Calumet College of St. Joseph
Education 436:
Management Strategies for the Classroom
Term: Day Cohort – Fall, 2003
Course Number: Educ. 436
Instructor: John M. Shields, Ph.D.
Office Phone: (219) 473-4262
Email Address: jshields@ccsj.edu
Office Hours: T.B.A.
Or By Appointment
Instructor’s Background:
Educational:
Presently a Ph.D. Candidate in Constructive Theology at Loyola University of Chicago; M.A. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame (1999); Ph.D. and M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Loyola University of Chicago (1987 and 1976 respectively); B.A. in Philosophy from Tolentine College (1972).
Professional:
I have served the educational community as Adjunct Professor at both Loyola University of Chicago and Calumet College of St. Joseph, as Superintendent of Schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary (1992-1999), as Principal of Bishop Noll Institute (1987-1992), and as an Educator/Administrator at Mendel Catholic High School (1973-1987).
Course Time: Monday thru Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Course Description: The teacher candidate will gain knowledge and practical experiences in order to develop knowledge, disposition, and performance skills about classrooms and instructional organization, that is, about selection and arrangement of classroom materials, implementation of rules and procedures for the management of student work, problem behavior and special student groups, planning for the beginning of the school year, maintenance of appropriate student behaviors, and communication strategies for effective classroom management. Field experience required.
Prerequisites: Educ. 200, 300, 311, 342, 430.
Texts:
The First Days of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher by Harry K. and Rosemary T. Wong (Mountain View, CA: Harry T. Wong Publications, 1998).
Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie Kohn (Washington, DC: ASCD Publications, 1996).
Educating for Character by Thomas Lickona (New York: Bantam, 1992).
Learning Outcomes/Competencies:
This course invites the teacher candidate to view the management of the classroom from a broad perspective. That is to say, this class will not merely focus on the understanding and possible application of given “programs” for classroom management (to use a more tradition term, “student discipline”) but on a more holistic approach to classroom management, taking as its cue the noted educator Harry Wong’s threefold perspective on the “effective teacher.” This is the perspective wherein the effective teacher succeeds as teacher by developing the inter-related skills of positive motivation, planning and executing lessons for mastery, and managing the learning environment. Furthermore, the teacher candidate will be asked to come to understand and evaluate various programs or models of classroom management as to their effectiveness and consonance with her/his philosophy of education. This will be done in the light of Alfie Kohn’s understanding of classroom management as an exercise of building an educational community. Finally, the student will be asked to come to understand and apply to lesson planning Thomas Lickona’s belief that “educating for character” should animate one’s educational efforts.
In this sense then, Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, both from the cognitive (especially “evaluating”) and affective (especially “valuing”) domains will figure into the achievement of course competencies.
Thus, in this course, the student will:
Come to understand that employment of various management strategies reflects an implicit philosophy of education. Educational value judgments can and do “fuel” management practices.
In the light of the above, to come to an informed, i.e., personally appropriated and adequately defended position on the value of a given perspective on classroom management.
Come to observe, understand and evaluate the effectiveness of various management strategies employed by veteran practitioners in the field by way of field experience.
Come to understand and evaluate the effectiveness of the holistic Harry Wong claims for the nature of the “effective teacher” by way of text and video analysis accompanied by evaluative discussion in the light of timely educational research.
Demonstrate the ability to research, share collegially, and evaluate appropriate literature on effective teaching and management strategies.
Come to apply the Lickona concept of “educating for character” by creating and executing a lesson plan on “value education.”
Learning Strategies:
At this point in one’s program of preparation for the teaching profession, the teacher candidate will have reached a certain maturity in understanding the art and science of teaching. Therefore, this course will, in many instances, seek to combine instructor input with carefully reflected discussion of the topics identified in the outline below. In other words, the course should take on the tone of a “seminar” where researched knowledge and educational values are shared in a respectful manner. Therefore, it is essential that all students read the assigned readings well in advance of the class and provide input to the seminar via timely research study. We will be viewing a number of videos from Harry Wong’s series on the effective teacher. Wong’s presentations - in tandem with correlated research done by each student - will serve as the basis for discussion during the first section of the course.
Moreover, we will view selected videos in order to come to understand the basic tenets of various popular programs for classroom management with a view to holding them up to Alfie Kohn’s critique of them. This exercise will serve to stimulate the teacher candidate to take a personal and informed position not only on a management program but also on the underlying values grounding such a program.
Finally, we will spend the latter part of the course discussing Thomas Lickona’s claim that education is a matter of skills and character development. Such an approach will serve to stimulate the development of sample “values education” lesson plans.
Assessment:
1. Five “Mini-Research” Reflections 30 points
2. Field Experience Analysis & Reflection 10 points
3. Position Paper on Management 30 points
4. Lesson Plan on Character Education 30 points
100 points total
Please note that assignments will be due on the days specified in the calendar below. There will be no exceptions. All written assignments are to be typed, double spaced, and in good grammar/sentence structure. Also please note that – in the matter of attendance to class – students who miss more than three full or partial days of class will be penalized by the by the reduction of their final grades by one letter grade level.
Grading will be according to the following point scale:
A: 93-100 B: 85-92 C: 77-84 D: 70-76 F: 69 and below
Tentative Calendar:
Day One Lection Brevis: Goals, Tasks, Syllabus Clarification
The Effective Teacher: Intro. Video, Ch 1-5 of Wong Text
Day Two The First Days of School Video, Ch 6-10 of Wong Text*
Discussion of First Mini-Research Paper
Day Three Discipline & Procedures Video, Ch 11-20 of Wong Text*
Procedures & Rules Video, Ch 11-20 of Wong Text*
Day Four Cooperative Learning & Culture Video, Ch 21-24 of Wong Text*
Lesson Mastery Video, Ch 21-24 of Wong Text*
Day Five The Professional Educator, Ch 25-26 of Wong Text*
Day Six Positive Expectations – Wong Concluded and Evaluated*
Day Seven Investigating Assertive and Cooperative Discipline
Group Evaluations of Discipline Plans – Some Possible Criteria
Day Eight Investigating and Evaluating Kohn’s Claims
Strategies for Constructing an Adequate Position Paper
Strategies for Conducting Field Experience
Day Nine Conduct and Process Field Experience – No class!
Day Ten Field Experience Debriefing
Discussion of Lickona Thesis
Day Eleven Presentations of Sample Lessons for Character Education
Day Twelve Presentations of Sample Lessons for Character Education
N.B. The Position Paper on the Kohn Thesis, From Compliance to Community, will be due on the Wednesday following the last class by no later than 12 noon. There will be no exceptions to this deadline date. A failure to turn the paper in by said deadline will result in the complete loss of points for this assignment!
N.B. Days in the calendar identified with the “*” are days on which one page mini-research reflections are due.
Assignment Rubrics:
All mini-research reports are to be at least one page in length; they are syntheses. Each report must apply – in a general way – to the topic identified in the calendar. They are to be identified by: title, author, journal citation. They are to summarize the author’s perspective and must also contain the teacher candidate’s evaluation of the author’s claim. Each student will be asked to contribute to the seminar discussion from the perspective of the research completed.
The “Position Paper” must take a stand on Alfie Kohn’s perspective on classroom management. The paper must be no longer that five pages (typed and double spaced). It must contain the following essential elements:
1. Statement of thesis, i.e., agreement or disagreement with the Kohn thesis.
2. This statement of the thesis must include a clear understanding/description of the Kohn perspective.
3. A presentation of a contrary position with accompanying support for that position.
4. A well reasoned argument for the rejection of one thesis in favor of the other.
5. Thus, at least two major reference perspectives must be included in the argument: Kohn and another author.
6. All references must be made according to APA standards.
The “Field Experience” Reflection Paper must adhere to the following guidelines:
1. The Field Experience must comprise one full day of classroom observations.
2. Every effort should be made to observe the classrooms of at least two teachers with one teacher being a veteran of 5 years experience or longer.
3. The Reflection Paper summarizing the Field experience must include: some anecdotal information identifying and supporting the employment of a recognizable program of classroom management; indication of a failure to employ a systematic approach towards classroom management (if that be the case from observations); an evaluation by the teacher candidate of the effectiveness of the management strategies observed.
4. The Reflection Paper must be typed, double spaced, and be no more than five pages in length.
The “Lesson Plan” on “Character Education must comprise the following:
1. The Plan must indicate the characteristics of the hypothetical class in which the lesson is to be delivered.
2. The Plan must identify clearly the “character education” goals, which it seeks to accomplish with the class.
3. The Plan must identify clearly the activities to be employed in order to accomplish said goals.
4. The Plan must include some method of assessment/evaluation in order to measure the success of the Plan in achieving its goals.
5. The Teacher candidate must present the actual lesson in the seminar class setting (asking then for colleagues to role play a class).
INTASC Principles Applicable To This Class:
Principle 4. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills.
Principle 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.
Principle 6. The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
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, which addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner).
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).