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Course Outline: EDEF 607

Foundations of Education

Spring 2011

Instructor:Dr. Kristan A. Morrison

Office:Peters A034

Phone:(540) 831-7120

Email:

Office hrs:Mondays 12-12:30 and 3:45 to 4:15; Tuesdays 3-5 pm, other times by appointment

Class time:Tuesdays 5:30-8:30, or Thursdays5:30-8:30 pm

Location:Tuesday class: Peters C116

Thursday class: Peters C143

Course Description:

This course is designed primarily to help students develop an interpretive perspective of education that will inform everyday professional practice. The course explores the role of social foundations in contemporary educational theory and practice. It draws on the disciplines of history, philosophy, economics, and sociology to explore the relationship between schools and society. The course will look at topics within specific areas of foundations (e.g. sociology, philosophy, history) in order to familiarize students with selected key issues and debates within the separate disciplines. The role, development, and organization of education are studied in light of the nature of a democratic and pluralistic global society. The course focuses upon promoting students’ ability to interpret and critique the impact of legal, political, economic, and societal factors on schooling and on teaching, with an emphasis upon how these issues involve or impact them in their careers as educators.

Texts:

You are expected to bring copies of articles or texts read for class to the class periods in which we will be discussing those readings

  • Losing Heart: The Moral and Spiritual Miseducation of America’s Children by H. Svi Shapiro. Copyright 2006, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (ISBN 0805857222)
  • Many Children Left Behind edited by Deborah Meier and George Wood. Copyright 2004, Beacon Press. (ISBN 0807004596)
  • Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right by Richard Rothstein. New York: Teachers College Press. 2008. (ISBN 978-0807749395)
  • Fertilizers, Pills, and Magnetic Strips: The Fate of Public Education in America by Gene V. Glass. Copyright 2008, Information Age Publishing. Will need to order this online yourself as the bookstore is in conflict with this publisher.
  • Selected readings placed on WebCT – a number of your readings will be accessed this way. I strongly encourage you to get a binder in which to hold them.

Course objectives:

During the semester, this course will seek to answer the following questions:

A.What is the relationship between schooling and the economy, the state, and local communities?

  1. how do the forces within a school system and the community environment affect the educational process?
  2. how does cultural, political and economic/finance changes affect change in educational systems?
  3. What are the purposes of education in a democratic and capitalist society?

B.What are the social, cultural, and political aspects of the production and transmission of knowledge?

  1. what is knowledge? How is it attained? (constructed? transmitted?)
  2. what is critical pedagogy?

C.What are key approaches to school reform and transformation?

  1. what end goals/purposes of education are served most by these reforms?
  2. what populations are best served/most benefited in the implementation of these reforms? (special emphasis on examination of social class and race/ethnicity)

D.What relationships exist between assessment and instruction?

  1. what approaches to assessment best monitor student progress on the attainment of essential skills?
  2. How does one construct and interpret valid assessments?
  3. How does one analyze assessment data to make decisions about how to improve instruction and student performance?
  4. How (and should) student performance measures be used in grading practices?
  5. How do standards and standardized-test based environments influence instruction?

E.What is the structure and function of education in modern society (school as an organization/culture)?

  1. Are there alternative ways of conceiving school structure and organization? (Some possible alternatives to explore include):
  2. Charters
  3. Vouchers
  4. Homeschools
  5. Free schools

F. What are the historical, philosophical and sociological events and theories which have influenced the development of current trends in educational systems?

  1. American education history
  2. Philosophies of education

G.What is the role of the teacher in American education?

  1. Characteristics and dispositions of professional educators
  2. socialization of youth
  3. agent of change vs. “clerk of the empire”
  4. legal status (including federal and state laws and regulations).

Additionally, a core purpose of EDEF 607 is to help foster exceptional writing and thinking skills. The process of thinking is clarified and strengthened through the practice of writing and the act of discussion; therefore, a basic requirement of this course is that every student demonstrates solid competencies in the expression of ideas through classroom discourse, and written assignments.

My Teaching Philosophy:

I hope to conduct this class like a “seminar.” Starting with the assumption that everyone knows many different and important things about themselves and the world, we shall act upon this assumption. I intend to act as a co-inquirer rather than a “sage on the stage.” I am also a firm believer in democratic education, which means I believe you should have a great deal of voice and choice in what goes on in this class. I want you to have a say in some content decisions, grading issues, etc., yet I recognize that very few students have ever had the opportunity to take power in class, which means that when freedom is made available, there’s often confusion between negative and positive freedom. (I’ll explain this more in class). I want this course to be a place of positive freedom and we will work together to review this syllabus, and to come up with specific grading rubrics. Not only do I want you to have input on things initially, I also encourage you to use your “protest rights” throughout the semester, whenever you honestly feel that this course is going in a direction that is not meaningful for you. (For example, in past semesters, students have raised concerns about certain assignments, offering up changes for themselves or the whole class that will make the work more personally meaningful, they have tweaked or substantially altered rubric, etc.) We will discuss your concerns as a class community, suggest resolutions, and vote on a final decision.

I will attempt to model for you positive professional, moral, and personal behavior required of teachers in a democratic society. I want to create a safe and supportive learning environment—one that is friendly yet critical of ideas presented. Therefore, it is imperative that we begin from a basis of mutual respect and create an ethos characterized by tolerance and sensitivity. It is important to listen to each other because we may offer something that can have an important impact on our professional growth. Thus, it is important to understand that it is proper to be critical of “ideas” but not appropriate to attack the “individual.”

Grading and evaluation:

A (excellent work) 93.5-100

A-89.5-93.4

B+86.5-89.4

B (meets Graduate College expectations)83.5-86.4

B- 79.5-83.4

C (work below Graduate College expectations)69.5-79.4

F (failure)69.4 and below

Reading Response for each week’s reading(we will decide on the weight of this together). The purpose of these reading responses is to inspire you to come to class prepared. You owe it to yourself and your classmates to stay abreast of the readings so you can better contribute to class discussions. I wish for you to react to the assigned reading for the day. These can take a huge variety of forms, including the most traditional written reflection paper. See below for list of options. Whatever you choose, they need to be in Standard English, any written components need to be typed, and they need to evidence thoughtful reflection on what was read. I do expect more than rushed scrawling or random tidbits of information from your personal life. In your response, whatever format you choose, you could include such things as a) evidence that you understand what the authors are arguing for or against; b) counter-arguments (e.g. can you punch any holes in the argument?) c) connections to your life (e.g. how does the reading connect to or contradict your own experiences?) d) evidence that you can synthesize the readings (e.g. if there are multiple readings assigned, how do they all fit together? e) discussion questions you want to raise in class about these readings. To encourage creativity, I am asking that over the course of the semester, you try some different types of responses. You can have a favorite that you do multiple times, but I do want you to attempt to break from your comfort zone! There is no penalty for not branching out, I just want to encourage it!

Reading Response Ideas

*Those with an asterisk would require a brief written explanation to accompany the more representational elements.

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  1. Pretend Diary entries
  2. Editorial cartoons*
  3. Satirical tests/quiz *
  4. Dioramas*
  5. Yearbook
  6. Reflective essay (most traditional)
  7. Collage*
  8. Song/poem (e.g. like a dialogue poem, such as “Honeybees” by Paul Fleischman– this poem is read by two people, one describing the life of a bee from the perspective of a worker, and one from the perspective of a queen bee.)*
  9. You tube (that you create or that expresses your reflections of the readings)*
  10. Devil’s advocate article or letter to the editor/letter to the authors(s)
  11. Short newspaper or newsletter
  12. TV or radio broadcast script
  13. Comic strip/comic book(* if it is mostly pictures)
  14. Advertisement/infomercial (* if it is mostly pictures)
  15. Interview with the author(s)
  16. Pamphlet
  17. Response log (where you divide a paper in half lengthwise and list quotes on one side of the paper and your reactions on the other- you must list where the quote comes from and you must have a paragraph at the end that ties the different readings together)
  18. Game board*
  19. Picture album/scrap book*
  20. Advice column
  21. A day in the life…
  22. Online poster with glogster.com(*if it is mostly pictures)
  23. Any other idea you can come up with!

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These reading responses are designed in part to “incentivize” you to read and reflect prior to class and to have something to refer to during class discussions. They are also designed to help you with your communication and thinking skills. At the end of the semester, I will add up all your points in this category and divide bythe total points possible to determine what your grade would be on a 100 point scale. Then this score will be weighted as ______of your final grade (we will decide on weight together). You must attach a rubric to each reading response you submit. (see end of syllabus for rubric)

Participation– (we will decide on the weight of this together) Students are encouraged to participate in informed and meaningful classroom discussions. Participation usually means contributing “talk” but may also mean democratic listening. The ideal for our classroom will be balanced participation – meaning that all members encourage others to share in “talk” by positing questions and assuming a stance of democratic listing. You are further encouraged to bring in items of interest for sharing with class members – in person; via email; or via file upload to our class email alias.

Voice of Opposition/Discussion Leader –(VOODL)see schedule for dates when you are expected to be VOODL)

For this assignment, you will be VOODL 3 times over the semester.

Every day you are expected to participate in small and whole group settings in class. On days that you are VOODL, your voice and involvement should be VERY prominent – you should clearly come across as a leader and voice of opposition to the readings we did on those days (in some cases, you may not truly oppose the authors, but you just act as a devil’s advocate), especially in whole group discussions, but also in small groups.

You will still do a reading response that day, but I want you to prepare some particular items within that response that you will then use in your role as VOODL, including the following:

  • Discussion questions for each of the readings (discussion questions are very open-ended, do not have just one answer)
  • Opposition arguments and resources –find alternate views to what these authors are arguing this week. For example, if the authors are advocating a particular position, what holes could you punch in their arguments? Do they make any factual errors? Do a bit of outside research for a video clip or a short article or blog post that argues the opposite viewpoints and bring the ideas found in them to class to share (if a video clip is especially compelling, send to me before class and I may show to all). You may personally agree with what the authors are saying, but the purpose of this VOODL role is to demonstrate the critical thinking skill of seeing multiple sides to a given argument.

How you will be graded (see rubric next page). On the days that you are VOODL, you will need to attach this rubric to your reading response IN ADDITION to the regular reading response rubric.

Why VOODL? Part of my philosophy of teaching is that preparing students to think critically is crucial to the education process and preparing students for life after school (whatever that life may hold). Thus, I encourage all students to constantly question the readings, video, class opinions, etc. in a respectful way. In everything you do in here, present counter points to and a critical analysis of what you have read and are hearing. Challenge your own opinions and play devil’s advocate for yourself. Through these exercises you will develop the skills of critical thinking, which are not only necessary for the profession of education but also necessary to being an engaged citizen.

VOODL (Voice of Opposition/Discussion Leader) RUBRIC

criteria / (5 points)
Distinguished / (4.35 points)
Proficient / (3.75 points)
Basic / (0-2.5 points)
Unsatisfactory
Whole and small group presence
(5 points) / Does everything listed in proficient level, but also has “something” extra – perhaps a very original take on questions and opposition, useful examples, insightful connections, an extra thoroughness, or an in-depth-ness / Student clearly stands out as a leader, speaks frequently in whole group discussion, adding good insights, poses interesting and thought-provoking questions and presents a critical/oppositional stance to the ideas under discussion. In small groups, student guides discussion, does not dominate, helps other group members to understand the key themes. / Student is somewhat of a leader, but is lacking somewhat, as detailed below: / Student really does not step up to the plate on leading. Is quiet or uninvolved.
Preparation for role / Preparation of discussion questions (5 points) / Does everything listed in proficient level, but also has “something” extra – perhaps a very original take on questions, insightful connections, an extra thoroughness, or an in-depth-ness / Student has included good, meaty discussion questions in reading response. / In reading response, student had pretty well shown the same as at proficient level, but somethings are lacking, as detailed below: / Student really has not done what was asked of him/her in regards to preparing discussion questions.
Preparation of opposition material (5 points) / Does everything listed in proficient level, but also has “something” extra – perhaps a very original take locating or articulating opposition insightful connections, an extra thoroughness, or an in-depth-ness, visuals, etc. / Student has clearly done some extra research to find out what authors’ opponents might argue (e.g. can cite some other authors and their arguments) / In reading response, student had pretty well shown the same as at proficient level, but somethings are lacking, as detailed below: / Student really has not done what was asked of him/her in regards to preparing the voice of opposition

Attendance

You get one “freebie” absence in this class. More than one class absence beyond this “freebie” will result in a lowering of your final overall course grade by 7 percentage points for each absence after one.

There is a perfect attendance bonus of 3 percentage points at the end of the semester if you are present for all class meetings (whole time each week).

“Final” Exam / Summative Paper- (we will decide on the weight of this together) In about 4 to 5 pages, 12 pt font, double spaced, standard margins, please respond to this question: We have critically deconstructed much of American education in this course, and the authors we have read have sort of obliquely (and sometimes more directly) suggested how things should change. I now want to hear from you: How would YOU set up American education if you had the “magic wand”? Specifically:

  • What do you think schools should be seeking to do (obviously, “educate” – but what does that mean exactly?) What would be the specific end goals that you seek/ What is the point of sending kids to school? --how would you answer?
  • How would you hold schools accountable for meeting these end goals? What exactly would you expect schools to do to prove that they are meeting the end goals you see as most important?
  • How would your ideal school and accountability system be funded?
  • What difficulties would we face in trying to shift from where we are to where you want us to be in education? (e.g. what wider policies in society might need to change or might be impacted by the education you seek? )

Responding to these questions requires more than unsupported opinion and mere assertions; you should attempt to incorporate the course’s reading, outside readings, class discussions, etc., in attempting to clarify what you believe. However, this is NOT asking you to give a summary of our entire course’s content – only bring in course content as it relates to your personal answer to the question. You must include an APA formatted bibliography of any readings you mention, including readings I assigned.