Student Teaching Seminar
Elementary Education
Syllabus, Fall 2013
Wednesday (dates indicated in syllabus) 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Room 308, College Hall
A teacher affects eternity:
he can never tell where his influence stops.
Henry Adams
Cindy Postler
Seminar Instructor & Director of Teacher Education
Student Teaching Supervisors
Cindy Postler: cpostler@cornellcollege.edu
Kerry Bostwick: kbostwick@cornellcollege.edu
Jill Heinrich: jheinrich@cornellcollege.edu
Kate Kauper: kkauper@cornellcollege.edu
Meg Jacobs: mjacobs@cornellcollege.edu
Jo Morgan: Joanna.morgan@mchsi.com
Anne Murphy: annemurphy40@hotmail.com
Kari Broghamer: sparky2508@mchsi.com
Mary Kay Wathen: marykay.morgan@hotmail.com
Shonda Ryken: sryken@mchsi.com
______________________________________________________________________________________
Course Description: As an accompaniment to student teaching, Seminar is a course that helps
you make sense of your student teaching experience. It provides a forum for you to converse
with other student teachers, to explore your questions about student teaching with an eye towards
your own professional career. When we meet, we will discuss the various aspects of teaching
such as planning, instruction, assessment, and classroom management. The requirements of this
class are designed to help you develop a teaching persona that will serve you well in your own
classroom, to help you gain confidence in asking questions and reflecting on your own teaching.
Our goal is to socialize you into the teaching profession as a neophyte who is committed to
student learning, passionate and knowledgeable about your subject matter, grounded in a
theoretical framework that creates a confident yet reflective practitioner
Course Requirements
1. Attendance and active participation; please contact Cindy Postler if you need to
be absent due to an obligation at your host school.
2. Assignments must be turned in on-time.
3. Field Notes; available for your supervisor to read at each observation and a one
page reflection due every Sunday to your supervisor via email. (in a 3-ring binder)
4. Detailed lesson plans; submitted to your supervisor for each observation. (in a 3ring binder)
5. Pre-observation form; completed for each scheduled observation (in a 3-ring
binder)
6. Letter to parents
7. Video Tape
8. Mock Evaluation
9. Resume
If assignments are not completed, a 1 will be assigned to INTASC 9 Reflection
and Responsibility. Remember if you receive a “1” on any line item on your final
evaluation, you will not be eligible for certification.
Humanistic Dispositions:
Being a teacher entails more than simply knowing your subject matter and knowing
pedagogical methods. It involves exhibiting and embracing a range of emotional and
intellectual dispositions. Thus, as part of your education at Cornell, the Education
Department aims to help you cultivate the following dispositions:
(1) Appreciation and propensity for communication
(2) Appreciation and propensity for critical thinking
(3) Love of life-long learning
(4) Respect for others
(5) Value knowledge for its own sake and for its practical application
(6) Believe all children can learn and are naturally intelligent, artistic, and
inquisitive
(7) Value and respect each student
(8) Respect human diversity
(9) Show a genuine affection for all student
(10)
Value attitudes and behaviors which elevate respect for and promote the
advancement of effective teaching and the teaching profession
Semester Calendar: Student Teaching Seminar Calendar and Important Dates
21 August
Syllabus and requirements for Seminar, finger printing discussed.
Note: All Education Majors must take the Praxis II exam and pass
it before being licensed: Take pedagogy test 0622/5622 (cut Score
165) or content test 0014/5014 (cut score 151). Secondary test
codes and cut scores are found on the Education Department
website Have your test results sent ONLY to Cornell College. Do
not put this off!
Break-out session: Student teaching can produce a “roller coaster
of feelings.”
 Describe several feelings you have experienced since you
have started student teaching.
 Explain the circumstances in which they occurred; analyze
the appropriateness of the feelings in response to the
situation.
 Describe a variety of coping mechanisms used to handle
these feelings.
 Analyze the effectiveness of the coping mechanisms used
to handle these feelings.
 Analyze the effectiveness of communicating these feelings
to your mentor teacher, supervisor or others.
Share
INTASC 9, 10,
Reflect: Planning and Preparation: How do I intend to approach
planning? How do I intend to approach short-term and longterm? How can I plan for a class without losing the spontaneity I
desire in my lesson? How much planning is an appropriate
amount? How much do I need to write down? As a new teacher,
how will my planning differ from that of my mentor teacher? What
works for me?
INTASC 7, ITS 3
Reading Assignment: sections from Just Girls
28 August
Introduction to Qualitative Research Project


Revisit Field Log: Identifying themes & categories
Research Questions


Sample questions & past projects
Grounding yourself in the literature: Try to identify a
primary text
Break-out session; share how the data collected from your field log
entry could be used in the Qualitative Research Paper. Discuss
possible themes and/or topics.
INTASC 1, 9, ITS 7
Complete Application for Licensure
4 September
Reflect: Planning and Preparation: How do I intend to approach
planning? How do I intend to approach short-term and longterm? How can I plan for a class without losing the spontaneity I
desire in my lesson? How much planning is an appropriate
amount? How much do I need to write down? As a new teacher,
how will my planning differ from that of my mentor teacher? What
works for me?
INTASC 7, ITS 3
18 September
Reflect: Assessment: What am I learning about grading and
evaluating regarding student performances? What is the hardest
thing about grading? What strategies am I learning about
navigating the paper load? What types of test, quizzes, and
assessments work best for me? How can I hold students
accountable while also keeping the focus on grading vs. the
accumulation of points? How am I using formative assessment
with each lesson I teach? How has my formative analyses
informed my teaching and my students learning?
INTASC 3,4, ITS 4,5
2 October
Kerry?
9 October
Student Teacher/Mentor Teacher Workshop/Dinner
16 October
Guest Speakers: Brooke Bergantzel and Career Services
Topic: Teacher Placement Materials; writing your resume, what
you will need for a self-managed credential file.
Professional Portfolios; overview and samples.
Assignment


23 October
Work on resume (due November 1 to Career Services
Center)
Begin gathering what is needed for the self-managed
credential file. You are responsible for creating a file
with your Praxis I and II scores, site names and
addresses for practicum experiences and mentor
teacher’s names, letters of recommendation and
unofficial transcript.
Reflect: Classroom Expectations and Procedures. Now that I
have been student teaching for 2 months, what modifications would
I make to the syllabus or interdisciplinary unit of study I created
for Methods? Were my expectations realistic? Had I addressed
management issues in the syllabus? What is my plan for handling
absenteeism? Do I have a system for late work? What do I need
to add? What had I included that may not be useful?
INTASC 2,4,5,6, ITS 6
1 November
Resume and cover letter (rough draft) due to Career Services
6 November
Teaching and Ethics
11 November
Videotape Assignment Due
20 November
Becki Elkins: Revisit the qualitative research paper. Share data
collected and possible questions as you prepare for Senior
Seminar.
Closure: Who do you need to thank as you wrap up your student
teaching experience?