College of Education
Learn. Lead. Inspire. Transform.
EDF 2005
Introduction to Teaching
Summer 2011
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:
This is an online course that is asynchronous. This means you will have weekly participation requirements but you
can log on anytime during the week to participate. We do not meet on a specific day of the week. This offers
convenience to work around your schedules. This course is designed to answer the question “What are the things
people beginning their formal study of education should know?” Included in the course is an introduction to the
history and philosophies of education as well as curriculum differentiation, school governance, finance and
contemporary problems in education.
All students, regardless of location, must complete required 18 hours of field observation. Each student will be
expected to partake in culturally diverse field experiences throughout the semester totaling a minimum of 18 hours.
Your field experience can be at one site, or you can combine multiple sites to meet the required hours. You may
work in a school or special program with students who have special needs. You will need to arrange a field
experience that is related to an educational setting, as the point of the experience is to give you insight into the
world of teaching. Students are responsible for locating opportunities including those in K-12 public schools. If you
are not sure if a field experience activity meets the course requirements, please check with the Instructor. A
background check may be required before receiving your Field Experience placement and beginning your 18
required hours, if you would like to conduct your field experience placement in a school setting. Check with your
desired setting for requirements. If you are already a teacher, 18 hours of field experience is still required.
Please submit the placement form, and include information regarding where you currently teach. You will be
expected to complete all of the activities. Field experience is REQUIRED, and no exceptions made.
Course Text:
Ryan & Cooper (2010). Those Who Can, Teach.
Rossiter, J. APA Pocket Handbook
Additional online readings per schedule.
USFSM Policies
A. Web Portal Information: Every newly enrolled USF student receives an official USF e-mail account.
Students receive official USF correspondence and Blackboard course information via that address.
B. Academic Dishonesty: The University considers any form of plagiarism or cheating on exams, projects, or
papers to be unacceptable behavior. Please be sure to review the university’s policy in the catalog, USFSM
Undergraduate Catalog or USFSM Graduate Catalog and the USF Student Code of Conduct.
Detection of Plagiarism
http://www.cte.usf.edu/plagiarism/plag.html The University of South Florida has an account with an
automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be
checked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to 1) request that assignments be submitted to me as electronic
files and 2) electronically submit assignments to SafeAssignment. Assignments are compared automatically
with a huge database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor
receives a report showing exactly how a student's paper was plagiarized. For more information, go to
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/adadap.htm#plagiarism.
C. Academic Disruption: The University does not tolerate behavior that disrupts the learning process. The policy
for addressing academic disruption is included with Academic Dishonesty in the catalog: USFSM
Undergraduate Catalog or USFSM Graduate Catalog and the USF Student Code of Conduct.
D. Contingency Plans: In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USFSM to suspend normal
operations. During this time, USFSM may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include
but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s
the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication,
and the main USFSM and College websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.
The USF hotline at 1 (800) 992-4231 is updated with pre-recorded information during an emergency. See the
Safety Preparedness Website for further information.
E. Disabilities Accommodation: Students are responsible for registering with the Office of Students with
Disabilities Services (SDS) in order to receive academic accommodations. Reasonable notice must be given to
the SDS office (typically 5 working days) for accommodations to be arranged. It is the responsibility of the
student to provide each instructor with a copy of the official Memo of Accommodation. Contact Information:
Pat Lakey, Coordinator, 941-359-4714, plakey@sar.usf.edu, www.sarasota.usf.edu/Students/Disability/
F. Fire Alarm Instructions: At the beginning of each semester please note the emergency exit maps posted in
each classroom. These signs are marked with the primary evacuation route (red) and secondary evacuation
route (orange) in case the building needs to be evacuated. See Emergency Evacuation Procedures.
G. Religious Observances: USFSM recognizes the right of students and faculty to observe major religious
holidays. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class for a major religious observance
must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second week of classes. Instructors
canceling class for a religious observance should have this stated in the syllabus with an appropriate alternative
assignment.
Where to Go to Class: Your Course Forums
Discussion: This is the main forum for the class and is where discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write access
for everyone.
Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send any. This is where I
will post the course materials and assignments.
Individual Journal: This is a private forum, shared only by you and me, the instructor. Your classmates will not
have access to this forum. This is where I may post my feedback. You can also ask questions here. It is located
under Course Tools.
Questions: This will appear in the Discussions Board and will allow you to ask questions you may have regarding
assignments or policies. It has access to everyone so others can benefit from questions you have.
GRADING, EVALUATION AND PARTICIPATION:
Course Participation Requirements: You must participate in the class discussion questions by posting at least
three responses to another classmate per DQ. Each response is worth 1 point. You will not be given participation
credit if all your posts are written on one day. All responses must be substantive in nature which means, in the
opinion of the instructor, they are significantly adding to the discussion. One or two sentence responses are
not considered substantive. Substantive responses are usually about 75 words or more. You may include
experiences, thoughts and opinions but remember to always use a respectful tone when responding.
Discussion Questions (DQ): You will have four discussion questions throughout this course. Check the schedule
for due dates. Each response is worth 10 points. Post your responses to this in the Discussion Forum and begin
responding to each other's responses. Please post your responses in the DQ threads by posting and hitting SUBMIT.
Do not attach your answers. Answers to the DQ should be at least 200 words. You must post your replies to
each question by Friday of the week it is posted. You should also integrate your course readings in your
responses. This will greatly enhance your understanding of the topic and add interest to the discussion. Remember to
cite any references you may use to avoid plagiarism. While you may use references to support your responses,
please use your own words to form the majority of your answers. *Your initial DQ response does not count
toward the participation requirement- only your responses to others count.
Late Policy:
Late assignments ordinarily receive a 20% deduction for each day they are late. Assignments more than 3 days late
will not be accepted. Technological issues are not considered valid grounds for late assignment submission. In the
event of a server outage, students should submit assignments through email to the instructor and post to the main
forum when systems are restored. Unless an Incomplete grade has been granted, learner assignments submitted after
the last day of class will not be accepted.
GRADING:
97-100 A+
87-89 B+
77-79 C+
67-69 D+
94-96 A
84-86 B
74-76 C
64-67 D
90-93 A80-83 B70-73 C60-63 D-
Point Values for Course Assignments
Reaction Paper
30
Journal Entries (submit 3 entries total; 6 pts.each)
18
Discussion Question (10 pts each )
40
Participation (1 pt per response; 3 pts per DQ)
12
Total
100
Note: Participation and DQ points will be combined. The maximum number of points you can receive for
each DQ is 13.
Reaction Paper: Individual Assignment (3-5 pages). Due July 18. Select a topic of interest from current events in
education. Email your topic to me before the end of the third week of the semester and you will receive a return
email approving your selection or requiring you to find another topic. Use your search engines to find at least three
article in reputable newspapers or professional journals that address the issue you have chosen. When using
references, you must use APA as a guide for your format. Do not use internet sources for your references. The USF
online library is a useful tool in finding your references. You will write your reaction to the issue and use references
to support your argument. This should be submitted to SafeAssign.
Journal Entries: (3 total) Submit to Journal (1 page each, see schedule for due dates). Each entry will be a
reflection of your field experience. You are to include both observations and reflections of your experiences. Think
about these questions as you write your entries: What are you learning about yourself as a teacher? What are you
learning about your students and the environment? How has this experience impacted your decision to teach? You
will need to bring a notebook to write down your observations and reflections each day you are on the field so you
will remember your thoughts on that day. You should compile these when your journal entries are due. Do not
submit entries that are simply observations. You must reflect on what you are learning and gaining as a teacher from
your experiences. On the final journal submission date, you will also submit your field experience form, signed by a
cooperating teacher or administrator.
Criteria for written assignments: Late papers will be subject to the late policy. Any assignment that is not
submitted within 3 days of the due date will ordinarily not be accepted and will not receive credit, except for
students with documented extenuating circumstances. You should submit a paper outline for my feedback at least 3
weeks prior to the final due date. Papers cannot be revised once finally submitted on their due date.
"A" papers make solid associations between ideas and experiences. They offer insight into the concepts being
explored. They offer new ideas or new perspectives on old idea. It is assumed and expected that your papers will:
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Demonstrate a command of grammar and mechanics.
Include a thesis, well-developed paragraphs including a conclusion, and smooth coherence as you move
from one idea to the next.
Substantiate your opinions with examples and scholarly references such as journal articles.
Be handed in only after careful proofreading and with errors cleanly corrected on the final copy.
Weekly Course Schedule
Read the assigned chapters, articles and view the videos for each week. Summer courses are accelerated
courses of 9 weeks, therefore be sure to keep up with the pace of this course.
Assignments and Readings (Some articles are in BB Materials Tab)
1
May 16
Topic: So you want to teach?
Purchase books. Post bio in Chat forum.
Read chapter one
Topic: Schools and the Transmission of Knowledge
Read chapter two
2
May 23
Topic: Student Diversity
Read chapter three and ELL article
DQ 1 due Friday
3
May 30
Topic: Socio-Cultural Issues in Schools
Read chapter four
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGHLdr-iak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6v0JJak2pg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SZQa71qS-Q&feature=related
Journal 1 due June 6
4
June 6
Topic: The School Curriculum
Read chapter five
DQ 2 due Friday
5
June 13
Topic: Teacher Effectiveness
Read chapter six
Topic: Technology in Education
Read chapter seven
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/techlp.shtml
6
June 20
Topic: Teacher Ethics
Read chapter eight and http://www.fldoe.org/edstandards/code_of_ethics.asp
DQ 3 due Friday
Journal 2 due June 20
7
June 27
Topic: Philosophy of Education
Read chapter nine
8
July 4
Topic: History of Education
Read chapter ten; view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhclWco8fA8&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeJJvtMx1-M&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
DQ 4 due Friday
Journal 3 and Field Experience Form due
9
July 11
Topic: Professional Standards
Read chapter fifteen and Florida Accomplished Practices
Complete Reaction Paper due July 18
**The schedule may be modified by the instructor during the course if necessary
.