LAE 4360: English Instructional Analysis

LAE 4360: English Instructional Analysis

Spring 1999

Monday 5:00 – 8:50

Instructor: Dee Beasley

Phone: 823-0046 (Office)

E-mail: dbeasley@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu

Web Site Address: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~dbeasley

Secretary/Mail: EDU 346

Office: EDU 353

Office Hours: Monday 3:30 – 5:00

Wednesday 11:00-12:30 and 3:30 – 4:30

Thursday 4:00 – 5:00

And by appointment

Course Description:

Designed to explore the strands, methods and materials related to a school curriculum in teaching English.

Course Objectives: STUDENTS WILL:

1. demonstrate an understanding of and competence in short-term and long-term planning for English instruction.

2. explore the challenges related to English instruction with emphasis placed on reading/writing workshop, tracking, teaching at-risk students, exceptionality, diversity, critical thinking, learning styles and interdisciplinary models.

3. become familiar with technology, professional resources, tradebooks and other materials related to the teaching of English.

4. practice the role of reflective practitioner and lifelong learner.

5. understand and develop individual resources for combining the various strands within the teaching of English: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and thinking.

6. explore teaching strategies for meeting the literacy needs of all students in the English program.

7. develop some understanding of the process of reading and writing and the implications for that understanding in the English class.

8. explore current theories and practices in the teaching of English as they develop individual philosophies of the teaching of English.

develop an understanding of alternative means of assessment and the implications of that assessment in terms of grading.

Required Texts:

Avi. Nothing but the truth. Avon/Flare.

Haddix, Margaret. (1996). Don’t you dare read this mrs. dunphrey. Signet.

Kent, Richard. (1997). Room 109. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.

Tchudi, S.N. & S.J. (1991). The english/language arts handbook: Classroom strategies for teachers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.

Wagner, B.J. & M. Larson. (1995). Situations: A casebook of virtual realities for the english teacher. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.

Supplemental Text (Choose One):

Allen, J. & K. Gonzalez. (1998). There’s room for me here. ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Atwell, N. (1997). In the middle (2 ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.

Rief, L. (1994). Seeking diversity. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishers.

Extra Credit Text:

Johnson, Louann. (1998). Two parts textbook, one part love.

Course Requirements:

1. Text Response: Responses to each week’s assigned readings, for both the required texts as well as the supplemental texts, should be a personal response to the reading, and your thoughts about the implications of your reading and thinking on your present/future teaching. Text readings and responses will form the basis of our in-class discussion. At the end of class each night, I will ask you to read through your response for that week and add to it any insights you gleaned from class, questions you still have, etc. From this second response, I will write back to you. Please follow the format I describe to you the first night of class. If you miss class, you must deliver your response to my office by the Wednesday following the missed class. There are no exceptions. If you must turn in your response late, it will be accepted no later than the Wednesday following the class it was due, and it may only receive half credit. These responses must be typed.

(8 Text Responses at 20 points each = 160 points)

2. Field Experiences: Field experiences are your opportunity to gain multiple perspectives on the topic we will discuss during our next class. You may use interviews, observations, or direct experiences to gain additional information for your learning and our class discussion. If you are currently in an internship, these can be completed within the context of that school/class. If not, you will need to see me about your options for completing field experiences. You may use any or all formats. They must be typed. If you miss class, you must deliver your response to my office by the Wednesday following the missed class. If you must turn in your field experience late, it will be accepted no later than the Wednesday following the class it was due, and it may only receive half credit See the attached guidelines for your field experience responses on pages 6 and 7.

(6 Field Experiences at 25 points each = 150 points)

3. Professional Articles: Two professional journal articles must be photocopied/printed and responded to on the following topics:

Strategies for Classroom Management - due 1/25

Ethical dilemmas teachers face in the classroom – due 3/8

Both of these articles must come from the Internet. A copy of the article with your typed response should be given to me on the scheduled due date. Your response should include how the concept can be applied in your classroom, or how it affects your life as a teacher. After I have checked for completion, I will return it so that you can put it in with the weekly responses in your portfolio. No late article review/response will be accepted. If you miss class, you must deliver your response to my office by the Wednesday following the missed class. If you must turn in your response late, it will be accepted no later than the Wednesday following the class it was due, and it may only receive half credit This must be typed.

(2 articles at 15 points each = 30 points)

4. Portfolios: Your portfolio is an organized collection of artifacts that demonstrates your exploration and journey to deeper understandings of what it means to be a teacher and a teacher of English. I will be conferencing with each of you regarding your portfolio the week before the finalized product is due. You will be given specific instructions at a later date as to how this notebook should be put together.This portfolio can be organized in any manner you choose, but it must include the following:

Self-Evaluation Your reading/writing autobiography which is begun on the first day of class is a beginning form of self-evaluation through reflection. It explores the broad topic of what it means to be a good teacher of English during an in-class writing on 1/11 and culminates in your portfolio self-evaluation on 4/26.

Weekly responses to the assigned reading and journal articles These must be brought to class and will be shared with people in your group. After discussion, I will collect the responses so that I can read and respond to your comments. After you receive them back from me, place them in this section of your notebook. This section should also include your copies of, and responses to the journal articles.

Field experiences Five weeks during the semester you will be completing field experience assignments. After discussion, I will collect the field experiences and return them to you to place in this section of your portfolio. It is also in this section where you would include handouts from workshops and summaries of seminars/field trips.

Personal philosophy of teaching and learning Good teachers constantly reflect on their practice and ask themselves: Why am I doing what I’m doing? Your philosophy at this point will be a beginning stance, which explores what you believe about teaching and more specifically, the teaching of English. This philosophy will be the foundation out of which your practice should emerge. Your finalized philosophy will be turned in with your portfolio on 4/26.

(Portfolio/Philosophy at 150 points)

5. Participation: In this class, discussion is vital. Some class sessions we begin by solving dilemmas put forth by the Situations book, therefore, you must have this book with you every week. This is done orally, and everyone’s opinions and ideas are crucial. We must remember that we do not always agree, and that we all view teaching very differently, but by listening to and respecting other’s opinions, we form our own philosophies. Therefore, it is important that everyone participates and no one dominates these conversations. This is also the time where we discuss problems/concerns that evolve from your internships and observations.

(Weekly Participation 100 points)

Thematic Instructional In lieu of having your own classrooms, for this assignment, you will need to create one, at least in your imagination. These are specific guidelines for your unit, and of course, many more details will be given during class. Evaluation of your unit will be based on your adherence to these guidelines, and together we will create a rubric for how your unit will be judged.

Preface the preface of your unit is a rationale about why you believe this thematic unit is important for the students in your class. In this section, you should also create a model of what your ideal classroom will look like (i.e., # of students, grade level, knowledge level, room set-up, length of class periods, etc.)

Unit Overview in a letter to your students, describe the unit, discuss your rationale for choosing this unit (perhaps based on information you know about the students) and hook the students somehow into becoming involved in the unit.

Setting Objectives I would like your objectives to fall into two categories: broad "may-do" instructional goals, and specific course activities/daily objectives (the students will read, participate in, write about, etc.)

Materials which will be used in your unit should be clearly outlined and cited. All materials such as texts, novels, videos, audio recordings should be recorded in bibliographic citation. Other materials such as poems, song lyrics, quotes, art, tests, etc. should be included in the body of your unit and cited in your bibliography.

Time Frame the time frame for your unit should be at least four weeks (20 days) with daily plans for the class during that period.

Organization your daily plans should describe the activity, present the materials needed on that day and show how they will be used (structure of class). This is the "meat" of your unit, and where I really "see" what you will have your students doing. I will be checking that you include all five modes of discourse in your unit (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing).

Evaluation your unit should include the ongoing assessment that takes place during the unit within the context of your daily plans. Rubrics for all major assignments should be included. All tests, quizzes and project directions should be included.

Presentation your presentation will be presented either 3/22, 3/29, 4/5. The presentation should include the following:

A handout (at least one page) for all members of the class (and me) with an overview of the unit which includes bibliographic information for materials used, rationale and broad goals for the unit, as well as types of evaluation which will be used.
A visual display to accompany your teaching unit.
A microteach of your unit. Microteach should last no longer than 45 minutes. This should be interactive and interesting.

Attendance You must attend and evaluate unit presentations on all days in order to receive full credit for completion of your unit.

Additional Copy When you turn in your unit you will turn in two copies. I will keep one in a file for your classmates to use as a reference in the future, and the other is the one I will grade and return to you.

(Thematic Unit at 200 points)

Course Grades:

A - Characterized by outstanding commitment to developing new understandings of what it means to be a teacher of English. This commitment will be evidenced by completing all assignments in an exemplary manner and fully participating in group and class discussions. An "A" indicates that you have earned more than 94% (743 out of 790) of the possible points available, and have a minimum class attendance of 90%.***

B - Characterized by honest and satisfactory commitment to developing new understandings of what it means to be an English teacher. This commitment will be evidenced by satisfactory completion of all assignments and participation in group and class discussions. A "B" indicates that you have earned more than 85% (671 out of 790) of the points available and have a minimum class attendance of 85%. ***

C - D - F—See Instructor.

***Excessive tardiness and early departure will be considered as absenteeism. Attendance is reflected in your participation grade - if you are absent it is difficult to participate.

Extra Credit:

Throughout the semester I will mention opportunities for extra credit. The optional text listed on Page 1 (Louann Johnson’s Two Parts Textbook, One Part Love) may be read and responded to. This response should be placed in your portfolio with your other text responses and marked so that I will clearly see it when grading your portfolios. You should respond to each chapter of the text, just as you would the other texts required for this class. The other options for extra credit require you to attend various conventions or workshops, etc. You will include all handouts received, and write up a field experience about what was witnessed and learned. These should also be clearly marked in your portfolio so that I may grade them for you.

Field Experience Guidelines:

As you know, this course is a four-credit course intended to include three contact hours, plus two hours of field experience each week. Of course, it goes without saying, that these field experiences should be conducted with teachers/classes in secondary (6-12) English.

One way to learn about teaching is through talking and reading about teaching; another way is through observations, interviews and the completion of hands-on activities related to the teaching of English. You should devote approximately 2 hours each week to the observation, interview or activity and the writing up of your notes. No handwritten field experiences will be accepted.

Although I have no desire to curtail your innovative ideas or methods of reporting, I am highlighting three possible ways to meet this field experience requirement each week. You should check your syllabus to see which of these three seems best to fit the topic and your situation. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the components you should include; rather, it is meant to be the least you would want to include.

It is my suggestion to see as many teachers as you can for these field experiences, because you will have a well-rounded idea of what to do, and what not to do regarding these topics. Please read text assignments before completing field experiences.

OBSERVATION

Establish the context at the beginning of your reporting you should establish the context of the class by addressing the following:

grade level of class observed
ability levels as stated by course label (or teacher)
brief profile of school and your role within the class

Field notes observe for approximately two hours of classes and document your observations with field notes. You may address the following:

1. What assignments are given?

2. What are the students doing?

3. What is the teacher doing?

4. What teaching strategies are employed?

5. What materials are used?

6. In what ways do the students interact with the teacher and each other?

You might try documenting your field notes with time sweeps of the class. Also, inclusion of specific comments by student or teacher will make your research/analysis richer.

Analysis analyze the data you’ve gathered about the topic under study by answering the following questions:

What conclusions can you draw based on your limited observation?
What questions about the teaching of English (as it relates to our weekly topic) arise from your observations?
What beliefs about teaching and learning were at the foundation of the class you observed?

INTERVIEW

Teacher profile

How long has this teacher been teaching?
What is the class composition of his/her classes?
How and why did you choose this teacher?

Interview include the questions you asked with the teacher’s responses to the questions. You need to make up your own questions, do not just ask the ones I have given you.

Documentation include samples of the teacher’s methods as they relate to your interview topic. For example, teachers might be willing to make available to you sample questions they ask, project lists, report forms, discussion questions, etc.

Analysis based on this interview answer the following questions:

1. What did you learn about the topic?

2. How does this fit with your ideas about the topic?

3. How does this teacher’s opinions fit with the classroom practices as discussed in your texts for this class?

HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES

Establish the context

In what kind of class are you working?

What demographics do we need to know to understand your activities?

Describe the activities

1. In what activities did you participate?

2. What preparation did you do for these activities?

3. Why did you choose to participate in this way or at this level?

Documentation include in this section any materials that you used. This could range from your notes to worksheets.

Analysis

1. What did you learn?

2. What did you feel you did well?

3. What would you have done differently?

WEEKLY FIELD EXPERIENCE TOPICS

Due Date	Topic
1/25	How does one plan the curriculum? How are curriculum and classroom management related? How do classroom management and planning work together, or do they? How do teachers plan for instruction? What is done with the teacher’s plans once they are turned in?
2/1	What areas of exceptionality and diversity are represented in classrooms? How do we meet the needs of all learners in our classrooms?
2/8	How do we teach literature? How do we know they have understood what they have read? How is literature discussed?
2/15	How do you teach writing? How do you grade writing? What do you do with the writing once it has been completed? What about spelling and grammar?
2/22	How do we assess and evaluate on a daily basis? What types of grades do students receive? How are those grades weighted? How do we evaluate student learning in ways other than tests?
4/12	Shadow a student for a day. Note different interactions this student has with others - how is this different/same than in your class. –OR- Attend an extra curricular activity. Note how students interact with each other, the chaperones and with you.

Tentative schedule:

Date	Topic/Projects/Presentations Due	Readings Due
1/11	Course overview; Developing a personal philosophy	----------------------------
1/18	No Classes – Martin Luther King Day	----------------------------
1/25	Teacher-student-school roles/Understanding our roles in curriculum development *Due: Field Experience #1* *Journal Article #1*	Tchudi - 1, 2, 12, 14 Avi - entire book
2/1	Literacy and Exceptionality *Due: Field Experience #2*	Tchudi – 3,9,11,13 Kent – 1,2 Allen – 1,2,5 Atwell –3,4,5 Rief –1,2
2/8	Literature as the Heart of Language Arts *Due: Field Experience #3*	Tchudi - 5, 6, 7 Kent –3,6 Allen – 3,8 Atwell –2,8 Rief –5,9 pgs. 105-110
2/15	Teaching Writing/Creating a Rubric *Due: Field Experience #4*	Tchudi - 8, 10 Kent – 5,7 Allen – 4,6 Atwell –1,7 Rief –3,4
2/22	Assessment and Evaluation *Due: Field Experience #5*	Tchudi – 4 Kent - 8 Allen – 7,10 Atwell –9,14 Rief –7,8
3/1	But What About . . .	Kent –4 Allen – 9 Atwell –6,10 Rief –6
3/8	Ah … Those Ethical Dilemmas *Due: Journal Article #2*	Haddix – entire book
3/15	No Class – Spring Break	-----------------------------
3/22	Thematic Unit Presentations *Due: All Thematic Units*	-----------------------------
3/29	Thematic Unit Presentations	------------------------------
4/5	Thematic Unit Presentations	------------------------------

4/12	Getting a Job/Certification/Etc *Due: Field Experience #6*	Tchudi - pgs. 219-222 Kent – 9,10 Allen – 11,12 Atwell –11,13 Rief –10
4/19	No Class – Scheduled Portfolio Conferences	Optional text/Workshops for extra credit
4/26	No Class – Reflections/Evaluations *Due: Portfolio Reflections/Evaluations*
5/3	Portfolio Reflections/Evaluations ready for mail back	----------------------------