University of South Florida
College of Education
The College of Education CARE’s – The College of Education is dedicated to the ideals of
Collaboration, Academic Excellence, Research, and Ethics/Diversity. These are key tenets in
the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education. Competence in these ideals will provide
candidates in educator preparation programs with skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be
successful in the schools of today and tomorrow.
Course Prefix and Number: EDE 7481
Credit Hours: 3.0
Course Title: Teacher Education Seminar
Regular Instructor: Audra K. Parker, David Allsopp, Danielle Dennis, Allan Feldman
Course Prerequisites (if any):
n/a
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to collaboratively explore current and enduring research in
teaching and teacher education. The course prepares doctoral students to integrate,
assimilate, and evaluate major research and research issues confronting the field of
teacher education. Attention focuses on the institutional and programmatic issues that
educators currently face or are likely to face in their roles as teacher, teacher leader, and
teacher educator.
Course Goals and Objectives:
In completing the requirements for this course, the students will be able to:
1) Explore, analyze, and synthesize historical, seminal, and current research in the
field of teaching and teacher education.
2) Use historical and current research as a lens for examining contemporary teaching
and teacher education reform initiatives.
3) Evaluate the controversies, dilemmas, debates, conflicts, and major issues that
emerge from this research in teaching, and teacher education.
4) Investigates how schools and communities use research about school reform to
adapt, implement, or invent mechanisms to improve student and teacher learning.
5) Cultivates an international perspective on research about schools, elementary
teaching, and teacher education.
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Content Outline:
TOPICS
Course Overview
 Introduction to research in teaching and
teacher education
 Exploring current context of field
 Select book club readings
 How do you operationally define
teaching?
 How do you operationally define
learning?
READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS
Creating a lens
 Historical research and seminal works in
teaching and teacher education.
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating
research to practice
Book Club Meeting 1
Blank
Tyack & Cuban
DUE: Manuscript Topic Proposal
Bransford et al., Chapters 1, 4
DUE: Publication Outlet
Situating Learning and Knowing
 Defining epistemology: what does it mean to
construct knowledge
 How is new knowledge constructed within
academic disciplines?
 What makes a good learning experience?
Book Club Meeting 2
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating
theory to practice
Book Club Meeting 3
Understanding teachers and learners: Translating
theory to practice: Part 2
Book Club Meeting 4
Teaching and Learning in a Social and Cultural
Context
 Cultural influences on constructing
knowledge
 How peers influence learning
 How culture shapes pedagogy
Book Club Meeting 5
Book Club Presentations
(Ayers, Crain, Paley, Kozol-Savage Inequalities,
Kozol—Being a Teacher)
Classroom and School Environments
Bransford et al., Chapters 6, 7
DUE: Reference List
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and
Teacher Education (e.g.: testing, equity, safety,
poverty, international perspectives)
Bodrova & Leong, Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13
Duckworth
Canvas readings: Tobin
DUE: Book Club Presentation #1
Kennedy
Duckworth
Canvas readings
DUE: Rough Draft
Ravitch
Canvas readings
DUE: Practitioner interviews and group
2
Book Club Meeting 2
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and
Teacher Education: Part 2
Book Club Meeting 3
Current Trends and Research in Teaching and
Teacher Education: Part 3
 Exploring emerging wonderings
 Thinking outside the box
Book Club Meeting 4
Teacher education practices and programs Book
Club Meeting 5
Book Club Presentations
(Kozol-Shame, Darling Hammond, Edwards,
Sahlberg, Fried)
synthesis
Ravitch
Canvas readings
Canvas readings
DUE: Conference Proposal
Canvas readings
DUE: Book Club Presentation #2
DUE: Manuscript
Evaluation of Student Outcomes:
The minimum expectations of all students are
 class attendance, promptness
 completion of required reading assignments
 completion of all written assignments, projects, lesson plans
 participation in all class activities and discussions

If you will be absent, please notify the instructor prior to class by email or phone.

Excessive absences, even for legitimate reasons, result in substantial portions of the
course not being fulfilled and will result in a failing grade. Two unexcused absences will
result in your final grade being lowered by one full letter grade. Four or more unexcused
absences will result in an “F” for the course.

All class assignments must be completed on or before the due date. We will work
together to negotiate assignment due dates.

Course materials, checklists, and announcements will be posted on Canvas. Students are
responsible for downloading materials. Canvas email will be used to communicate among
class members. Please check Canvas and your USF email regularly.

All work should reflect accuracy in spelling, punctuation, and usage. All assignments
must be typed, unless otherwise specified. APA (most current edition) should be used for
all references.

It is expected that you will read all assignments prior to class. Your participation, and the
pre-requisite preparation for participation, is essential for your success in this course.
Come prepared and be prepared to share!
3
Course Assignments
1) Book Club Participation (50 pts and 50 pts)
You will participate in two separate book clubs throughout the semester. The first will
begin on the 3rd class session and final presentation will be on 6th class session. The
second will begin on 9th class session and end on the 14th class session. Your book clubs
will be formed in class around the readings on the course syllabus. Class time will be
provided each week for book club group meetings.
2) Practitioner Interview and Group Synthesis (50 pts)
Using an interview protocol collaboratively developed in class, interview a practitioner
about a contemporary issue he or she is concerned about related to classrooms, teaching,
and teacher education reform initiatives. Transcribe and bring the interview data to class
to share with peers. When you do interviews, you should take detailed notes, and then
transcribe the interview as soon as possible after its conclusion. In the case of audiotaped
interviews, you may listen to the tape in order to transcribe the interview. It is important
to have your notes as a back-up, however, in case the person speaks softly or in case there
is a technical difficulty. If you do not audiotape the interview, then when you are
finished, you should use your notes to write up the interview in its entirety. You should
include your questions, their answers, their comments or questions, your answers, and
any nonverbal communication (laughs, gestures, facial expressions, etc.). A good
interview transcript will be very detailed and will more or less reproduce the dialogue
that occurred during the interview. It should also describe the person interviewed (e.g.,
gender, occupation, approximate age, ethnicity) and the setting in which the interview
occurred. In your group, look across the data set to identify overarching themes,
challenges, and facilitators to using research to inform practice in schools, teaching, and
teacher education.
3) Practitioner Manuscript (100 pts)
This is a mentored writing project. You will select a current issue associated with
teaching and teacher education. Identify and evaluate the controversies, dilemmas,
debates, conflicts, and major challenges that emerge and translate them into applications
for evidence-informed practice. Include an exploration of research characterized by
multiple methods and practitioner voices related to the use of this research. Your
manuscript may be a Report of Original Teacher Action Research that includes a review
of the relevant literature, a description of the methodology, a summary of the findings,
and a discussion of implications for practice in an educational setting. Alternatively, you
may write a manuscript that translates theory into practice. Explications of Theory
should begin with a clear explanation of a theory that informs practice, a description of
the historical context, and a justification based on the literature. The paper should
conclude with implications for practice in an educational setting. The final manuscript
should be 12-15 pages in length, including references and graphics. In collaboration with
the faculty, you will identify an appropriate publication outlet and adhere to APA
guidelines (6th edition) or The Chicago Manual of Style 2010 guidelines (16th edition),
depending on the journal requirements.
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Subcomponents of the Assignment (5 points each):
Manuscript Topic Proposal: Submit an abstract of no more than 300 words. Research
topics must be officially approved by the instructor prior to the initiation of research. All
students who turn in a project proposal will receive written notice indicating whether or
not their project was approved. Projects may not be changed after the fourth week of
classes.
Identification of Publication Outlet: Select an appropriate publication outlet for a
practitioner article on teaching and/or learning and submit the publication guidelines.
Reference List: Submit a reference list of a minimum of 10 resources to support your
manuscript. Adhere to APA guidelines (6th edition) or The Chicago Manual of Style 2010
guidelines (16th edition), depending on the journal requirements.
Rough Draft: You will submit a rough draft to the instructor. Ideally, your draft will be a
complete draft of your final paper. At a minimum, however, your rough draft should
include an introduction, literature review (based on the reference list assignment),
methodology (if relevant), at least half of the presentation and analysis of your data (if
relevant), and an outline of the remainder of your paper. Otherwise, it will not be
considered a draft and cannot count toward the completion of this assignment. Rough
drafts will receive written comments rather than letter grades.
Late Work: The assignment components may not be turned in late. If they are not turned
in on time, they will not be accepted. The project proposal, publication outlet, reference
list, and rough draft will be graded pass/not pass. In other words, if you turn in an
acceptable version of these, you will get full credit. The project proposal may be
rewritten to receive credit, if the initial proposal is turned in on time. Other assignments
may not be rewritten for credit. The final draft of your research paper will be graded
according to its quality, thoroughness, and analytical strength.
4) Conference Proposal (25 points)
Identify a professional conference venue that explores issues associated with teaching
and learning. Using the topic of your manuscript, follow the submission guidelines to
write a conference proposal.
5) Class Facilitator (15 pts)
Generate questions for discussion that encourage a critical analysis of the readings and
introduce contemporary applications of the research. Lead a discussion using these and
participant generated questions.
Grading Criteria:
5
Your grade in this class will be a result of completion of the course requirements, listed below.
Book Club 1
Book Club 2
Practitioner Interview and Group Synthesis
Manuscript Topic Proposal
Publication Outlet
Reference List
Rough Draft
Manuscript
Conference Proposal
Class Facilitator
50 points
50 points
50 points
5 points
5 points
5 points
5 points
100 points
25 points
15 points
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Revised 08/2010
Grading Scale:
Points
291-310
279-290
269-278
260-268
248-259
Grade
A
AB+
B
B-
Points
238-247
229-237
217-228
200-217
Below 200
Grade
C+
C
CD
F
NOTE: Please retain all your assignments for the semester, including those that are graded and returned.
Written Assignments
All written assignments prepared outside of class will be evaluated for content and presentation.
The American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition (APA) style will be followed for all
written work. Students may consult the Writing Center for additional writing support.
Students will:
1. Present ideas in a clear, concise, and organized manner. (Avoid wordiness and
redundancy.)
2. Develop points coherently, definitively, and thoroughly.
3. Refer to appropriate authorities, studies, and examples to document, where
appropriate.(Avoid meaningless generalizations, unwarranted assumptions, and
unsupported opinions.)
4. Use correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Proofread carefully.
10.
Textbook(s) and Readings:
Required Text
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain,
mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. [Available
as e-book through USF Library]
Duckworth, E. (2006). “The having of wonderful ideas” and other essays on teaching and
learning (3rd edition). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Kennedy, M. (2006). Inside teaching: How classroom life undermines reform. Boston, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Ravitch, D. (2010). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and
choice are undermining education. New York: Basic Books.
Other Readings
Ayers, W. (2010). To teach: The journey of a teacher (3rd edition). New York: Teachers
College Press.
7
Revised 08/2010
Blank. , J. (2010). Early childhood teacher education: Historical themes and contemporary
issues. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31(4), 391-405.
Crain, W. (2003). Reclaiming childhood: Letting children be children in our achievementoriented society. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to
equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fried, R. L. (2005). The game of school: Why we all play it, how it hurts kids, and what it
will take to change it. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley.
Kozol, J. (1992). Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools. New York: Harper.
Kozol, J. (2005). The shame of the nation: The restoration of apartheid schooling in
America. New York: Crown.
Kozol, J. (2009). On being a teacher. Oxford: Oneworld.
Sahlberg. P. (2011). Finnish lessons: What can the world learn from education change in
Finland. New York: Teachers College Press.
Tyack, D. & Cuban, L. (1995). Tinkering toward utopia: A century of public school reform.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Chapter)
11.
Academic Dishonesty:
“Plagiarism is defined as "literary theft" and consists of the unattributed quotation of the
exact words of a published text or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by
paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs
information gathered from books, articles, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well
as ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public-at-large, must be attributed
to its author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Citations may be made in
footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as one's
own, segments or the total of another person's work.”
“Punishment for academic dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and
may include receipt of an "F" with a numerical value of zero on the item submitted, and
the "F" shall be used to determine the final course grade. It is the option of the instructor
to assign the student a grade of "F" of "FF" (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the
course.”
12.
Detection of Plagiarism:
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 to SafeAssignment.com, or 3) ask students to
submit their assignments to SafeAssignment.com through myUSF. Assignments are
compared automatically with a database of journal articles, web articles, and previously
submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student's paper
was plagiarized.
8
Revised 08/2010
13.
Web Portal Information:
Every newly enrolled USF student receives an official USF e-mail account that ends with
"mail.acomp.usf.edu." Every official USF correspondence to students will be sent to that
account. Go to the Academic Computing website and select the link "Activating a Student
E-mail Account" for detailed information. Information about the USF Web Portal can be
found at:
http://www.acomp.usf.edu/portal.htm.
14.
ADA Statement:
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office
of Services for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.
Students are required to give reasonable notice (typically 5 working days) prior to
requesting an accommodation
15.
USF Policy on Religious Observances:
Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of
a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in
writing, by the second class meeting.
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Revised 08/2010
ATTACHMENT I
This attachment must be completed for the following graduate programs: all MATs; MA and PhD in
School Psychology;, Educational Measurement and Evaluation; Guidance and Counseling; Educational
Leadership; MA programs in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education,
Special Education, and Physical Education; and all programs that teach courses for majors in the above
listed programs. This attachment is to be completed on a separate page(s) since it is for the College of
Education files only.
Course Prefix and Number EDE 7481
Course Name Teacher Education Seminar
Credit Hours 3
Briefly describe the following:

None

None

The nature and duration of any field-based experiences.
Any experiences that include instruction, observation, practice, and/or competency demonstration
in any of the following: instructional strategies that address various learning styles,
exceptionalities, achievement levels, and other specialized circumstances.
Activities and assessments that assess the impact on pk-12 student learning.
Student work for course assignments may have measures to assess the impact of PK-12 student
learning. However, having such a measure is not a requirement of any assignments for this course.

Any components of the course that prepare candidates in the use of technology in instruction,
record-keeping, and other professional responsibilities.
Student work for course assignments may use technology for record-keeping or other professional
responsibilities. However, having such a component is not a requirement of any assignment for this
course.

Any components of the course designed to prepare teacher candidates to help pk-12 students
achieve the Sunshine State Standards?
None

How issues of diversity are addressed in this course? Indicate which aspect(s) of the course (e.g.,
instructional strategies and/or experiences) provide the teacher candidates the opportunity to
acquire and/or apply knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions necessary to help all students learn.
(“all students” includes students with various learning styles, students with exceptionalities and
different ethnic, racial, gender, language, religious, socioeconomic, regional/geographic origins,
and achievement levels)
Student work for course assignments may address issues of diversity. However, it is not a requirement
of this course.
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