Wichita State University

Office Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 4:30 – 5 :30; other times by appointment

Note: Weather Cancellations – Call 978-6633 (select 2) to obtain information on weather related class cancellations.

Catalog Description: This seminar is intended to help the elementary education major reflective practitioner and life-long learning skills. Reflection will focus on integration: across curriculum areas, dispositions, conceptual framework, and technology. Additionally, this seminar will assist students to document their performance in the early to late childhood licensure program.

National Research Council (2000). How people learn: Brain,mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Available online at http://bob.nap.edu/readingroom/books/howpeople1/

Earle, J., & Kruse, S. (1999). Organizational literacy for educators. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Major Topics – subset of the following big ideas

Description of Course Assessments: Assignments will include reflections, in-class projects, and participation in Blackboard activities.

Each student will keep a reflection journal noting the various strategies they use to learn in all of their coursework this semester. As a member of a Reflective Pod (online group on the Blackboard site for this class), your weekly entry will consists of your reflective postings on (a) the topic assigned and (b) the readings of postings of other pod-members. Every 2 weeks one person, on a rotating basis, summarizes. Read rubric carefully to better understand requirements.

Online Discussions	Emerging 3 pts	Competent 5 pts	Exemplary 10 pts
Substantive Postings	Contributes to the discussion but offers no new ideas	Contributes one idea that is original to the discussion	Contributes more than one idea that is original to the discussion
Acknowledging Ideas of Others	Recognizes the contribution of another with agree/disagree statement	Recognizes the contribution of another and provides some reason for agreement/disagreement	Recognizes the contribution of another and expands on the idea with further examples OR uses examples to explain reason for disagreement
Supporting Ideas	One idea supported with an example from personal experience or from other resources	More than one idea supported with an example from personal experiences or from other resources OR One idea is supported with multiple examples from personal experiences and/or other resources	More than one idea supported with multiple examples from personal experiences and from other resources
Timely Contributions	Posting done but not on schedule	At least one substantive (competent level) posting completed on time	At least two substantive (competent level) postings completed on time and with separation of at least 24 hours

The rubric above is constructed to guide you in self-evaluation of your contributions to your Online Discussion Group. I hope this will encourage creative, high quality discussions related to the learning. I hope to build a community of learners engaged in joint knowledge building through discussion. In order to build such a community it is important to include discussions about the broader context of your lives as future teachers and life-long learners. Therefore, I encourage you to broaden your discussions outside of the required reflective discussions.

Assignments	Assessment tool & points	Due dates	Points
Class participation	check list; 15 days x 10	ongoing	150
Reflections (Bb - reflective pods)	rubric; 15 weeks x 10	Bi-weekly - due by 2^nd Sunday midnight (each Pod has to decide how much time they will provide for a person summarizing)	150
Class Activities (readings, discussion, presentation – aligned with major topics)	Rubrics and check lists	As negotiated	200
Total possible (tentative)			500 points

Both the state of Kansas and national accreditation requires that university programs for the preparation of teachers and other school personnel be performance-based. In particular, this requires that students not only pass required courses/attain certain GPAs, but also receive satisfactory ratings on certain required assessments, many of those embedded within program coursework.

One or more of those required assessments occur in this course. A title/description of any assessments and associated rubrics and passing criteria follows:

Students failing to attain a satisfactory rating on a required assessment may be provided special assistance. The university is not able, however, to recommend individuals for licensure who fail to attain a satisfactory rating on required assessments, even though they may receive an acceptable course grade or exceed minimum GPAs.

Academic Honesty: A standard of honesty, fairly applied to all students, is essential to a learning environment. Students abridging a standard of honesty must accept the consequences; penalties are assessed by appropriate classroom instructors or other designated people. Serious cases may result in discipline at the college or University level and may result in suspension or dismissal. Dismissal from a college for academic dishonesty, constitutes dismissal from the University.(WSU Student Code of Conduct)

Special Needs: ADA: If you have a physical, perceptual, psychiatric/emotional, medical, or learning disability that may impact your ability to carry out assigned course work, contact the Office of Disability Services (DS), Grace Wilkie Annex, room 173. (Voice/TDD 978-3309). ODS will review your concerns, confirm your disability, and determine, with you, what accommodations are necessary. All information and documentation of your disability is confidential and will not be released by DS without your written permission

Course Schedule: The class will meet each week. Some weekly meetings will be replaced with online/ Blackboard discussion/assignment.

Learning: Reflect critically about your learning potential and habits. What kind of a learner are you? How independent are you in your learning? What are your thoughts about learning any specific subject matter area after reading the article by K. Devlin: Finding Your Inner Mathematician?

Reflect on this reading in the context of your prestudent teaching classroom. What impact are contextual factors going to have to the design of your instructional strategies?

The teacher candidate will	Related Assessment	KSBE Professional Education Standard	KSBE Early – Late Childhood	Guiding Principles
1. develop a personal plan of study	A personal plan of study that meets program requirements	S2	S5: K6 S6: K3	PR, HDD
2. understand how conceptual framework undergrids EE program	Reflective journal	S2-12	S7	PR, HDD, CTA, CKS, T, C
3. demonstrates professional dispositions	Teacher Education Disposition rubric	5,6,9,10	S7	PR, C
4. demonstrate an awareness of technology requirements and incorporate missing skills into personal plan of study	Self-assessment of technology skills and Personal plan of study	S12	S7	PR, T
5. demonstrate an understanding of how contextual factors affect a learning environment	Reflective journal	2, 3, 5, 9	S7	PR, HDD
6. demonstrate an understanding of autonomous learning skills	Plan of study and reflective journal	2, 5, 9	S7	PR, HDD
7. demonstrate an understanding of self-evaluation and reflective practice skills	Reflective journal rubric	S9	S7	PR, CTA
8. demonstrate an understanding of the professional education component	A personal plan of study	S2		PR