EDN 495:  Teaching in the Content Area

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Watson School of Education

NC Teach Course Summer II 2010

Patricia Chappell, Instructor of Record

 

Course Description:

The third of the Alternative Pathway to Teaching Program undergraduate courses focuses effective teaching strategies. It will include such topic as Learning Styles, the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, higher order thinking skills, the use of pacing guides, rubrics, assessment, classroom management strategies, and recognizing and celebrating diversity among our students. The program and course sessions are delivered by a team of accomplished educators drawn from Watson School of Education faculty and public school partners.  The delivery model for this session  will consist of face-to-face sessions at the UNCW site.  The format for class sessions will include instructional lectures, discussions (large and small groups), hands-on activities and presentations by students.

 

As with all courses and programs in the Watson School of Education, this course is aligned with our Conceptual Framework and is designed to help students become effective decision-makers and reflective practitioners.

 

 

Required Textbooks:

  • Zemelman, Daniels & Hyde (1998). Best Practice:  New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools. Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. (Purchased for Students)

 

  • Wong,H.,& Wong R. (1998).  How to Be an Effective Teacher:  The First Days of School.  Harry Wong Publications. (Purchased for Students)

 

Course Goals:

·         To gain an understanding of how students learn

·         To gain an understanding of the importance of teaching critical thinking skills

·         To write and present a lesson plan that includes higher order thinking skills

·         To align a rubric aligned with the lesson  being assessed

·         To learn to incorporate reading and writing into all content areas

·         To develop a better understanding of classroom behavior management and finalize an effective classroom management plan

 

Course Topics:

·         Understanding the Learner

·         Diversity

·         Learning Styles / Multiple Intelligences

·         North Carolina Standard Course of Study

·         Instructional Design

·         Pacing Guides / Ancillary Materials

·         Monitoring Student Behavior

·         Effective Teaching Strategies

·         Rubrics / Assessment

·         Reading and Writing in the Content Area

·         Higher Order Thinking Skills

 

Grading Policies:

Class attendance is expected and considered in the final grading.  Interactions with colleagues are a critical dimension of this course.  Absences should be approved by the instructor prior to the date.  Unexpected absences should be discussed with the instructor as soon as possible after the occurrence, in order to arrange for makeup of course learning and assignments.  Two absences will result in dropping the grade one letter grade.  Each additional absence will result in dropping a letter grade for each absence.  Arriving late or leaving early may count as ½ an absence.

 

The material and instructional design of this course requires that students be actively engaged in developing an understanding, adopting and adapting the information within their own contexts, and participating in focused discussions regarding application of practices.

 

 

Assignments:

Students will do a variety of assignments that will enhance their skills related to the course goals.  Each of these assignments is intended to be beneficial tools for you in the classroom and critical to your role as a teacher.

 

Course Requirements

  • Diversity Reflective Paper                                                                  20 points
  • Classroom Management Plan                                                              30 points
  • Lesson Presentation                                                                            50 points        

 

 

Grading:

Grading will be based on the successful completion of the course requirements, with a total of 100 points obtainable.  Grades will be reported as one of the following:

A = 92-100 points

B = 80-91 points

C = 65-79 points

F = Less than 65 points

 

Academic Honor Code

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is committed to the proposition that the pursuit of truth requires the presence of honesty among all involved.  It is therefore this institution’s stated policy that no form of dishonesty among its faculty or students will be tolerated.  Although all members of the university community are encouraged to report occurrences of dishonesty, honesty is principally the responsibility of the individual

 

Academic dishonesty takes many forms, from blatant acts of cheating, stealing, or similar misdeeds to the more subtle forms of plagiarism, all of which are totally out of place in an institution of higher learning.  Reporting and adjudication procedures have been developed to enforce the policy of academic integrity, to ensure justice, and to protect individual rights.  Complete details may be found in the current Student Handbook Code of Student Life and in the Faculty Handbook.