http://www.iusb.edu/~msherida/H520/h520co~1.html

Marcia Sheridan H520

Education and Social Issues

Bulletin Description: Identification and analysis of major problems set for education by the pluralistic culture of American society.

What overarching understandings are desired? NCATE and Indiana Teacher Standards Board

• The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
• The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
• The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
• The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and support interaction in the classroom.
• The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professional in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

What are the overarching "essential" questions?

• What are some of the major problems/issues set for education by the pluralistic culture of American society?
• What can we do about them?

What will students understand as a result of this course?

• Critical reading and thinking related to course issues.
• Metacognition in process writing involving planning, monitoring, revising and completing course requirements.
• Understand the relationships among democracy, pluralism, and change and voice.

What "essential" and "unit" questions will focus the course?

• What is the purpose of American education?
• Should the curriculum be standardized for all?
• What is the culture of poverty and how does it affect what teachers should do?
• What is American democracy and what implications does this have for teachers and students?
• Do high stakes assessments improve learning?
• What is the school experience for nonimmigrant minorities?
• Is full inclusion of disabled students desirable?
• Can self-governing schools rescue urban education?
• What is necessary in order for effective educational change, and why is this so difficult?

Performance Tasks, Projects

• Cultural Autobiography
• Reflective Journals on readings
• Reading and discussion questions for the issues discussed in class.
• Collaborative Group Paper
• Collaborative Group Oral Report and Handout

Other Evidence (e.g., observations, work samples, dialogues)

• Work cooperatively in large and small groups.
• Demonstrate active listening & good interpersonal communication skills.
• Attend class prepared to participate.
• Effectively participate in Socratic Seminars

Student Self-Assessment

• Dialogue Skills self-assessment

Students will need to know...KNOW

• Cognition, metacognition and reflective thinking
• Critical thinking elements, criteria and traits
• Active listening, pro-social behavior, good interpersonal communication and cooperative learning skills
• Process writing and peer-editing
• Dialogue skills
• How to write a research paper and access educational research via electronic sources.

Students will need to be able to...(SWBAT) DO

• Demonstrate active listening, pro-social behavior and good interpersonal communication and cooperative learning skills.
• Use metacognition in process writing, peer-editing and peer-evaluation.
• Write a collaborative group paper on an educational issue/problem.
• Demonstrate growth in critical thinking, dialogue and process writing skills.
• Demonstrate reflective thinking and writing.

What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted understandings?

• Large and small group dialogues on course issues
• Socratic seminars on democracy, pluralism, and change.
• Peer-edit journals and group papers
• Assess self and others' dialogue skills

Point Equivalents Grade

90-100% A- to A

80-89% B- to B+

70-79% C- to C+

60-69% D- to C+

Below 60 F

Required Texts

Noll, James W., ed., Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Educational Issues, The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc., 12th edition, 2002.

Payne, Ruby K., A Framework for Understanding Poverty, revised edition, RFT Publishing Co., Baytown, TX, 2001.

Socratic Readings

Other readings will also be assigned. The readings are available in the Library. They may be copied and checked out on 2-hour reserve. They are also available through Electronic Reserves Online at the IUSB Library under Sheridan or H520 using the user ID and Password given out in class.

http://www.iusb.edu/~libg/reserve/reserve.html

Socratic Readings-required-You must bring a copy of these readings to class for Socratic Seminar dialogues.

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Last revised August 2002

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