NYUSteinhardt
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS PROFESSIONS
PROGRAM IN EDUCATIONAL THEATRE
82 WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST, PLESS ANNEX 223
NEW YORK, NY 10003-6680
TELEPHONE: 212.998.5869
FAX: 212.995.4192
EMAIL: dm635@nyu.edu
Supervised Student Teaching in the Secondary English/Drama Classroom: MPAET.UE.1174/MPAET.GE
2174, Spring 2011
Instructor: David Montgomery
Meeting times: Wed., 4:55-6:35
Office Hours: Please make an appointment through the Ed Theatre Office by calling (212) 998-5868
Location: Education 770
Course Description:
Through examining readings, case studies and their own praxis, student teachers will deepen their understanding of
teaching and learning. Beyond exploring curriculum and instructional strategies, issues of classroom management,
preparation, implementation, and assessment will be addressed. Additionally, this seminar will serve as a forum for
student teachers to share their successes and challenges in their placements.
Course Objectives
 To identify individual goals and questions about teaching and learning that will be explored through
coursework and classroom field placements.
 To create lesson plans and unit plans focused on dramatic activities in the secondary classroom that
meet the New York State education standards
 To develop a case narrative.
 To develop an understanding of arts integration with other core subject areas, as well as an
understanding of how to teach theatre skills.
 To explore the various elements involved in producing a theatrical performance in a school setting.
 To understand and implement effective strategies of assessment for drama.
 To exercise creative and analytic skills through journal responses to readings and classroom
experiences.
 To hone skills as teachers and reflective practitioners through an exploration of individual learning
styles, as well as culturally responsive and critical pedagogies.
 To generate a teaching portfolio of classroom observations, lesson plans, unit plans, and responses to
the semester’s work, and to use that portfolio to highlight individual strengths as educators and artists.
Required Texts:
Norris, J., L. McCammon, & C. Miller (editors). (2000) Learning to Teach Drama: A Case Narrative
Approach. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Patterson, J. & D.M. Cook & M. Swick. Theatre in the Secondary Classroom: Methods and Strategies for the
Beginning Teacher. New York: Heinemann Drama, 2006.
Recommended Texts:
Neelands, J.. & Goode, T. (1990). Structuring Drama Work: A Handbook of Available Forms in Theatre
Drama. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, P. (2000). The Drama Classroom: Action, Reflection, Transformation. New York:
Routledge/Falmer.
and
Course Work and Assessment
A significant portion of the work for this course has to do with the time that you spend in your student teaching
placement each week. We come together in the seminar meetings to discuss your experiences in those placements
and to enhance your pedagogical knowledge base through an exploration of important teaching and learning
concepts and practices that are necessary for all arts educators to master. A breakdown of course work follows
below.
Students are responsible for the following requirements:
Student Teaching Field Placements:
(1) Each participant will receive an assignment to student teach in a middle or high school in New York City for
the duration of the semester. All students are required to teach through the end of the NYU semester. Students
are expected to commit a minimum of three full days, or five half days per week to their placements.
(2) You will be assigned a field supervisor who will be in contact with your seminar instructor and your
cooperating teacher throughout the semester to monitor your progress. There is a formative visit where a supervisor
will introduce you to the school and your cooperating teacher. Each student is responsible for arranging two
visits with her/his field supervisor and her/his cooperating teacher throughout the semester. We refer to these
visits as diagnostic and summative. The diagnostic visit provides an opportunity for the supervisor and the
cooperating teacher to evaluate and critique the practical aspects of your teaching. The summative visit entails an
evaluation of progress and reflection on future teaching goals. For each visit, the student must provide the field
supervisor with lesson plans for her/his teaching at least 24 hours in advance of the visit. Students are
responsible for teaching and submitting at least three stand-alone lessons in the placements.
(3) Any repeated lateness or failure to report for scheduled student teaching times will adversely affect your
final grade for the course. Absences from student teaching should occur only in an extreme emergency, and you
must always contact your cooperating teacher and your supervisor to let them know that you will be absent.
(4) Any unforeseen conflicts that may arise within your placements must be brought to the attention of your field
supervisor and seminar instructor immediately.
Teaching Journal:
(1) Each participant will chronicle her/his thoughts and ideas about the coursework and student teaching
experience by generating a teaching journal. These journals must include a minimum of one journal entry per week,
which should document your individual growth throughout the semester, and must make connections between the
course readings, discussions, and your classroom teaching practice. You may also make connections with other
aspects of your life and work as a student. You should use the journal as a source of data collection for your ongoing
research in teaching and learning. This will be an important resource to consult as you prepare your case narrative
project for this course (see below for more details about the case narrative assignment).
(2) Journal entries may take various forms: written/typed, visual, aural (recorded so that it can be listened to),
etc., and they can be varied throughout the semester. Also, please title your entries, just as you would title any piece
of art, and provide a description or written analysis if necessary.
(3) You will share selected journal entries at various points during the semester in class.
(4) You will also be responsible for providing feedback to your classmates on lesson plans, unit plans,
journal responses and other course-related work.
Case Narrative Assignment:
A case narrative offers an opportunity to reflect on and examine a problem, dilemma, or crisis, or frame a new
perspective that has occurred in a teaching practice. In a sense, it is a story which describes not only the events that
led up to the problem, or event, but also provides the classroom context in which the situation occurred.
The text, Learning to Teach Drama: A Case Narrative Approach opens up a wide array of lenses through which to
explore our work as drama/theatre teachers. Norris, McCammon and Miller use the following chapter headings to
categorize the case narratives in the book:




Planning Lessons
Knowing the Students
Classroom Climate: Working with Groups
Classroom Climate: Working with Individuals
 Drama in the School Community
 Expect the Unexpected
 Student Teaching Experience
Using the format followed by the authors, and selecting one type of case narrative, your assignment is to develop a
case narrative reflecting on some aspect of your teaching in your field placement this semester. A case narrative in
your student teaching context can be about a group activity, an individual student, or it can deal with lesson
planning, behavior management, process work or production challenges. The main intent of the cases is to serve as
a tool to assist you in better understanding your teaching practice, and should be drawn from your own experience.
Each student will write a 5-6 page (double spaced) narrative reflecting on their experience using journal entries and
field observations to inform the writing exercise. On November 16, you will be asked to share your narrative with a
partner in class. This is an opportunity to share feedback, suggestions, advice, and general empathy if we have ever
been in similar situations as educators. It can also be seen as an introduction to issues in education that we have yet
to come across.
The case should come from a question or concern that has arisen in your current student teaching placement. In
choosing an experience, you might ask, “What do I want to better understand?” You should write in the first person,
give your final opinion in your summary, and reflect on how this case will affect or give insight to your future
teaching practice.
A final written Narrative will be due to the instructor in your Teaching Portfolio on December 7.
Lesson and Unit Plans:
(1) You will be expected to create three distinct lesson plans, each dealing with a different theme or area of
study. These lesson plans should relate to the existing curriculum in your student teaching placement.
(2) You will also create a unit plan made up of three to five related lesson plans on the same subject.
Both lesson and unit plans should include:
 Goal/Objective
 Audience/Developmental Considerations
 Previous Knowledge
 Organization
 Materials
 Procedures with time breakdowns
 Modifications
 Assessment
 Reflection
 New York State Learning Standards
 New York City Department of Education Blueprint Strands and corresponding grade level Benchmark.
3 stand alone lesson plans are due on October 26 to be shared with a partner in class, and the unit plan is due to
be shared with a partner in class on November 9. Final edits/products of lessons and units will be included and
evaluated in the portfolio due Friday, December 7.
Teaching Portfolio:
Throughout the semester you will be assembling selections of your work into a portfolio, which includes the
teaching journal, lesson and unit plans, case narrative assignment, and self-assessments mentioned above. This
portfolio must illustrate your growth as an arts educator, hence the journaling throughout the experience. It may
help to think about the portfolio as a teaching and learning document that provides a “picture” of your work in this
course to someone outside of the class, like a friend, another professor, and most importantly, a potential employer.
A well-organized and well-presented portfolio will help you to be more effective in providing evidence for your
final grade and will assist you in gaining employment. Portfolios can include, but are not limited to, the following
sections:

Table of Contents









Resumes (both Teaching and Dramatic/Theatrical)
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Initial Goals and Questions
Case Narrative Project
Rubrics
Evaluation/reflection on how you worked with your cooperating teacher
Drama Strategies and Activities for the Secondary Classroom
3 Stand Alone Lesson Plans
Mini-unit Plan made up of three to four related lesson plans on the same subject.
Criteria for Assessment:
 The portfolio includes all of the elements listed in the course outline.
 The portfolio captures the student’s teaching experience in the high school classroom, both in description
and analysis.
 The elements within the portfolio illustrate improvement and/or learning over the course of the semester.
 The portfolio reflects the individual’s personality in some way.
 The portfolio is organized and presented in such a way that it is useful for the creator, while also accessible
for an outside reader.
Portfolios which contain your final self-assessments are due December 7.
Final Review:
Each student will schedule a meeting with the seminar instructor during the final week of the semester, December
9-16. In that meeting the student’s work and growth throughout the semester will be discussed. The written final
assessment will serve as the basis for this meeting, and the portfolio will serve as supplemental evidence for the final
assessment.
Please note that I will be keeping my own notes for each participant in the course, based on what I observe each
week during our class meetings, in your student teaching placement, and what I see and read in your assignments
and responses throughout the semester. I will also consult on a regular basis with your NYU student teaching
supervisor, and their comments will be taken into consideration during the final review meeting.
Ongoing Assignment Preparation and In-class Participation
At various times during the course, you will be asked to complete assignments that will lead to the creation of your
student teaching portfolio. These assignments will be assessed informally, meaning that you will receive feedback
from the instructor and from a peer, but you will not receive a grade per se. However, the expectation is that you
will complete these assignments to the best of your ability and that they will be submitted on time and free of
grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. The informal assessment is meant to provide feedback so that your final
portfolio can be as strong as possible. You are also expected to actively participate in seminar discussions and the
peer feedback process. Deficiencies in any of the areas described above will adversely affect the Ongoing
Assignment Preparation and In-class Participation portion of your overall course grade. Please note: Absences
and/or tardiness to seminar meetings and your student teaching placement will also reflect poorly on this assessment
area as well.
Self-Assessment
You will be required to complete an initial self-assessment at the top of the semester and a final self-assessment at
the conclusion of the semester. The initial assessment will involve composing a personal history and identifying
your goals and questions for the semester (3 to 5 pages; double-spaced, 12 font). For the final assessment you will
write a 1500 word essay that evaluates your work in the course, reports on your progress in reaching your goals and
answering your questions, and provides specific examples as evidence of learning. You will assign yourself a letter
grade for the learning that you feel you have achieved. That grade will stand for the self-assessment portion of your
overall grade as long as you provide evidence to support WHY you deserve that grade in your final self-assessment.
If your evidence is in conflict with the grade that you have assigned yourself, based on my observation of your work
in the seminar and/or your NYU supervisor’s and classroom teacher’s observations of you in your student teaching
placement, your grade will be adjusted accordingly.
Please note that this portion of the course assessment is not only about doing. Attending student teaching, coming to
class, participating in discussions, and completing the assignments do not constitute learning. These all represent
opportunities for learning to take place. As you consider your work in this course for the self-assessment, please
make sure that you consider the depth of your learning through the following lenses: Awareness, Connections, and
Ownership. What are you own personal examples of new awareness, connections, and ownership? How has your
knowledge and understanding shifted as a result of your work in this course? How have you changed as an
educator? As an artist? What new questions have emerged because of this experience? What evidence can you
provide that supports your assertions about your learning? What are the sources of evidence that you can use in your
self-assessment to capture the learning experience? “A” work is not simply coming to all classes, turning in
assignments on time, and completing all the requirements. This portion of your assessment is meant to encourage
you to explore questions and ideas that are important to you, as well as to convey moments of learning that may not
have been measured by the other assessment tools used for the other projects.
In this class in particular, your individual learning while working in your student teaching placement will be difficult
for me to measure. It is your responsibility to articulate and assess that learning in the final self-assessment. Please
keep in mind that assessment is not an end of the course assignment. It is essential that you continually reflect on
your learning throughout the semester.
Initial self-assessments due on September 14
Final self-assessments due in portfolio on December 7
Assessment Breakdown
Course assignments will have the following values for the overall grade in the course:



Ongoing assignment preparation and in-class participation
Portfolio
Final Self-Assessment
TOTAL
20%
40%
40%
100%
Grading Scale:
93% and up:A
90-92%: A88-89%: B+
83-87%: B
80-82%: B-
78-79%: C+
73-77%: C
70-72%: C68-69%: D+
63-67%: D
62% and less: F
Formal assessment of certain assignments will be based on rubrics and/or checklists that I provide in advance so that
assessment criteria and expectations are clear. In some instances, participants may be asked to suggest assessment
criteria for a given project or paper.
The work in this course requires personal motivation, passion for exploration, risk-taking, and most importantly, an
openness to new ideas, thoughts, and feelings. It also demands attendance at all class meetings, plus a professional
commitment to your student teaching placement school, cooperating teacher(s), and students. Attendance and
promptness are mandatory There is no extra credit available for this course.
Official university excused absences must be documented. If you know you will be missing class, advance
notification via email would be appreciated.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Culminating Experience:
Masters candidates who are in the final semester of student teaching are required to complete a Culminating
Experience, which consists of a research project informed by the student’s experience in the student teaching field
placement. This project will be designed by the student in consultation with the advisor of the EDTA program, Joe
Salvatore. ETSS students will be advised by me, David Montgomery.
Final Review:
Each student will schedule a meeting with her/his student teaching seminar instructor during the week of December
9-16. In that meeting we will discuss your work and your growth throughout the semester. Your final assessment
will serve as the basis for this meeting, and the portfolio will serve as additional evidence to support your final
assessment.
Please note that the instructor and supervisors will be keeping notes for each student in the course, based on what we
observe each week during our class meetings, in your student teaching placement, and what we see and read in your
responses throughout the semester. These notes and observations will help us to guide each participant’s progress in
the course. Instructors and supervisors will also meet at the end of the semester to discuss each student’s work and
progress in the course. We will all be available for individual consultations throughout the semester.
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for knowing the University’s issued standards of academic honesty outlined in the student
handbook. While the nature of this course demands that you discuss ideas and opinions with fellow participants,
your writing and other individual work must be something that you do on your own. Please also note that you may
not hand in the same paper for two or more courses without the expressed consent of all instructors involved.
Email Communication
Each participant must have an active NYU email account that they check on a regular basis. This is the easiest way
for the instructors and supervisors to communicate with you regarding last minute changes and for you to contact
them regarding questions and concerns about the coursework. Emails will often be sent through the collective User
Groups in Blackboard. Since this is the interface available to instructors and supervisors, an outside email account
will not be acceptable for the purposes of this class. Students must use their NYU e-mail address as their official email address.
Do You Have Any Particular Needs?
Please let me know if there is anything I should be aware of regarding you and a particular need or characteristic,
such as a medical condition, an early pregnancy, a sensory or hidden disability, etc. that may influence our
interactions, your participation, or your personal well-being. I want to make the course as inclusive as possible, so
I’d appreciate your communication to keep me informed about you.
Open Door Policy
It is my every intention to create a safe environment and a comfortable learning community for everyone in the
class. If at any time you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, please feel free to address these issues with me. I would
suggest setting up a time to speak to me during my office hours, and if my available times conflict with your other
obligations, please email me with other possible times that might work for you, and we’ll make an appointment.
Course Itinerary
**(subject to change)
September 7
Introduction, review syllabus and self-assessment, discussion of expectations and placements, and team building
September 14
Observing in the classroom: teaching style, classroom management style, demographics, and objectives of the
cooperating teacher
Reading Due: ‘Introduction’ in Learning to Teach Drama
Assignment Due: Initial self-assessments/goals and questions due in class
September 21
How does the student teacher make a contribution?
National Theatre Standards
Reading Due: Chapter 1 in Theatre in the Secondary Classroom.
September 28
Knowing the students and working with groups
Reading Due: Chapters 1 through 3 in Learning to Teach Drama
Assignment Due: Share a journal entry in class
October 5
Planning
Reading Due: Chapter 2 in Theatre in the Secondary School Classroom;
Chapter 7 in Learning to Teach Drama
October 12
Assessment /Rubrics
Reading Due: Chapters 3 and 4 in Theatre in the Secondary School Classroom
October 19
The High School Production
Reading Due: Chapters 7 through 9 from Theatre in the Secondary School Classroom;
Read “The Time is Out of Joint: Play Production in the Secondary Classroom,” page 74 in
Learning to Teach Drama
October 26
Working with Individual Students
Reading Due: Chapter 4 in Learning to Teach Drama
Assignment Due: Three Stand Alone Lesson Plans shared with a partner in class.
November 2
Sharing perspectives
What is “best practice”?
Reading Due: Chapter 6 in Theatre in the Secondary School Classroom
November 9
Unit Plan Share
Assignment Due: Unit plans due to be shared with partner in class
November 16
Case Narratives
Reading Due: Chapter 6 and Appendix A, B, & C in Learning to Teach Drama
Assignment Due: Case narratives shared with partner.
November 23 (no class scheduled)
November 30
Portfolio Sharing
Assignment Due: Sharing portfolios in class for feedback
December 7
Interviewing for jobs
Assignment Due: Portfolios and final self-assessments turned in
December 14
Wrap Up
Individual Student meetings scheduled
BIBLIOGRPAHY
Drama in Education Sources
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Booth, David & Chuck Lundy. Improvisation. Don Mills: Academic
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---. Structuring Drama Work. London: Heinemann, 1990.
---. Learning through imagined experience. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1992.
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Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of Hope. NY: Continuum, 2002.
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