GLOBAL PORTLAND—AFRICAN CHILDREN
UNST 421-598CRN #64010
SPRING 2009
INSTRUCTOR:
SAM GIOIA MSW, MA
UCB 404-D (SOCIAL WORK, 6th & HALL): 725-8470
OFFICE HOURS: MW9-9:50, ALSO BY ARRANGEMENT
EMAIL:
COMMUNITY PARTNER: AFRICAN WOMEN’S COALITION
CONTACT: EVELYNE ELLO-HART: 231-7480;
SHARIFF MOHAMED: 720-939-0862;
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This capstone offers PSU students training and experience in cross-cultural communication and refugee assistance through tutoring and mentoring K-8th grade children in Portland Public schools. Through this experience PSU students will learn about immigration, refugee resettlement, African children, and the educational obstacles that English learners face.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1) Students will be able to communicate effectively in a cross-cultural setting
(UNST Goals: Communication, Variety of Human Experiences)
2) Students will present their ideas effectively in writing and class discussion
(UNST Goals: Communication, Critical Thinking)
3) Students will assess issues that affect culturally diverse populations anddevelopconstructive approachesto working with cultural difference (UNST Goals: Variety of Human Experiences, Critical Thinking)
4) Students will understand their role and responsibility in issues that affect refugee populations (UNST Goal: Social and Ethical Responsibility)
INSTRUCTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY:
The instructor will develop course materials and stimulate reflection to help students meet personal learning goals as well as course objectives. The instructor will communicate with the African Women’s Coalition to ensure an optimal learning experience for students. The instructor will develop a system of assessment that will ensure students’ accountability to each other, the university, and the community partner for meeting course objectives.
COMMUNITY PARTNER’S RESPONSIBILITY:
The African Women’s Coalition will provide a meaningful opportunity for students to meet UNST goals and course objectives. AWC will co-ordinate, monitor, and assist students to facilitate a productive tutoring experience. AWC will support the tutoring experience through contact with the schools, the children, and their families and provide a fair and thorough assessment of each student’s participation in the tutoring.
STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY:
Students will complete all course assignments and actively engage in classroom discussions. Students will abide by the volunteer policies of the schools they are associated with and maintain contact with the instructor and African Women’s Coalition through weekly notes on their tutoring sessions. Students are required to maintain communication through the course WebCT site. This includes checking the site regularly, posting tutor notes, and reading/responding to the tutor notes of peers. In the event of illness or emergency students are responsible for rescheduling their tutoring time and obtaining the necessary information shared in class.
Written assignments and web tutor notes are subject to review by the community partner unless the individual student requests private communication.
Students shall inform instructor and community partner immediately of any circumstances that may affect their completion of the responsibilities associated with the class. If these circumstances are not discussed in a timely manner the student assumes the responsibility for full completion of all assignments at the specified date.
Students who request accommodation because of a disability may register with the disabilities office at PSU and relay the proper authorization from the office to the instructor
ASSIGNMENTS:
-Course reading materials
-Attendance and participation in classroom activities (4 pts. Lost per absence or tardy after second occurrence)
-Participation in tutoring, including weekly tutor notes (2-3 hours/week)
-Eight type written, double-spaced, two-three page journal entries using assigned reflection questions
-Three summaries (précis) of course readings according to format described below
-Four brief summaries of cultural orientations according to format described below
ASSIGNED READINGS:
“Quality Counts” Special Issue of “Education Week”, 1/8/09
Ishmael Beah, Long Way Gone
-Electronic copies on webct and email:
“Building a Student for the 21st Century
“Education and Privilege”
Cultural orientations from cal.org/co/publications (Somali’s, Somali Bantu, Muslims)
Somali Youth Report
"Somali Girls Coming of Age . . . "
“10 Things Mainstream Teachers Can Do Today”
“The New Colossus”
-Distributed in Class
“Myths and Realities about Immigration to the U.S.”
“Out of Africa”
“Setting the Stage for Civil War in Sierra Leone”
GRADING:
-Participation in tutoring, including tutor notes (40 pts.)
-Six reflection journals (5 pts each)
-Three precis (5 pts each)
-ThreeCultural Orientation Summaries (5 pts each)
-Class participation (Loss of 4 pts. after second absence or tardy)
To compute your grade review the assignments you have turned in and ask for feedback on your participation in the class.
ATTENDANCE:
"90% of life is just showing up" (Woody Allen)
Participation is more than showing up. Each class will involve small group discussion of key issues in the reading material. The instructor will respond to issues that emerge from the discussion. Each student will have vital insights to contribute to an engaging class. Students who miss all or part of meetings will miss information that is essential to the course (and their grade). Please be prepared to participate in each class session for the entire meeting.
TUTOR NOTES;
Tutor notes on webct are an essential means of monitoring and documenting your work with the children as well as providing feedback. They must be completed on a weekly basis in the following format which meets the requirements of thee AWC grant as well as the educational purposes of this class. Students cannot complete this class unless the notes are done in a timely fashion. The following format will be used:
Date:
Student's Name:
Name of each child worked with/school/grade:
Amount of time spent with each child alone or in group:
Brief summary of the tutoring with each child:
Brief (one paragraph) response to the discussion prompt for the week (on webct):
PROJECTED COURSE SCHEDULE
3/30/09Introduction and Orientation
4/1/09TUTOR ORIENTATION AT LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES (605 SE 39th Ave): 2:15-4:15
4/6/09What Can I Learn From A Capstone?
Activities: Review Precis; Discuss Student Experiences of
Community/Service/Diversity in Higher Ed
READ: “How to Build a Student for the 21st Century”; Capstone Handbook; Syllabus
DUE: Precis #1 (“How to Build a Student . . .”); Journal #1
4/8/09What Are Current Patterns of Immigration? What is the Difference Between An Immigrant and a Refugee?
Activities: Tutoring/WebCT update; Review Precis; Questions and Answers About Immigration; Information about refugees
READ: “Myth and RealityAbout Immigration to the U.S.” (Handout)
“Immigration Transforms Communities” (from “Quality Counts”)
DUE: Journal #2
4/10/09HOSFORD PLANNING DAY—NO TUTORING
4/13/09What Are the Implications of Migration for Schools?
Discuss legal rights of ELL’s; Current Policy Challenges; Overview of English Acquisition
READ: “ELL and the Law” (From “Quality Counts”);
“English Learners Pose Policy Challenges” (from “Quality Counts”)
“10 Things Mainstream Teachers Can Do Today”;
“25 Pointers for Tutors”
DUE: Precis #2 (“English Learners Pose Policy Challenges”)
4/15/09What Issues Do Immigrant and Refugee Youth Face?
Activities: Tutor Update; View and comment on Video;
Discuss cases of immigrant children
Videos: “Teen Immigrants: Five American Stories”;
READ: Six Profiles of English Learners from “Quality Counts”
4/20/09How Can Schools Support Immigrant Children?
Activities: Discussion of article; Discuss levels of language ability and appropriate interventions
READ: “Research Hones Focus on ELL’s” (from “Quality Counts”)
“10 Things Mainstream Teachers Can Do Today”
“25 Tips for Tutors”
4/22/09What are Concerns for African Youth in Public Schools?
How Can I Engage the Student I am Working With?
Video: Stinky
Activities: Discuss Somali Youth Report; Discuss Video
READ: “Somali Youth Report”;“Education and Privilege”;
DUE: Precis #3 (“Somali Youth Report”);
4/27/09Why Are There Refugees From Somalia?
What is the Current Situation in Somalia?
Activities: Discussion of Cultural Orientation
READ: Somalia Cultural Orientation
Speaker: Shariff Mohamed
DUE: Cultural Orientation Summary: Somalia
4/29/09Who Are the Bantu and Why Are They Fleeing Somalia?
Activities: Discussion of Cultural Orientation
Speaker: TBA
READ: Bantu Cultural Orientation
DUE: Cultural Orientation Summary: Bantu
5/4/09What are the Concerns For Resettlement of the Bantu?
Video: “Rain in a Dry Land”
READ: “Out of Africa”
5/6/09CLASS CANCELLED
5/11/09Why Are There Refugees From Sierra Leone?
Activities: Discuss Video
Video: “Diamonds, Guns, and Rice”; “Moving to the Beat”
Speaker: Abdul Fofanah
READ: “Setting the Stage for Civil War” in Sierra Leone (Handout)
5/13/09TBA
5/18/09How Are Children Affected By War?
Activities: Discuss Beah
Video: “Children of War”
READ: Long Way Gone
DUE: Journal #3
5/20/09What Are Unique Issues of Muslim Immigrants and How Can I Help?
Activities: Student Presentations; Questions and Answers about Islam
Speaker: TBA (Muslim Educational Trust)
READ: Muslim Families Cultural Orientation; “Somali Girls Coming of Age”
DUE: Cultural Orientation Summary: Muslim Immigrant Families
5/25/09MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVED—NO CLASSES, PSU OR PPS
5/27/09What Are Factors for Success with English Learners?
Activities: Discuss articles
READ: “Two Lenses”; “Grading the States” (both from “Quality Counts”)
DUE: Journal #4
6/1/09What Were the Founders of the Statue of Liberty Trying To Express?
How Relevant is This Symbol of Freedom Today?
How Has My Understanding of Freedom Changed During This Term?
Activities: View and Discuss Video
Video: “Liberty”
READ: "The New Colossus";
DUE: Journal #5
6/3/09What Have I Learned From This Class?
DUE: Journal #6
PRECIS FORMAT (one page)
Name:Date:
Title:
Summary (one paragraph):
Key quote:
Why I chose this quote:
Personal response to the material (agreement/disagreement/insights):
Questions I want to explore:
CULTURAL ORIENTATION SUMMARY FORMAT
(ONE PAGE)
Name:Date:
Title:
Summary (5-6 Most Important Issues Addressed)
Key Quote:
Why I chose this quote:
Personal Response to the Reading (agreement/disagreement/insights):
Questions or issues I want to explore further:
REFLECTION QUESTIONS (2-3 PAGES)
1)What interested you in a capstone that involves working with African children? What cross-cultural experiences have you had? What experiences have you had working with children? What personal strengths or life experiences do you bring to this capstone and how will they help you with this experience? What challenges do you expect to face? These challenges might include logistical difficulties such as scheduling, transportation, or life circumstances as well as challenges to your skills or abilities. DUE: 4/6/09
2)What has your own experience in relationship to immigration and immigrant groups? How has this shaped your attitudes about immigration? Which of the attitudes of the reading described as “myths” have you most internalized and how do you determine whether it is a myth or not?” Which of these attitudes do you most object to and why?
DUE: 4/8/09
3) What was your emotional response to A Long Way Gone? How does Beah’s memoir affect the way you think about war and refugees? How do you explain Ishmael’s participation in the war? How does his description leave you feeling about Sierra Leone? How do you as an individual, we as a country, respond to such situations? What suggestions do you have?
DUE: 5/18/09
4)Using “Two Lenses”, “Grading the States”, and your own internet research compare the school you are tutoring in with the national and state data and with the school you were educated in. Consider the achievement scores and the “chance for success factors”. How would you grade the school you attended and the school you are tutoring in? What do you learn about diversity, achievement, and English learners by doing this? What responsibility do you as an individual and we as a community have and what can we do?
DUE:5/27/09
5)Describe one significant incident from your tutoring so far. What did you learn from this and how did it affect you? What have been the most helpful tips for success in your tutoring this term?
DUE:6/1/09
6)Summarize your experience in this class describing what you have learned in terms of ONE of the UNST goals (communication, critical thinking, variety of human experiences, social/ethical responsibility). Please refer to specific experiences that you have learned from in your tutoring, readings, or classroom experiences.
DUE: 6/3/09