Chizhik, Spring 2014: 1
Chula Vista and Diversity Block
@ Kellogg Elementary
Foundations of Psychology in Education
Fall 2013 Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Estella Chizhik
Class Location: Kellogg Elementary
Time: W/Th @ 1-3:30 pm
Phone: cell: 504-6178
Office Hours: By Appt.
E-Mail: Chizhik@Mail.SDSU.edu
Purpose of Course / Rationale / Link to Conceptual Framework
What makes an effective teacher? Preparation, preparation, and preparation. Effective
teachers also search for ways to understand their students’ thinking. Preparation and Awareness
of students’ thinking make up the two essential pillars for effective teaching. Effective teachers
prepare lessons that anticipate students’ thinking, conceptions, and misconceptions and use
effective scaffolds that facilitate students’ understanding of the material. This course, therefore,
focuses on teachers’ use of students’ thinking when preparing lessons.
As you learn to prepare effective lessons, you will use learning and motivational theories to
substantiate, justify, and identify a course of effective instructional practice. Effective teachers
don’t just implement strategies, they have theoretical understandings that guide what they do and
don’t do; they can explain that theoretical understanding to parents and colleagues. Therefore,
this course promotes the ability to explain teaching and learning strategies from a theoretical
perspective.
Readings and Resources
Readings
You will be inspired by contemporary educational learning theories and Sir Ken Robinson's
lectures as he argues for transforming education. Taking his lead, we will venture on a
transformative voyage, leaving behind a transmission mode of information, toward a
constructivist method, where you do much of your own research on-line. That is, you will have a
group of readings to read. I recommend you peruse select portions of some articles and skim other
portions. I’ve indicated which part of the readings to carefully read on Blackboard. The goal is
to enter class with basic knowledge of the topic that will be presented and to participate in class
discussions in order to refine and deepen that knowledge.
Blackboard: You will be using Blackboard for finding your readings and submitting assignments.
All proposed readings will be placed there, but you are not limited to just those readings. Please
branch out and learn about the topics in a way that suits your approach to learning.
Learning Objectives and Assessment
 • Use psychological theories and key terms to evaluate a lesson plan.
 • Identify and describe a learning event using psychological terms.
 • Generate activities that engage students in the learning environment and explain the
theory behind those activities.
 Use motivational theories to describe students in your class and propose what you can
do to involve them deeply in the learning.
Chizhik, Spring 2014: 2
Assessments/ Assignments
1. Attendance and Participation
2. Personal Introduction
3. Task Analysis & Lesson Plan Alignment
4. Evidenced-based Lesson Plan and Commentary
5. Transcript of group work with Analysis
6. Using Motivation to Analyze Student Engagement
Total
(2 Point per Class: Total 30 points)
(5 points)
(5 points)
(32 points)
(15 points)
(15 points)
100 points
Course Requirements
Class Attendance, Participation, and Community Assignments (28 points)
Special Needs and Accommodations. I recognize that learning needs vary by student. If you
have special accommodation needs, please speak with me right away. I will work with you to
make an accessible learning environment.
Attendance. Regular attendance is your professional responsibility and extremely important to
learning with your colleagues. Please let me know in advance when you will be absent. In this
class, you get points for attendance. The two points per session represent your presence and
participation in the learning community.
Participation. My teaching philosophy emphasizes a student-centered teaching approach that
includes discussions, problem-solving, and cooperative learning in class. What we will
discover and what we must accept about the activities of this course is that if learning is to
happen, we all have to bring our best attitude and disposition to the learning environment, we
all must enter a caring, compassionate, and respectful community; we all have to be active in
seeking out new understandings. Learning is not passive; it is ACTIVE.
That being said, you may be asked to engage in quick-writes at the beginning (Gathering work)
and/or at the end of class (Tickets out the Door). These are non-graded assignments that
accomplish two things: 1) it helps you process the readings and the class discussions 2) it
allows me to check for your understanding.
Another part of participation is whole class or small group discussions. These are important
instructional activities that have the opportunity to facilitate learning. I want you to be actively
engaged in the discussion in some way either through talking, writing, or just thinking. It is
important that whole class discussion isn’t a ping pong between you and me. Instead I want it
to be a pinball experience where the conversation bounces from peer to peer in a sporadic
order. To facilitate such a discussion, I encourage you to think carefully about what your peer
is saying and respond in one of four ways. You may compare, contrast, evaluate, or extend
their statements. Here are some sample sentence frames to consider:
“Your thoughts are similar/different to/from…(compare)”
“I agree/disagree with your thinking because…(evaluate)
“What you are saying is interesting. I would add the following…(create)
“What you are saying is thoughtful. What would you think if…(create)
Assignments. Completion of all assignments (e.g., doing readings and bringing instructional
items) helps to establish smooth class sessions with each student bringing something unique
and important to the discussion. Preparation for class sessions is also our joint responsibility.
Assignment 1: Personal Introduction
Chizhik, Spring 2014: 3
You are to introduce yourself using the Prezi website. You are to include the following 3 x 5
information:
1.
5 pieces of information about yourself.
2.
5 favorite photos that show who you are
3.
5 of your reasons for becoming an instructor
Assignment 2: Task Analysis and Lesson Plan Alignment (Due February 3)
Using one of your lesson plans that you wrote last semester, you will engage in the
following:
a. task analysis of the final formative assessment
b. develop a rubric for the assessment
c. present the analysis, objectives, and instruction as aligned components of a lesson plan
This assignment must be submitted onto Blackboard by end of day on February 3rd.
Assignment 3: Evidenced-based Lesson Plan and Commentary (Due March 1)
To complete this assignment, you need to collect data about your students on a topic you
are about to teach. Using that data, design a lesson plan for the next day. To complete this
assignment, you need to have the following:
1.
Data about students performance presented in chart form
2.
Lesson plan with objectives aligned with instruction and assessment
3.
Commentary about the lesson plan
4.
Commentary about your instructional activity that uses the following concepts: zone of
proximal development, intersubjectivity, and scaffolding to explain your instructional
activities
This assignment must be submitted onto Blackboard by end of day Saturday (March 1st).
Assignment 4: Transcript of group work with analysis (March 24/25)
This assignment requires you to explore using one of the engagement techniques (i.e.,
group work, Turn and Talk, Cold Calling, Choral Response). Record your technique using video
(2 minutes MAX). Analyze the technique using the readings and concepts presented in class.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the technique in facilitating learning.
You will present your video and analysis in class. Bring a flash drive or DVD with the video
on March 24.
Assignment 5: Using Motivation to Analyze Student Engagement (TBD)
This assignment asks you to identify two students in your class to interview and determine
what their motivational needs are. One student should be a challenge in class. The other
student should be easy to manage. Given the readings, you will need to decide how to collect
information as to what kind of mind set each has (growth or fixed) and identify how you might
foster an autonomy supportive environment for them, build their competency, and instill a sense
of purpose in them. In short, you must refer to Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory
or Dwek’s Mindset theory to learn about your students.
Chizhik, Spring 2014: 4
Course Calendar
Topics and due dates for assignments
Day one
Week 1
January 23
Introduction
Syllabus
Overview of Lesson Plan
Day two
Week 2
January 29
Focus on Assessments and
Task Analysis
Bring a Lesson Plan you
developed to class.
January 30
Engaging Students
Thinking/Engagement Ratio
Talk and Dialog
Week 3
February 5
Analysis of own Lesson
Plan due.
How to do Group work and
TPS better?
February 6
Engaging in activity based
planning.
Philippe Petite
Bring in own data from
teaching
Week 4
February 12
Analyzing Data
Understanding
Misconceptions
Intersubjectivity
Bring in own data from
teaching
February 13
Planning with Data
Bring in own data from
teaching
Week 5
March 19
Presentations on Group
Work
March 26
TBD
April 9
TBD
April 16
TBD
March 20
Presentations on Group
Work
March 27
TBD
April 10
TBD
April 17
No Class
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8