University of South Florida

College of Education

The College of Education CARE’s – The College of Education is dedicated to the ideals of Collaboration, Academic Excellence, Research, and Ethics/Diversity. These are key tenets in the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education. Competence in these ideals will provide candidates in educator preparation programs with skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be successful in the schools of today and tomorrow.

Course Prefix and Number: EDE 7481 Credit Hours: 3.0

Course Title: Teacher Education Seminar

Regular Instructor: Audra K. Parker, David Allsopp, Danielle Dennis, Allan Feldman

Course Prerequisites (if any):

n/a

Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to collaboratively explore current and enduring research in teaching and teacher education.The course prepares doctoral students to integrate, assimilate, and evaluate major research and research issues confronting the field of teacher education. Attention focuses on the institutional and programmatic issues that educators currently face or are likely to face in their roles as teacher, teacher leader, and teacher educator.

Course Goals and Objectives:

In completing the requirements for this course, the students will be able to:

1)  Explore, analyze, and synthesize historical, seminal, and current research in the field of teaching and teacher education.

2)  Use historical and current research as a lens for examining contemporary teaching and teacher education reform initiatives.

3)  Evaluate the controversies, dilemmas, debates, conflicts, and major issues that emerge from this research in teaching, and teacher education.

4)  Investigates how schools and communities use research about school reform to adapt, implement, or invent mechanisms to improve student and teacher learning.

5)  Cultivates an international perspective on research about schools, elementary teaching, and teacher education.

Content Outline:

TOPICS / READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS
Course Overview
·  Introduction to research in teaching and teacher education
·  Exploring current context of field
·  Select book club readings
·  How do you operationally define teaching?
·  How do you operationally define learning?
Creating a lens
·  Historical research and seminal works in teaching and teacher education. / Blank
Tyack & Cuban
DUE: Manuscript Topic Proposal
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating research to practice
Book Club Meeting 1 / Bransford et al., Chapters 1, 4
DUE: Publication Outlet
Situating Learning and Knowing
·  Defining epistemology: what does it mean to construct knowledge
·  How is new knowledge constructed within academic disciplines?
·  What makes a good learning experience?
Book Club Meeting 2 / Bransford et al., Chapters 6, 7
DUE: Reference List
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating theory to practice
Book Club Meeting 3 / Bodrova & Leong, Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating theory to practice: Part 2
Book Club Meeting 4 / Duckworth
Teaching and Learning in a Social and Cultural Context
·  Cultural influences on constructing knowledge
·  How peers influence learning
·  How culture shapes pedagogy
Book Club Meeting 5 / Canvas readings: Tobin
Book Club Presentations
(Ayers, Crain, Paley, Kozol-Savage Inequalities, Kozol—Being a Teacher) / DUE: Book Club Presentation #1
Classroom and School Environments / Kennedy
Duckworth
Canvas readings
DUE: Rough Draft
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and Teacher Education (e.g.: testing, equity, safety, poverty, international perspectives)
Book Club Meeting 2 / Ravitch
Canvas readings
DUE: Practitioner interviews and group synthesis
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and Teacher Education: Part 2
Book Club Meeting 3 / Ravitch
Canvas readings
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and Teacher Education: Part 3
·  Exploring emerging wonderings
·  Thinking outside the box
Book Club Meeting 4 / Canvas readings
DUE: Conference Proposal
Teacher education practices and programs Book Club Meeting 5 / Canvas readings
Book Club Presentations
(Kozol-Shame, Darling Hammond, Edwards, Sahlberg, Fried) / DUE: Book Club Presentation #2
DUE: Manuscript

Evaluation of Student Outcomes:

The minimum expectations of all students are

·  class attendance, promptness

·  completion of required reading assignments

·  completion of all written assignments, projects, lesson plans

·  participation in all class activities and discussions

·  If you will be absent, please notify the instructor prior to class by email or phone.

·  Excessive absences, even for legitimate reasons, result in substantial portions of the course not being fulfilled and will result in a failing grade. Two unexcused absences will result in your final grade being lowered by one full letter grade. Four or more unexcused absences will result in an “F” for the course.

·  All class assignments must be completed on or before the due date. We will work together to negotiate assignment due dates.

·  Course materials, checklists, and announcements will be posted on Canvas. Students are responsible for downloading materials. Canvas email will be used to communicate among class members. Please check Canvas and your USF email regularly.

·  All work should reflect accuracy in spelling, punctuation, and usage. All assignments must be typed, unless otherwise specified. APA (most current edition) should be used for all references.

·  It is expected that you will read all assignments prior to class. Your participation, and the pre-requisite preparation for participation, is essential for your success in this course. Come prepared and be prepared to share!

Course Assignments

1)  Book Club Participation (50 pts and 50 pts)

You will participate in two separate book clubs throughout the semester. The first will begin on the 3rd class session and final presentation will be on 6th class session. The second will begin on 9th class session and end on the 14th class session. Your book clubs will be formed in class around the readings on the course syllabus. Class time will be provided each week for book club group meetings.

2)  Practitioner Interview and Group Synthesis (50 pts)

Using an interview protocol collaboratively developed in class, interview a practitioner about a contemporary issue he or she is concerned about related to classrooms, teaching, and teacher education reform initiatives. Transcribe and bring the interview data to class to share with peers. When you do interviews, you should take detailed notes, and then transcribe the interview as soon as possible after its conclusion. In the case of audiotaped interviews, you may listen to the tape in order to transcribe the interview. It is important to have your notes as a back-up, however, in case the person speaks softly or in case there is a technical difficulty. If you do not audiotape the interview, then when you are finished, you should use your notes to write up the interview in its entirety. You should include your questions, their answers, their comments or questions, your answers, and any nonverbal communication (laughs, gestures, facial expressions, etc.). A good interview transcript will be very detailed and will more or less reproduce the dialogue that occurred during the interview. It should also describe the person interviewed (e.g., gender, occupation, approximate age, ethnicity) and the setting in which the interview occurred. In your group, look across the data set to identify overarching themes, challenges, and facilitators to using research to inform practice in schools, teaching, and teacher education.

3)  Practitioner Manuscript (100 pts)

This is a mentored writing project. You will select a current issue associated with teaching and teacher education. Identify and evaluate the controversies, dilemmas, debates, conflicts, and major challenges that emerge and translate them into applications for evidence-informed practice. Include an exploration of research characterized by multiple methods and practitioner voices related to the use of this research. Your manuscript may be a Report of Original Teacher Action Research that includes a review of the relevant literature, a description of the methodology, a summary of the findings, and a discussion of implications for practice in an educational setting. Alternatively, you may write a manuscript that translates theory into practice. Explications of Theory should begin with a clear explanation of a theory that informs practice, a description of the historical context, and a justification based on the literature. The paper should conclude with implications for practice in an educational setting. The final manuscript should be 12-15 pages in length, including references and graphics. In collaboration with the faculty, you will identify an appropriate publication outlet and adhere to APA guidelines (6th edition) or The Chicago Manual of Style 2010 guidelines (16th edition), depending on the journal requirements.

Subcomponents of the Assignment (5 points each):

Manuscript Topic Proposal: Submit an abstract of no more than 300 words. Research topics must be officially approved by the instructor prior to the initiation of research. All students who turn in a project proposal will receive written notice indicating whether or not their project was approved. Projects may not be changed after the fourth week of classes.

Identification of Publication Outlet: Select an appropriate publication outlet for a practitioner article on teaching and/or learning and submit the publication guidelines.

Reference List: Submit a reference list of a minimum of 10 resources to support your manuscript. Adhere to APA guidelines (6th edition) or The Chicago Manual of Style 2010 guidelines (16th edition), depending on the journal requirements.

Rough Draft: You will submit a rough draft to the instructor. Ideally, your draft will be a complete draft of your final paper. At a minimum, however, your rough draft should include an introduction, literature review (based on the reference list assignment), methodology (if relevant), at least half of the presentation and analysis of your data (if relevant), and an outline of the remainder of your paper. Otherwise, it will not be considered a draft and cannot count toward the completion of this assignment. Rough drafts will receive written comments rather than letter grades.

Late Work: The assignment components may not be turned in late. If they are not turned in on time, they will not be accepted. The project proposal, publication outlet, reference list, and rough draft will be graded pass/not pass. In other words, if you turn in an acceptable version of these, you will get full credit. The project proposal may be rewritten to receive credit, if the initial proposal is turned in on time. Other assignments may not be rewritten for credit. The final draft of your research paper will be graded according to its quality, thoroughness, and analytical strength.

4)  Conference Proposal (25 points)

Identify a professional conference venue that explores issues associated with teaching and learning. Using the topic of your manuscript, follow the submission guidelines to write a conference proposal.

5)  Class Facilitator (15 pts)

Generate questions for discussion that encourage a critical analysis of the readings and introduce contemporary applications of the research. Lead a discussion using these and participant generated questions.

Grading Criteria:

Your grade in this class will be a result of completion of the course requirements, listed below.

Book Club 1 / 50 points
Book Club 2 / 50 points
Practitioner Interview and Group Synthesis / 50 points
Manuscript Topic Proposal / 5 points
Publication Outlet / 5 points
Reference List / 5 points
Rough Draft / 5 points
Manuscript / 100 points
Conference Proposal / 25 points
Class Facilitator / 15 points

1

Revised 08/2010

Grading Scale:

1

Revised 08/2010

Points Grade

291-310 A

279-290 A-

269-278 B+

260-268 B

248-259 B-


Points Grade

238-247 C+

229-237 C

217-228 C-

200-217 D

Below 200 F

1

Revised 08/2010

NOTE: Please retain all your assignments for the semester, including those that are graded and returned.

Written Assignments

All written assignments prepared outside of class will be evaluated for content and presentation. The American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition (APA) style will be followed for all written work. Students may consult the Writing Center for additional writing support.

Students will:

1. Present ideas in a clear, concise, and organized manner. (Avoid wordiness and redundancy.)

2. Develop points coherently, definitively, and thoroughly.

3. Refer to appropriate authorities, studies, and examples to document, where appropriate.(Avoid meaningless generalizations, unwarranted assumptions, and unsupported opinions.)

4. Use correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Proofread carefully.

10. Textbook(s) and Readings:

Required Text

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. [Available as e-book through USF Library]

Duckworth, E. (2006). “The having of wonderful ideas” and other essays on teaching and learning (3rd edition). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Kennedy, M. (2006). Inside teaching: How classroom life undermines reform. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.

Ravitch, D. (2010). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. New York: Basic Books.

Other Readings

Ayers, W. (2010). To teach: The journey of a teacher (3rd edition). New York: Teachers College Press.

Blank. , J. (2010). Early childhood teacher education: Historical themes and contemporary issues. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31(4), 391-405.

Crain, W. (2003). Reclaiming childhood: Letting children be children in our achievement-oriented society. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press.

Fried, R. L. (2005). The game of school: Why we all play it, how it hurts kids, and what it will take to change it. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley.

Kozol, J. (1992). Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools. New York: Harper.

Kozol, J. (2005). The shame of the nation: The restoration of apartheid schooling in America. New York: Crown.

Kozol, J. (2009). On being a teacher. Oxford: Oneworld.

Sahlberg. P. (2011). Finnish lessons: What can the world learn from education change in Finland. New York: Teachers College Press.

Tyack, D. & Cuban, L. (1995). Tinkering toward utopia: A century of public school reform. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Chapter)

11. Academic Dishonesty:

“Plagiarism is defined as "literary theft" and consists of the unattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs information gathered from books, articles, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public-at-large, must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Citations may be made in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as one's own, segments or the total of another person's work.”
“Punishment for academic dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and may include receipt of an "F" with a numerical value of zero on the item submitted, and the "F" shall be used to determine the final course grade. It is the option of the instructor to assign the student a grade of "F" of "FF" (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the course.”