Revised 1/2015

Student Teaching for Dual Certification in Secondary Schools

I & L 2503

Instructor:Sheila J. Conway, Ph.D.

Phone: 412-648-7212

Email:

Office Hours: Wed 3-4 or by appointment

Course Description:

This seminar is designed to support MOSAIC students during the Student Teaching

experiences. Earning a dual certificate requires MOSAIC students to demonstrate competence with both content area and special education teaching. This seminar will provide a forum to improve instructional practices in both of these areas. Students will refine their practice of teaching to have the maximum possible impact on student learning. We will examine practices that are known to be effective, focusing on

decisions that teachers make on a regular basis in a wide variety of instructional contexts. The various phases of lessons will be addressed: preparing the lessons, starting the lesson, the flow of the lesson, and the end of the lesson. Although lesson components are addressed earlier in the program student teaching is the ideal time to practice, analyze and strengthen these professional skills. In this course, MOSAIC students also build their skills as a cooperative and critical planner, an adaptive learning expert and a receiver of

feedback (Hattie, 2012). Students will also focus on the core practices of communication and collaborative partnerships, professionalism, advocacy and IEP facilitation.

The intent of this seminar is to support student teachers as, “They question themselves, they worry about which students are not making appropriate progress, they seek evidence of successes and gaps, and they seek help when they need it in their teaching”(Hattie, 2012).

Required Text

Hattie, J. (2012) Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Routledge, NY.

MOSAIC Evidence-Based Practices:

One goal of the MOSAIC program is to increase your knowledge of various evidence-based practices (EBPs) to ensure that you are well prepared to be an effective teacher upon graduation. The EBPs listed below will be covered in this class. To learn more about each practice and to learn about additional resources for each, please see the MOSAIC Evidence-Based Practice webpage at

EBPs covered in this course:

Universal Design for Learning (# 1) / Co-Teaching (#43)
Instructional Technology (# 20) / Scaffolding/Differentiated Instruction (#33)
Parent Involvement/Participation (#6) / Inclusion (#3)

Technology Integration:

Another goal of the MOSAIC program is to prepare teachers who are adept in using technology to enhance their instruction and professional practice.

Technology components of this course:

  • Technology as a tool for Universal Design for Learning
  • Skype / Bug in ear technology for eMentoring and distance supervision
  • Task Stream
  • Google tools for teachers
  • Nearpod for group presentations

Course Requirements:

Participation and Attendance

This course will be run in seminar format with group discussions and sharing. It is expected that you will come to class prepared. Prior to class complete the assigned reading. In class, professional dialogue and positive communication will be expected. The instructor will track attendance and quality of participation. Ahigh level of professional reflection and analysis will be required to earn full credit for participation. Students will be notified if their contributions in class need to be adjusted.

Analysis of Student Work Presentation

Following a series of lessons (taught independently by you), conduct analysis of student work. Compare all assignments for levels of achievement. Describe your findings in details, determining patterns of performance in relation to your objectives as well as student outlier performance. Determine how you will adjust your instruction to respond to the variations amongst your students. Provide lesson plans from pre and post Student

Work Analysis with clear indication of instructional change. Present your findings and efforts to the class.

Grades

This is and H/S/U three credit course. The final grade of Honors, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory will be determined based performance in the following three components of student teaching.

1. High Incidence Special Education Student Teaching – 15 weeks (half day/ 5 days a week)

2. Content Area Student Teaching - 15 weeks (half day/ 5 days a week)

3. Seminar Class – 50 minutes per week

HONORS – to earn a grade of H in this experience, the student teacher must earn an Honors rating in both student teaching settings and perform Honors level work in seminar class.

SATISFACTORY – to earn a grade of S in this experience, the student teacher must earn a minimum grade of Satisfactory in both student teaching settings and meet course expectations in the Seminar Course. A combination of H and S grades will result in a final grade of SATISFACTORY.

UNSATISFACTORY – If the student teacher earns an Unsatisfactory rating in any of the course components, student teaching in either setting and/or the course seminar a grade of UNSATISFACTORY will result.

Departmental Grievance Policy:

● DIL Student Grievance Procedures

○ The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. The rights and responsibilities of faculty and students are described in the University’s Academic Integrity Guidelines at:

○ When a student in DIL believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines (p. 16) by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter 6 through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (2) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer.

○ The more specific procedure for student grievances within DIL is as follows:

1. The student should talk to the faculty member to attempt to resolve the matter.

2. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the student should talk to the relevant program coordinator (if the issue concerns a class) or his or her advisor.

3. If the matter remains unresolved, the student should talk to the associate chair of DIL (currently Dr. Patricia Crawford).

4. If needed, the student should next talk to the SOE associate dean of students (currently Dr. Mike Gunzenhauser). If the matter still remains unresolved, the student should file a written statement of charges with the dean’s designated Academic Integrity Administrative Officer (currently Dr. Mike Gunzenhauser).

Disability Policy:

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890 (412-282-7355 for TTY), as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course

Professional Expectations:

As a future teacher, you are expected to demonstrate professional behavior in all interactions with faculty, supervisors, cooperating teachers, peers, students and parents. The faculty encourages you to approach your graduate program as a time to learn and practice using these professional behaviors. In this course, the expected professional behaviors are outlined below. Points may be deducted from your final grade due to unprofessional behavior.

● Academic Integrity

○ Academic integrity is essential to the success of all students in higher education. Please refer to the University’s code of student obligations:

As a faculty, we take this issue very seriously and will tolerate no violations. Please notify your course instructor if you have questions related to this issue.

● Confidentiality

○ You are responsible to maintain the confidentiality of all the students you work with in field placements related to your coursework at the University of Pittsburgh. When writing or doing assignments for courses or speaking about your field experience and the students you work with use pseudonyms (not initials) for students’, teachers’ and schools’ names. In public, it is your responsibility to keep written assignments and any other materials bearing the names of students, teachers or staff secure from the view of others.

● Attendance

○ You are expected you to attend all sessions and attendance will be taken at the start of each session. If you are unable to attend class due to illness or other significant personal

circumstances, email your instructor prior to the start of class. You are responsible for all

content covered in missed sessions. Please contact a classmate for notes and announcements.

○ Excessive absences will result in a grade reduction.

● Participation

○ You are expected to actively participate in course discussions. This helps you better learn the material and it helps your instructor gain better insight into your learning. You are expected to complete all required readings according to the timeline delineated in the course syllabus so that you will be able to better participate in class discussions and activities. If you do not understand something, please ask!

● Technology

○ You are not permitted to use cell phones, texting or computers for personal email/web browsing during class. If you have a special situation that needs to be considered, please let your instructor know within the first week of the course.

● Communication

○ Please communicate openly with your instructor regarding your understanding of course material, assignments, and course format. If you need assistance or wish to discuss any aspect of the course please do not hesitate to ask. And you may schedule a meeting with your instructor. Communicate with your instructor about special circumstances as soon as possible and always prior to the related class session and/or assignment due date.

● Courtesy

○ You are expected to arrive to class on time, and inform your instructor if you must leave early (It is generally unacceptable to leave class early). Additionally, courteous behavior includes staying on-task during the class, respecting the opinions of others, and coming to class prepared.

○ Additionally, you are expected to use professional language in class and in written

communication (including email). Papers and emails that are written in an unprofessional

manner (i.e., grammatically incorrect, typos, misspellings, overly informal) are considered unacceptable.