TTE 350 D

TTE 350D

Schooling in America: ECE

(4 units/credits)

Course Description

This course provides an introduction into the field of early childhood education. It considers as major themes/orientations: the history of schooling/education in the United States, the philosophical foundations of education, and the social/cultural/economic/political contexts of schooling/education in contemporary America. In short, this course aims to help the student learn how to think critically within these frameworks and is meant to question and challenge existing knowledge about schooling/education.  Students will gain an appreciation for the ideas, professional accomplishments and contributions of the great theorists who have influenced and continue to influence the field of early childhood education. Understanding the ideas of early educators and their philosophies of education will help the students know how to implement current teaching strategies/models of practice.  Additionally, the role of the adult/professional who provides developmentally and culturally appropriate practices will be examined.

Alignment to CREATE Principles and InTASC and NAEYC Standards

CREATE

NAEYC

InTASC

Objectives

The following objectives are linked to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards. Students who successfully complete Schooling in America will:

Textbooks

Building Culturally Responsive Family-School Relationships by Ellen Amatea.  Pearson. 2009.

TTE 350D Custom Text. Pearson.

D2L readings as required

Grading

Estimation of

Final Grade

A  =  90 – 100%

B  =  80 –  89%

C =  70 – 79%

D =  60 – 69%

F = 59 and below

The Signature Assignment is a performance based assessment that evaluates your progress toward meeting the NAEYC and InTASC Standards and the CREATE Principles. In order to pass this course, you must pass the Signature Assignment.  Even if you receive passing grades on all other assignments, if you fail the Signature Assignment, you will fail the class.  Passing the Signature Assignment means you have met the objectives of the course, which are tied to the the NAEYC and InTASC Standards and the CREATE Principles.  Failing the Signature Assignment means that you have failed to demonstrate mastery of objectives of the course, which are tied to the NAEYC and InTASC Standards and the CREATE Principles.

Assignments

More information on each assignment will be provided prior to the due date.

You will develop your Educational Philosophy. This will be a dynamic assignment, one in which you will revisit and revise throughout this course, as well as throughout your educational career. A Philosophy of Education is an outline/statement of what guides your practices and beliefs. There are many things to consider when creating such a document; your specific beliefs about how children develop, the things they should be able to so and know in life and how best to teach them. There are excellent reflective questions to help guide your initial Philosophy development on Morrsion, p.25 & 26. As you progress throughout the course and learn more about Early Childhood Education, you will check back in on your philosophy and adjust as necessary.

For a week, you will follow education in the news for the class.  You will collect the news from two sources.  One source is the Arizona Daily Star.  You will need to buy the paper for one week, go through the paper, and cut out any and all items related to education, including but not limited to news articles, opinion pieces, letters to the editor, cartoons, and ads.  You will collect what you have clipped from the Arizona Daily Star and compile them in a notebook.  You will choose one article from the Arizona Daily Star to discuss with the class.  The choice is up to you and your group.

Our educational histories have powerful effects on the ways in which we think about teaching and learning and the ways we work with children, families, colleagues and communities. You will have two opportunities to explore your own and your families’ educational histories.  Using a series of guided questions, you will compose your and your families’ stories about education.  Then, you will examine these stories in light of the issues discussed in class.

In class, we will be participating in a Star Power Simulation. After the simulation you will be responsible for writing a reflection of your personal experience and how the simulation specifically relates/connects to the issues we have discussed throughout the course.  More specific information will be given closer to the time of the simulation.

Through this project you will have the opportunity to explore, discuss, and reflect upon the classroom experiences of Vivian Gussin Paley by reading and discussing one of her books.  Students will have the opportunity to provide input as to which of three books they would prefer.  Every two weeks you will be meeting in either TTE 300C or TTE 350D (see course calendar) with small groups to discussed assigned portions of the book.  Prior to that meeting you will complete a written reflection that you will add to or revise after the discussion.  At the end of the semester you will complete a written summative reflection.  More details will be provided in class and on D2L.

You will be completing an electronic reading journal for the semester.  After you complete a reading assignment, you will complete the reading reflection using the format that will be assigned.  The instructors will review the reading logs several times during the semester.  Four times a semester, you will post your questions from the reading by midnight the night before the reading is due.  Reading reflections will be assessed using: “demonstrates completion of reading” or “does not demonstrate completion of reading.”

In order to gain a deeper understanding of the major learning theories in Early Childhood Education, we will form small groups that will teach each other the main points in selected theories. Each group will be responsible for familiarizing themselves with their assigned theory. Each group will also work collaboratively to create a brochure or pamphlet to aide in their presentation. In creating this visual aide make sure to include both the pros and cons of the learning theory, as well as basic historical and background information about the learning theory. Your group will be responsible for presenting their theory to the class in a jigsaw format.

The final project for this class will be a portfolio of your assignments from TTE 350D and TTE 300C. You will have 6 specific sections in your binder. The specific sections will be labeled Histories, Philosophies, Reflective Teacher, My Classroom, Logs and Resources. Each section will contain artifacts, the assignments you have worked on throughout the semester in both classes.  At the beginning of each section you will also have a ‘Portfolio Entry Slip.’  This will be your own personal reflection regarding your assignments in that particular section of the binder. The Portfolio Entry Slip should address these questions:

*How do the artifacts address the NAEYC, CREATE and InTASC standards?

*How do these artifacts relate to YOUR philosophy?

A majority of the assignments from TTE 350D and TTE300C will be included in this portfolio. The specific layout of the binder will be discussed in more detail later in the semester, however it is recommended that you start thinking about these questions as you collect your assignments.

The signature assignment for TTE 350D will be the Artifacts and Portfolio Entry Slip assignments for the Histories, Philosophies and Reflective Teacher sections on your Portfolio.

The signature assignment for TTE 300C will be the Artifacts and Portfolio Entry Slip assignments for the My Classroom, Logs and Resources sections on your Portfolio.  The rubric appears at the end of this document.

The main purpose of this assignment is to have you summarize key ideas from your portfolio.  Through the summary you present, you want to make sure that the most powerful ideas “stick” in our minds (http://www.madetostick.com/).  A second purpose for this assignment is to demonstrate your professional growth in a public and powerful way.  Your pecha kucha will be less of an act of regurgitation and more of an act of re-creation.

You will present your portfolio as a PechaKucha, which “is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images forward automatically and you talk along to the images” (http://www.pecha-kucha.org/what).  The PechaKucha format for this assignment is 15 slides with 20 seconds per slide.

More information on each assignment will be provided prior to the due date.

Fieldwork

Your field experience is intended to offer you a view of real classroom life and a chance to begin to see how theories, strategies, and activities discussed in the methods course might be carried out with students.  It is your responsibility to make the most of this opportunity by showing initiative and participating fully in a variety of ways.  Since you are not a student teacher, it is not appropriate for you to be left alone with children.

Attendance

Dependability and punctuality are critical qualities in the profession of teaching and your regular attendance and punctuality are important to your success in this class. You are allowed one excused absence from class for illness or personal emergency. In order for this absence to
be excused, a) you must notify me before class or on the day of the absence, and b) the reason for the absence must be justifiable and for the most part unplanned and unavoidable. Doctor's appointments, vacations, family events, or conflicts with work schedules do not constitute excused absences.
Under most circumstances, more than one excused absence or any unexcused absences will result in lowering your grade by one full letter. For example, if you were receiving an A in the course, the highest grade you could receive is a B. More than two excused absences are a serious cause for concern; they will necessitate a conference with me and may result in a failing grade for the course. As per university policy, "EXCESSIVE OR EXTENDED ABSENCES from class is sufficient reason for the instructors to recommend that the student be administratively dropped from the course."
Arriving to class on time and prepared is also very important.  We will start class promptly each day. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late, or leave more than 5 minutes early, this will be noted. 3 or more late arrivals or early departures constitute an unexcused absence. Again, please be aware that excessive absences will result in significantly lowering your
grade, and/or dropping you from the class.
If you are sick or have an emergency that requires you to miss or be late for class, you should notify me as soon as possible. You should make arrangements for another student to gather handouts and take notes for you. You are responsible for catching up on any missed material.
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion.  Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be honored (for example, absences required of athletes).
Finally, this attendance policy also applies to your classroom placements.  Your arrivals and departures along with attendance will be noted on a time sheet in the classroom.  If your tardies, early departures and absences in the classroom exceed the attendance policy described above, your grade will be lowered to a full grade in EACH of your courses.  For example, if you were receiving a B in each of your courses, you would receive a C in EACH of your courses.
To earn a passing grade in your courses, you must successfully complete the associated application experience.  Successful completion involves attending practicum every week and making up missed hours, receiving positive evaluations from your cooperating teacher regarding your classroom performance and professionalism, and completing all required practicum assignments.

All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Also, absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be honored. However, if you are going to miss a class session, for whatever reason, contact me (via email, cell phone, etc.) before the expected absence and simply, let me know why will not be in class.

Class Expectations

Teacher Professionalism:  Quality teaching requires hard work and intellectual engagement. As you begin to make the move from student to teacher, remember that a standard of professionalism will be expected of you. Students are expected to be responsible, punctual, positive, attentive, reflective, lifelong learners, and contributing members in all aspects of TTE 350.

Classroom Behavior (University Policy on Threatening Behavior):  It is assumed that students will not demonstrate threatening behavior.  See http://policy.web.arizona.edu/policy/threaten.shml for more information.

ü  Possession of drugs, alcohol or firearms on university property is illegal.

ü  Smoking and soliciting are not allowed in classrooms.  Eating and drinking only allowed with prior approval of the instructors.

ü  Pets, telephones, pagers and other electronic devices that distract students are not allowed in classrooms.

ü  Students creating disturbances that interfere with the conduct of the class or the learning of other students will be asked to leave and campus police may be contacted.

ü  The classroom should be a safe place; therefore, we expect students to respect the teaching/learning environment and each other.  We do not tolerate any form of harassment.

All cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices should be turned off in the University and school classrooms.  If you have an emergency situation, you may set your phone on vibrate and step out of class to receive a call.  This exception must be explained to the instructors prior to the class.

Reading Assignments:  The syllabus and schedule give the topics and readings for the semester. Students are expected to stay current with all the readings. When a reading assignment is noted for a specific date, content from the reading will be prerequisite knowledge for that day’s class. There may be a pop quiz given covering the reading material on any class day.

Written Assignments:  Due dates for all major assignments are listed in the class schedule. It is expected that all papers and lesson plans be original (i.e., created by the student), typed, neat, proofread, and grammatically correct.  Use 1 inch margins and double space.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. All student’s submitted work must be his or her own.  It is expected that all papers and lesson plans be original (i.e., created by the student), typed, neat, proofread, and grammatically correct. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated. It is assumed that the Student Academic Code of Integrity will be adhered to. Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work.  The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and will result in a failure to pass this course. Misrepresenting the words or ideas of another as your own is called plagiarism. The key to avoiding plagiarism is to develop good judgment in the fair attribution of words and ideas. You must credit the source whenever you (a) directly quote the words of another or (b) reference a specific idea, argument, or fact from a given source.  You should err on the side of caution and cite the source of any specific ideas, concepts, or facts that you use.  Conduct prohibited by the Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty.    See http://studpubs.web.arizona.edu/policies/cacaint.htm for more information.

Accommodations

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me so that we can discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that disability-related accommodations are necessary, please register with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

TTE350D Signature Assignment Rubric