Calumet College of St. Joseph
Education 311: Foundations of Education
Term: Transition to Teaching – Spring, 2004
Course Number: Educ 311s
Instructor: John M. Shields, Ph.D.
Office Phone: (219) 473-4262
Email Address: jshields@ccsj.edu
Office Hours: 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: Served as Adjunct Professor at both Loyola University of Chicago and Calumet College of St. Joseph; Superintendent of Schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary (1992-1999); Principal of Bishop Noll Institute (1987-1992); and Educator/Administrator at Mendel Catholic High School (1973-1987).
Course Time and Location: Saturdays - 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Course Description: The course provides an overview of the historical basis of the present educational system as well as its social impact and future implications. Cultural, ethnic, and minority expectations of school; the legal rights and responsibilities of students and teachers; and philosophies and theories of education are highlighted. Field experience is required.
Prerequisites: Educ 200
Textbook: Foundations of Education: Eighth Edition by Alan C. Ornstein and Daniel U. Levine (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
This is an expensive book and filled with much information (and many reader friendly charts, bullets, etc.). While we will not read every page/chapter of the text, the book is worthwhile having as a quick and ready resource on the various aspects of Educational Foundations. Throughout the course, we will also read “primary” reading selections as handouts when appropriate.
Learning Outcomes/Competencies:
When one engages in the art and science which teaching is, one does so from within the context of a history and a culture. This is inevitable since all human beings belong to a community steeped in a history in which ideas, values, and beliefs are shared, challenged, transformed, and transmitted over time. Thus, what we teach, why we teach, and how we teach are always informed, either implicitly or explicitly (and for better or for worse), by the philosophical, historical, and political foundations which serve as the underpinnings for our professional actions as educators. This course will, therefore, serve to facilitate a clearer, and thus more explicit, understanding of those foundations.
Our goal then is twofold: to come to a greater understanding of the philosophical, historical, and political foundations of American education, and to come to evaluate those foundations with a view towards developing our own personal self-reflective philosophy of education. Thus, while this course will offer the student the opportunity to appropriate the relevant historical, philosophical, and political (legal) facts/concepts available in a “foundations” course in American education, the primary goal of this course is to facilitate the critically reflective development of a coherent philosophy of education.
Thus, students in this course will:
Come to understand the key philosophical stances over time which have come to influence what, why, and how American educators have come to teach and to demonstrate that understanding by the development of teaching strategies which reflect those various stances.
Come to understand the major factors and themes which have and continue to inform the historical project which American education is and to make a critical evaluative judgment of those themes.
Come to understand the political/legal nature of the project of American education. This will require understanding the key facts/concepts inherent in a political/legal understanding of the American educational system(s).
Come to synthesize and critically appropriate foundational understandings into a personal philosophy of education.
Learning Strategies:
As one may note from above, the overarching goal of the course is to explore – in a communal, sharing fashion – those facts, concepts, themes, ideas, etc. which have and continue to influence our educational decisions concerning what, why, and how we teach. In the very fact that we ask the “what,” “why,” and “how” questions, we are asking “foundational” questions, questions which demand the articulation of a philosophy of education. Thus, the facts and concepts which we will uncover – via lectures, presentations, observations, an interview field experience, and evaluative discussions – will all, hopefully, serve to support our final outcome – the development of a personal philosophy of education. Given my own belief that adults learn best in dialogue, in conversation that can be informative, challenging, and potentially transformative, I encourage active participation in the class. Moreover, given the highly compacted nature of the Transition to Teaching classes, I greatly discourage absence from class except in the case of dire emergency.
Assessment:
1. 20% of Grade - Field Experience / Written Report
2. 20% of Grade - Synthesis Paper – Philosophical Foundations
3. 20% of Grade - Synthesis Paper – Historical Foundations
4. 20% of Grade - Synthesis Paper – Legal/Political Foundations
5. 20% of Grade - Presentation of One’s Philosophy of Education
Please note that all written assignments are due exactly on the days identified below or as announced in class. Also, please note that all written assignments are to be typed and double spaced – properly checked in advance for any grammatical and spelling errors. Teachers must be models of the exemplary use of the English language!
Grading will be according to the standard scale:
A: 90-100 B: 80-89 C: 70-79 D: 60-69 F: 59 and below.
Calendar:
Day One Introduction: Goals and Tasks
Video Presentation: Dead Poets’ Society
Introduction to Philosophies of Education – Sample Handouts
Summary of Major Philosophical Schools
Synthesis Paper – Philosophical Foundations Due Succeeding Saturday
Day Two Introduction to the History of American Education
Videos of School: The Story of American Public Education, 1, 2, & 3 and processing thereof
Synthesis Paper – Historical
Foundations Due Succeeding Saturday
Field Experience Report Due Succeeding Saturday
Day Three Introduction to Legal Foundations of Education
Process Handout on Government Roles
Role Playing of “legally incendiary” educational narratives
Key Supreme Court Cases and Federal Legislation
Closing Video: Jonathan Kozol’s Hearts
of Children and Obligation of the Nations’ Schools
Synthesis Paper – Legal
Foundations Due Succeeding Saturday
Written Personal Philosophy of
Education Succeeding Saturday
As you know, an essential component of the Transition to Teaching Program is the utilization of Blackboard software on a weekly basis in order to enhance your educational experience. You have all been enrolled in my Foundations in Education course on Blackboard. At the present time, I see that weekly experience as a time set aside to reflect communally and digitally on what we have learned on the previous Saturday as well as to strategize appropriate approaches for completing the Field Experience as well your personal Philosophies of Education.
A note about the Field Experience: You are asked to accomplish two things in the course of that experience: first you are asked to interview an experienced (3 years or more) public or private school teacher or administrator in order to discover her/his own philosophy of education; secondly, you are to conduct an “observation” of that teacher’s classroom (or that principal’s school) in order to determine what “educational philosophy” is revealed through your observations. Very often, our educational philosophies are implicit; yet the artifacts of our educational environment may reveal those philosophies ever so subtly.
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).