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Syllabus:
Instructor: Susan B. Nolen, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
Office hours: Tuesdays 10:30-11:15; Thursdays 8:30-9:15
322C Miller Hall
206-616-6378
sunolen@u.washington.edu
Teaching Assistant: Cheryl Gordon
Office hours: Thursdays 11:30 - 12:15 and by appointment
407B Miller Hall
206-543-1118
cfgordon@u.washington.edu
Although we will use a variety of teaching techniques, we will rely heavily on small and large group discussion. The purpose of discussion in this class is to help all students begin to develop their own theories of learning and teaching through reading, listening to others' ideas, classroom observation, and discussing their own ideas with classmates. In addition, through our work together you will be learning professional collaboration skills: generous listening, thoughtful contributing, and making the community safe for diverse opinions. Through the development of a safe environment, requests for elaboration, clarification, or evidence will come to be seen as encouraging thoughtfulness rather than as personal attacks or "silencing." We all have roles to play in creating our classroom community.
In this course we will treat middle and high school classrooms as "ecosystems" where learning, teaching, individual and group differences, non-academic behavior, evaluation, and motivation all interact to affect one another. The effects on learning of a particular teaching approach must be understood in the context of the classroom as a whole, as well as in relation to its individual inhabitants, and to forces outside the classroom. This course will emphasize the relationships among learning, motivation, and teaching. The written products upon which your course grade will be based should also reflect this integration.
Class time will be spent mostly in large and small group discussions of the readings, or in activities based on the ideas in the readings. I will lecture only briefly and occasionally. It is essential for you to read all assigned material before coming to class; the nature of class activities will be based on this expectation.
You are invited to ask for help from me, the TA, or your classmates in making sense of difficult ideas or concepts. This can be done during class discussions, before or after class, individually by appointment with one of us, or via email. We encourage you to form study/discussion groups with other class members if at all possible; often getting a variety of interpretations or ideas from different sources is very helpful. Email is a very good way to hold discussion groups--members need not be free at the same time, nor in the same place. We can also assist in setting up a web-based discussion board for any group or for the class as a whole. Your methods colleagues in the other section of Dilemmas will be reading some of the same readings, as well as some that are different. We encourage you to compare notes to deepen your understanding of the material.
We will try to bring in additional information, alternate perspectives, and other supplementary material during class time, rather than relying solely on the reading assignment. We will also be doing some applications and problem-solving exercises in class to help you learn to relate what you are learning to your own future classroom.
Individual help sessions can NOT serve as a substitute for regular attendance in section. Attendance will be recorded, though it will not be included in your final grade. However, as the term progresses, time for individual assistance may become scarce (through increased demand). If necessary, those who have regularly attended section meetings will be given priority when allocating time for individual help.
Cheryl Gordon: Office hours Thursdays 11:30-12:15 and by appointment.
Remember: Email is the surest way to get a timely response from either of us.
Your course grade will be determined by your performance
on written assignments. You will have some choice in assignments; only the student
learning project is required of all students. We encourage you to ask questions
or submit rough drafts for comments before the due date, especially for the
Student Learning Project. Samples
of all written assignments are available on the web.
A mastery philosophy will be followed in assigning grades. If you submit a written assignment and, after feedback from us, are not satisfied with your understanding or evaluation, you may resubmit the assignment after revision at no penalty. Our concern is for your level of understanding of the course content, not for how quickly you master the material. You should attempt your rewrites as soon as possible, paying close attention to the feedback on your first attempt. You must turn in your first attempt and our comments with your rewrite so we can see that you have adequately addressed our concerns.
Note that in a 10-week term the time available for redoing some assignments is very short. To avoid having to redo these assignments at the last minute, be sure you know what is expected, and ask for feedback on drafts. The last day to hand in written work is December 10.
Your paper may be graded by either Susan or Cheryl. We spend time at the beginning of the quarter "calibrating" our responses so that it shouldn't matter which of us reads your papers. We continue to spot check during the term. If you sense that we are not being consistent in our responses, please let us know. Either of us will be happy to read a paper the other has already responded to and give you our "read" on both the paper and the feedback given.
For samples of major assignments click here.
Complete
directions for Student Learning Project
In each thematic paper you will identify a theme that ties together the readings for two to three class periods (see schedule below for which readings go together). A theme might be an issue on which the various authors take positions, or a particular stance toward adolescents or teaching reflected in the group of articles, or a position that you take challenging or supported by readings. Themes are narrower than "Cognitive Development," but broad enough to tie the group of articles together. The page limit is purposeful: it is designed to prevent summarizing. Assume you are writing for an audience (Susan or Cheryl) who has read the same articles you have and wants to know what sense you are making of the set of readings. STPs that are mostly summaries will be returned for rewriting.
The following elements must appear in each thematic paper. In each thematic paper you will identify a theme and take a position on that theme as it relates to your teaching. We will evaluate your understanding of the readings through your use of the ideas. Present a clear argument for your position on your theme by:
To get an idea of what these look like, please read some of the Sample STPs on the web .
Suggestions: Read the handout on successful written products (also on the web). We strongly suggest that you begin with a concrete example of your theme, taken from your own observation or experience (at least for the first paper or two). This works well as a device to keep you from wandering into vague theoretical generalities.
Rewrites: Papers graded "unacceptable" (either because you did not include the elements outlined above, because you mainly summarized parts of the readings, or because you demonstrated that you have misunderstood a key concept) may be revised and resubmitted. ****Your original version with our comments must be submitted with the revision****. You may also choose to drop that STP and submit another in its place (5 of 7 possible checks required for a 4.0).
Look at two weeks of content (readings and discussions), pull out one or more major themes across readings and class sessions, and take a position on these themes and their relationship to teaching. We will evaluate your understanding of the readings through your use of the ideas. Present a clear argument for your position on your theme(s) by
Suggestions: See suggestions under STPs above.
Revisions: LTPs may be revised and resubmitted (see "Revisions" under STPs above).
To get an idea of what these look like, please read some of the Sample LTPs
Short Thematic Papers: 7 possible papers;
5 checks needed for 4.0
| Dates covered |
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1
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10/5 - 10/7 |
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2
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10/12 - 10/14 |
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3
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10/19 - 10/21* |
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4
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11/9 |
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5
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11/16 - 11/18 |
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6
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11/30 - 12/2 |
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7
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12/7 | 12/10 |
* REQUIRED
Option 2: Longer Thematic Papers. 3
checks needed for 4.0; do either
#3 or #4
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Due
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1
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10/5 - 10/12* |
10/19
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2
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10/14 - 10/21* |
10/28 via email
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3
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11/9 - 11/18 |
12/5
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4
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11/21 - 12/7 |
12/10
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The last day to hand in written work is Friday,
December 10th. Exceptions to this date will be made only in emergency
situations and only if arrangements are made with the instructor in
advance of the due date.