University of Massachusetts Lowell Fall 2010 Graduate School of Education. Curriculum and Teaching: English ( ) Syllabus

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1 University of Massachusetts Lowell Fall 2010 Graduate School of Education Curriculum and Teaching: English ( ) Syllabus INSTITUTION AND SCHOOL: The mission of the University of Massachusetts Lowell is to promote and sustain regional economic development. The Graduate School of Education (GSE) contributes to this mission by developing professionals who help transform the region through leadership roles in education. The GSE s commitment to Education for Transformation produces graduates who: 1) demonstrate excellent knowledge, judgment, and skills in their professional fields; 2) promote equity of educational opportunity for all learners; 3) collaborate with other educators, parents, and community representatives to support educational excellence; 4) use inquiry and research to address educational challenges; and 5) possess the collaborative capability to transform relationships among people in schools, mobilizing them to accomplish purposes they value. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: John Brown, Ed. D., Adjunct Professor Location: DUG-209 Telephone: jbrown4343@gmail.com, John_Brown@uml.edu Website: Class Meetings: Thusday 4:00 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. COURSE OVERVIEW / RATIONALE The purpose of this course is to prepare preservice teachers for the content-specific dimensions of their practicum. The course is designed not only to develop pedagogical skills but to encourage prospective English teachers to examine their own beliefs, expectations, and dispositions about the nature of the discipline, the practice of teaching, the process of learning, and the nature of the learners themselves. REQUIRED READING Gere, A.R., Fairbanks, C., Howes, A., Roop, L., and Shaafsma, D. (1992). Language and Reflection: An Integrated Approach to Teaching English. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Maasik, S., and Solomon, J., (Eds.) (2005). Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, Fifth Edition. NY: Bedford/St. Martin s. (pp. 1-19) O Beirne Milner, J and Floyd Morcock Milner, L. (2007). Bridging English. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

2 Suggested Readings and Resources Atwell, N. (1998). In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning, Second Edition. NH: Boynton/Cook Heinemann. Bomer, R. (1995). Time for Meaning: Crafting Literate Lives in Middle and High School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Elbow, P. (1973). Writing Without Teachers. London: Oxford University Press. Ishiguro, Kazuo, (2005). Never Let Me Go. NY: Vintage International. Marzano, Robert J., (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Maasik, S., and Solomon, J., (Eds.) (2005). Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, Fifth Edition. NY: Bedford/St. Martin s. Simmons, J. (1996). Control the purpose, not the contents: Coaching the construction of student teaching portfolios. Action in Teacher Education 18(1): Smith, F. (1975). Comprehension and Learning: A Conceptual Framework for Teachers. NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Smith, F. (1983). Essays into Literacy: Selected Papers and Some Afterthoughts. Portsmouth: Heinemann. Wetherell, C. and Noddings, N (Eds.) (1991). Stories Lives Tell: Narrative and Dialogue in Education. NY: Teachers College Press. COURSE GOALS Students are expected: 1. to develop a philosophy of literacy instruction in order to guide our teaching of adolescents 2. to demonstrate understanding of models of reading and writing processes 3. to demonstrate understanding of approaches to teaching secondary English, such as literary analysis, rhetorical instruction, readers/writers workshop 4. to demonstrate understanding of how images in the media and our culture affect our perceptions 5. to understand how to guide students to critique popular culture and media 6. to demonstrate understanding of the uses and abuses of norm- and criterion-referenced tests, standardized tests, holistic and analytic scoring, and prompted writing samples 7. to compare and contrast different forms of literary assessment such as portfolios, interviews, product analyses, teacher-made tests, and observation 2

3 8. to demonstrate the exposition of our own reading and writing processes for students and peers 9. to develop lessons designed to help students demonstrate understanding of standards found in the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks 10. to teach lessons, develop lesson plans, develop rubrics, assess papers, and confer with students 11. to create a teaching portfolio EXPECTATIONS Students are expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss assigned readings and assignments. In addition, students are expected to participate in projects and discussions and to submit written assignments as noted. COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Online forum: For most sessions, you will respond in writing to an audience of your peers (secondary teachers of English language arts) to ideas and issues raised in the assigned reading for the week. Responses may be no more than 400 words. You are to post your responses on I will demonstrate how this site works in the first class meeting. Postings to the forum are due by Tuesday at noon so classmates will be able to read them in time to respond to them by Wednesday noon. Each student will write one posting (400 words max.) and respond to one or more postings (200 words max.). To receive full credit on each OLFP (online forum posting) you should engage with the reading by, for instance, connecting the text to your own experience, analyzing or evaluating the arguments in the text, examining how your beliefs about the practice of teaching intersect with the text and/or extending the ideas in the text. You should also reflect the text accurately, cite relevant excerpts from the reading, follow the conventions for proper academic prose, and post the work on time. OLFP will count as 20% of your grade. DUE: See Course Schedule 2. Reading/Writing Lesson: On designated weeks one or more persons will develop and present a reading or writing lesson designed on the model of Gere et al (1994), O Beirne et al (2007), Bomer (1995), or Atwell (1998) to develop life-long readers/writers, promote an understanding and appreciation of literature, and/or promote study skills in a challenging informational text. Lessons are to be connected to one or more state standards. The rest of the class will act as students. Please provide a lesson plan (a model will be provided) and materials for each member of the class. You will have 45 minutes to present the lesson. A rubric for assessing the lesson will be provided. DUE: See Course Schedule. Sign up early! 3

4 3. Cultural Analysis: Choose one of the options listed below (or another non-print text ). Describe the text in detail, categorize the varieties of examples you find, and analyze what the text says about our culture and about the intended audience of the text. Keep in mind the terms and guidelines found in Popular Signs: Or, Everything You Always Knew about American Culture (But Nobody Asked) by Maasik and Solomon (pp. 1-19). How do the guidelines and terms match up with what you see in your text? What new conclusions do you draw about our culture or the audience of the text after using the authors framework for analysis? Be sure that you have completely described the chosen text, analyzed it using both your terms and those of Maasik and Solomon, and explained what the text says about our culture. In a separate section, explain what you have learned about our culture through analysis of this text. Describe how you would incorporate such a cultural analysis into your instruction with secondary students. Text Options: * ads in a daily newspaper or a magazine * a bulletin board in a school classroom * an automatic teller machine (ATM) * a restaurant menu * the coupons in your telephone directory * at least three (3) voice mail announcements (not messages left) * the exterior of a synagogue, church, or mosque * the credits at the beginning and end of your favorite TV show or film * a web site * one episode of a TV situation comedy * at least 25 examples of graffiti * one advertisement aimed at a particular type of consumer, such as a child, a hunter, housekeeper * a building on the UMass Lowell campus * a sporting event DUE: November School Visitations (2): You are required to arrange for two ½ day school visitations with a licensed English teacher, each in a different school system. You will shadow the teacher for the duration of your visit, and you will take notes to prepare two summary reports, one for each visit, and you will report orally to the class on the conclusion of your two visits. The reports will be 1 2 pages in length and are due on the Thursday after your visits. A rubric and report guidelines will be made available. Please make visitations arrangements as soon as possible and communicate them with me via . See Course Schedule below. NOTE: to spring practicum candidates This visitation is in addition to your pre-practicum assignment. 5. Portfolio: There is no final exam in this course. During the semester, you are to SAVE EVERYTHING (Clippings, Lesson Plans, Hand-Outs, OLFs). You are to create a portfolio answering the question: Who are you as a teacher of secondary English? Specifically demonstrate your assumptions and beliefs about reading, writing, culture and their assessment and discuss you plans for teaching and assessing reading and writing. Your portfolio should include (1) a Dear Reader letter answering the above questions and referring to (2) exhibits of 4

5 materials collected during the semester that demonstrate your assumptions, beliefs and plans. Please annotate each exhibit, explaining its significance. A complete portfolio will address specifically the topics we have covered in class. During the last class, each person will have a limited time to share his or her portfolio. The use of computer technology, such as wikis, Powerpoint etc. is encouraged. DUE: December 9 6. Participation: Students are expected to participate fully in class discussions, class projects and activities, and (as secondary students) in simulated lesson presentations. Students are expected to ask questions about teaching, about the readings and to share their thoughts and feelings about teaching English. COURSE SCHEDULE / OUTLINE Date Class Assignment Week 1 (Sept 2) Introductions Welcome to the course Course overview, Assignments Who is the instructor? Who are the students? How to do the online forum. How to do the Portfolio. After the break: Discussion on Why you want to teach English. Who was your best teacher? Why? Who was your worst teacher? Why? Week 2 (Sept 9) ONLF Due: Gere 2 &3 How do I approach the semiotic essay? After the break: Examine core beliefs about teaching? Week 3 (Sept 16) ONLF Due: Milner 1, 2 &14 Planning and Management. After the break: How to choose a text? What to do with it once you choose it? What to look for during a school visitation? How do I organize my Classroom? What do I do with the State Frameworks? Week 4 (Sept 23) ONLF Due: Read Gere 4 Artifact Approach After the break: Q&A on beginning teaching English. 5

6 Week 5 (Sept 30) ONLF Due: Read Gere 5 The Development Approach. After the break: How to I prepare for parent teacher conferences? Week 6 (Oct 7) ONLF Due: Read Gere 6 The Expression Approach After the break: Let s take a close look at homework? Week 7 (Oct 14) ONLF Due: Read Gere 7 & 8 The Social Construct Approach After the break: Using Technology in the classroom. Week 8 (Oct 21) ONLF Due: New Teacher Panel Discussion Give Handout to Students: Simmons & Darling Hammond After the break: Debriefing on panel discussion. Week 9 (Oct 28) ONLF Due: Gere 9 Evaluation, MCAS, Authentic Assessment (Simmons article and Darling Hammond article) After the break: Quizlab and gradebook. Give students Handout- Atwell 8 Week 10 (Nov 4) ONLF Due: Atwell 8 After the break: How to teach vocabulary and comprehension using Dialogue Journals. Week 11 (Wed., Nov 10) Make-up Day for the Holiday Cultural Analysis Due Responding to Readers Students will give brief oral description of their cultural analyses. Week 12 (Nov 18) ONLF Due: Gere 1 Approaching the Standards (Rewrites due) 6

7 After the break: How can the union help you? Week 13 (Dec 2) Week 14 (Dec 9) ONLF Due: Milner 15 Visitation Reports After the break: Re-examining core beliefs. Portfolio Presentations COURSE GRADING Reading/Writing Lesson(s) 20% Cultural Analysis 20% ONLF.20% Portfolio.20% School Visitations..10% Participation 10% % 7

8 Course Grading System Effective January 2005 Although specific rubrics will be provided for assignments, the overall grading system for courses is based on the system below. Please note that the UMass system now uses the A+ to B system for graduate standard work. Grade GPA Point General Explanatory Comment structure SUGGESTED NOT Univ mandated A Work of the highest professional standard demonstrating independent and exemplary performance A Excellent work demonstrating independent and high quality performance. A Very good work, indicating consistent and careful thought and attention to the task, but requiring some areas of improvement. B Good work, carefully executed for the most part, yet requiring several areas of improvement. B Work of graduate standard, but omissions exist or careful analysis is not evident. Below Graduate Standard B Effort is evident, but work indicates lack of understanding of the demands of the task C Poor quality work with little attention to detail and the demands of the task. C Work of very poor quality, indicating no understanding of the depth of analysis required. F 0.0 Below 2.00 Serious neglect or evidence of cheating. 8

9 ONLINE PARTICIPATION The use of to submit assignments is a course expectation. The online forum is also an expectation that requires internet access. Other web-based communication tools will be explored. PROFESSIONALISM This is a professional training course. As teachers of English, you are expected to demonstrate professional standards in your reading and writing. Papers and assignments are to professionally prepared typed and edited in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. Work must be completed and submitted on time. Extensions may be available when requested at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline. Absence from class does not automatically result in an extension. LATE WORK WILL BE READ AND RETURNED WITHOUT COMMENT. IF ACCEPTABLE, LATE WORK WILL RECEIVE THE LOWEST PASSING GRADE. WORK MORE THAN TWO WEEKS OVERDUE WILL NOT BE ACCPTED. Professional persons are both punctual and reliable. Unexcused tardies and absences will result in a lower course grade. Professional persons also listen actively in meetings and speak succinctly without dominating the conversation. Colleagues know how to disagree respectfully. NOTE: All graded work receiving a grade below an A minus which was originally submitted on time may be re-written without penalty at any time during the semester. Note: No re-writes will be accepted after December 2. 9

10 Cultural Analysis - Rubric Criterion Describes text in detail Categorizes varieties of examples Analyzes what text says about culture NCTE Standard(s) Addressed 2.5 Candidates make meaningful connections between the ELA curriculum and developments in culture, society, and education Candidates demonstrate knowledge of the range and influence of print and nonprint media and technology in contemporary culture. Points Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard Describes text so that reader understands exactly what is there Divides the characteristics of the text into clear and useful categories Places the text in the context of the culture by drawing clear connections and explaining the influence such texts exert in our culture and society. 7 Reader can get a general idea of the text. 7 provides broad categories of details 7 Draws some connections between the text and the culture or society at large. 0-6 Reader is unsure of the nature of the text. 0-6 Simply lists details about the text. 0-6 Fails to explain the significance of the test in the larger culture. Analyzes what text 2.5 Candidates says about audience make meaningful connections between the ELA curriculum and developments in culture, society, and education Candidates demonstrate knowledge of the range and influence of print and nonprint media and technology in contemporary culture Explains the intended or resulting impact of the text on the targeted audience within the culture 7 May explain the effects of such texts within society, but not on a specific audience or vice versa. 0-6 Fails to connect the text to its larger influences in the culture or on the intended audience. Applies Maasik and Solomon s terms 2.5 & uses semiotic terms to analyze the place of the text in the culture and its effects in society. 7 Makes inconsistent use of semiotic terms from the class readings, or fails to use the terms to analyze the place and influence of the text in the culture. 0-6 Omits or inaccurately applies semiotic terms 10