Course Description:

Teachers as Agents of Change is designed for those students working in a public school environment on the Alternative/Transitional License or the Occupational License.  The course is designed to provide an overview of current issues, trends, and problems that are commonplace to teaching in public school settings.   Students will engage in analytic learning experiences which focus on: a) teaching in urban, suburban, and rural settings, b) meeting the needs of diverse student populations, c)    historical, sociological, and philosophical aspects of education in a diverse society, d) legal, financial, equality/unequality of access and resources, e) governance issues related to public schooling in the U.S., e) developing knowledge and skills regarding professionalism, national and state initiatives, effective teaching, and licensure, and f) action research to improve current practice.              

Course Objectives:

• To provide an overview of current issues, trends, and problems commonplace to teaching in public school settings

• To engage students in learning experiences focusing on teaching in a variety of settings--urban, rural, and suburban, in order to develop a broad perspective of classroom situations

•  To explore multiple factors that contribute to the state of public school education including national and state reform initiatives, rapidly changing populations, diversity within the classroom setting,

• To develop an understanding of historical, sociological, and philosophical aspects of education in a diverse society in order to better meet the needs of learners,

• To build background knowledge regarding the legal, financial, equality and unequality of access and resources that relate to public school classrooms across the state and nation,

• To develop an awareness of social justice within the education arena by examining the history of deculturalization of specific groups and the struggle for equal education opportunities,

• To assist students in developing professionalism, becoming familiar with the certification process and in developing an awareness of effective teaching.

• To provide a framework for relevant action research and to encourage students to actively engage in the process in order to improve practice.

Unit 1 - The Profession of Teaching - Teacher Education and the Global Society.  Status of Teachers, Education Reforms, Shortage Areas, Profile of Today's Teachers, Licensure Requirements and Board Certification, Effective Teaching Research, Control Through Testing, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and Professional Organizations (TEA, NEA, AFT)

 

Unit 2 - Historical Perspectives of Education - Early American Education, Massachusetts Acts and Impact on Education, Deculturalization and the Claim of Racial and Cultural Superiority, Inequality, Equality, Social Class, Segregation, From Plessey to Brown to Today, The Great Civil Rights Movement, No Child Left Behind, The Newest Chapter in the Culture Wars

 

Unit 3 - Today's Perspectives of Education - The Changing Face of Students, Diversity and Student Populations, Meeting Student Needs, Success for All Students, Accountability and High Stakes Testing, School and Society, Urban, Suburban, and Rural Populations, Inclusion, Illusion, and Exclusion of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the "Model Minority," American Schools and Education After Brown v. Board, Connection Between Poverty and Failure

 

Unit 4 - Action Research to Improve Practice - Background and Theory, Action Research Process at the District and School Level, The Process in the Classroom Setting, Gathering and Analyzing Data, Conducting a Relevant Study, Reporting Findings, Utilizing Findings to Improve Practice for All Students

 

Unit 5 - The School as a Mirror of Society - Societal Demands, Societal Problems, Control at the State Level, Parental Choice, Charter Schools, The Flight to the "Private Haven," Purpose of School as Define by Different Populations, Violence, The High School Experience, The Need for Literacy, Parental Involvement, Home Schooling, Success of Magnet Programs, Privatization of Public Schools

 

Unit 6 - The Courts and Schools - Student Rights, Teacher's Rights, Parents' Rights, Public Access to Schools: Where does it leave the P.S.?, The Language of Schools, Schooling as a Property Right, Secular Humanism and the Religion of Public Schools, An Examination and Analysis of School Law--From Search and Seizure to Immigrant's Rights

 

Unit 7 - Cultural Issues in Education - Dominated Cultures--Then and Now, Empowerment Through Education, Nieto and Critical Pedagogy, Educating for Economic Power, Ethnocentric Education, Bilingual Education and ESL, Educating the At-Risk Student, The Meaning of Race in Today's Society, Racism is Alive and Well in the Public Schools, Second-Generation Segregation, Economic Value of Being a Male, Afrocentric Curriculum and Impact on Youth

 

Unit 8 - Finance and Governance of America's Schools - The Purpose of Schools as Defined by Districts, State, and Nation, Structure at the  Local Level, Funding and Distribution, Per-Pupil Expenditure for Urban, Rural, and Suburban Districts, Relationship of Federal, State, and Local Funds, Finance, Structure, and Education, Local Politics and School Funding, Accountability and Funding

Course content is divided into eight units of study.  Related reading assignments as well as related slide shows for each unit will assist in understanding the material.  Units consist of:

 

• Reading assignments (textbook, electronic journal articles, handouts, and related professional material)
• Online web-based mini-research assignments
• Asynchronous Discussion Forums via Discussion Board
• Supplemental reading and related meta-commentary to apply information in the classroom setting (Educating Esme)

Assignments are designed to provide relevant information and application of professional material to the classroom setting.  Students are required to complete an Action Research Project as partial requirements in order to connect the course content to the individual classroom setting of those teaching on the Alternative C License or the Vocational/Occupational License.  In order to successfully complete the course, students should: a) become familiar with specific software application and b) be comfortable working with the online learning environment.

lAll assignments must be saved in MS Word.  The online environment offered via the WebCt / RODP course site requires that all completed assignments be uploaded through the site.  Successful completion of the course depends on the timely completion of assignments, adhering to deadlines, and actively participating in Discussion Forums.

Raji Codel, E. (2001) Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year.  Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

 

Spring, J. (2002).  American Education with Power Web (10th Ed.) New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

 

Spring, J. (2003).  Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality: A Brief History of the Education of Dominated Cultures in the United States (4th Ed.).  New York, NY: Mc Graw Hill.

 

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://direct.mbsbooks.com/tbr.htm

The minimum requirements can be found at http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and Acrobat Reader.

Dr. Dorothy Valcarcel Craig, Associate Dean for Teacher Education

College of Education & Behavioral Science

102 McWherter Learning Resource Center

PO Box 93

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro TN  37130

615.898.5573

dvcraig@mtsu.edu

Assessment and student evaluation consists of individual and collaborative assignments which are related to unit content material.  These assignments include: a) web-based teleresearch, b) participation in Discussion Forums, c) meta-commentary based on Educating Esme, and e) Action Research Projects.  All Discussion Forums will be evaluated based on the Online Discussion Forum Rubric.  The Meta-Commentary based on Educating Esme as well as the Action Research Project will be evaluated based on a grading rubric.

 

Directions for completing all assignments (including Discussion Forums) are all available on the WebCT / RODP site.  Completed assignments must be uploaded via the course site.  Students are encouraged to routinely check grades throughout the course to keep up with progress.

A specific number of points may be earned for each assignment.  Points are indicated on assignment guidelines.  A total of 1300 points may be earned for the course.  The total number of points are converted to a 10-point scale as follows.

 

GRADE	Total Number of Points
A	1300 - 1170 Total Points
B	1169 - 1037 Total Points
C	1038 -   908 Total Points
D	907 -   778 Total Points
F	777 - Below

 

Students are expected to complete required assignments, take part in Discussion Forums, and engage in Action Research.  Specific Course Requirements include:

 

Freedom Writer's Diary Project (50 points)  Each student will complete a Case Study Analysis based on their own classroom experiences and which depict a student from a specific cultural background.  Students will utilize reading material excerpted from a variety of texts.  Guidelines for the project will be posted in the Special Assignments Section.

 

Meta-Analysis Comment Paper based on Educating Esme (100 points) - After reading the text, each student will choose a specific school-related problem described in the book.  Based on the problem, each student will conduct research in order to build a better understanding of the problems facing today's public school teachers.  An analysis of articles and web site materials will be analyzed and synthesized into a short paper exploring the selected issue.  Guidelines will be posted in the Special Assignments section.

 

Classroom Analysis (50 points) Each student will utilize their own classroom in order to engage in a collaborative analysis of classmate's classrooms.  Students will write a descriptive report of the classroom situation and take pictures--digital or film--of the room.  The diagram or picture will be posted to the Student Home Page.  Each student will conduct an analysis of the other group members' rooms and evaluate the rooms based on effectiveness criteria, available resources, and other factors.  Suggestions for improvement will be posted to the Discussion Board Forum.

 

Readings, Related Web-Assignments, Teleresearch Mini-Papers/Projects, and Discussion Forum Postings (Varying Number of Points To Total 50 Points Each Week)  Each student is to keep up with assigned readings, complete related assignments and/or post to the Discussion Forum.  Assignments must be uploaded via the Student Drop Box.

 

Action Research Project (100 points) - Each student will conduct a semester-long action research project.  The objective of the assignment is for students to identify a problem, design a study, collect data, analyze data, draw conclusions, design an action plan for improvement, and develop an Action Research Report to share findings in order to improve practice at either the school or district level.  Qualitative procedures will be followed throughout the project.

 

Discussion Board Forums - In addition to "text-based" assignments, teleresearch, and action research, each student must actively participate in weekly Discussion Forums.  Due to the nature of the online learning environment, the Discussion Forums act as an avenue for dialog, sharing, exploration, and reflection.  The Forums will be utilized to develop a better understanding of the multifaceted arena of public school education.  Forums will be evaluated by utilizing the Online Discussion Forum Rubric.

Students are required to adhere to assignment due dates, which are provided when each assignment is released.  Although assignments will be accepted late (within one week of due date only), two points will be subtracted for each day the assignment is late.

Students are expected to:

 

• Actively engage and participate in Discussion Forums
• Adhere to due dates and assignment deadlines
• Work collaboratively (as assigned) and individually (as assigned)
• Become familiar with the WebCT format, navigation, and the teleresearch process
• Utilize the WebCT site to communicate with each other as well as with the instructor
• Use campus email accounts and addresses as the primary source of communication
• Report any technical problems immediately to the Information Technology Division on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University
• Observe course netiquette at all times.

• Remember to include a subject line
• Keep in mind that comments may be taken by some to be inappropriate.  Remember to be cordial and collegial at all times
• Use standard fonts
• If sending large files, please do so through the WebCT site and not via email attachments
• Avoid special formatting
• Respect the privacy of others
• Be clear and concise with questions and feel free to discuss assignments and course requirements with others

• Be sure to read the directions carefully before posting
• If your response requires a good amount of text, save your response in MS Word, then paste to the Discussion Forum response
• Always maintain a professional manner with regard to responding
• Remember:  If you would not respond in person in a certain manner, then it is inappropriate to do so online
• Read other postings and respond accordingly
• Work collaboratively as directed and be courteous to your discussion leader
• Please adhere to posting deadlines

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

 

If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or if you have any questions related to accommodations testing, note takers, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible.  Students may also contact the Office of Disabled Students Services (898-2783) with questions about such services.  If MTSU is not your home institution, please contact that university for additional assistance.

 

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Eduprise Help Desk by calling

1-877-725-4357 (toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://eduprise.custhelp.com