Syllabus For Educational Psychology

1

Term:                          Spring, 2003-2004 (032)

Course Number:    EDU 313

Instructor:                Stuart Swenson, Ed.D.

Office:                        Rm. 300, northwest corner

Office Phone:          473-4262

E-mail:                      sswenson@ccsj.edu, Swenson@jorsm.com

Home Phone:          219-865-3306

Office Hours:           Tuesdays noon – 4:00; Wednesdays all day, and as arranged

 

Instructor Background: Dr. Swenson has served as an elementary teacher in regular and special education settings and as a school psychologist in the Hammond Public Schools.  He also served as the Director of Student Services and Program Assessment in Consolidated High School District 230, in Orland Park.  In clinical settings, he served as psychologist in physical medicine and rehabilitation and as a member of the medical staff at St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point.  He has an Ed.D. (1975) from Indiana University.

 

Course Time:  February 2 – February 19, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

 

Course Description:

The teacher candidate will examine and reflect on the application of psychology to a variety of situations encountered in teaching/learning situations.  Topics include the following general headings: cognitive development, socio-emotional development, and assessment.  Preparation of the student portfolio, as part of the study of assessment, is also included in the course. Field experiences required.

 

Prerequisites: 

EDU 100, 200

 

Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:

The field of educational psychology has seen many fine developments over the years.  At one time, introductory educational psychology was indistinguishable from the introductory course in a psychology department.  It was simply taught in the education division.  In the interim, the literature has served teachers and students well.  We now know the critical behaviors that characterize effective teaching and other successful educational relationships.  We have more effective classroom management tools than ever, and incredible access to information for all students who sincerely want to learn how to work with children. 

 

In this course, students will learn what, according to current psychological research, is effective in classrooms along with the theory that supports and unifies it.  Students will learn what the smartest and most efficient teachers do as they manage learning environments and direct the energetic children whose lives they touch.  They will ultimately appreciate what excellence in teaching really means in the context of a fluid and energetic field, the classroom.  The most successful student will learn that before one can truly understand how children learn and feel, one must learn those same things about oneself first.  For any life activity to be meaningful, it must be subject to constant examination and reflection.   It will be hard work, even for the most serious and conscientious students, but students who master the contents of this course in the college classroom will learn the research-based tools that will help them succeed in even the most difficult teaching situations.

 

RELATED INSTASC PRINCIPLES:

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

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

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

 

Textbooks:  Eggen, Paul and Kauchak, Don (2004). Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms, 6th Ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson.

 

Eggen, Paul and Kauchak, Don (2004). Student Study Guide and Reader to Accompany Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms, 6th Edition.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.  Pearson.

 

Campbell, Dorothy, et al. (2001) How to Develop a Professional Portfolio. Allyn and Bacon. Boston.

 

Learning Strategies: Assigned readings, lectures, group and individual discussions, collaborative assignments involving reading, writing and simulations, media presentations and internet demonstrations.

 

Assessment:

The final student grade will be based on attendance, punctuality, classroom participation, assignments, projects and performance on formative assessments (for the purpose and function of formative assessment, see Boston, Carol. “The Concept of Formative Assessment”.  http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=8&n=9, or go to the web page cited on page 35 in your text à Student Center à Chapter 1 (Go) à Internet Exercises à Question 3 site). These are not mutually exclusive categories.  For example, to participate in the formative assessments, and understand what is required in the major projects students must be present in class.  To understand and fully participate in the class discussions and formative assessments, students must read the assigned materials.

 

If a student misses a class, or critical parts of that class, that person will probably miss the assessments and possible points gained from participation and assessments.  Points earned on assessments, presence and participation are cumulative.  Therefore, the student will not earn the points one can potentially earn by being present.    The opportunity to take in-class assessments will come only once.  Students who are tardy, and miss the first half hour of class may miss an assessment.  The same applies to students who choose to leave early.  There will be no exceptions.

 

Each student will receive a copy of the grading rubric before the class, but it will be available at any time to the student who may have misplaced it or erased it from their e-mail. 

 

Ø       Each assignment will combine lectures, reading, formative and summative evaluation.   The student can expect the following sequence:  The reading will be assigned in class, or can be obtained from the syllabus.  Before reading the assignment, students will proceed to the Prentice-Hall web site (www.prenhall.com/eggen/) and take the pre-test in the chapter study guide section.  After reading the assignment, students will retake the pretest and other assessments to determine their strengths and weakness in their knowledge of the material.  On returning to the class, students will discuss the assignment and formative assessments with their colleagues to determine their needs during the lecture.  They will communicate those needs to the teacher who will focus on those educational needs through a lecture, in-class assignments, group work, simulations, etc.  Students will assess their knowledge by retaking the tests in the web site.  A formative assessment, a chapter test, will follow the next morning. There will be no final exam, but the posttest points are cumulative and will account for 25% of the course grade.

 

Ø        Attendance/participation will account for 25% of the course grade.

 

Ø        Two classroom observations, accounting for 10% of the grade will be required.  Students are required to use the Ysseldyke teaching effectiveness criteria (distributed with the syllabus) to evaluate the quality of instruction.  After the observation, the writer will address each one of the criteria, the degree to which it was present during the observation. This document will be due by the last day of the class, but may be submitted earlier.

 

Ø      Final project due on the last day of the course: A paper with accompanying PowerPoint presentation based on Stiggins’ article (Stiggins, Richard J.  “Assessment Crisis: The Absence of Assessment FOR Learning,” Phi Delta Kappan, June 2002, pp. 758-765.) focusing on the materials under the category “A More Powerful Vision”, integrating material from the course. (You can get the paper by going to the Specker Library Site and proceeding with the following sequence: Electronic Resources à Inspire à EBSCOHost à Academic Search Elite à Title List à Browse: Phi Delta Kappan à 2002 à V. 83 Issue 10 à Assessment Crisis, etc. This paper will account for 20% of the grade.

 

Ø      Process paper due on last day of the course: Carefully read the article by Bracey (Bracey, Gerald W. “The 13th Bracey Report on the Condition of Public Education,”  Phi Delta Kappan, October 2003, pp. 148 – 164.).  Write a reflective analysis, NOT addressing whether or not you agree with it, but addressing questions such as the following: How does he rely on data, the sort of data one finds in educational psychology, child development and special education, to support his arguments?  What techniques does he use to communicate and analyze his results? 

 

During the preparation of this project, students are encouraged to ask the teacher to evaluate it as a “process assignment”.  This will be done gladly until the day before it is due.   This paper will account for 20% of the grade.

 

While the college notifies students of the final grade through the regular mail, when the student has a functioning e-mail account, this instructor will send the grade along with the Excel calculation sheet/rubric as soon as it is finished.  If the student does not have a functioning e-mail account, he/she may not receive many communications which are necessary to success in this class.

 

Exams (Midterm, Final, Quizzes)                                                   40% of grade

Class participation/collaboration/attendance/assignments         20% of grade

Project and field experiences                                                          40% of grade

 

Class Policy for Assignments:

Assignments are due on the last day of class, but may be submitted on the first day of the next class, approximately a week later.  There will be no Incompletes assigned unless something catastrophic has occurred in the student’s life that won’t permit him/her from performing their responsibilities. Family illness, failing transportation, failure to contact the teacher and difficulties with electronic equipment are not considered catastrophic.  Assignments not submitted on time will be assigned a zero.

 

Grading Scale:

Grade

Points

Grade

Points

A

100-92

C

77-72

A-

91-90

C-

71-70

B+

89-88

D+

69-68

B

87-82

D

67-62

B-

81-80

D-

61-60

C+

79-78

F

59 and below

 

Class Policy on Attendance:

Attendance is part of the INTASC principles as “disposition”.  Students who routinely fail to attend class will no earn points for that day (for participation) and will miss any opportunity to earn credit for the test.  If you are late, miss the test and want to take it, don’t even ask.

 

Class Policy on Electronic Devices:

Students should turn off cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices which can potentially cause a disruption in the educational process.  Should a device cause such a disruption, the student will be asked to turn it off.  Repeated problems in this area can lead to unpleasant consequences and disruption in the student’s career at Calumet College. 

Course Outline:

Class Dates:

Topics/Assignments:

2/2/04

Chapter 1 and Campbell et al.:  “Real World” and Cognitive Development

2/3/04

Chapter 2: Cognitive Development

2/4/04

Chapter 3:  Personal, Social and Emotional Development

2/5/04

Chapter 4: Learner Differences

2/9/04

Chapter 5 and parts of 10: Learners with Exceptionalities

2/10/04

Chapter 6: Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Theory

2/11/04

Chapter 7 and 8: Cognitive Views of Learning and Constructing Understanding

2/12/04

Chapter 9: Complex Cognitive Processes

2/16/04

Chapter 10 and 11: Theories of Motivation and Motivation in the Classroom

2/17/04

Chapter 12: Classroom Managements in the Context of Managing Boundaries

2/18/04

Chapter 13 and 14: Principles of Instruction and Assessing Classroom Learning and Assessing Classroom Learning

2/19/04

Chapter 15: Assessment Through Standardized Testing

 

 

 

Class Participation: See attendance

 

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.

 

Academic Dishonesty:

If an instructor 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.  Dismissal from the college becomes a metaphor of what the student is doing to him/herself relative to the community at large, and is done to send the difficult but necessary message to that individual that such behavior left unchecked destroys and alienates the person from society.  The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.

 

The issue of academic integrity is especially critical in the educational cohorts.  Students who engage in deceitful tactics are usually known by their peers, a situation which places everyone in the class in a vulnerable position and subtly implicates them in the offense.  In essence, those engaging in academic dishonesty place the entire program, including the collective morale, at risk, not just themselves.  If any student has any questions about any ethical issue, including the proper management of information, that person is encouraged to discuss the matter with this instructor or, indeed, anyone on the faculty until he/she is fully satisfied with how to proceed in the matter.

 

Please note: Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and may be submitted for checks on plagiarism from the Internet/Electronic sources/Databases.

 

Citation Guidelines:

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.).  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 Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are 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. The Registrar must receive written request for withdrawal 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.

 

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

School Closing Information:

 

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http://www.EmergencyClosings.com

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Phone: 219.473.4770

 

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