FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION[1]

 

Term: Fall 2003

Course #: EDU 311X

Instructor: Dr. Thomas N. Barone

Office Phone: (219) 473-4294

E-mail: tbarone@ccsj.edu

Office Location & Hours: Room 300; Mon. 12-3; Tues. 12-4; Wed. 10-12 or by appt.

 

Instructor Background:  

 

Education:  Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education (specialization in Comparative Education) from the State University of New York at Buffalo, 1998

 

M.Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages  (TESOL) from

the State University of New York at Buffalo, 1985: NY State Certification

 

B.A. in Russian Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo, 1982

 

Professional Experience:  English Lecturer, MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia, 1985-1987

English as a Second Language Teacher, Buffalo Public Schools and Niagara Falls Schools, 1987-1993

Erie Community College, Adjunct English Lecturer, 1991-1998

Assistant Professor, Foundations of Education, Northern Illinois University, 1998-2002   

 

Course Time & Location: Tuesday 4-7 pm, Room 308

 

Course Description:  This course is a comprehensive overview of the foundations of education in the United States.  It is an interdisciplinary attempt (providing the historical. political, economic, legal, social and philosophical foundations) to provide preservice teachers with a clear understanding of the teaching profession and the issues and controversies confronting American education today.  The primary focus is to prepare reflective teachers who will be able to make informed decisions to improve and enhance the learning environment for children.

 

Prerequisites: EDU 200

 

Textbook: Foundations of Education: Eighth Edition, A. Ornstein & D. Levine, New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2002

                 

                   Handouts (distributed in class)

 

 

Learning Outcomes/Competencies:

 

  1. Examine the educator’s responsibilities within the teaching profession
  2. Examine the goals educators have and reflect on how these goals influence teaching behavior
  3. Give students a chance to develop & reflect on a personal philosophy of education
  4. Assist the student in defining the role he or she can play as an educator in shaping educational policy
  5. Examine the historical development of American public education and the role of public education in a democratic society
  6. Provide an opportunity to explore current issues and controversies in American education
  7. Examine the rights and responsibilities of teachers, students, and parents in public schools and the role judicial systems play in defining these rights and responsibilities
  8. Examine the role of the local school system and its relationship to state and federal influences on education
  9. Examine how schooling influences, and is influenced by, equity issues (social, gender, cultural, economic and racial differences)

 

Defining Foundations of Education:

 

Foundations of Education study employs a number of different disciplinary perspectives to discern how schools equip young people to assume adult positions in American society.  The aim of such study is not simply to describe accurately the connection between the internal organization of schools and their socializing mission. Foundations also refers to a tradition of academic that seeks to expose and make explicit the relationships between educational methods and values….Foundational study, therefore, contains a prescriptive as well as a descriptive dimension: to consider in tandem what schools are doing and what they ought to be doing.  Foundational study serves to deepen the ability of prospective and veteran teachers to answer the overarching question: Why do schools operate they way they do?

 

Foundations of education study brings interdisciplinary resources to bear in developing interpretive, normative and critical perspectives in education, both inside and outside of schools.

 

The interpretive perspectives use concepts and theories developed within the humanities and the social sciences to assist students in examining, understanding and explaining education within different contexts.

 

 

The normative perspectives assist students in examining and explaining education in light of value orientations.  Foundational studies promote understanding of normative and ethical behavior in educational development and recognition of the inevitable presence of normative influences in educational thought and practice.

 

The critical perspectives employ normative interpretations to assist students to develop inquiry skills, to question educational assumptions and arrangements and to identify contradictions and inconsistencies among social and educational values, policies and practices.                          

                                                            (The Council of Learned Societies, 1996)

 

Course Requirements:

 

  1. Students must attend class regularly and participate in class discussion and activities since the quality of the class is affected by student involvement.
  2. Students will be required to write several reflective papers which reflect their knowledge of course topics and their ability to reflect on educational practice.  There will also be a field component for reflective assignments.
  3. Two exams will be given during the course (a midterm and final) that will test the extent to which students have mastered the material from the textbook and can apply these concepts to their professional development.
  4. Students will be required to write a position paper (in APA or MLA style) that reflects the debate around an educational issue relevant to the Foundations of Education.  Students will be put in groups and research an educational debate or issue. A written proposal must be submitted and approved prior to research and a class presentation on your topic is required before the end of the semester.

The position papers should be 5-7 pages long, be properly referenced and organized according to an acceptable research paper style format.

Assessment:

 

            Exams (Midterm & Final)-40%

            Group Assignment: Position Paper & Presentation-30%

            Reflective Assignments-20%

            Attendance-10%

 

Grading Scale:

   A-90-100

                           B-80-89

                           C-70-79

                           D-60-69

                           F- <60

 

Attendance Policy:

 

Students who miss more than two classes without a valid excuse will have their final grade lowered by a letter grade. Students who miss more than three classes will fail the class.

 

 

 

           

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

 

I. THE TEACHING PROFESSION

 

Week One (9/2):

 

Course Introduction, Discussion of Syllabus

Chapter 1- “Motivation, Preparation and Conditions for the Entering Teacher”

 

Week Two (9/9):

 

Chapter 2-“The Teaching Profession”

 

Handout:  “The Executive Approach” from Approaches to Teaching, G. Fenstermacher & J. Soltis

 

 

II. HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS

 

Week Three (9/16):

 

Chapter 4-“Philosophical Roots of Education”

 

Handouts:  “ The Therapist Approach” &  “The Liberationist Approach” from Approaches to Teaching, G. Fenstermacher & J. Soltis

 

 

Week Four (9/23):

Chapter  6- “Historical Development of American Education”

 

        History of Education video-“School”

 

       Reflective Assignment One Due

 

 

III. ECONOMIC & LEGAL FOUNDATIONS

 

Week Five (9/30):

 

Chapter 8-“Financing Public Education”(selected pages)

 

Chapter 9-“Legal Aspects of Education”

 

 

Week Six (10/7):

 

Chapter 9-“Legal Aspects of Education” (cont.)

 

Midterm Review

 

Group Presentation Proposal Due

 

 

Week Seven (10/14):

 

MIDTERM EXAM

 

 

IV.  SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS

 

 

Week Eight (10/21):

 

Chapter 10-“Culture, Socialization and Education”

 

Handout- “Youth Culture and the Student Peer Group”, from The Way Schools Work, K. deMarrais & M. LeCompte (Eds.)

 

 

Week Nine (10/28):

 

Chapter 11-“Social Class, Race, and School Achievement”

 

Handout-“Educational Equality for Students of Color”, Geneva Gay, from Multicultural Education, 4th Ed., Banks & Banks (Eds.)

 

 

Week Ten (11/4):

 

Chapter 12-“Providing Equal Educational Opportunity”

 

Video-Equal Educational Opportunity, “School”

 

Handout: Tatum, B. (1994).  Teaching white students about racism: The search for white allies and the restoration of hope.  Teacher’s College Record, 462-476.

 

 

 

 

 

Week Eleven (11/11):

 

Chapter 13- “The Purposes of Education”

 

Chapter 14-“Curriculum and Instruction”

 

Reflective Assignment Two Due

 

 

Week Twelve (11/18):

 

Handouts-“Reframing Comparative Education”, from Comparative Education, R. Arnove

                 & C. Torres (Eds.)

 

Lickona, T. (1991).  Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility.  New York: Bantam Books.

(“The Case for Values Education”)

 

Kohn, A. (1997, February).  How not to teach values: A critical look at character education. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(6),  429-439.

 

 

Week Thirteen (11/25):

 

Group Presentations

 

Video-“First Year Teaching”

 

Final Exam Review/Course Evaluation

 

 

Week Fourteen (12/2):

 

Group Presentations

 

Position Papers Due, December 5th

 

FINAL EXAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTASC PRINCIPLES:

 

#1:            The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry and the structures of the discipline(s) he/she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

#2:            The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.

#3:            The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

#4:            The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

#5:            The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation.

#6:            The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.

#7:            The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, the community and curriculum goals.

#8:            The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner.

#9:            The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others…and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

#10:            The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well-being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COLLEGE INFORMATION & POLICIES:

 

Center for Academic Excellence:

 

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

 

 

Statement Regarding Plagiarism:

 

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel finds that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College.  The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of the CCSJ Handbook that addresses student grievances.

 

Citation Guidelines:

 

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA & Chicago Manual of Style). All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

 

Withdrawal From Class Policy:

 

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), a student may withdraw from a course in which she/he is registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the Catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number, 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.

 

An official withdrawal is recorded as a “W” grade on the student’s transcripts. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an “F” grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



[1] Revisions to this syllabus will be discussed in class