Norda, Inc.

Norda, Inc. - Alternative Certification & Professional Development for Teachers and Administrators

EDWN 600 Instructional Design and Classroom Management

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs
Norda Program

Fall 2011
3 credits Blended Course

Course Meetings: Course meets twice during semester. Each meeting is Friday 6-9; Saturday 9-4

Prerequisite: Admission to Norda Alternative Licensure Program

Instructor: Margaret Foss, Ph.D.
Available by phone, M-W 9-4: 715-532-6084

Course Description
This is one of two courses in the teacher certification process for participants in Project Teaching, an alternative certification program approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Participants learn about the conceptual framework for teacher licensure in Wisconsin and are guided in their development toward “proficient performance in the knowledge, skills, and dispositions in each of the 10 Wisconsin Teacher Standards” required for licensure. This course emphasizes instructional design and classroom management.

Student Learning Objectives
On completion of the course students are expected to be able to do the following.

These course objectives are aligned with the Wisconsin Teacher Standards and are numbered accordingly.

Textbooks
Texts are handed out during the first class meeting.
Various supplemental material will be handed out.

Online resources are listed with reading assignments.

Texts also include websites listed on the Project Teaching home page
Various supplemental materials will be handed out.

Topical Course Outline


Session

Class meeting

Topics

Reading Assignments

Written Assignments

Prior to Session 1

 

 

Investigate these Rural Education web sites:
http://www.nrea.net/
http://www.ruralschools.org/resources/
http://www.edvantia.org/publications/...
http://www.nwrel.org/ruraled/
http://www.parss.org/
http://www.mnrea.org/
Scan these web sites. Read in depth those that seem most useful to you:
General
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/firstyear/
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tech/international/guide_pg10.html
http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/keys_effective_communication_91344.php
http://www.managementhelp.org/commskls/cmm_face.htm 
Communicating with Colleagues and Administrators
http://www.learnnc.org/articles/christinaryan
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/research.kuh.pdf
http://www.massteacher.org/career/new_members/communications/communications_colleagues.cfm
Parent Communication
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2774
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/736
http://www.learnnc.org/articles/ParentComm1
http://www.learnnc.org/articles/buher-parents0701
http://www.learnnc.org/articles/Conferences
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/futureteachers/communicating.htm
http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/Communication/HowWinningTeachersUseCommunication.htm
http://www.teach-nology.com/ideas/parent_communication/
http://www.4teachers.org/testimony/sumner/index.shtml
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev103.shtml
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin367.shtml
http://www.slc.sevier.org/effecom.htm
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/voice/voice116.shtml

 


Session 1

Class meeting

Topics

Reading Assignments

Written Assignments

 

Friday evening, Saturday

Program Orientation & Logistics

The Context of Teaching

Child development

Communication skills

  • Written/Verbal/Nonverbal
  • Communication within the school setting and outside the school

 

 

After Session 1

 

 

[following session 1, review materials in Curtin 4, 10]

 

Rural Education Paper;
Communication Paper

Before Session 2

 

 

Curtin 5,6,7,9
Lemov chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and view video examples

Description of students;
Unit plan - lessons

Session  2

Friday evening, Saturday

Student Behavior Management Models
Instructional Strategies

  • Including but not limited to differentiated Instruction, inquiry, direct instruction,
  • Learning and Teaching Styles

 

 

After Session 2

 

 

 

Classroom Management Plan;
Instructional Strategies Paper


Written work details Assignments will be received and responded to primarily by email. If for some reason that doesn’t work, the U.S. mail service will be used. All written work should be submitted in APA style and should include supporting citations whenever appropriate. Feedback will be provided on all work. When work is completed and final edits made, all papers should be inserted into the Portfolio 1 in Efolio.com, using the “basic” template in order to cut and paste the papers directly into the online portfolio.

Rural Education Paper (Standard 3)

Write a 3- to 5-page paper describing five perceived problems and five perceived advantages for rural schools.

Characteristic

Wow 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Advantages

Five clear advantages are described and discussed

Descriptions are not thorough or fewer advantages are addressed

Only one or two advantages are described

Problems

Five clear problems are described and discussed

Descriptions are not thorough or fewer problems are addressed

Only one or two problems are described

Clarity

Thinking is clear and follows logically

Minor flaws in logic exist in the overall paper

Thinking is a little disconnected

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Communication with Students, Parents and Colleagues Paper

Standard 10: Parents and Colleague Communication

Write a 3-5-page paper describing a plan for teacher/parent/colleague/community communication. Address each of the following areas specifically:

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Parents

Communication strategies are realistic and described completely

Strategies are incomplete or slightly unrealistic

Strategies are confusing and completely unrealistic

Colleagues/administration

Communication strategies are realistic and described completely

Strategies are incomplete or slightly unrealistic

Strategies are confusing and completely unrealistic

Community

Communication strategies are realistic and described completely

Strategies are incomplete or slightly unrealistic

Strategies are confusing and completely unrealistic

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Standard 6: Student Communication

Write a 2-3 page paper to include: regular communication, communication in the classroom necessary for learning and teaching, in cases of disciplinary problems, academic problems, and communication providing genuine praise.

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Routine, regular

Communication strategies are realistic and described completely

Strategies are incomplete or slightly unrealistic

Strategies are confusing and completely unrealistic

Special circumstances

More than two (one positive and one negative) special circumstances are described in detail

At least two (one positive and one negative) special circumstances are described in detail

Special situations are not addressed fully

Cohesiveness

Overall plan makes sense and is consistent throughout

Plan is unrealistic or incomplete in a minor way

Plan is unrealistic or incomplete in a major way

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Classroom Management Plan (Standard 5)

Outline a classroom management plan based on assigned readings and classroom discussions. Describe strategies for preventing misbehavior. Identify consequences for occasional and chronic misbehavior. Include a description of how you would incorporate conflict resolution in your classroom management routine.

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Prevention

Describes a clear set of steps to prevent misbehavior and keep students on task

Set of steps is missing something minor

Set of steps is missing something major

Conflict resolution

Describes the use of conflict resolution strategies between self and peers, and among students

Conflict resolution strategies are not described for both groups

Strategies are not clear enough to implement

Consequences: positive and negative

Clearly describes how to deal with positive and negative behaviors in an equitable way

One of the strategies is unrealistic or incomplete in its description

One of the situations is not fully described or strategies show favoritism of some sort

Cohesiveness of plan

Plan is clear and all components match one another in style or approach

A small mismatch is apparent among strategies

Strategies are disconnected in a significant way

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Curriculum Unit Components

Standard 2: Developmental Characteristics of Students

Describe the intellectual, social and personal developmental characteristics of students for which this unit is designed. Describe how your unit meets these developmental characteristics.

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Description of student intellectual characteristics for the student group you’re targeting

Characteristics are described fully and fit current thinking about intellectual development for the age you’ve selected

Characteristics have small errors in descriptions or are slightly off from that expected for your selected age

Characteristics are unclear or don’t match those commonly identified for the age you’ve selected

Description of student social & personal characteristics for the student group you’re targeting

Characteristics are described fully and fit current thinking about social and personal development for the age you’ve selected

Characteristics have small errors in descriptions or are slightly off from that expected for your selected age

Characteristics are unclear or don’t match those commonly identified for the age you’ve selected

Connection to your unit

A brief, but clear explanation shows how your unit fits with the developmental stage of the students

There is a slight mismatch between the unit activities/goals and the student characteristics

Explanation is not connected to both unit and child development characteristics

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Standard 4: Two Week Unit

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Unit matches Wisconsin Standards (WMAS)

Clear markings identify WMAS at the beginning of the unit

WMAS are matched to the unit in general terms, or include more WMAS items than needed

Selected standards do not fit the unit outcomes

Content/activities match objectives

Activities planned obviously support the selected objectives

Activities are disconnected from the objectives in a minor way

Mismatch of activities and objectives

Multiple learning strategies used

Learning activities use  4 or more different strategies

Activities use 3 different strategies

Only 1-2 strategies are used

Clear plans are written for each day

Each lesson is described succinctly, but with enough detail that someone else could follow the plan

Plans are too long or too short to be understood

Plans are unclear or have not been completely modified for use in this unit

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Instructional Strategies Paper (Standard 4)

Visit http://norda.us/contentareas.aspx View the general web sites and those specific to your subject area and write a paper that includes:

Once you have completed the list, speak with a subject area teacher or teachers you know in your local area. Ask what the teacher thinks are the most important and/or useful in their classroom. Ask the teacher why s/he feels that way. Write a summary reflecting on the discussion.

Characteristic

Wow - 5

OK – 4

Oops – 3

Instructional strategies

6 or more strategies are described and the appropriate audience is described for each

4-5 strategies are described, most include audience

2-3 strategies are described, with a couple suggesting appropriate audience

Strategy usefulness

Strengths and weaknesses of each strategy are identified

Strengths and weaknesses of most strategies are identified

A couple of strengths and weaknesses are mentioned

Interview

A concise description of the interview is included

The description of the interview is either too lengthy.

The description is incomplete

Personal reflections

Reflective comments directly connected to the interview and strategies are included and show careful thought about potential for personal use of several strategies

Reflective comments focus on only a couple of the strategies presented in the paper or interview

Reflections are too general or trite

Writing mechanics

Few, minor errors

Some errors

Many errors

Grading Criteria

Grade will be based on overall percent of points earned.

Grading Scale

A

90-100%

B

80-89%

C

70-79%

NC

below 70%

Writing Center & Library Services

Saint Mary’s University’s Twin Cities Campus Library is available to help students access online and print resources, develop search strategies, find scholarly sources, evaluate information, and more.  Please see the Library Web page. For further assistance, contact a librarian at the Twin Cities Campus Library at 612-728-5108 or toll-free at 866-437-2788, ext. 108.

Norda Policies for Successful Completion

Portfolio
Progress in our certification program is based on two portfolios:

Twenty (20) Hours Pre-Practicum Experience Requirement (Standard 9)
Complete a practicum with the minimum of twenty (20) hours in a school of your choice. This can be accomplished in the following ways: by substitute teaching, “permit” teaching with a placement minimum of twenty (20) hours, or through classroom observation. This practicum must be monitored by an experienced teacher or a school administrator. Include observations/experience with the special needs student population in an inclusive classroom. (Practicum can be completed when enrolled in either EDWN 601 or EDWN 600. It must be completed prior to the student teaching placement.)
Write a daily or weekly reflective journal detailing your practicum experiences. Include descriptions of classroom/inclusion instructional activities, modifications/adaptations for exceptional students, events, student behavior management that you observe or participate in. Finally reflect on your experiences, by describing ways in which they have helped you understand and participate in teaching experiences.

To validate your practicum experiences, the mentor teacher or administrator must sign off on your experiences on the 20-Hours Documentation form.

Additional Assignments for Specific Certifications

Early Childhood Early/middle childhood practicum experience (Standard 3) This applies only to teachers to be licensed in birth to age 21 (agriculture, art, business, English as a second language, family & consumer education, music, health, physical education, technology, theatre, and world languages).

Cooperatives PI 34.15(4)(a) Cooperative marketing and consumer cooperatives. (Standard 4) This applies only to teachers to be licensed in agriculture, economics, or social studies.

Environmental Education PI 34.15(4)(b) Environmental education including the conservation of natural resources. (Standard 4) This applies only to teachers to be licensed in agriculture. science, or social studies.