Dr. Jacque Ensign Class meetings: Monday 5-7:25pm

Office: Davis 210H Room: BU 427

Phone: 392-6442 Fax: 392-5927

E-mail: ensign@southernct.edu (preferable way to reach me and get a response) When you e-mail me, on subject ?line put your name, EDU 619 ( ), and subject of message.?

http://www.southernct.edu/~ensign/ has course information and links for your assignments

Office Hours:(best to make appointment as sometimes I meet outside my office due to space problems)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Sharing of knowledge, a means of improving professional understanding concerning education. The student will contribute information on the procedures and/or findings of a field study.
COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will

• Critically discuss a number of current issues in education in the US

• Relate current research to issues discussed in class

• Investigate a current issue in the field from multiple perspectives

READINGS

Required Readings:

Recommended Reading:

Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice, Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, 1994.

Noll, James. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Educational Issues, II/e. Dushkin, 2000.

REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

Assessment will be an integral part of weekly course work. Students will be evaluated on the basis of:

1. In-class writings will be given at the very beginning of class so be on time. 20%
2. student-led discussion of weekly reading: Each student will be responsible for leading a discussion on a weekly reading. This involves submissions three weeks in a row. 1) One week before your discussion: Submit an in-class writing assignment question or prompt. 2) Day of your discussion: Turn in an evaluation of each team member in your group, including yourself. List what each did and how that contributed to the team's effort. 3) By the following class, you are to have graded the in-class writings and have them to return to authors as well as copies for the professor. 30%
3. research project. You are to pick a current issue in education to research in a field study. This involves doing primary research by interviewing and observing, but also involves substantial research in scholarly and teachers’ journals. Your final written report is to present as many facets of this issue as you have found in the literature and in the field. Critically synthesize the facets, ending with your conclusion of the implications of this issue for teachers and how you would deal with it in your own teaching. Be sure to include citations within your paper and a complete bibliography. Copies of your final paper will also be uploaded onto the course website for others to read. = 50%

Criteria for Written Assignments

To be effective, all written assignments must reflect accurate understanding of the content of the reading and "need to open with a clear thesis that is arguable, followed by supporting quotations or other evidence; then …an explanation how that evidence supports your thesis." (wording from Mike Shea HON 150, spring 2000 when co-taught with Jacque Ensign)

Criteria for in-class writings: see handout

Criteria for student-led discussion: see handout

Criteria for research project: see handout

Evaluation Criteria

I expect quality. Don't mistake my flexibility as meaning I accept half-done work. Papers written outside of class are to be thoughtful, well-organized, and polished mechanically. Working hard is expected- it is not grounds for a higher grade. I use the following guides for final grades:

MODES OF INSTRUCTION

Course activities include discussion of readings, in-class writes, films, a field trip, and invited speakers. Course participants are expected to substantially participate in class activities.

ATTENDANCE AND SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS POLICY

Unless there are extenuating circumstances, students are expected to be at every class for the entire two and a half hours. Not being present for the entire class counts as an absence. Being late or missing more than one class may seriously affect your grade. Assignments are to be typed and be turned in on the day due. Late assignments are unacceptable . If you have to miss a class, you may mail, fax, or e-mail the assignment so that it is in my hands by the beginning of class.

?If class is canceled for any reason, please come to the next class prepared for both that class and the canceled one.

JOURNALS AND WWW ADDRESSES RELEVANT TO THIS COURSE

A journal differs from a magazine in the way articles are reviewed, and in the level of scholarship of the articles. Journals are usually peer-reviewed, rather than using only the editor. Journal articles tend to be more research-based, more theoretically-based, and hence more difficult to read! To be considered a journal article, it must include research, a substantial bibliography, and show that it is part of a reputable publication. BE VERY CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU USE ON THE WEB! One source of on-line journal articles is EbscoHost. To reach this, use http://csulib.ctstateu.edu, then go into Databases, then into EbscoHost, then limit the search to Peer Reviewed and Full Text. (If you are doing this from off-campus, you must configure your browser to get access to this site. See site instructions.)

Education

Education and Urban Society

Educational Forum

Educational Leadership

Families in Society

Family and Community Health

Family Law Quarterly

Harvard Educational Review

Journal of Conflict Resolution

Phi Delta Kappan

Preventing School Failure

Review of Educational Research

Technology and Learning

Youth and Society

(These are not journals but can be useful in gathering background information: Teacher, Ed Week)

http://www.ed.govUS Govt. publications, click on Topics A-Z

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Faultline/Our Nation on the Faultline: Hispanic American Education

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/YouthIndicators/excellent statistics & details

http://nces.ed.gov/NCES/ National Center for Education Statistics

http://www.ncbe.gwu.edueducating linguistically & culturally diverse students

http://www-ref.usc.edu/~cmmr/Center for Multilingual Multicultural Research

http://www.families.comactivist Family Education Network, covers today's issues

http://www.liszt.comlists on-line discussion groups & how to join

http://www.lsoft.com/lists/list_q.html also lists on-line discussion groups

http://www.capecod.net/schrockguidegreat site for connections to topics in education

http://epn.orgElectronic Policy Network

http://edweb.gsn.orgExploring Technology and School Reform

http://www.cce.org/docs.cfm The Center for Collaborative Education, NYC site for schools like Central Park East

http://www.cehn.org Children’s Environmental Health

http://www.rubrics.com Go to Rubricator, then "see it" to construct rubrics

http://ali.apple.com/ali/ Apple Learning Interchange, rich source on technology & ed

http://www.southernct.edu/departments/cat Center for Adaptive Technology with good links

for research, writing, & citation help:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/introduction.html

http://www.science.widener.edu/~withers/inform.htm How to Recognize an Informational Web Page

as a friend of mine, Kathleen Knight, has said, "Using the Web is often like going to the bathroom wall in a bus-station and trying to discover facts about who loves whom, who's sleeping with whom, etc. ... It's a source, but it ain't verifiable and it ain't reliable." Use the Widener site to be sure your information is more reliable than the bus station.

http://clever.net/quinion/words/citation.htm Citing Online Sources

Sept. 11 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE.

Sept. 18: EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

film: Classroom Interviews in Action

assignment due:

Jernstedt, G. Christian. "Experiential Components in Academic Courses." In Kraft, Richard (ed). Experiential Learning in Schools and Higher Education. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1995, 357-371.

Be ready for first in-class write at 5pm.

In class: sign-up for Outer Island trip and leading class discussion on one reading for Oct. 2, 9, 23; Nov. 20, 27

Sept. 23 or 24 (Saturday or Sunday) EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

?Raindates: Sept. 30, Oct. 1)

Trip to Outer Island, meet at Stony Creek dock at 9:45

Sept. 25: begin project research.

Oct. 2: TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

films: Technology: Hype or Hope; Geometric Supposer

assignment due:

Reading from Gordon, The Digital Classroom, 19-35

Proposal of topic you are researching for your project and sources

(your name, your project topic, list citations for at least 2 journal articles)

Oct. 9: TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

film: Write Tools for Angie

assignment due:

Reading from Gordon, The Digital Classroom, 36-66

Oct. 16: LEGAL ISSUES FOR TEACHERS

guest speaker: Clifton Graves

assignment due: Reading from Miller, Ready to Learn, 91-121

Update on your research: Your name, your project topic, your primary question, a summary of this project so far, including sources. List sub-questions you have not yet answered through your research and where you will search for those answers.

Oct. 23: TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

film: Learner Profile

assignment due: Reading from Gordon, The Digital Classroom, 69-89

Oct. 30: HOMESCHOOL

films: clips from CBS &Channel 1

assignment due: Reading: Ensign, Jacque. "Defying the Stereotypes of Special Education: Homeschool Students." Lines, Patricia. "When Home Schoolers Go to School: A Partnership Between Families and Schools." in special issue, "Home Education in Context, Practice, and Theory." Peabody Journal of Education , Vol. 75, No.1 & 2, 2000, 147-186.

Nov. 6 independent research on final project

assignment due: Reading from Harris, J. John & Donna Ford. "Hope Deferred Again: Minority Students Underrepresented in Gifted Programs" Education and Urban Society. 1999, 31 (2), 225-237.

Renzulli, Joseph. "A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships: Developing the Gifts and Talents of All Students." Phi Delta Kappan. Oct. 1998, 105-111.

Nov. 20: APPROACHES TO TEACHING THE EARLY GRADES

assignment due: Reading from Tomlinson, Carol. "Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction." Educational Leadership. September 1999, 12-16.

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Nov. 27: APPROACHES TO TEACHING THE LATER GRADES

?film: Pedagogy, Research, and Practice

assignment due: Reading from Miller, Ready to Learn, 21-61

Dec. 4 : REPORTS ON RESEARCH PROJECTS

Dec. 11: : COURSE WRAP-UP

assignment due: Final paper (15 –20 pages) on your research project

?Also, bring your paper on a disk to upload onto the course website.