TE 815 Syllabus[1]
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE
First summer session (May 14-June 27, 2007)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00- 6:50 pm
222 Erickson Hall
3 credits
Instructor: Jack Schwille, 517 Erickson Hall
Phone: 355-9627
Email:
Office hours by appointment: contact secretary, Marlene Green,
, or 355-9627
Course overview
The primary objective for this course is to give students understanding of and analytical skill in cross-national comparison of educational practices so that they can look more deeply into how education differs across settings as a function of culture, social organization, economic conditions, historical circumstances, etc. In light of this variation the course will consider arguments for and against the emergence of world-wide standards of educational practice and outcomes.
Our hope is, as students work through these issues, they will come to see their own practice in a new light and will discover new possibilities for improvement in their own educational settings. The practices in question include the students’ own experience in and prior knowledge about learning, teaching, teacher preparation and educational leadership. Comparative analysis is thus viewed as an important vehicle for fostering reflection in educational practitioners and allowing them to entertain possibilities that they have not before taken into account.
Among the overarching questions we will be addressing throughout the course are the following:
- What do we know about schooling, teaching, learning and learning to teach in selected countries, especially East Asian countries whose practices have been shown worthy of special study?
- How much confidence can we put in what we know? What is the basis for this knowledge? How is this knowledge base being improved?
- What is the value of this knowledge? What does it mean to us? To what extent can it be used to evaluate educational practices and outcomes in any given country? To what extent can it help set standards for use throughout the world?
The course is based on the following strong presumptions about the significance and nature of comparative education:
American education can only be adequately understood when seen in light of what we know about learning, teaching and schooling in other parts of the world. This contrast with the experience of other nations helps us reexamine our presuppositions and beliefs about our own educational institutions.
Cross-national transmission and borrowing of educational ideas, policies, institutions and practices is a natural process that has long been important in the history of education. Since no nation has a truly indigenous system of education, it can be assumed that foreign influences will continue to be important to the course of educational change. Nevertheless, it is also important to realize that educational borrowings, however widespread, are reinterpreted in the process and in most cases do not turn out quite as intended. In fact, they have many unintended consequences and frequently provoke resistance and counter-reactions.
Knowledge of context and culture is critical to the understanding of educational ideas, policies, practices and institutions. Nevertheless, culture and context must not be understood as static over time or stereotypically invariant within nations. The possibility of fundamental social change through formal schooling is illustrated by the following statement from the study of pre-schooling in three cultures by Tobin, Wu and Davidson (1989): “The Japanese preschool, which a hundred years ago did not exist and as recently as twenty years ago played only a marginal role in the care and socialization of young children, has become a core institution in contemporary Japan.” (p. 70)
The following are other examples of assertions from relevant readings that challenge notions that Americans frequently take for granted about learning, teaching, and schooling:
“Although reading can be readily taught at home, most Japanese parents today feel that character can be properly developed only at school.” (Tobin, Wu & Davidson, p. 58)
“Asian teachers are generally more likely than American teachers to engage their students, even very young ones, in discussions of mathematical concepts.” (Steven and Stigler, The Learning Gap, p. 185)
“What was an oxymoron to me before going to Japan turned out to be fundamental to the richness and quality of educational programs I observed: standardized diversity. As opposed to the kind of standardization associated with words like rote, uncreative, uniform or rigid, this standardization yielded quite the opposite impression: lively engagement, creative spin-offs, and individual responsiveness. An unintended outcome of this research for me was becoming more astute about the potential positive meanings and implications of standardization.” (Sato dissertation, p. 144)
Other general points
The following book is required. It can be downloaded for free from the following website: Students can also obtain a bound printed copy for 15 euros plus shipping.
Schwille, J. & Dembélé (2007). Global Perspectives on Teacher Learning: Improving Policy and Practice. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO)
For other assigned readings, see the reading links within the Angel website for the course.
The written assignments require careful reading of the reading assignments. If written assignments are submitted without showing evidence of what the instructor considers careful reading, you will be asked to rewrite the assignment before any grade will be given.
There are no grades for attendance or participation. Nevertheless, attendance and participation are expected as well as preparation for all class sessions. If you have unavoidable conflicts, please discuss the missed session with the instructor. (For other information on course grading and evaluation, see section on course written assignments below.)
Changes in this schedule may be made during the course. If so, they will be announced in class and posted on Angel.
Jack will have to be in Taipei the last two sessions of the course (June 25 and 27). He will be participating in a meeting of national research coordinators for an international study of teacher education that MSU is managing. Class will be held on those dates and all students are expected to attend.
Session # 1 - Monday, May 14
Introduction to course requirements and issues
Introduction and discussion of course requirements
PART ONE: LEARNING TO TEACH
Session # 2 -Wednesday, May 16
Topic: Initial preparation for teaching
Reading:
Schwille & Dembélé, pp. 5, 25-88.
Panel: International students who have been teachers talk about how they learned to teach (Hilda Omae, Kenya; Kurnia Yahya, Malaysia; Irfan Muzzafar, Pakistan; Hasan Abdel-Kareem, Palestine).
Session # 3 - Monday, May 21
Topic: Initial preparation for teaching (cont.)
Discussion of student assignments on what and how they learned about teaching in their early lives and careers and how this compares and contrasts with chapters 1-3 of Schwille & Dembélé.
Session # 4 - Wednesday, May 23
Topic: Teacher mentoring and induction
Readings:
Schwille & Dembélé, pp.89-102.
Paine et al., “Teacher induction in Shanghai” pp. 20-69; “Being and becoming a mathematics teacher: ambiguities in teacher formation in France,” pp. 194-260.
Guest: Han Xue to speak about her dissertation research on the teachers’ research group in China.
Monday, May 28, Memorial Day holiday
No class
Session # 5 - Wednesday, May 30
Topic: Professional development: learning from East Asian practices
Readings:
Fernandez & Yoshida, pp 7-17, 18-28, 33-48, 109-127.
Stepanek et al., Leading Lesson Study: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Facilitators, pp.83-151.
Other: Catherine Lewis videotapes of Japanese lesson study
Session # 6 - Monday, June 4
Topic: Professional development in Africa: reconciling teacher empowerment and accountability
Readings:
Schwille & Dembélé article in International Journal of Educational Research: “Can teacher empowerment be reconciled with accountability?”
M. Hamilton, chapter from dissertation on educational decentralization in Guinea.
Guests: Kennedy Ongaga*
* Not yet confirmed
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TEACHING AND LEARNING IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Session # 7- Wednesday, June 6
Topic: Debunking myths about teaching, learning and schooling in Japan
Readings:
G.K. LeTendre, “International achievement studies and myths of Japan,” pp. 3-24
Kangmin Zeng and G.K. LeTendre, “’The dark side of …’ suicide, violence and drug use in Japanese schools, pp. 103-121.
C. C. Lewis, “Resilient myths: are our minds made up about Japanese education?” pp. 141-148.
Session # 8 - Monday, June 11
Topic: Academics, free play and the structure of pre-schooling
Readings:
Weikert et al, A World of Preschool Experience, pp. 241-264.
Montie et al (2006) “Preschool experience in 10 countries: cognitive and language performance at age 7. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 21, 313-331.
Other: selected video tapes from IEA study of preprimary education in 15 countries; video from Tobin and Wu study of pre-schooling in three countries.
Session # 9 - Wednesday, June 13
Topic: Educating the whole child with group norms in the elementary schools of Japan
Readings:
Sato, Inside Japanese Classrooms, pages 1-11, 41-53, 66-71, 96-105, 202-211.
Lewis, Educating Hearts and Minds, pages 26-29, 36-61, 101-123, 149-158.
Session # 10 - Monday, June 18
Topic: Video tape research on teaching in seven countries
Readings:
“ Teaching mathematics in seven countries,” pp 1-12 (highlights section).
“Highlights from the TIMSS 1999 video study of eighth-grade science teaching,” pp 1-24.
K. Roth et al, Teaching Science in Five Countries, pp. 67-98.
Guests: Eric Wilmot (Ghana) for math; Hasan Abdel-Kareem (Palestine) for science.
Other: Videos from these studies
Session # 11 - Wednesday, June 20
Topic: Islamic perspectives on memorization
Reading:
Helen S. Boyle, “Memorization and learning in Islamic Schools,” pp. 478-495.
Guest: Malik Balla
Session # 12 - Monday, June 25
Topic: Why more and more parents purchase supplemental instruction
Remember Jack will be in Taipei; Makito Yurita will lead the class.
Readings:
Mark Bray, The Shadow Education System, pp. 17-22, 23-36, 37-41, 50-66.
Marie Hojlund Roesgaard, Japanese Education and the Cram School Business, pp. 1-56.
Session # 13 - Wednesday, June 27
Topic: Wrap-up session
Remember Jack will be in Taipei.
Readings: no additional readings
Other: student evaluation of course
*Not yet confirmed
SUBMISSION AND GRADING OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Each student is required to submit four written assignments according to the following instructions. These are the only written assignments for the course; there are no other exams or course papers. The final course grade depends entirely on these assignments.
It is expected that all students will post their assignments on the ANGEL message board for use by other students in the course and for use in class discussions. If you are reluctant to do this, please discuss alternatives with the instructor.
Written assignments are of the following sorts: (a) two assignments required of all students (assignments A and B below); (b) one additional assignment consisting of a choice between C and D below (c) one secondary response in which students choose and react to essays other students have submitted in response to B, C, or D below. Each secondary response should provide a different point of view or added insights not found in the primary response, but it still should be explicitly justified in terms of specific references to the course readings in question ( target length of secondary response: 1000 words ).
Primary responses are due the date of the assignment in the syllabus while secondary responses are due no more than 10 days later than the date of the assignment in question (or the end of the course whichever is earlier). If one or more of these assignments is submitted late, the student in question will have to do one additional primary response.
Students also have the option of submitting extra assignments to offset any grades below 3.0 (i.e. the original assignment will still be counted in the grading but it will count for less). These extra assignments cannot be rewrites of an assignment the student has already submitted.
Written assignments which, in the opinion of the instructor, do not show any substantial command or mastery of the course readings, will have to be rewritten before any grade is given. Please also remember that analysis of the readings is what is desired, not just recapitulation.
When you refer to readings in your response, be specific and give page numbers where possible. It is not necessary to give complete bibliographical references. Instead just use enough of the authors’ names and/or titles to be sure it is clear exactly which reading(s) and which pages you are discussing.
Students will receive feedback and a grade on each of these assignments in a private email from the instructor. These grades will not be affected by whether the assignments are submitted on time or not.
The final course grade will be computed as follows: 25% each for assignments A and B below, 35 % for C/D and 15% for secondary response.
A student may receive a waiver of one or more of these assignments by proposing a substitute assignment or assignments which, in the opinion of the instructor, are better suited to matching the student’s interests to the purposes of the course. This should be done before the student starts work on the substitute assignment. Substitutes which make no use of course readings are less likely to be accepted.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
DO BOTH A AND B
Assignment A: Your perspective on the continuum of teacher learning
Write an essay answering the following questions:
- What did you think, before you started your first year of teaching or your first extended period of teaching practice, would be most difficult to learn in becoming a good teacher? Can you recall for us how you got this idea?
- How much, in what ways of most importance, and why did your ideas about this change after you started teaching?
- What was most important in your preservice education, if anything, in influencing your learning to teach? Why was this of most influence and importance?
- How much and in what ways is your response to Schwille & Dembélé, chapters 1-3, influenced by what you report in answering the preceding three questions?
In addition to your essay, prepare not more than 3 PowerPoint slides that you could present to the class in not more than 5 minutes on the parts of your essay that you think the rest of the class would find of most interest. Attach these slides to your ANGEL submission so that a few of these PowerPoints can be selected by the instructor for presentation in class
Target length: 1500 words
Due date: 7 a.m., Monday, May 21
Assignment B: Can induction and professional development replace preservice teacher education?
In light of what you have learned about the continuum of teacher learning and what is done in professional development in the U.S., Japan, China and other regions discussed in Schwille & Dembélé, chapters 4 and 5, do you think teacher induction and professional development can be improved to the point where no preservice teacher education is needed, Justify your response. Discuss with reference to the U.S. and/or your home country—whichever you prefer.
In making your case, you need to draw as much as possible on all the readings for the following class sessions: May 16, May 21, May 23, and May 30. Use Schwille & Dembélé chapter 3 as a guide to what is involved in preserve teacher education.
Target length: 1500 words
Due date: June 4
******************************************************************
CHOOSE C OR D OF THE FOLLOWING
Assignment C: Learning about schooling, teaching and learning from East Asia.
Using readings from the course as well as the discussions, videos and guests we have had in class sessions, please make a case for (a) something important that you think we can learn from educational practices in Japan and China, why you think this lesson is important, and why you think it would be feasible for it to influence education in the U.S. or (b) why you think there is nothing that Americans have to learn from education in East Asia as reflected in the course readings. In constructing your argument, you need to be explicit in identifying:
The central point for the argument you are trying to make.
At least three and no more than five subsidiary points that support the main point.
Substantiation for each of these subsidiary points and clarity in how they support the main point.
In making your case, you need to draw as much as possible on all of the readings for the following class sessions: May 23, May 30, June 6, June 11, June 13, and June 18.
Target length: 1500 words
Due date: June 19
Assignment D: Reconciling teacher-centered and child-centered instruction
The terms “teacher-centered” and “child-centered” are thrown around a lot in education talk. Usually we hear calls to replace teacher-centered with child-centered instruction. Please write an essay discussing (a) what these terms mean to you; (b) whether what you have been learning in this course is consistent with or in contrast with what you take these terms to mean, and (c) in light of what we have been learning in this course, whether it makes sense to you to think of these terms as being opposed in some sense to each other.
In writing this essay, you need to draw as much as possible on all of the readings for the following class sessions: May 30, June 4 [check], June 6, June 11, June13, June 18, June 20.
Target length: 1500 words
Due date: June 21
If you consider any or all of the above assignments as not sufficiently related to your professional interests, you can replace them with assignments you propose as follows:
Formulate a question of your own at least one week before the deadline get the instructor’s approval of using your question for this written assignment. Approval will be given if the work required is comparable to the above assignments and if you can justify the question in terms of its relevance to some aspect of the course.
TE 815 READINGS
Bray, M. (1999).The Shadow Education System: Private Tutoring and its Implication for Planners, Fontenoy, Paris: UNESCO.
Boyle, H.S. (2006). Memorization and learning in Islamic schools.Comparative Education Review, 50 (3), pp. 478-495.
Dembélé, M., & Schwille, J. (2007). Can the global trend toward accountability be reconciled with ideals of teacher empowerment? Theory and practice in Guinea. International Journal of Educational Research.
Fernandez, C. & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson Study: A Japanese Approach to Improving Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Hamilton, M. (2007). Success, Participation and Development: Marking the Progress of Education Reform in the Republic of Guinea. MichiganStateUniversity: Unpublished dissertation.