SED 179K/217K Student Teaching, Fall 2007
Alan Singer: Office: 236 Hagedorn
Office Hours: Thursday 3-4 PM and 8:30-9:30 PM.
Phone: (W) 516/463-5853 (H) 718/768-7239 (C) 917/414-8904 (Do not call before 7AM or after 10 PM).
E-mail: CATAJS@Hofstra.edu Internet: people.hofstra.edu/faculty/alan_j_singer
Important Notes – You should be in touch with your first school at least a week before the start of the semester to
make sure everything is in place. If there is a problem contact the field placement office immediately at 516-4635746. Report to your first placement on the first day of the semester, September 4, 2007 at 8 AM. Student
Teaching Orientation at Hofstra is Thursday, August 30. Attendance is required.
Course Description: Full-time student teaching in cooperating schools with direction and supervision from
University supervisors. Students have two placements during the semester: one on the middle school/junior high
school level (7-9) and one on the senior high school level (10-12). Placement may be either sequential or joint.
Attendance at weekly seminars is required. Student teachers review content area planning including assessment,
inclusion, resources and technology and relate pedagogy with content. Special required seminars address issues of
child abuse, inclusion, health and substance abuse, and diversity. Corequisite: SED 178 or 201. Pass/ Fail grade
only.
Required Text/Course Material from SED 156/294
Singer, Social Studies for Secondary Schools, Teaching to Learn, Learning to Teach (LEA, 2003).
Course rationale: As Social Studies student teachers you will be learning how to explain and organize
information and ideas, how to motivate and structure a class full of teenagers, and at the same time, you will still
be learning your subject. If you remain in teaching as a career, I think that you will eventually discover that good
teachers are always learning and experimenting. That is the great fun of the job.
Think of this seminar as the second half of the social studies methods course. In seminar, we will go over your
lesson plans, projects and assessments, discuss history and social studies, analyze curriculum materials, and
examine appropriate technologies. The course will be organized around the topics you want to discuss and the
material you bring to class. You will also meet as a group with other secondary student teachers to learn about
licensing requirements, multiculturalism, substance abuse, child abuse, safety concerns, and job placement. These
meetings are required.
For those of you who have both a middle school and a high school placement, we recommend that at least a
week before the switch, you meet with the new cooperating teacher and start observing at the new site for part of
the day. If you want to maintain a relationship with your original placement, there is no reason why you cannot
spend part of the day there. However, this must be approved by both sites and your field supervisor.
Course Outcomes Student teachers will be able to translate the following into classroom practice:
 explain the scope and sequence of the New York State secondary social studies curriculum.
 express a point of view about the role of the teacher in the social studies classroom.
 define social studies goals and concepts and translate.
 identify key historical and social studies essential questions, themes and content.
 identify key components of best practice in social studies.
 design standards-based inclusive activities, lessons and units.
 design activities, lessons and units that enhance student literacies.
 develop authentic social studies projects and assessments.
 frame effective questions that promote critical thinking and class discussion.
 use the worldwide web and other sources and technologies as resources for planning and as teaching tools.
Assessment of Student Performance: Assessment is both for participation in seminar and performance as a
student teacher. Field supervisors make three formal visits and write a formal lesson evaluation after meeting with
the student teacher and cooperating teacher. Final evaluations by field supervisors will be completed after
consultation with the student teacher and cooperating teacher and describe professional responsibility, proficiency
of pedagogy, knowledge of content and curriculum, and performance of secondary school students. Student
teachers receive a copy of all written evaluations.
Assignments in seminar are due the dates assigned. The dates were selected to spread out the work and to
coordinate with class activities. If an assignment is handed in on time and it is not up to a minimum level, you will
be able to re-do and resubmit the work. If your assignment is late you will not have the same ability to resubmit
work and you will not receive a final grade until all assignments have been submitted. Supervised teachers are
expected to attend all classes, complete all assignments and participate in class activities and discussions. If you
know in advance that you will be having a problem, please discuss it with me. Responsibility and the quality of
work in seminar will be reflected in the instructor’s rewritten evaluation of your performance as a student teacher.
Final grade is Pass/ Fail only for graduate students; Pass/D/Fail for undergraduate students.
Assignments: You will be assembling an electronic portfolio for SED 178 and SED 201 that also counts as the
exit project for the secondary education program. We recommend that you also create a hard copy of your portfolio
for the student teaching seminar. In addition to requirements for the electronic portfolio, it should include a two
week long unit plan that you taught and evaluated, an assessment and examples of student work
Topic Outline: Student teaching seminars meet Thursdays from 4:30 pm until 6:20 pm. Each class session will
follow a similar pattern:
1) Students will be responsible for introducing topics or series of topics for discussion by the group followed by a
general discussion of questions and problems. Everyone will get an opportunity to present specific teaching
materials to the group for examination.
2) Discussion of educational issues. Topics include promoting literacy in the content area, approaches to teaching
in diverse inclusive classrooms, integrating technology in the curriculum, addressing standards and assessment.
3) Evaluation of lessons, lesson plans, units, texts, tests and selected strategies.
DISABILITIES: If you have any documented disability-related concerns that may have an impact upon
your performance in this course, please meet with me within the first two weeks of the current semester,
so that we can work out the appropriate accommodations. Accommodations are provided on an
individualized, as-needed basis after the needs, circumstances and documentation have been evaluated by
the appropriate office on campus. For more information on services provided by Hofstra, and for
submission of documentation of your disability, please contact: Ann Marie Ferro (for physical and/or
psychological disabilities) (AnnMarie.R.Ferro@hofstra.edu ) in 101 Memorial Hall at 516-463-6770 or
Diane Herbert (for learning disabilities and/or ADHD) (Diane.Herbert@hofstra.edu ) in 202 Roosevelt
Hall at 516-463-5761. All disability-related information will be kept confidential.
Register for New York State Exams on line (www.nystce.nesinc.com). These are some recommendations for
success on LAST, ATS-W and CST. Remember, your goal is to pass, not to get everything right.
1. Get a good nights sleep the night before. Get to the test site early so you don’t have to rush in at the last minute.
2. The last question is worth as many points as the first question. Don’t get bogged down or stressed out when you
don’t know some answers. Skip questions you don’t know. Make sure you finish so you get to all of the easy
questions.
3. Don’t leave blanks. At the end, go back and fill in choices.
4. They are looking for competence not creatvity. In your essays, get to the point immediately. Make sure you
answer the question. Be careful with spelling. If you do not know how to spell “automobile”, write “car”. Proof
read carefully.
5. Be sure to follow directions. For example, if an essay is only supposed to be 300 words long, THEY WILL NOT
READ LONGER ANSWERS NO MATTER HOW BRILLIANT YOU WRITE THEM.
Michelle Kaplan sends these suggestions for the Social Studies Content Specialty Test.
I. Do NOT spend a lot of time studying European History. It is not emphasized on the test. The only questions
about European History involved the knowing the significance of the Five Year Plans during the Russian
Revolution, knowing that the enlightenment was considered an age of reason (but was not the ONLY time period
during which successes in arts and sciences were made) and knowing that the Renaissance involved the here, now
and tangible (human) instead of the ever-after. The only question about the French Revolution dealt with the
Haitian revolution. The definition of the word "Creole" is the key to that question. Know that early societies were
located near bodies of water. Know the term "hunter-gatherer". Know that pottery came into play when societies
became larger and needed a way to store and transport water. Know that Islamic societies made key contributions
to the arts and sciences in the middle ages. Know how Buddhism and Hinduism differ from other religions and
each other. Know Confucianism's emphasis on order and familial responsibility. Know that China was isolationist
post-1400's and the effect this had. Know Simon Bolivar and why he's important. These were all, to my memory,
questions on the test.
2. DO study geography, or at least look at maps. Know where things are and how this affects trade. Know what
bodies of water surround the Middle East v. Africa v. the Americas etc. (One of the questions asked you to look at
a spot in the middle east and identify what bodies of water were adjacent to it). Look at a map of NY state. Know
the different demographics between upstate and downstate. Know the significance of the Erie Canal. Know that
Manhattan abuts the Hudson River. Know where major mountain regions are located in the world, as the test will
ask you to identify them. Geography is something you can't fake but you can review in a few hours and it will help
on this test.
3. Economics questions are your friends. They are among the easier questions. When in doubt, pick the answer that
says, "to acquire resources/raw materials" or "to open up/expand trade routes". Know what scarcity is. Know the
law of marginal returns. Know NAFTA and the concerns it raises. Know that China is Communist country but with
some aspects of free enterprise.
4. As for American history, know why the American Revolution was successful (did the U.S. want to win more
than the British or did it have a home-field naval advantage?), know what was argued over at the Constitutional
conventions, know what the Cold War was about (was it just an ideological war or was it over real differences?),
how the Roosevelt Corollary expanded upon the Monroe Doctrine. Know immigration trends, who came here,
when and why. (Give students the immigration sheet you handed out in race and class. That sheet will answer ALL
of the immigration questions on this test, and there are A LOT of them). Know when the majority of Hispanic
people arrived and where they settled in this country. Know the Irish Famine. Know the Great Migration and why
blacks came to the North. Know the civil rights movement, particularly that blacks had to have acquired some
resources and structures in the first place in order to organize themselves and resist. Know that America's role in
Vietnam is questioned to this day and that we fear another "Vietnam".
5. As for civics and government, students should just read the entire U.S. constitution. It's only a few pages long
and there is no substitute for reading it. Students should also know these definitions: chieftan (what his role is in
early societies and whether societies under him were "centralized" or "localized"), constitutional monarchy,
democracy, autocracy, theocracy, and examples of each. Know that "democracy" is not an economic term.
6. With the multiple choice, if you are saying to yourself, "that's obvious", chances are that you are not reading it
carefully enough. Read it again, try to find the trick and then answer the question. Answer ALL matching questions
in reverse i.e. look at each answer choice on each line of the matching and try to figure out why they DON'T go
together and then pick the ones that do go together.
7. If you do not know the entire essay question, don't panic. Chances are, neither does anybody else. But, for this
reason, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ESSAY QUESTION at the beginning of the test. If you do not know the topic,
you will be nervous and pressured while answering the multiple choice. Aim to finish the multiple choice 3 hours
into the test and then go on to the essay and do the best you can with it.
LESSON PLANS : There are a lot of different ways to organize your lessons. You experimented with some of
them during your methods classes. Try the way suggested by your cooperating teacher and the department in the
school where you are student teaching. Here are some things you need to consider for your lesson plans.
Unit Topic/ Lesson Aim (Topic)/ Key Concepts/ Materials/ Main Ideas (Generalizations)/ Objectives and Goals
(Content Understandings and Skills)/ Do Now/ Motivation/ Activities/ Questions (Discussion, Evaluation and
Summary)/ Summary Question/ Application/ Homework Assignments.
Simplified Lesson Plan Format
UNIT ________________________________________________________________________
LESSON ______________________________________________________________________
1. What are the main ideas (maximum of 3) students need to know about this topic?
1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
2. What materials (e.g., ACTIVITY SHEET, MAP, SONG) will I present?
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. What (AIM) question will I ask the class to answer? ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. What activity, if any, will I use to settle students and establish a context (DO NOW)?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. How will I open the lesson (MOTIVATION) and capture student interest?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. What activities will I use to help students discover what they need to learn?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. How will we summarize and assess student learning (KEY QUESTIONS)?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
8. Homework _________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. What topics comes next?
Tommorrow _________________________________________________________________
Day After ___________________________________________________________________
Hofstra University Secondary Education Student Teachers Expectations
Please share this with supervisors and cooperating teachers at your field placement site.
New York State requires both a 7-9 and a 10-12 student teaching experience. This can be done in two
placements, one in the middle school and one in the high school, or in a 9-12 high school program. Depending on
the placement, a student teacher will have either one or two cooperating teachers. We request cooperating teachers
who are committed to investing in the learning potential of all secondary school students, operate student-centered
classrooms, are prepared to invest time and energy in the development of new professional educators, and are
willing to allow student teachers the space to experiment and grow in their classrooms.
At Hofstra we value inclusion and cultural and social diversity. We prefer that student teachers in our program
have experiences working with a wide-range of students in inclusive classrooms. While we want our student
teachers to learn a variety of teaching approaches, we particularly want to insure that they have the opportunity to
develop cooperative learning, hands on, and student-centered lessons.
Student teachers are expected to become full participants in school and departmental activities. This includes
conforming to the professional standards and lesson and unit formats of the school, tutoring, advising student
clubs, and other duties. Student teachers should observe as many experienced teachers in the department as
possible. They should also observe teachers in other subject areas. Student teachers will attend seminars at Hofstra
University on Thursday afternoons (undergraduates) or evenings (graduates).
Hofstra field supervisors will visit a student teacher a minimum of five times during the semester. The first
visit to each site will be to discuss the program with student teachers and other school personnel. During other
visits, field supervisors will coach student teachers, meet with department chairs, and observe lessons. Field
supervisors write four formal observation reports and a final report on the performance of student teachers. Hofstra
field supervisors meet with student teachers at the university on a weekly basis. Field supervisors and the Hofstra
social studies coordinator are also available for phone and e-mail consultations and for appointments.
Lessons, units, and projects will be developed through consultation between cooperating teachers, student
teachers and Hofstra field supervisors. Cooperating teachers are expected to meet with student teachers on a
regular basis to review lesson plans and classroom performance.
Single Simultaneous Placement (7-9 and 10-12 at the same site)
Student teaching begins on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 and ends on Friday, December 14, 2007 (tentative).
Student teachers expect to observe and team teach during the first week of student teaching. By week 2 a student
teacher should be assigned to teach 2 classes (one preparation) on a regular basis. Ideally the cooperating teacher
will model lessons in another class studying the same material. During this period the student teacher should also
assist in other grades/subjects and occasionally teach individual lessons. During March the student teacher should
switch to teaching the other subject/grade. By the end of student teaching, the student teacher should be able to
handle two preparations and teaching five class periods.
Split Placement (Middle School and High School)
The first student teaching placement begins on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 and ends on Friday, October 26, 2007
(tentative). The second placement begins on Monday, October 29 and ends on Friday, December 14, 2007
(tentative). The switch can be delayed one week if arrangements are discussed in advance. Student teachers expect
to observe and team teach during the first week of each placement. By week 2 a student teacher should be assigned
to teach 2 classes (one preparation) on a regular basis. Ideally the cooperating teacher will model lessons in another
class studying the same material. The student teacher should have some experience in all subjects taught by the
cooperating teacher. By the end of student teaching, the student teacher should be able to handle five class periods.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. Why you want to be a teacher.
2. Your long term career goals.
3. Things you liked as a student.
4. Things you didn't like as a student.
5. What it means to be "in charge".
6. Why you are taking student teaching.
7. How you can experiment with different ways to teach.
8. How you can experiment with being a different "you".
9. What it means to be a responsible worker.
10. What it means to be a responsible adult.
11. What it means to be a professional teacher.
12. How you want to be related to your "colleagues", your students, your supervisors, the community.
BE PREPARED
1. How will you get up in the morning?
2. How will you dress?
3. How will you travel?
4. What materials will you need?
5. What will you need to learn?
6. When will you prepare?
7. How will you schedule your time at the school?
8. How will you get your classwork done?
9. What is the "lay-out" of the school?
10. Who "carries clout" at the school -- principal, assistant principal, superintendent, chairperson, school board,
parents, colleagues, union, guidance counselor dean?
11. When will you eat lunch? What will you eat?
12. What is available in the library? the A-V? the computer center?
OBSERVING
1. Who will I observe?
2. When will I observe?
3. Where do they want me to sit?
4. Do they want me to participate in any way?
5. What should I look for?
6. What is the teaching doing?
7. What are the students doing?
8. Are the teacher and the students having the "same" lesson?
9. What are the goals of the lesson?
10. Are the goals being achieved? How?
11. Do I want to teach this kind of lesson?
TEACHING
1. When will I begin to teach?
2. How many classes will I teach?
3. What will I teach?
4. What are my responsibilities for the class?
5. How much freedom to experiment do I have?
6. Do I know the stuff?
7. Do I know how to plan the lessons?
8. Where can I get help?
9. What should I do if I am unhappy in my "situation"?
10. What should I do if I disagree with my supervising teacher?