DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP COLLEGE OF EDUCATION PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY PROFESSIONAL TEACHER – INITIAL EXPERIENCE SYLLABUS Fall, 2011 Course Title: TCHL 825 Professional Teacher-Initial Experience Credit Hours: 3 Hours REQUIREMENT: Admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching Program; Employed in an accredited Kansas School District Office: 12345 West 95 Street Suite 204 Lenexa, KS 66215 Seminars: 5:00 – 7:50 Metro Center Mondays: August 29, September 26, October 24, November 28, December 12 Office Phone: 913-529-4487 Ext 225 Office Hours: M-F 8:00 – 4:30 by appointment Instructor: Mr. Tom Petz E-Mail: tpetz@pittstate.edu I. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Course Description The Professional Teacher – Initial Experience will provide a background of knowledge and offer experiences, related to the realities of practice in American schools, and effective teaching. Specifically explored in the knowledge base will be: 1. the principles of effective teaching including curriculum construction, educational trends, teaching challenges, lesson planning, instructional techniques and professionalism: 2. the educational foundations of American schools including national educational goals, the school’s role in the American way of life, social and ethnic changes in education school law, school policies and procedures, and the administrative organization of the school system; 3. the purposes, students, and programs of the American school with emphasis on the theories of learning associated with secondary education including 1 classroom management, special programs, adolescent characteristics, communication, cultural influences on learning, and effective relationships with students, staff, and parents; 4. The theories of evaluation including the uses of educational tests, assessment system components, test development, parental/student communication and techniques of using evaluative information, as well as teacher self-assessment. Experiences in the classroom, general discussion in the seminars, student-assessment, and mentor evaluation will support the development of the Pittsburg State Teacher Training Knowledge Base: A. Professional Characteristics The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that illustrate a commitment to a dependable and professional demeanor, an underlying belief system that all students can learn, specific efforts that foster collaborative/caring relationships, and attitudes which foster life-long learning. B. Relationships with Students The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that portray a caring relationship with students, a positive rapport developed through enthusiasm, high student expectation, empathy, and promotion of learning extending beyond the classroom. C. Instructional Planning The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that denote a strong knowledge base, an understanding of learning theory, an approach to outcomesbased instructional planning, an integrated lesson design, and a variety of instructional strategies that provide opportunities for all students to learn. D. Instruction The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that provide active student-centered instruction characterized by clarity, variety, and flexibility. E. Classroom Management The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that promote an orderly, safe classroom environment conducive to learning by providing clear rules and procedures that are taught, monitored and consistently reinforced. F. Evaluation The teacher candidate will demonstrate specific attitudes and behaviors that establish fair expectations, provide for multiple assessment opportunities, monitors progress in a timely fashion, provides feedback through multiple means, and collaborates with others to meet the needs of all students. 2 II. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Purpose The purpose of the initial professional teacher is to provide the teacher with the opportunity to study and reflect upon experiences during the first year of teaching with the aim of evolving a set of values, principles and skills which will guide future teaching situations. III. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Objectives – Derived from the knowledge base objectives, the overall objectives are: To develop in the teacher candidate an understanding of the purposes, administrative organization, and operation of the basic educational programs of the school system; To promote in teacher candidates an ethical, constructive and caring orientation towards all students and the profession of teaching; To provide teacher candidates with experiences and a body of specialized knowledge that will prepare them to meet the needs of a diverse population of learners; To guide each teacher candidate in the assessment of his/her teaching strengths and weaknesses; To support the development of teacher candidates from one of a survival to mastery to impact; To encourage in teacher candidates the development of an understanding of the importance with effective lesson planning, instruction, management and assessment; To provide teacher candidates with a body of research – based knowledge associated with effective lesson planning, instruction, management, and assessment; To develop in the teacher candidates a number of behavior tendencies involved in performing as a competent professional educator as associated with Pittsburg State’s knowledge base; In essence, the Professional Semester will strive to develop caring, competent, and committed teachers through the study of practice in the daily functions of an effective teacher. IV. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Instructional Resources Wong, Harry and Wong, Rosemary, The First Days of School, Mountain View, CA: Wong Publishing, 1998. Jones, Fred, Tools for Teaching, New York, Longman, 2000. Payne, Ruby K, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Highlands, TX, aha! Process Inc., 2005 Kansas Special Education Process Handbook (www.ksde.org, then go to “Divisions”, then Special Education Services, and then the Handbook) 3 V. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Course Design The course work is designed to be integrated with first year teaching. During the seminars, various instructional models and techniques will be discussed. A number of class requirements may apply to several different course objectives. It should also be noted that changes and / or adjustments may be made at the discretion of the instructor to meet class needs or individual school district schedules. Modules: Initial experiences, orientation to teaching school, first days of school Initial experiences, professional responsibility, planning, preparation Initial experiences, classroom environment Initial experiences, school law Initial experiences, collaborative teaching strategies Initial experiences, appraising student progress Initial experiences, summative experience, self-assessment V. Professional Teacher – Initial Experience: Evaluation Course Requirements: Attendance and participation during seminars Submission of work samples as related to the above modules Several self-assessments and mentor/cooperating teacher formative assessments will take place. As assessed by the university coordinator, the teacher candidate should show adequate achievement and/or progress during the teaching experience in teaching behaviors associated with the PSU Knowledge Base. Course Evaluation: Attendance and Participation: 20 percent Work Samples: 20 percent Mentor Assessment 20 percent University Supervisor Assessment: 40 percent 4