Syllabus ED502 Foundations of Curriculum (Online)

Arcadia University School of Education Semester Dr. Sonia M. Rosen Office hours by appointment E-mail: rosensm@arcadia.edu Phone: (267) 252-0068 Policy regarding feedback: I will return emails within 48 hours and grade your assignments within a week. Welcome! This is an introductory course for classroom teachers and others interested in understanding major curriculum movements in the U.S., their underlying philosophies, and the ways in which teaching practice can be informed by curriculum theory. In this course, we will examine a variety of curriculum issues facing educators, tracing the history of curriculum development, current curriculum literature and trends, and the curricular implications of several major educational philosophies. There are several main learning objectives for this course: 1. To understand school curriculum design. 2. To construct alternative methods of providing instruction and examine the relationship between curriculum and pedagogy. To evaluate program effectiveness.

3. 4.

To identify professional organizations, journals, conferences, and other sources of professional development. 5. To cultivate professional relationships and collaborate with school colleagues, organizations, and other community agencies to improve student learning.

Important Note: This course requires fieldwork. The Arcadia University School of Education requires that all students doing fieldwork in early childhood, elementary, and secondary settings have up-todate child abuse and criminal background clearances, as well as a TB test, as is required for each individuals locality (see a 1 of 1

description of these requirements at http://www.arcadia.edu/files/Academic/Grad/GradPrograms/Education/Department/OBTAINING-CLEARANCES-Rev8-12.pdf). If you are in Pennsylvania, you can find links to the appropriate state and federal agencies at http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=19454. It is your responsibility to submit all required paperwork to the School of Education prior to beginning your fieldwork. If you run into any difficulties in this area, please speak with me directly so that I can help you address them. Required Materials There are two required textbooks, from which almost all of the course content will be drawn. You are expected to obtain a copy of these books to have for the semester: Lasley, T. J., Matczynski, T. J., & Rowley, J. B. (2002). Instructional models: Strategies for teaching in a diverse society (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning. McNeil, J. D. (2009). Contemporary curriculum: In thought and action (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Company. All other written, visual, and audio texts will be provided made available to you on Blackboard. Since this course is being delivered online, your computer system will need to meet specific hardware and software requirements. For this course, you will need to have access to Microsoft Office, or software that can author MS Office formats like Google Docs or Open Office. Additionally, we will be using other software packages, but I've tried to utilize free programs. The URL's for those programs will be provided in the course at the appropriate location. 1. Headset with microphone, or a built-in laptop microphone 2. Skype (conferencing software) - http://www.skype.com Prerequisites None Minimum Technical Skills Expected 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The ability to use a modern web browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, to navigate websites. The ability to use your Arcadia e-mail address to send and receive e-mails. The ability to learn My Arcadia features found in the Tutorials section of the course, as needed. The ability to use word processing software to read, author, edit and save documents. The ability to use a search engine, like Google, to find information on the web.

Technical Support If you experience any difficulties with accessing the course or email please contact the IT helpdesk 215.572.2898. If you encounter a problem with an assignment or content in the course please contact me. Resources available In compliance with the Arcadia University policy and equal access laws, appropriate academic accommodations can be made for students eligible for such support. Students are encouraged to register with the Disability Services Office. Please contact either Kathryn Duffy (215-572-2122) or Linda Pizzi (215-572-4068) to verify your eligibility for appropriate accommodations. You can also reach the Disability Support Services website at http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850. Please

speak to me about any requests for academic accommodations or other concerns as early in the semester as possible. Writing Center The Arcadia University Writing Center operates on a collaborative, peer-to-peer tutoring model aimed at making better writers, not just better writing. Through open-ended talk, inquiry and writing, we help others better understand their own idiosyncratic writing processes. We believe when students understand themselves as writers, they can adapt responsibly to a wide variety of rhetorical situations across the disciplines. Students from ALL disciplines, and at ALL stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising) come to the Writing Center to meet with trained consultants. There are also consultants on staff who have received additional training in how to support ESOL writers. You can schedule an appointment by calling (215-572-4051), dropping by the Writing Center (Landman Library, Lower Level), emailing us at writingcenter@arcadia.edu or by filling out our scheduling form. Here is the link to the form http://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/. A consultant will email you to confirm your appointment. Evaluation A AB+ B BC+ C 93-100% 90-92% 87-89% 83-86% 80-82% 77-79% 73-76% Outstanding Excellent Very Strong Strong Shows potential, needs more work Needs improvement Needs significant improvement

Participation Instructional Strategy Lessons and Reflection Journals Feedback to Peer Research Group Members Final Action Research Paper and Powerpoint Presentation Introduction

25% 20% 15% 40%

This is an online course, and all communications will occur through Blackboard. You are expected to participate in online discussions, completing the assigned readings and projects, and creating a virtual presentation of your final assignment. However, I have scheduled three optional online live video chats (as outlined in the course schedule below). I will provide login instructions for each of the live chats prior to the chat dates. In order to foster a stronger sense of community in our online space, this course also has a group work component built into it. At the beginning of the semester, you will be grouped into threeperson peer research groups that are designed to give you a forum in which to get peer feedback on your

work as you progress through the course. Please see the Peer Research Groups PDF available on Blackboard for a more detailed description of these groups. Overall Participation (25%) As a community of teachers and learners, we rely on one anothers full participation to make this course valuable, useful, and enjoyable for everyone. Ultimately, we are all responsible for creating an online environment in which everyone can learn and feel enriched by our time together. With this collaboration as a goal, full participation means that all of us make the effort to share our own thoughts, reflections, and questions about the course topics; to listen to one another and create space for others to share; to speak and behave respectfully toward everyone who enters our learning environment; to prepare for our online interactions by completing all assigned readings and other assignments; to engage authentically in online discussions; to allow our fellow learners to avail themselves of our expertise; to ask for help when it is needed and encourage others to do the same; and to contribute to the online learning environment by the specified times. Your participation grade (see below) will be based on these eight central elements of course participation. I welcome your constructive feedback along the way and seek to be a flexible guide, mentor, and facilitator. And, like you, I look forward to learning much in our collective online learning space. This grade should be the easiest to earn. You will be assessed using a rubric that takes into account the eight components of participation listed above. This grade mainly takes into account your authentic, timely, and respectful participation in Blackboard discussions. Instructional Strategy Lessons and Reflection Journals (20%) This grade is based on a rubric that accounts for the degree to which your Action Research Project lesson designs correspond to the instructional models we discuss in class, as well as the quality of your own self-reflection and selfcritique in your reflection journals. These lessons and reflection journals will be graded on a weekly basis between October 23rd and November 20th. Feedback to Peer Research Group Members (15%) This grade is also an easy one. There will be set dates at which you are required to provide written feedback to your peer research group members, and on those occasions your feedback should be thoughtful and thorough. This also means doing a careful read of anything sent to you by your peer research group members. You will be graded according to a rubric at the end of the semester based on the written feedback I see on other peoples lessons and final papers. Final Action Research Paper and Powerpoint Presentation (40%) This grade is based on the clarity and organization of your writing and the degree to which you have met the requirements for the content of your Final Action Research Paper and Powerpoint Presentation. I will evaluate the way you demonstrate self-reflection as you modify your own practice to answer your research question. You will be graded based on a rubric that you will receive from me a few weeks into the semester. Major Assignment: Action Research Project This project is intended to help you use curriculum as a tool to reflect on and improve your teaching practice. Beginning in Week 4, you will plan and teach a series of 5 lessons (approximately one per week), each one employing a different instructional strategy. You will use these lessons to explore a key question about your practice as an educator, examine the relationship between various instructional strategies and broader conceptions of curriculum, and formulate a plan for how to alter your teaching. The project is broken into four parts: Problem Statement and Research Question(s) (Due September 25) In a 2-3-page paper, identify a problem, struggle, or challenge in your own teaching practice that you

think you can address through curricular innovation. Articulate a process-oriented action research question around this problem. Your question will 4 of 4 likely begin with, How can I? See the description of the Introduction of the final paper (below) for more about what to include in this section. You will be submitting this paper to me and to your peer research group to solicit feedback on Blackboard as you plan this project. Lesson Designs (Due on October 23, October 30, November 6, November 13, and November 20) Starting in Week 4 of class, we will talk about one new instructional strategy each week for 8 weeks. As we progress through the semester, you will design and implement a lesson plan for 5 of the 8 strategies listed in the syllabus. It is up to you to choose which 5 strategies you would like to use. However, each lesson you turn in should be employ a strategy that we have already covered in class (or are discussing that week). Your intention with these lessons should be to further explore your research question and, ultimately, effectively address the problem you have identified by using curriculum as an entry point into changing your teaching practice. You will give a copy of each lesson to me and to your peer research group to solicit feedback on Blackboard prior to teaching it. Each time you submit a lesson to me and to your peer research group, it should be accompanied by a one-paragraph summary of how this lesson reflects a change in your practice based on what you learned from your previous lesson (obviously, you cannot do this for lesson #1). Reflective Journals (Due no more than 3 days after each lesson is taught) After you have taught each lesson, write a journal reflecting on it and submit it via Blackboard. The following are some questions to answer as you reflect on your practice: 1. How did the students react to the particular lesson format, the instructional strategy you employed, and your overall teaching style? 2. What student outcomes were evident in this lesson? 3. What was the evidence of student learning? To what degree did students learn or change during this lesson? 4. What aspects of this lesson worked well? 5. What did not work well? How would you change this lesson the next time you taught this topic so that it better served your students needs? 6. How will you use what you have learned from teaching this lesson to inform how you teach the next lesson? 7. What insight has this lesson lent to answering your research question? Note: These reflection journals do not appear in the course schedule (below), because they will be turned in (to me only) as you teach your lessons. You are responsible for keeping track of when to turn in your own reflective journals. Final Action Research Paper (Due December 4) Your final analytic paper should include the following sections:

1. Introduction (2-3pp) An explanation of the research problem, the institutional and classroom context (including who your students are and 5 of 5 what is your role within the institution), and the research question that has come out of this problem statement. You will have already written this section at the beginning of the semester, and I dont expect that youll have many changes to make on your original Problem Statement and Research Question(s) paper in order for it to become the introductory section of your final paper. 2. Methodology (2-3pp) An account of the story of your curriculum, or what the unit was about, what strategies you used, how you sequenced the content and the strategies, how you reflected on your practice throughout the project (including how you used the assessment instruments to gauge change), and how these reflections shaped the way you designed and approached subsequent lessons, as well as the way your teaching changed in this process. 3. Data Analysis (4-5pp) An analysis of the data you gathered about your own lessons in the form of your reflective journals, your peer feedback, and your students work. In this section, you are really just answering your research question(s). 4. Discussion (3-4pp) A discussion that connects the specific instructional strategies you used in this project to broader theoretical curricular frameworks and issues that we have studied in this course. 5. Conclusion (2-3pp) A summary of the entire paper and a reflection on the implications of this project for your practice as an educator. 6. Appendices Your lesson plans, your reflection journals, your assessment instruments, your mid-project report. The other members of your peer research group will be doing a peer review of your paper using the grading rubric at the end of the semester, and you will be doing the same for their final papers. Powerpoint Presentation (Due December 11) This presentation should capture each component of the project. It is intended to be a way to share your project with the other members of our class. Requirements for Discussion Board Sessions 1. When quoting the work of another scholar, it is important that you cite the work correctly. In unit 2, you will be introduced to a tool, Citeulike, which will help you format your citations. However, the following are examples of what is expected when referring to the work of another scholar. Example within the context of the posting: "Constructivism is an epistemology, a theory of knowledge used to explain how we know what we know" (Lorsbach, 1997). Example at the end of the posting: Lorsbach, A. (1997). Constructivism as a Referent for Science Teaching. Retrieved January 5, 2006, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/research/constructivism.html

2. You are required to respond to a minimum of three other student postings for forums that require interaction with your peers. I will be looking at the way you analyze the postings and extend the conversation. Please use this opportunity to share your own experiences, but remember to support your assertions with current research findings. At this level we can all learn a great deal by sharing our experiences. "Studies report that peer learning promotes greater conceptual and procedural gains for students, accommodates a broad range of learning styles, results in greater enjoyment of the learning task, and encourages a stronger persistence in learning" (Johnson & Johnson, 1999). 3. Your postings will be evaluated based upon the substantive nature and how it efficiently addresses the question at hand. Simple responses such as "I agree" are of no value and will not be counted as an acceptable posting. Try to use what I call the "no scroll" rule. If you have to scroll a great deal to read the posting, it becomes an arduous task. Please try to be succinct and to the point. Strive to respond at the synthesis or evaluation levels.

Discussion Etiquette In this course, I welcome the creation of a dialogue that is open, thoughtful, and founded on the basis of research in the field. At times, some of you will not agree on the positions that are taken in the forum. This diversity is welcomed. However, each student must exercise respect for the thoughts and comments that are posted by their peers. If any posted comments are inappropriate or of an offensive nature, they will be removed from the forum and I will address the issue with the author of the content. Please follow the following guidelines: Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal. Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. Never post content that is harmful, abusive, racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive, vulgar or otherwise potentially offensive.

Unit Schedule Unit 1: Wed, Aug 30 Tues, Sept 4 Assignments due by 9/4: Introduce yourself on Blackboard Ask any questions about the syllabus

Reading due for online discussion by 9/4: Syllabus Unit 2: Wed, Sept 5 Tues, Sept 11 Reading due for online discussion by 9/11: Chapters 1 & 2: The Educational Context for Diversity & Culturally Diverse Learners Matczynski, & Rowley) (Lasley,

Chapter 13: A Historical Perspective of Curriculum Making (McNeil) Week 3: Wed, Sept 12 Tues Sept 18 Assignments due by 9/18: Identify the site for your Action Research Project and get permission from an that site to do your project there. Reading due for online discussion by 9/18: Chapter 3: Instructional Alignment (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 1: Humanistic Curriculum (McNeil) View the video clip (30 minutes) at the website: http://www.teachnow.org The core propositions/standards of the National Board for Professional Standards core propositions at http://www.nbpts.org/the_standards/the_five_core_proposition ***LIVE OPTIONAL DISCUSSION ON GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH SONIA, SEPTEMBER 18, 9-10PM Week 4: Wed, Sept 19 Tues, Sept 25 Assignments due by 9/25: Problem Statement and Research Question(s) paper (submit to Sonia and to peer research group) Reading due for online discussion by 9/25: Chapter 4: Concept Attainment (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 2: The Social Reconstructionist Curriculum (McNeil) Week 5: Wed, Sept 26 Tues, Oct 2 Assignments due by 10/2: Read and give written feedback (on Blackboard) on peers Problem Statement and Research Question(s) paper Reading due for online discussion by 10/2: Chapter 5: Inquiry (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 3: The Systemic Curriculum (McNeil) administrator at

and

"What Teachers Should Know and be Able to Do" available in pdf format or under standards/five

Week 6: Wed, Oct 3 Tues, Oct 9 Reading due for online discussion by 10/9: Chapter 6: Concept Formation (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 4: The Academic Curriculum (McNeil)

Week 7: Wed, Oct 10 Tues, Oct 16 Reading due for online discussion by 10/16: Chapter 7: Synectics (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 5: Deciding What Should be Taught (McNeil)

***LIVE OPTIONAL DISCUSSION ON GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH SONIA, OCTOBER 16, 910PM

Week 8: Wed Oct 17 Tues, Oct 23 Assignments due by 10/23: Lesson plan #1 (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group) Reading due for online discussion by 10/23: Chapter 8: Mnemonics (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 6: Developing and Selecting Learning Opportunities (McNeil)

***GIVE PEERS FEEDBACK ON LESSON #1 BY 10/25

Week 9: Wed, Oct 24 Tues, Oct 30 Assignments due by 10/30: Lesson plan #2 (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group) Reading due for online discussion by 10/30: Chapter 9: Direct Instruction (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 7: Organizing Learning Opportunities (McNeil)

***GIVE PEERS FEEDBACK ON LESSON #2 BY 11/1

Week 10: Wed, Oct 31 Tues, Nov 6 Assignments due by 11/6: Lesson plan #3 (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group) Mid-semester student feedback about the instructor and the course (you will get a form

to fill out for this evaluation)

Reading due for online discussion by 11/6: Chapter 10: Cooperative Learning (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 8: Managing Curriculum (McNeil)

***GIVE PEERS FEEDBACK ON LESSON #3 BY 11/8

Week 11: Wed, Nov 7 Tues, Nov 13 Assignments due by 11/13: Lesson plan #4 (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group) Reading due for online discussion by 11/13: Oral Discussion (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 9: Evaluating the Curriculum (McNeil)

***GIVE PEERS FEEDBACK ON LESSON #4 BY 11/15

Week 12: Wed, Nov 14 Tues, Nov 20 Assignments due by 11/20: Lesson plan #5 (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group) Reading due for online discussion by 11/20: Chapter 12: Developing Teachers for the Culturally Diverse (Lasley, Matczynski, & Rowley) Chapter 6: How Technology is used with Curriculum Orientations (McNeil)

***GIVE PEERS FEEDBACK ON LESSON #5 BY 11/22

Week 13: Wed, Nov 21 Tues, Nov 27 Reading due for online discussion by 11/27:

Chapter 10: The Politics of Curriculum Making (McNeil) Chapter 14: The Promise of Theory and Inquiry in Curriculum (McNeil)

***LIVE OPTIONAL DISCUSSION ON GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH SONIA, NOVEMBER 27, 9-10PM

Week 14: Wed, Nov 28 Tues, Dec 4 Assignments due by 12/4: Action Research Project Final Paper (submit to Sonia and to your peer research group)

Reading due for online discussion by 12/4: Freedom Writers movie and discussion

Week 15: Wed, Dec 5 Tues, Dec 11 Assignments due by 12/11:

Action Research Project Powerpoint Presentation (posted to Blackboard) Peer review of Action Research Project Final Paper Course Evaluations