School of Education & Human Development – Education Outreach
Teachers for Tomorrow
Advanced Academic Dual Credit Program
EDUC 201 ~ TEACHERS FOR
TOMORROW
4 hour undergraduate course
Briar Woods High School Syllabus
Adjunct Instructor: Diane Breinig
School: Briar Woods High School
Address: 22525 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148
Adjunct phone: (703) 957-4400
Adjunct Email: diane.breinig@lcps.org
Program Purpose
In keeping with the challenge to increase the pool of highly qualified teachers, the
purposes of the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Program are:
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To identify, train, and nurture high school students interested in a teaching
career;
To support the efforts of Virginia's school divisions to meet hiring targets by
cultivating an effective "grow your own" recruitment program;
To create a high school curricular experience designed to foster student
interest, understanding, and appreciation of the teaching profession; and
To attract students to teaching in critical shortage and high needs areas of the
state.
Program Benefits
In an era of teacher shortages, school divisions can identify potential teachers within
their own schools. The Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Program is an excellent long-
term recruitment strategy to increase the pool of candidates who will be able to fill
critical shortage vacancies, increase the diversity of teacher applicants, and promote the
hiring of local candidates who are more likely to remain within their school divisions.
The program fosters respect for teachers and the teaching profession and provides high
school role models for younger students.
Additional benefits for Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow candidates include:
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An introduction to teaching and the teaching profession;
Opportunities to satisfy beginning teacher assessment requirements;
Potential dual enrollment credit;
Scholarship information;
Field trips;
Classroom observations;
Educational leadership opportunities;
Teaching experience before college;
Opportunities to make a difference in a student's life; and
Meaningful, creative, hands-on learning activities.
Course Objectives
 Be able to communicate on educational issues intelligently to the general public.
 View the school institution in its cultural, sociological, and historical context.
 Assess technological innovations and their effects on instructional strategies.
 Instructional design based on assessment data
 grading practices and development of assessments and using the results of assessment to
improve student performance
 Explore the career possibilities in the school environment.
 View the learners' perspectives within the institution and examine the variety of learners
and how the curriculum meets their needs.
 Explore school governance
 Become familiar with law (state, federal, and school board policies) and ethics relative to
teaching and students
 Develop an understanding of the historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations
underlying the role, and the development and organization of public education in the
United States.
 Gain an understanding of the legal status of teachers and students, including federal and
state laws and regulations, school as an organization/culture, and contemporary issues in
education.
 Explore the historical, philosophical, and sociological foundations of the instructional
design based on assessment data (the relationships among assessment, instruction, and
monitoring student progress to include student performance measures in grading
practices, the ability to construct and interpret valid assessments using a variety of
formats in order to measure student attainment of essential skills in a standards-based
environment, and the ability to analyze assessment data to make decisions about how to
improve instruction and student performance).
Course Description:
First Semester – September , 2011 – January, 2012
Theme I/Unit I: Realizing My Powers (2-3 Week Unit)
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• Culminating Activity – Realizing My Powers
Through the Eyes of a Friend
• Coat of Arms/Shield or Quilt Squares
• Scavenger Hunt
• Full Pot, According to Virginia Satir
• Dr. Purkey Reading
• Self-Esteem Fraud
• Culminating Activity - From Stories to Puppet Theatres
Theme I/Unit 2: Styles and Needs (5-6 Week Unit)
 • Preferred Processing Styles
 • Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
 • Analytical and Global Learning Preferences
 • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
 • "A Wicket's Wad"
 • The Acorn People by Ron Jones
 • Learning Disabilities portrayed in F.A.T. City
 • Walking in Somebody Else's Shoes
 • Categories of Special Education
 • Gathering Information about Special Education/Observations
 • Focus on Seven Major Barriers to Learning
 • English Language Learners
 • Culminating Activity - Barriers Books
Theme II/Unit 3: Becoming a Teacher in Virginia (one-week unit)
 • Why Become a Teacher?
 •Steps to Licensure in Virginia
 • Teacher Preparation Programs in Virginia
 • Critical Shortage Areas in Virginia: Supply and Demand
 • Culminating Activity: The Path to Teaching: A Life's Journey
Theme I/Unit 3: Growth and Development (6-7 Week Unit)
 • Physical Development
 • Cognitive Development
 • Moral Development - Values Auction, Kohlberg's Theory, and "What To Do?"
 • Social Development - Erikson
 • The Importance of Language: Introducing Vygotsky
 • Observing Play
 • Play Day (Optional, but a very fun activity.)
 • Making Manipulatives
 • A Trip to the Toy Store (Homework)
 • Cognitive Lab Experiment
 • Observations of Children from Birth through Age Five: Pre-School Observation
 • Culminating Activity: Cadet Preschool Model or Booklet
 • The Hurried Child
 • Observations of Elementary-Aged Children
 • Culminating Activity: "What's a Parent To Do?"
 • Observation of the Middle School Student
 • Culminating Activity: Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Literature
 • Reporting on All Grown Up and No Place To Go
 • Observations in the High School
 • Proactive Parents of Troubled Teens
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• Video: Teens: What Makes Them Tick?
• SEMESTER EXAM - Culminating Activity - Lifelines
Second Semester – February, 2012 – June, 2012
Theme III/Unit 1: Observation and Preparation (four-week unit)
 • Being a Teacher Hollywood Style
 •Caught in the Act
 • The Good, the Bad, and the OH MY!
 • Qualities of a Highly Effective Teacher
 • Teachers: Yesterday and Today
 • An Overview of Methodology: Silent Graffiti
 • Groups: We Can Work It Out
 • Questioning Techniques: "Bloom" -ing through Questions
 • Lecture: More than a Monologue
 • High Tech Teaching
 • A Game: I Have ... Who Has ... for Educational Terms
 • A Game: A Card Sort of Educational Terms
 • Why Do We Assess?
 • How Will We Know They Learned?
 • Assessment for Learning ... Reaching All Students
 • Brain-Based Learning
 • Establishing Classroom Procedures
 • Ready, Set, Go Teach
 • Student-Created Lessons
 • Working with Special Needs Students
 • Improving Classroom Management
 • Culminating Activity: Seven Gifts that Will Last a Lifetime
Theme III/Unit 2: Application and Field Experience (nine weeks)
 • Field Experience
Theme II/Unit 1: History and Trends (2-week unit)
 • Public Schools for All?
 • Educating Diverse Students in Virginia Schools
 • Changing Our Comfort Zone
 • How Do We Know They’re All Learning?
 • Virginia Standards of Learning - What Do They Mean to Me?
 • Little Red School House and the Pony Express
 • Culminating Activity: Educating Citizens for a Democracy
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Theme II/Unit 2: Structure and Governance (2-week unit)
 • School Perfection
 • The Many Faces of Education
 • Get with the Program
 • Governance of Schools
 • In Another's Shoes: A Shadowing Activity
 • The Local Scene
 • Culminating Activity: Who Has the Voice?
Theme III/Unit 3: Analysis and Reflection (ongoing throughout the year during
 observations and field experience)
 • SAY, MAY AND FLAY Lessons and Curricula (use SOL lessons)
 • Portfolio and End-of-Course Activities
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• Observing Virginia Teaching Standards
Text: Virginia Teacher Cadet Teacher's Binder
Class Expectations and Teacher Support:
[Sample Text] I am looking forward to working with you and your student this school year. I will
work hard to present this class in an interesting and exciting manner. All students are expected to
be responsible, attend class regularly, be on time and participate in class activities and discussions
in a positive manner. They are also expected to be respectful to all people and property in the
classroom. The classroom has access to a mobile notebook lab and students will be given many
opportunities to participate in online learning activities. Therefore, it is important that students
follow the School Division Acceptable Use Policies when working with computers and other
technology equipment. Students will be representing Shenandoah University and our school when
they participate in observations and field experiences. Participation in these activities are critical
to success in the program.
I will be available on most days after school and any other time that is pre-arranged by the
student for additional help.
[SAMPLE TEXT]]
 Students are expected to follow all Shenandoah University policies and guidelines
 Students are expected to follow the School Division Acceptable Use Policies when
working with technology
 Students are expected to do their own assigned work.
 Students are responsible for meeting all course requirements, observing due dates, and
other course procedures.
 Students are expected to abide by the expectations set forth in the School Division Code
of Behavior and the High School Student Handbook.
 Students are expected to be respectful of each other and the instructor.
 Students may be responsible for helping straighten up the classroom and the materials
they have used during class.
 Students are expected to listen to others when sharing information.
 Students are expected to check with the instructor concerning work missed when absent.
 Students are expected to keep a notebook containing all work relating to the class.
 Students are expected to participate in in-class field trips to the elementary school,
middle school, high school, public library, etc.
 Students are expected to participate in five hours of volunteer reading or other approved
activities per marking period.
 Students are expected to move quietly in the halls.
 Students are expected to contact the course instructor via email or phone if they are
absent on a day that the class is participating in observations or field experiences using
the above email or phone number.
 Students are expected to create a portfolio of their observations and field experiences.
Assessment Criteria
[SAMPLE TEXT] Grades will be determined using a weighted scale. Individual assignments
will be awarded points based on how large the assignments are and how much time it takes to
complete them. Additional grading information will follow. For example, a homework grade will
be worth fewer points than a major writing assignment because it takes less time to complete.
Based on this system, each quarter grade will be determined by the following categories:
90 % - Major Assignments as follows:
Classroom Application Projects
In Class Activities/Assignments
Instructional Presentations
Written Assignments
Computer Assessments
Cooperative Assignments
Observations and Field Experience Participation
Reflection Papers
Field Experience Portfolio
10% - Minor Assignment distributions are as follows:
Beginning Thoughts/Reflections
Homework
The student’s semester grade will be determined as follows: 1st quarter = 40%, the 2nd quarter =
40%, exam = 20%. The student’s final course grade will be determined by the average of the two
semesters. The School Division Grading Scale will be converted to the Shenandoah
University Grading Scale for four undergraduate college credits.
Loudoun County Public School s
=
90-100
A
=
87-89
B+
=
80-86
B
=
77-79
C+
=
70-76
C
=
67-69
D+
=
60-66
D
=
59 & below
F
Shenandoah University Grading Scale
=
99-100
A+
=
90-98
A
=
80-89
B
C
=
70-79
F
=
Below 70
=
=
=
Add/Drop:
It is University policy that a student may drop or add a class the one week after the beginning of
the term.
Course Policies:
Late Work
Late assignments will be accepted only by prior arrangement. Written assignments are
planned in such a way as to maximize learning. These assignments will support class
discussions and weekly assignments. The value of these assignments is reduced dramatically
if they are not completed within a timely manner. All course assignments and tests are due as
scheduled. Late coursework will not be accepted without prior arrangements. Missed
tests/exams may not be completed at a later date/time.
Technology Requirement
Technology is an important tool for today's teachers. Virginia requires teachers to be
competent with the use of technology. Competence in relevant technology will be
incorporated in this course.
1. Students are expected to use an SU email account.
2. Students may be required to submit certain assignments electronically during the week
in which they are due. Use Microsoft Word.
Learning Responsibility
This course is designed such that the professor is a facilitator of learning. Thus, the
responsibility for learning course navigations systems and subject matter is a partnership
requiring effort on the part of both the professor and student. Students are encouraged to be
active, self-directed learners for whom the professor will work to facilitate such learning
through course design, implementation and evaluation. To obtain the maximum benefit from
this course, it is recommended that you study (not just read) the course assigned text chapters
and other reading materials; take your own detailed notes from discussions and integrate this
information with other resources; and ask questions on material presented in the text or class.
Engagement in the course makes for more effective learning while creating a more enjoyable
experience for both the student and instructor.
Foundation
This course supports Shenandoah University's Mission Statement as it serves to prepare
individuals "to be critical, reflective thinkers and lifelong learners" desiring to make responsible
and " committed contributions within the community, the nation and the world" through the
completion of one of the courses that leads to teacher licensure in . Virginia. This course provides
individuals who enroll with opportunities for scholarship, experiential learning and a practical
wisdom for their professional endeavors in a K -12 special education classroom. "Self-reflection
and personal development," understanding of diverse cultures and the cultivation of the growth of
the children from their respective communities provides the cornerstone for the objectives of this
course.
This course supports the School of Education and Human Development Mission Statement which
states, in part that our mission is to " ... educate current and aspiring professionals for success in
their chosen vocations ... " and to base our programs to " ... promote academic rigor; and nurture
reflection, a caring approach to the professions, and collaboration ... "
Instructional Procedures
Class Participation: All class members are expected to attend each class for its entirety and to
actively Participate in each class session. It is expected that all class members will come to class
prepared to discuss and apply course readings.
Attendance: Course participants are required to attend all scheduled classes to receive
undergraduate graduate credit.
Assignments: Course assignments constitute a major portion of the overall course grade.
Assignments must be submitted on the assigned due date to allow the instructors to provide
appropriate feedback.
Class Participation: Please be on-time and ready to participate so that we may make the most of
our time together and learn from each other. A variety of instructional strategies will be used
(e.g., lecture, discussion, peer teaching, analysis of literature, written reflective response,
portfolios, individual field experience, etc.); please be ready to expand your thinking and your
comfort zone.
It is your responsibility to retain copies of any materials (exams, assignments, etc.) which you
submit to the instructor. Instructor presented materials will not be provided in handout format.
Therefore, it is critical that you plan to attend classes, collect or download all available
documents, and/or arrange for a classmate to share notes. It is also helpful to employ effective
note taking techniques.
University/School Policies:
Prerequisites
Acceptance into the Teachers for Tomorrow Program.
Academic Dishonesty
All students at Shenandoah University are responsible for upholding the Honor Code. The Honor
Code is a system of conduct that reflects the core principles and values that the University has
established regarding individual responsibility and matters involving honorable conduct.
Violations of the Honor Code include the following general areas: cheating, plagiarism,
falsification, tampering with records, forgery, and withholding information. It is every student's
responsibility to report any violations that he or she observes to the professor or the Honor Court.
Please see the Student Handbook for more specific information.
Disclosure of Disability
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have
emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the
building must be evacuated, please notify me within the first two weeks of the term by making
an appointment with me as soon as possible. In addition, if you need classroom
accommodations, please contact the Coordinator of 504/ ADA Services in the Academic Support
Center (540-665-4928).
FERPA (Buckley Amendment)
Discussion of student performance is prohibited except with the student or as authorized by the
student unless a consent form has been completed. Student performance information may be
shared within the institution as appropriate for the conduct of University activities.
Course Evaluation
Students are asked to complete a course evaluation at the end of the course; this evaluation must
be submitted on the last day of the class meeting. The information from this evaluation is an
integral part of our continuous quality assessment of the licensure program.
Special Notes
This course outline is not intended to serve as a contract between the instructor and the student;
the intent is to provide an outline of the material to be covered during the course of the semester.
Changes in the syllabus content may be made as changing circumstances dictate.