Dr. Warren C. Shillingburg, Instructor

Office Phone: 702/651-4598 ext. 4878
Email: warren.shillingburg@csn.edu
(EDUC 201 students should only email the instructor through email within WebCT course, unless you are having technical difficulties within the course email)

Office: N/A
Office Hours: by appointment only via online chatroom

Course Description

Introductory course in teacher education that examines the role of the elementary school teacher in today's society; historical, philosophical, cultural, and social domains are investigated. Strategies for effective interpersonal communication are explored. Foundations for the practice of teaching are explored and practiced at an introductory level. Thirty-two hours of preparation and observation in a local elementary school required.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. summarize the historical and philosophical foundations that have created the present-day public school system in America.
2. identify several of the key public figures in the field of education (both in the past and in the present)
and determine their contribution to the field.
3. analyze and discuss current issues in elementary education and in education in general.
4. explain the roles and responsiblities of the professional educator today.
5. investigate effective teaching practices in today's elementary school setting.
6. practice strategies of effective interpersonal communication.
7. familiarize him/herself with the Nevada State Standards for academics.
8. observe, participate in, and reflect upon a local elementary school culture.
9. observe, participate in, and reflect upon teaching practices presently being used in a local elementary school classroom.
10. design and develop a personal philosophy of education that is grounded in theory.

Required Text

Parkay, F. W. & Stanford, B. H. (2004). Becoming a Teacher. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Course Requirements

100 points Midterm Exam
100 points Final Exam
100 points Observation Log
25 points Web Site Review
25 points Philosophy of Education
50 points Online Group Discussion
20 points Practicum Postings to Bulletin Board

Total Points = 420

There will be two exams given throughout this course, each exam being worth 100 points. Each test will be 50 multiple-choice questions. Students will take each test after they complete the assigned readings and both exams must be taken on the one day assigned; students may take the exam on their home computers.

Students will be expected to observe the learning process in an educational setting for thirty-two hours and keep a log of these observations. Specifics as to what is to be observed and where will be discussed during our on-line discussions. Students are to follow exactly the attached guidelines as to how the logs should be written. Logs must be turned in to the instructor, either by dropping them off at the department office or by mailing it to the instructor. Students will need to pick up a teacher's packet to give to their cooperating teacher; the packets may be picked up a copy at the education office on the Cheyenne campus. Packets will not be mailed to students who live in the Las Vegas area; those living outside the Las Vegas area may contact the department secretary, Cindy, at 651-4400 to request a copy of the packet be mailed to their home. This packet includes a time sheet and teacher evaluation form that must be completed to receive credit for this course.

Students will review an educational web site on the Internet and will email a review of the site to the instructor. The review should be a minimum of two paragraphs to receive full credit, including a summary of the site and the student's opinion of the value of the site to future teachers.

Each student will be expected to write an educational philosophy and to base this philosophy upon readings from the textbook or other sources. This philosophy will be due around the end of the course and should be one to two paragraphs in length, but it will need to include references to theory discussed in the text that have influenced your philisophical choices. This assignment will be emailed to the instructor.

Students will be assigned to groups of 3-5 members and given an educational topic to research. You will then determine among your group, when you will meet in our chatroom to discuss this topic. You will let me know when you will be chatting, and I will print out your chat for my records. I will be looking for involvement from all participants and references to your readings, at least three from each participant. You will need to find three references on the topic assigned and list these references at the beginning or end of your chat. The three references cannot be your textbook for this course or any other college textbook; the goal is to have students become familiar with the literature in your field. References may be a journal, newspaper article, book, or website. Students will be expected to chat for half an hour, and your grade will be based on the chat meeting these minimum requirements.

Please note that you must work with your group members to facilitate this chat, which means you must return emails and be checking for messages at least twice a week. Group members will be expected to email the group members twice before emailing me to drop the nonresponsive person from the group; the nonresponsive person will then receive no credit for this assignment. Will be assigned groups and topic after midterm exam.

In order to share your practicum experience with the class, you will be expected to post a comment about your practicum experience once a week for four weeks. You will receive 5 points for each of these postings. You should also feel free to comment regarding others practicum postings because this can be a great learning experience and create a wonderful dialog among the class, but your points will come from your own comments regarding your practicum. You must post this information each week either during or before the weeks assigned. At the end of each week, I will read the comments and post your points. You cannot post twice in one week to make up for a previous week. If your practicum is done in a shorter time frame or before the postings are required, you may either post early or save your comments to post during the assigned weeks. These postings must be placed in the place provided on the bulletin board; this will enable me to keep track of them and for others to understand what these postings are regarding. Postings will be done during the middle of the semester.

1. Logging in to course - students should be aware that the instructor is able to verify how often and when each student logs in to the course. Students are expected to check the bulletin board and their email at least twice a week, even if there are no postings. This is the only way to keep up with class material. Any student not keeping up with logging into the class should expect their grade to be affected.

2. Chats - Chats are scheduled for periodic Wednesdays from 5:30 PM to 6:20 PM. Students are encouraged to attend the chats, but due to the flexibility of a distance education course, I realize many students will not be able. Students who participate in the chats should follow the instructors lead and not try to lead or dominate the conversation. The chats for this class are set up to prepare students for the exams and to cover the material from the textbook. Students who are not able to attend the chats will need to get notes from classmates who attend the chats just as you would be expected to do if you were attending an on-campus course. The instructor does not post the chats, but I have posted under the content section a list of the chapter questions that I will be discussing during each of the scheduled chats. Also note that I will begin the class with the scheduled chats, but if only a few students show up to the chats, the group chats will be canceled, and I will be happy to meet with individual students as needed.

3. Email - All email correspondence for this course must be through the private mail icon of this course. Email will not be accepted from students in this Internet class on my campus email address. This will enable the instructor to keep up with the course email and to return your email much more quickly. Also, please be careful in how you word your emails; what you say in person can sound much more harsh when written in an email. Remember, I am your instructor, not your classmate and I expect students to maintain professionalism when writing an email. I do not expect students to agree with everything I do and welcome student opinions, but I will not accept rude or unprofessional email from students. Students who do not follow this guideline will be dropped from the course until a face-to-face meeting is set up with the instructor. Also, realize that I have to write many emails and sometimes I will keep them very short and to the point. This is not meant to be rude, only to be efficient.

4. Orientation Information - Students need to be certain they also read the orientation information. This icon is found on the homepage and students are responsible for following all information listed in the orientation information as well as this syllabus.

Your final grade will be based upon the total points you earn in this class.

A = 376 - 420
B = 334 - 375
C = 292 - 333
D = 250 - 291
F = below 249 points

Front of Log:
Your name, the school's name, the teacher's name you are observing, and grade level of classroom

First Section,
School Culture-follow guidelines at the end of the syllabus and all components must be documented and labeled individually as listed to receive all points

Second Section-
Teacher's Philosophy of Teaching, either from direct questions or observation; be specific

Third Section:
(Each observation must have each of the following four sections labeled individually to receive full credit. )

(EXAMPLE)Visit 1: 9:00 - 11:00, Monday, January 20

Summary paragraph (s) of what was observed, activities taking place in class, and what
you did during the observation

Reflection paragraph (s) on how you felt about what you observed or did during this
observation.

Connections to course discussions or readings (listed or in paragraph form), if any

Ideas you take away from this observation, either to do in your own class or things
you would not do in your own class (listed or in paragraph form)

Note: Each observation summary and reflection should be at least one paragraph for a two-hour visit. If you are observing for four or more hours, then the minimum summary needs to be three paragraphs and the reflection should be at least two paragraphs. You will lose points on this section if you are too brief. You are not expected to go on and on, but it is important that I am able to determine what you did during each of your observations, even if it is repeated from the previous day. You should find something new to observe or learn during each visit.

Visit 2: 1:00 - 3:00, Tuesday, January 21

Continue as above

NOTE:

1. Be sure your times add up to the required hours
2. Be sure each observation has the time and date listed, a summary of your observation, and your reflection about this observation. You must also include the last two sections (connections to class and ideas you take away), even if you do not have any comments; simply state none so I can be aware that you thought about these two components.
3. Be sure your log is typed and double-spaced. It will not be corrected for grammar or spelling since it is a journal
4. Also, remember the evaluation sheet and time log must be turned in and signed by your supervising teacher; students who do not complete the practicum component of this course will not pass this class; this is a requirement of UNLV for this class to transfer. Also, students who do not follow the directions on how this log should be prepared should expect to lose points.
5. The score sheet for this observation log is copied below for your information.

Observation Log Point Sheet

Time Sheet and Teacher Evaluation
Turned in (must have to pass
course)-check off ____

Points Earned:

Total Hours Documented 10 points ____

Required assignments in log:

Observing culture of school-20 points____

Observing teacher's philosophy-20 points ____

Dates and times documented in
log-10 points ____

Summary of activities/what was
observed and reflection of these
activities documented with each
observation, including connecting
what was observed to what was
discussed in class

40 points ____

Total Points Earned ____
(out of 100 points)

On your first visit to school (6 hours, if possible), you will observe/participate
and take notes regarding the following:

School Climate/Atmosphere (attitudes, habits, beliefs)
Physical Environment and Layout
Formal Practices of School (routines, class arrangements)
Atmosphere of the Front Office
Behavior in the Hallways
Behavior and Atmosphere during Lunch/Recess
Adult Interactions
Student Interactions
Beginning and Ending of School
Reflections

Each of the above sections must be listed separately as a subheading and described in your journal to receive full credit.

Remember in observing these areas, you should be an objective observer and not make judgements. This should be the first part of your journal. Once you have documented this in your journal, you should then reflect upon it and think about what you saw and how you feel about it.