Teaching the Early Adolescent
Winterim
- 2002
Dr.
Perry A. Cook
(715)
346-3263 Email: pcook@uwsp.edu
Office Hours: By appointment only
Section
1 meets 1/2/02 - 1/17/02 - from 8:30 am -12:00 noon
Section
2 meets 1/2/02 - 1/17/02 - from 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Daily Schedule:
8:30
- 8:45
Advisory 1:00 -1:15
8:45
- 10:00 Seminar
1:15 - 2:30
10:00
- 10:15
Break
2:30 - 2:45
10:15
- 11:30
Workshop
2:45 - 4:00
11:30
- 12:00 Collaborative
Planning Time 4:00 - 4:30
The
course is designed to prepare students to teach in grades 6 - 9.
Its purpose is to help undergraduate and graduate students understand the
developmental characteristics of the ten to fourteen year old and select/plan
developmentally appropriate instruction that is responsive to their emotional,
social, physical, and intellectual needs.
The
course will introduce basic concepts of middle school theory and practice.
1.
The course will require study of the principles and theories of
adolescent
2.
The course will require study of the principles and theories of young
3.
The course will require study of teaching methods, instructional
materials, and evaluation techniques for the developmental needs of middle school
4.
The course will require study and experiences to develop skills in
working
5.
The course will require study of pupil affective development through
group
6.
The course will require study of the history, purpose, organization, and
Kellough, D. K. and Kellough, N. G. (1999). Middle School Teaching: A
Guide to Methods and Resources. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall (3rd Edition).
Muth, K. D. & Alvermann, D. E.
(1992). Teaching and
learning in the middle grades. Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
Packet of Readings to be purchased at the Book Store (or on Reserve at
IMC)
Learning to kiss a frog - purchase
Course Framework and Evaluation
I. Seminar and Workshop
Presentation - 35 points
Each
class meeting will focus on a middle-school related topic.
To facilitate the construction of personal knowledge, students will
participate in class preparation and instruction in the following manner:
Working in groups of 3-4, students will select a topic related to
teaching in the middle school. Students
will preread selected articles and/or text readings that accompany their topic
and prepare a presentation for the class. Each
small group will be allotted 60 minutes of seminar
time to present. During the
remaining 15 minutes all group members, assisted by Dr. Cook, will lead a
discussion of the topic presented. Following
the break, topic groups will engage the class in practical workshop activities to foster application and understanding.
Topic groups are strongly encouraged to meet during collaborative
planning times to coordinate their presentation formats.
Presentations in the large group setting must include a five
page maximum handout. Groups
must make copies for all students unless given to instructors at least one class prior to presentation date.
See the Seminar and Workshop Assessment form for specific criteria.
II. Middle School Guidebook for Success - 20 points
One
result of this class will be the collaborative development of a �Guidebook for
Success�. Working in your Part I
group, students will select relevant material, practical in nature, that can be
added to the handbook. The piece
should be a maximum of one hundred pages and should contain annotations for use.
Your group will post your guidebook piece in the public folders section
of Ed 385/585 for all to view, copy and use.
Each group must include a Table of Contents that identifies who did what.
Some examples of postings are:
* A glossary of key terms
* An annotated bibliography of resources
* A listing of personal contacts i.e. professional organizations specializing in middle school education
* Summaries of pertinent articles
* Advisory group activities
* Samples of Block Scheduling formats
* Practical action points
* Any resource specific to your area of MS expertise
III. Synthesis Paper -
FINAL EXAM -20 points
This
exam will address each of the topics dealt with during the first two weeks of
classroom presentations and readings. It
will require you to work in a collaborative group to develop an organizational
plan for a model middle school.
IV. Focus Questions - 15
points
Your personal professional growth will continue throughout your career. It will occur though participation in workshops, inservice programs, professional conventions, post-graduate course work and personal reading. You need to develop the habit of reading professional works. It is my expectation that you will keep up with the assigned readings for this course. In understanding motivational psychology, you realize that some people need extrinsic motivation. To accommodate that need and to encourage the development of good professional habits, I will assign 2-3 focus questions for each assigned reading. The answers to the questions are to be written out prior to the start of class. They will be collected on a random basis (listen closely for subtle hints), and will be graded as complete or incomplete based on thoroughness of the response. A grade of complete will receive the full value of 5 points, an incomplete no points.
V. Participation/Attendance
- 10 points
Your active participation is a crucial aspect of this course. If you do not regularly attend class, you will be unable to share in the many activities and experiences that will be undertaken during the winterim. Remember that school administrators are seldom understanding of unexcused absences or chronic lateness. Now is the time in your professional development to work on your attendance and promptness. Participation and class activities CANNOT be made up and NO extra credit/supplementary work will be provided. In case of an emergency that requires you to be absent from class, call me at my office number or leave a voice mail message. Keep in mind that this class only meets for two weeks for 3.5 hours each day, so missing a single class is comparable to missing more than an entire week of hour long classes.
| 100-95 A | 84-83 C+ |
| 94-93 A- |
82-78 C |
| 92-91 B+ | 77-76 C- |
| 90-87 B | 75-68 D |
| 86-85 B- | Below 68 F |