including: lesson and longer range planning, classroom management, assessment,
and instructional strategies, as well as, an understanding of the Essential Graduation Learnings
and General Curriculum Outcomes of various curricular areas established
by Nova Scotia Department of Education. Our introduction to curriculum planning will be linked to in-class
experiences that help pre-service teachers develop their pedagogical style. This course will support you in all
aspects of your preparation for Field Experiences.
Intended Course Outcomes
General
Outcome 1: Awareness of Self: My personal stories and experiences
related to my emerging philosophies of teaching.
Students
will develop a deep sense of who they are as individuals devoted to the practice
of teaching, and come to understand their particular personal philosophical
reasons for wanting to teach.
General
Outcome 2: Awareness of Principles: My understanding of others, theories
philosophies, and guidelines related to curriculum and learning.
Students
will understand of the emotional/psychological, intellectual,
social, spiritual and physical dimensions of teaching, curriculum, and
learning—and the dynamic interplay of these factors.
General Outcome 3: Awareness of Practices: My awareness of planning,
instruction, and assessment strategies.
Students
will make use of a variety of instructional strategies that are best suited
for the context of curriculum and student needs─ ways of knowing and doing.
General
Outcome 4: Awareness of Pedagogy: My personal practice of living
relationally with thoughtfulness, and openness to learners.
The
development and application of my emerging relational sensitivities as part of
my professional practice that engages student within in learning . This is an evolutionary process, a reflective
investment in thoughtful action, as you begin to establish your pedagogic
beliefs as part of your life-long career—nurturing pedagogic relationships.
General
Outcome 5: Awareness of Moral Professionalism: My personal awareness,
translation, and development of philosophical–legal–ethical codes to live well
as a moral professional.
Students
will develop a commitment to the profession, by implementing and improving
education for valued social ends, by constantly developing one’s own practice
and collectively supporting one’s colleagues, and by continually striving for
the educational development and inclusion of all students. Moral
professionalism is a balance of these commitments.
General
Outcome 6: Awareness of Social, Political, and Policy Contexts of Education:
My awareness of the multiple factors outside the classroom that influence my
teaching practice and affect my students and their learning.
Students
will become aware of the powerful influence of geographic, social–cultural,
political, and economic contexts upon curriculum
implemented, and be awake to the impact of the school’s hidden and null
curriculum, societal and home curriculum, and power and politics in shaping
students’ lives.
Course Schedule Fall 2008
|
Dates |
Session
Topics |
Readings
|
|
Sept
10 |
A Gathering
What is P&P? Purpose of P&P!
Where are we going with P&P and why?
The transition from student to teacher
Why do you want to teach?
|
NSTU's Beginning
Teachers Handbook Text 2 |
|
15 |
What is meaningful, powerful, engaging, culturally
responsive, authentic learning?
Ways of learning- the theoretical roots
Principles of Learning Exploring
personal knowledge of learning.
|
PSP B-3 to B-4
PSP A-3 to A-7
Text 3 |
|
17 |
What learning environments do I want to cultivate
for my students?
|
Text 1 |
|
22 |
How do we begin to understand our identities as teachers?
Setting up
Life Writing #1
|
Text 1, 2, & 3 (review purposes) |
|
24 |
What is the official
curriculum as plan for the province of Nova Scotia?
The Goals of Public Education Provincial documents: The
Public School Program
The Essential
Graduation Learnings (EGLS)
The General Learning Outcomes & Outcomes Framework |
PSP
EGLs
|
|
29 |
What are the expectations of the professional development
process? Setting Professional Growth Targets
“Professional Growth Sequence”
Life Writing # 1 The Beginning Teacher Due
|
Student Handbook regarding
the PDP
|
|
Oct
1 |
How do I structure my initial lessons?
Lesson Planning
Set
& Closure
Sample Lesson Plan - seeds
|
Text 4
Student Handbook regarding
the PDP
|
|
6 |
Designing and sharing our lessons related to set and
closure
Initial LP Set and Closure #1 Due |
|
|
8 |
What moral and ethical codes guide our professionalism in NS and beyond?
Core traits and beliefs Teacher
identity connected to professionalism Examples of
professional actions? What is ethics? |
Saskatchewan Teachers
Federation Code of Ethics
NSTU Code of Ethics
School Code of Conduct
Text 13 (pp. 298, 301, 302, 305-306)
|
|
13 |
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - NO CLASSES |
|
|
15
|
How and why will I live by the NS Code of
Ethics? NSTU Code of Ethics
The Education Act
Membership Diary
Provincial Agreement
Setting up Life Writing #2
|
Student Handbook Ethics (pp. 11-13)
|
|
20 |
Guest Speakers:
NSTU |
NSTU Membership Diary |
|
22 |
How and why should I teach through direct
instruction? Lesson
Plan
Life
writing # 2 Code of Ethics Due |
Text 8 (specifically pp. 164-174)
Direct
Instruction PowerPoint |
|
27 |
Designing and sharing our lessons related to direct instruction.
LP #2 Direct Instruction Due |
|
|
29
|
How do I ask and respond to questions? PTTs
from 12-1 in XH 228B for interested students
Lesson
Plan |
Text 8 & 9 (specifically pp. 180-188, 195-197)
Bloom's
Taxonomy
|
|
Nov
3 |
What are some basic aspects of managing classrooms?
What are some approaches to classroom discipline?
|
Text 6 & 7
|
|
5 |
Designing and sharing our lessons related to questions
and responding.
LP #3 Questioning and
Responding Due
|
|
|
10
|
Classroom Management continued Preparing for the Field Experience
Course Evaluation
PTTs Due
PTT
rubric
|
Student Handbook (pp)
Teacher
Self Reflection
Text 13 revisited
|
|
Nov 12 |
Building Bridges |
|
Semester One Assignments
1. Professional
Life
Writings
After reading and processing relevant chapters, policy,
and/or government documents associated with education, you will have identified
several nuggets of knowing that resonate with, deepen, and or
challenge your views of education. We ask that you engage in a life writing
that lays your personal and social views, along side the particular life writing
theme. This should be 500 words that is properly referenced. You will be
evaluated on the basis of your ability to: 1) vividly and insightfully connect
your responses to life experiences, 2) link these themes critically and
creatively to readings, and 3) to write clearly and thoughtfully about this key
idea in ways that show thoughtful understanding.
#1: Life Writings #1 The Beginning Teacher
(Rubric)
#2. Life Writing # 2 The Code of Ethics
(Explanation & Rubric
Criteria)
2. Lesson Plans
Over the fall term we will be planning and practicing 3
lessons that allow you to work with curricular content taught in the public schools of Nova Scotia. As you
do this, you will begin to develop teaching strategies on a weekly basis. Please
hand them in for feedback on the day we do them in class. This hand-in product
should include a detailed plan. Once you receive feedback from us, you can reflect upon them to show your emerging thinking about
pedagogy and place this in your PTT (see assignment three below). You will be
evaluated on the basis of your ability to: a) plan lessons that capture the
essence of each strategy; b) plan lessons with detail, clarity and
thoroughness that reflect appropriate elements of the PSP; c) plan lessons that
are engaging, powerful, authentic, meaningful and culturally appropriate
learning.
3. Personal Teaching Text
(Formative Assessment)
To assist you in developing your teacher identity
you have been asked to explore and critically reflect on selected topics and
activities during the course, and reflect upon the core beliefs and values which determine
how and why you do what you do. In order to facilitate this professional development, you
are asked to develop a personal teaching text (after Bullough and Gitlin, 2001).
This PTT encourages you to put together an array of artifacts that represent and
chronicle your teacher education experience. The PTT will emphasize writing and
reflection on these artifacts over time. All of your work
that you deem appropriate are to be placed in a binder to
form a text of development. You will draw upon the six broad outcomes that frame
this course in order to periodically review and engage in self-assessment of
your PTT. You will link this PTT to the PDP that frames your Field Experiences.
Professional Life Writings: Over the course of the semester you will be
engaged in the reflective process of writing 2 life writings worth a total of 30% of your final grade.
Planning and Pedagogy: Over the course of the semester you will complete
3 discrete lesson plans (15%) on several instructional skills.
Personal Teaching Text: On an ongoing basis you will formatively
construct, and reconstruct a personal teaching text that shows your
understanding of the 6 main outcomes of the course. After receiving formative
assessment on your PTT, you will be asked to submit a final synthesizing PTT
which will be a summative evaluation.
Course Completion Policy
If course work is not completed by the end of the regular
scheduled term, a mark of IP (in progress) will be granted and you will
not be permitted to commence your Field Experiences. This mark
will stand until the work is completed and submitted by a negotiated date or the
first day of the following term. If the outstanding work is not submitted
by the established date, a grade of NM (no mark) will be entered as the
final mark.
- Late assignments will result in a 3% loss per day
and consistent with University policy, missed due dates will require
acceptable documentation
- All assignments must be completed to an acceptable
professional level to obtain credit for the course, and all assignments must
be handed in before students are permitted to participate in Field
Experiences
- Information on grade appeals can be obtained from
the University Calendar Section 3.14.
B.Ed
Course Confidentiality Guidelines
The primary purpose of these guidelines is to
insure that the names or identities of human subjects are safeguarded in
recorded course work and both within and outside of the classroom. The names of
any of the human subjects or institutions involved should not be used in class,
whether in formal or informal discussion, or in any written work submitted as
part of the course, including journal or logbook entries. Thus any oral or
written analysis that is derived from the observations and conversations
indicated above should employ pseudonyms in the place of actual names for
individuals, institutions, or unique events.
Academic Honesty
Students are expected to be familiar with
university policies associated with academic dishonesty. If you are unsure as to
whether to cite a reference, please cite it! For example, you do need to
acknowledge material taken from others for your lesson plans, JackDaws, and in
particular, if you have found ideas on the internet, you need to acknowledge
what is yours and what came from others. Failure to follow this practice may
result in a grade of 0. Please consult the University Calendar Section 3.9.
Class Participation and
Attendance Policy
As you are in a
professional program your full attendance in all classes is expected. Your participation in class
discussions will enhance your assignments and benefit not only yourself but your
fellow students. Since this course is highly participatory and is based heavily
upon in-class interactions, it is not possible to make up for experiences
missed. Each unexplained class absence will result in a deduction of 3 % from your final
grade. If you must miss a scheduled class and cannot inform the
instructor in the previous class, please inform the instructor directly by email
or phone call prior to the class. Extenuating circumstances for missed classes
for personal and family emergencies and illnesses will be considered on an individual basis.
Students maybe asked for a valid medical excuse.
Course Evaluation
Outcomes that relate to broad teacher certification
outcomes, our particular program threads, and the four semester field-course
integration themes are valued in how we assess. We will assess you mark as an
on-going process within the Initiation Phase considering the following
overarching considerations that are inherent to establishing individual growth
targets: awareness of professionalism, your emerging practice, and development
of your pedagogic intent. The following qualities frame our broad grade ranges.
While individual excellence will be rewarded, it is expected that the class
average of marks will normally be between 78-84.
Excellent 85-99 (Strong written quality,
reflects a high degree of originality, curriculum processes are highly
proficient and push borders, highly critical and creative responses,
professional attitudes well developed)
Very Good 75-84 (Very Good written quality,
reflects originality, curriculum processes are proficient and may push
borders, critical and creative responses, professional attitudes are partially
developed)
Good 60-74 (Good written quality, may
reflect some originality, curriculum processes are usually proficient,
responses may be critical but lack creativity, professional attitudes need
considerable developing)
Unsatisfactory below 60 (Unsatisfactory
written quality, reflects little to no originality, curriculum processes
are not competent, responses lack creativity and critical thinking, professional
attitudes are inappropriate and inconsistent with those associated with a
beginning professional)
As instructors, we are
committed to providing an environment of equity and respect for all people,
which is inclusive of all learners.
We strive to create a
classroom in which all individual’s experiences and views are treated with
respect.
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