Teaching and Critical Pedagogy

INTRODUCTION TO
AMERICAN EDUCATION
ES 2000

Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Dan Baker
Home: 692 - 3787
Email/Dan: <d2baker@wmich.edu>
Office Hours: By Appointment.

Required Course Texts:

• Oakes, J. & Lipton, M. (2003). Teaching to Change the World, 3ed . Boston: McGraw Hill.

Course Description:

Essentially, this course is designed to explore some of the major educational issues that have provoked public debate and institutional reform in America. The purpose of the course is to achieve an understanding of these issues and the functions of education through the use of historical, sociological and philosophical concepts. The course provides and opportunity for pre-education students to explore their interest in education and teaching. This course is cross-listed with ED2000. (p.159, 2003-2005 Undergraduate Catalog).


Course Rationale:

This course serves as a cornerstone to the secondary education program, allowing students to obtain an overview of the nature of public schooling in the United States. In addition, this course will allow students to explore the education profession to help them make informed decisions about teaching as a career choice.

This course will employ an interdisciplinary framework to the study of education and schooling in the United States. This framework will include socio-historical perspectives on the resources, structures, functions, and context of opportunities and outcomes of education. We will also examine philosophical perspectives on competing educational goals and their underlying assumptions regarding human nature, social justice, ethics, and democracy. Theories of learning and development will inform our understanding of how people learn and to examine the contexts of schooling. Finally, we will explore the various facets of the profession(s) of education to assist students in making informed career choices.

It is important to recognize that Western Michigan University's Program in Secondary Education is a professional program committed to a vision of the intellectual work of teaching. This vision relies heavily on an inquiry-based approach to preparing the reflective practitioner. Thus, students are expected to be active, reflective, and thoughtful in all aspects of the course.

Program Goals Addressed in this Course:

To succeed in this course, not only will you be asked to consider practical why's, what's, and how's of teaching, but you will also be expected to think, discuss, and write about some cultural, social, and historical factors that continue to affect the education enterprise. Taking a look at the "big education, social, and cultural picture" will undoubtedly help your teaching and your students. Overall, as much as is possible in a semester, the goal of the class is to firmly ground your reasons for teaching in reason, theory or, at least, in re-examined instinct.

In a nutshell, when all is said and done, the SWBAT:

•  Examine and discuss the role of the school in today's society.
•  Recognize and discuss historical foundations of education and the influences on today's educational practices.
• Examine the legal and financial basis for education in the United States.
• Develop an awareness of ethics and issues of social justice in the roles of teachers and schools and explain this through reflections.
• Discuss the interrelationships among teaching, learning, schooling, and self-knowledge, with respect to the role of teacher and learner in today's schools.
•  Demonstrate professionalism in their chosen field of study.


Course Methodology/Practice:

While this is officially listed as a “lecture” course, I expect your fullest participation and your help in making this a frutiful and collaberative learning experience. Although there will certainly be some lecture each week, as you will soon learn, you will be expected to play an integral role in the 'teaching' of this course.

Generally, this class will operate like a 'cohort'. To deal with such a large number of students, you will be placed in one of two cohorts: 'Cohort A' or 'Cohort B'. Each cohort will consist of roughly 45 students - half of the class.

As the class schedule indicates, except for a few weeks of the semester the cohorts will not be meeting on the same night, the same week of class. Once we get into the meat of the semester, cohorts will be meeting every other week.

For example, say you are in 'Cohort A'. The schedule says you are to attend Tuesday night, January 22. If you are in 'Cohort B', you are not required to attend.

Then, on the following week - January 29th - 'Cohort B' would be required to attend and 'Cohort A' would not be required to attend. In short, one week on, one week off.

However, as you will soon learn, this does NOT mean you are getting time off.

Just the contrary. As the belowmentioned 'GROUP TEACH/PRESENTATION' assignment indicates, you and your group-mates will be expected to use your 'off week' to plan and to prepare your group presentations. You will also be expected to use your time to deal with other requirements of the course, such as reading, doing NICENET, studying and taking notes for quizzes, the Teacher Inquiry assignment, etc.

The course will operate as a cohort TFN.

And, to be clear: Once assigned to a cohort, you will NOT be allowed to change.

Organizing this class requires a great deal of work and planning. Given that this class only meets once a week and given that I have to deal with up to 90 students - all hopefully here to get something important from the class - I have organized the class in this way to help provide you with the best learning opportunity that I can possibly provide. This class attempts to break the stereotypes for a “normal” lecture hall class. Hopefully, you will find it interactive, engaging, and interesting.

Ultimately, use this class as a learning experience in which you can analyze your thinking, and reflect upon your life, experiences, and beliefs about the American education system. While here, keep an open mind, plan accordingly, be flexible, be willing to help others, and be ready to work hard.


Requirements, Evaluations, & Expectations:

Class meetings will focus on issues related to the readings and/or class discussion. In this class, you can expect regular, constructive discussion of the readings, reading assignments not in the primary text, some film, etc.

Specifically, here are the things you will be assessed on:

A. GROUP PRESENTATION/TEACH: As previously mentioned, a big part of this class is the GROUP PRESENTATION/TEACH assignment. In this class, you and a partner(s) will get a chance to 'present/teach'.

The way it works is simple: Once during the semester, you and your partners will be given a the task of: 1) Reviewing and explaining the material from the text/chapter; 2) Highlighting key concepts/issues; and, 3) Doing additional research to add depth/to make connections to the chapter.

You and your group will be responsible for crafting a teach/presentation that lasts at least ONE HOUR.

In the end, instead of me lecturing all semester all semester, you and your partner(s) will be handling a great deal of the course content.

As I have mentioned before, time has been set aside for you and your groups to 'plan' (see abovementioned statement regarding the 'Cohort' methodology).

Some outside materials for you to read, investigate, and to use during your 'teach' have been provided. Each chapter will have a 'Skim, Scan, & Copy' link with helpful material on their chapter.

Plus, each group will have access to material from Jeannie Oakes' website: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072982004/student_view0/ Students will be expected to draw upon Oakes' site for their presentation.

To be clear: during your hour, I will be looking for more than lecturing/reviewing from all groups. Groups will be expected to review key ideas from the entire chapter, deal with the key concepts/ideas, and will be expected to be creative in doing so. Consider using: "essential questions"; reader-response questions; "pencil-in-hand" note-taking strategies; overheads, 'PowerPoint'; quizzes, outside reading assignments, etc.

Just be creative and be prepared to "run the classroom" at least once for a short period of time during the semester.

Among other things, you and your partners will be assessed on overall preparation, approach, creativity, depth of content/discussion, and overall use of teaching strategies.

To be clear: this assignment is a GROUP grade, meaning each will get the same grade: unless, of course, it is QUITE CLEAR that someone is letting others do all of the work. For instance, if it is quite clear that someone did not prepare for this assignment, that someone did not really add to the overall presentation, that someone did not really put in the same effort as another, then I reserve the right to alter/change grades, and/or assess this assignment based on individual merit.

In other words, if it is abundantly obvious that someone didn't do the work, I will assign separate grades for this assignment.

NOTE: there are NO MAKE-UPS FOR THESE PRESENTATIONS. You must be here. If not, you lose the points.

The Group Presentation/Teach assignment is worth 20% of your final grade.

B. TEACHER INQUIRY PROJECT. This research project is designed to allow you to critically examine real practitioners in the field of education. Essentially, you will need to interview a teacher is currently working in a PUBLIC school: one working at the SECONDARY LEVEL, one (hopefully) working in your content area.

The project is supported by field research/quotes and and is expected to be approximately FIVE-SIX pages in length.

The Teacher Inquiry project is worth 25% of your final grade.

C. NICENET PORTFOLIO. During the semester, you will be asked to participate in an online electronic conference hosted by “Nicenet.” The goal is to add a rich discussion forum to our course.

Throughout the semester - on a weekly basis - you will be expected to participate in the discussion and to address assigned questions. The assigned questions will require a good deal of thought, time when it comes to answering; on occasion, you will also need to find time to do some outside reading to answer the assigned questions.

Near the end of the semester, you will be submitting a portfolio: one reflecting a good deal of critical thinking and participation. that highlights your participation and your critical thinking.

Ultimately, you will be assessed on your participation in the forum - consistent, active participation - as well as your ability to critically respond to the questions and to the comments made by the other participants.

This assignment is considered to be your FINAL in this class. Treat it as such.

Your “ NICENET” Portfolio is worth 30% of your final grade.

D. QUIZZES: During the semester, expect at least FOUR quizzes over the assigned readings. Quizzes will be given randomly throughout the semester. Quizzes will be based on material in the chapters - material taken directly out of the Oakes' text. Given the 'cohort' schedule, expect a quiz EVERY class.

For each quiz, students will be allowed to use notes that they have generated from the reading. Good note-taking skills as well as attention to detail will truly pay off in the end.

Each quiz will be worth 10 POINTS. Points will be added up at the end of the semester. After calculating, a final grade for this assessment will be based on percentages listed below in the grading scale.

NOTE: There are NO "make-up's" for quizzes. Should you miss a quiz for any reason, you will not be allowed to make up the quiz.

NOTE: Quiz questions will be over material taken directly from the chapters. I will not ask questions based on general ideas and/or brief, tiny passages and ideas buried within the book. Questions - a collection of True/False, short answer, multiple choice - will be based on things in the book that are covered fairly in depth by the authors.

Further: do NOT take these quizzes lightly. I expect and require that you read the chapters closely. With the 'cohort' system, there is simply no excuse for not doing the reading, for not taking notes, and for doing poorly on these quizzes.

In the end, this grade will reflect what you put into it.

Quizzes are worth 25% of your final grade.

93-100% A (Outstanding, Exceptional, Extraordinary)
88-92% B/A
83-87% B (Very Good, High Pass)
78-82% C/B
73-77% C (Satisfactory, Acceptable, Adequate)
68-72% D/C
60-67% D (Poor)
59% & lower E (Failing)

NOTE: Assignments that are not done/not submitted will NOT receive any credit during final grade tabulations. Any assignment(s) not received will get a ZERO PERCENTAGE during final grade computations. In short, not turning in an assignment WILL affect your final grade considerably.

Final Notes:

There are just a couple things that need to be mentioned for clarification sake.

A. ATTENDANCE. I expect all students to be here on time and prepared to work. Tardiness and absenteeism will not be tolerated as there is simply too much work and learning to do. Because of the experiential nature of course, it is imperative that students attend classes regularly.

To be perfectly clear from the start: there are NO 'verified' or 'unverified' absences and/or tardies in the class. An absence/tardy is an absence/tardy, plain and simple: no exceptions.

If absenteeism or tardiness becomes a problem, expect your grade for the course to be affected thusly:

• If you arrive more than 30 MINUTES late to class for whatever reason, I count this as ONE ABSENCE.
• If you leave class with more than 30 MINUTES left in the class for whatever reason, you will receive ONE ABSENCE.
• If you have TWO ABSENCES for whatever reason, your overall letter grade will be lowered a half-letter grade (i.e. an 'A' becomes an 'A/B') at the end of the semester.
• If you have THREE ABSENCES for whatever reason, your overall letter grade will go down an additional half-letter grade (i.e. the abovementioned 'A/B' becomes a 'B').
• If you have FOUR ABSENCES, your grade will fall another FULL grade, and you will be asked to consider leaving the course.

B. Further, I will be adhering to all assigned due dates. I DO NOT accept late work regardless. You will know when assignments are due for grades and you will always know what I am expecting. Work is expected on time: due in class on the date that it is due, NO exceptions.

C. Two other things: Cell phones ringing while class is underway is a problem is not tolerated, so please turn them off.

In addition, when you are in my class I expect you to be here - physically and mentally. By that I mean this: sleeping or working on a laptop computer will NOT BE TOLERATED.

Frankly, it seems silly to even have to mention this, but behaviors such as these have been noticed in the past. As a result, should behaviors as these be observed by me or by my graduate assistant, I will deal with them promptly and accordingly and reserve the right to alter grades based on such negative behaviors.

D. In addition: to me teaching is not about guessing – it's about clear expectations and requirements. I will be providing "rubrics" for MOST of the assignments: guides that for the most part indicate how you will be assessed. Take a look at each closely.

E. When it comes to grades, I am always open to discussion of your grades. I understand how important grades are; I understand how emotional some get when it comes to assessment. My job is to make the expectations clear. If I do not, or make errors, I expect my students to raise questions. Ultimately, it's about communication, civil, adult communication. If a problem arises, I will listen. Sometimes I change things, other times I do not.

F. When it comes to writing assignments, writing is taken very seriously in this class. You must devote time to each of the writing assignments.

Based on past experience, those who approach their writing assignments (or this class as a whole) lazily or haphazardly will receive a grade reflective of their effort or lack thereof.

H. In the end, if you are having difficulty with anything related to this course - the writing assignments; the attendance policy; or anything else - you must be an advocate for yourself and seek help or at the very least come talk to me.

Should you need help and/or have problems, I encourage you to not wait until the last moment to seek help as there is likely little I can do 'after the fact'.

Sometimes amicable solutions can be found; sometimes they cannot. Sometimes there is flexibility; other times there is not. Regardless, when it comes to questions, problems or potential problems, it is your responsibility to speak up and be an advocate for yourself should the need arise.

G. Lastly, please keep in mind that the College of Education admission requirements to the Program in Secondary Education are as follows:

•  Passing the Basic Skills portion of the MTTC.
•  2.5 GPA overall.
•  C or better in ES2000.

PLAGIARISM: Unfortunately, it has become increasingly necessary to provide students with clear and explicit guidelines regarding plagiarism. The Professional Concerns Committee of this university's Faculty Senate provides this advice:

You are responsible for making yourself aware and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate (pp. 268-269) [Graduate (pp. 26-27) Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity, and computer misuse. If there is a reason you believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me of you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior top the submission of an assignment or test. (Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies staff memo, 2006).

Many university-level writing guides exist that include sections on plagiarism and how to avoid it, as well as examples of citation and referencing of sources. Please consult an appropriate writing guide and review conventions for citations and avoiding plagiarism. I will provide assistance on an individual basis when one's resource on the matter is unclear or ambiguous.

STUDENT RIGHTS: There are three more important pieces of information from the University regarding your rights:

1. Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disabled Student Resource Services office (387-2116) at the beginning of the semester.
2. The College of Education maintains a strong and sustained commitment to the diverse and unique nature of all learners and high expectations for their ability to learn and to apply their learning in meaningful ways.
3. It is a fundamental policy of Western Michigan University not to discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, color, race, age, religion, national origin, height, weight, marital status, or handicap in its educational programs, admissions, employment, promotions, salaries, and social activities. Through its example and teaching, Western strives to foster in it students, faculty, and staff respect for basic human rights. In its external relationships, the University is supportive of those activities that seek constructive change in the development of human rights in this country and abroad (Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies staff memo, 2006).

Tentative Schedule

Here, you can find the run-down of the course.

Although I have included the word "tentative," we will make every effort to stick to this schedule. As a student myself, I know that you want to know the "5 W's" when it comes to reading and assignments.

Do, however, understand that there may have to be alterations due to this and that.

Click on the icon to get your class schedule for Winter '08. Print out a copy along with all of the abovementioned assignments and bring all to class each week.

WINTER SCHEDULE 2008

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