Relational Pedagogy Project   75% of final grade

Throughout the quarter you will be asked to work on a Relational Pedagogy Project, which consists of three parts (described below).  This project will combine the knowledge you learn in this course with the knowledge you will acquire in the field.  Each part of the project should be between 3-5 pages and include thoughtful answers to the questions posed and examples of the strategies you are asked to create along with a rationale for their inclusion.  The rationale should reflect and specifically cite course readings.

The Relational Pedagogy assignment will receive the following weighting: 

Part 1:  Getting to Know Your Students: The Plan (15%)   Due Jan. 18 (see rubric)
Part 2:  Getting to Know Your Students:  How Well Did It Work? (30%)
Part 3:  Working More Effectively with Students:  My Preferences, My Biases? (30%).

Part 1:  The Plan        Due Jan. 18               
            In Part I you will develop a plan for getting to know the students in one class period. (You may want to consult with your CT about this.) This should include: 

• a strategy that will help you to learn about the students;
• a strategy to get to know the names of all the students in the first week; and
• a system to keep track of your interactions with students during your time in the field in order to examine the pattern of interaction with all students. 

Write up

• Describe the 3 parts of the plan in detail.
• Provide a rationale for each part of your plan based on class readings, discussions, and what you know about the class you have selected (this may be minimal, or you may have already talked to your CT).  Why did you decide to use the particular strategies? How was your strategy selection informed by the readings (be sure to cite readings specifically)? What do you hope these strategies will accomplish?  How will you know if they are working?

Part 2:  Due Feb. 22
The Plan, Its Implementation and Evaluation: How Well Did It Work?
In Part 2, you will reflect on your plan, analyze how well it worked and why,  and suggest possible changes for next time.  In the write-up, use data and the readings to support your arguments.

• Briefly describe the following:
• Type of school/program in which you teach, (e.g., middle/high school, themed school or program);
• Kind of class you are teaching (e.g., ninth grade English – untracked, American Literature – College Prep) and the organization of the subject in the school (e.g., departmentalized, interdisciplinary teams);
• Degree of ability grouping or tracking, if any.
• Present the final version of your plan (pre-field experience), following the guidelines for Part 1. (NOTE: If you did not revise your plan prior to the field, then just include the plan you turned in on Jan 18.)
• Review each part of your plan.  Consider the following questions as you reflect:
• How well did each part work?  What problems were there, and why?  What would you change if you were to implement it when you teach next year? 
• In what ways did these activities help you to develop relationships with the students? How did different students react?  How successful were you in learning the names of all the students? 
• With whom was it easy to connect; with whom was it difficult?  What did this mean for you and the students? 

In your write-up, compare your implementation and evaluation to the outcomes you expected based on our readings. Use the readings to help explain what happened and why, and what you might change. 

Part 3:   Due Feb 29
Working More Effectively with Students: My Preferences, My Biases?

In Part  3, you will be reflecting on getting to know two individual students and reflecting on your relationship with them.

IN THE FIELD. During your second week in the field, pick one student with whom you worked well and got to know, and one with whom you had difficulty working or getting to know.  Use the questions in Cushman (pp.28-29) as a guide to describe the characteristics of the students at this point. Over the remaining days of your field experience, try to get to know as much as possible about the student who seems more difficult for you to work with or get to know.  Try to find information that helps you answer the questions in #2 below.

WHEN YOU RETURN. Write a reflection on your relationship with EACH of these two students.  (No names, just identifying characteristics and what you know about them.) 
Describe each student. For each consider the following questions related to our work in the course.

• How would you characterize the student’s academic and social identities?
• How would you describe the student’s relationships with other students in the class? 
• How much positive attention and autonomy did you (and the CT) grant to the student? How often did she or he have a chance to increase competence or relatedness? Did any aspects of the classroom interfere with meeting these needs?
• How would you characterize the student’s connections to school more generally—friends, peers, activities? What about motivation for the subject or activities?
• What strategies did you use to get to know the student? How successful were they?

Analyze your relationship with each student. Why was one student easy for you to work with or get to know and the other more difficult?  Are you playing favorites?  Why might this be the case?  Review chapter 2 in Fires in the Bathroom to see if it is helpful in understanding your relationship with the students you have identified, your knowledge of who they are and the learning challenges she/he may encounter. In particular, review “Assets of Worst-Behaving Students” from Fires in the Bathroom (pp. 46-47) to see if any of these questions are helpful in understanding your relationship with the students.

Your Future Classroom:  Due March 8.  20% of final grade*

Write a description of your plans and vision of your future classroom. (4-6 pages) This paper will provide an opportunity for reflection that will prepare you for further work on classroom management next quarter in EDTEP 563. Be sure to:

• Identify and discuss the primary principles/goals/values that will guide you as you plan your future classroom. 
• Indicate their relationship to issues and tasks of adolescent development as presented in the readings and discussions. 
• Consider in your description the climate of the classroom, how students will act and interact with you and each other, and how you will facilitate these processes.

SCORING RUBRIC for Your Future Classroom

* This was incorrectly shown as 30% on the paper version of the syllabus, in the grade calculator.

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