KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
BAGWELL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Spring Semester, 2006
I.
COURSE TITLE:
II.
INSTRUCTORS:
ECE 7731 – Language Materials Making Seminar
Feland L. Meadows, Ph.D.
fmeadows@kennesaw.edu
PHONE: 678-797-2161
FAX:
678-797-2199
OFFICE:
Early Childhood - Annex
3391 Town Pointe Parkway
Suite #4120
III.
CLASS MEETINGS:
January - May, 2006 (Afternoon or weekend schedule to be announced)
IV.
TEXTS:
Dolson, David P. Ed. 1986. Schooling and Language Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework.
Los Angeles, CA: Evaluation, California State University, Los Angeles.
Flesch, Rudolf 1981 Why Johnny Still Can’t Read – A new look at the scandal of our schools. N.Y.:
Harper and Row, Colophon Books.
Lillard, A.S. 2005 Montessori, the Science Behind the Genius. Oxford University Press.
Montessori, Maria 1994. The Absorbent Mind. Oxford, England: Clio Press.
Montessori, Maria 1995. The Discovery of the Child. Oxford, England: Clio Press.
Pinker, Steven 1994. The Language Instinct. New York, N.Y.:William Morrow & Company Inc.
Spalding, Romalda B. 1990. The Writing Road to Reading, New York, N.Y.: Harper-Collins
Additional readings in selected texts from the bibliography will be assigned.
V.
PURPOSE/RATIONALE:
Most of the language materials that are presented in ECE 7730 are instructor made materials that
have been designed by language specialists for use in offering developmentally appropriate language
arts presentations to young children. The structured sequence of activities that children can carry out
with these language materials has proven to be outstandingly successful. Children begin to use the
vocabulary enrichment materials as early as 2.5 years of age and go on to master phonemic analysis
and sound/symbol association when they are 3. These skills lead to letter analysis and subsequently
to the synthesis of reading. As a result, many children, who have the opportunity to work with these
materials, are well on their way toward the mastery of writing and reading skills by the time they are
4 and 5 years of age. Because these very effective materials are not available from any other source,
candidates learn to make them and invest a great deal of time and effort in their manufacture in this
course.
1
VI.
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This seminar is devoted to the manufacture of language materials that have been designed by
language specialists for use in offering developmentally appropriate language arts presentations to
young children. These materials are not available from any supplier, consequently, they have to be
manufactured by each teacher for his/her classroom. Students will develop skills in the careful
manufacture of the instructor-made language materials that have been presented in ECE 7730.
Students will create a portfolio of selected examples of more than 70 language materials that can be
duplicated for use in the classrooms where they will be employed.
VII.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK SUMMARY:
Collaborative Development of Expertise in Teaching and Learning
The Professional Teacher Education Unit (PTEU) at Kennesaw State university is
committed to developing expertise among candidates in initial and advanced programs as
teachers and leaders who possess the capability, intent and expertise to facilitate high
levels of learning in all of their students through effective, research-based practices in
classroom instruction, and who enhance the structures that support all learning. To that
end, the PTEU fosters the development of candidates as they progress through stages of
growth from novice to proficient to expert and leader. Within the PTEU conceptual
framework, expertise is viewed as a process of continued development, not an end-state.
To be effective, teachers and educational leaders must embrace the notion that teaching
and learning are entwined and that only through the implementation of validated practices
can all students construct meaning and reach high levels of learning. In that way,
candidates are facilitators of the teaching and learning process. Finally, the PTEU
recognizes values and demonstrates collaborative practices across the college and
university and extends collaboration to the community-at-large. Through this
collaboration with professionals in the university, the public and private schools, parents
and other professional partners, the PTEU meets the ultimate goal of assisting Georgia
schools in bringing all students to high levels of learning.
VIII. DIVERSITY:
A variety of materials and instructional strategies will be employed to meet the needs of the different
learning styles of diverse learners in class. Candidates will gain knowledge as well as an
understanding of differentiated strategies and curricula for providing effective instruction and
assessment within multicultural classrooms. One element of course work is raising candidate
awareness of critical multicultural issues. A second element is to cause candidates to explore how
multiple attributes of multicultural populations influence decisions in employing specific methods
and materials for every student. Among these attributes are age, disability, ethnicity, family
structure, gender, geographic region, giftedness, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and
socioeconomic status. An emphasis on cognitive style differences provides a background for the
consideration of cultural context.
2
Kennesaw State University provides program accessibility and accommodations for persons defined
as disabled under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990. A number of services are available to support students with disabilities within their
academic program. In order to make arrangements for special services, students must visit the Office
of Disabled Student Support Services (ext. 6443) and develop an individual assistance plan. In some
cases, certification of disability is required
.
IX.
USE OF TECHNOLOGY:
Integrated Use of Technology: The Bagwell College of Education recognizes the importance of
preparing future educators and K-12 students to develop technology skills that enhance learning,
personal productivity, decision making, their daily activities in the 21st century. As a result, the
ISTE NETS*T Technology Standards for Teachers are integrated throughout the teacher preparation
program enabling teacher candidates to explore and apply best practices in technology enhanced
instructional strategies.
Specific technologies used within this course include exploration and use of instructional media,
especially microcomputers, to assist candidates in their acquisition and understanding of the
importance of language development in the education of young children. Candidates will also
develop skills in the use of productivity tools such as multimedia, local-net and Internet, and will feel
confident to design multimedia presentations, use and create www resources, and develop an
electronic learning portfolio.
X.
COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, candidates will:
1. demonstrate skill in the careful manufacture of the instructor-made language materials that have been
presented in ECE 7730;
2. have created a portfolio of selected examples of more than 70 language materials;
Candidates will also:
1. demonstrate their ability to design the learning environment by ordering and structuring the instructor made
language materials correctly on the classroom shelves;
2. demonstrate their ability to assess the developmental needs of children they observe;
3. correctly present the developmentally appropriate instructor made language materials in the correct
sequence to children in the classroom.
XI.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Classroom attendance and participation is absolutely essential to success in this course. According to
KSU policy, every student is expected to attend all class sessions and related field experiences.
Furthermore, the accreditation of this program by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher
Education (MACTE) requires that candidates attend a minimum of 90% of all classes in every course
of the program. The Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS) requires the same attendance
minimum for International Certification.
3
The only excused absences are documented personal illness, military duty, or jury duty.
Any unexcused absence will result in the lowering of the student’s grade. A candidate that is absent
more than 10% of the time will be required to repeat the course in order to qualify for international
certification.
Professional conduct requires that each candidate show respect for others. This includes coming to
class on time, staying for the entire class period, and cooperating with colleagues in class. In the
event of an absence, the candidate is responsible for all material, assignments, and announcements
presented in class.
XII.
REQUIREMENT/ASSIGNMENTS:
1) Class participation
Paying careful attention to modeling and presentation of strategies and techniques for the
manufacture of the instructor-made language materials in class is important, because we believe that
learning is an interactive endeavor which requires the presence and participation of all class members
to facilitate learning. All candidates are required to review related chapters of the textbooks that deal
with the preparation and presentation of the language materials before the class meetings.
2) Careful manufacture of the materials samples in class
Key word alphabet cards, initial sound boards and pictures, object matching pictures, matching
pictures, 3 part matching cards, definition cards, science booklets for Language, Art, Music,
Geography, History and Science. Stand up cards, alphabet booklets, transitional alphabets, illustrated
labels, short vowel box cards and labels. Long vowel box cards, labels, word slips, word booklets,
and sentence slips. Diphthong box cards and labels. Murmuring diphthong box cards and labels.
Word family lists, compound word lists, puzzle word lists and scrolls, useful words lists and labels,
rhyming words objects and matching cards and labels. Homonym and homograph lists, objects and
matching cards. Classified vocabulary lists of animals, vegetables and minerals. Home environment
classified nomenclature with objects and labels. School environment classified vocabulary labels.
Blends and digraphs with objects and labels. Double consonant lists and special spelling words
lists/control cards. Poetry booklets and classified reading boards.
3) Careful manufacture of the materials samples on your own
Animals and their voices, habitats, groups and young boards with cards; gender and number boards
and cards; verb boards; noun family chart; verb family chart; parts of speech chart; definitions of
parts of speech chart; family board; word/picture boards; who lives in this house; who am I booklets;
picture/letter cards; missing letter alphabets; objects and their uses cards and labels; phonetic object
cabinet with materials; illustrated cards for moveable alphabet sentence writing; cut sentence cards;
botanical control cards; botanical matching cards; geographical control charts; land and water forms
and cards; continent cards; continent folders; peace curriculum materials.
4) Practice all of the presentations with these materials
a) Conduct an analysis of movement related to each presentation.
b) Practice, practice, practice with the materials daily.
c) Attend the three hour supervised practice session every week.
d) Present materials and teaching strategies to classmates.
e) Have your classmates serve as your control of error.
4
5) Participate in all required fieldwork experiences
a) Carefully observe one particular child working with instructor-made materials.
b) Record and report your observations.
c) Be prepared to demonstrate your acquired skills in presenting materials with children.
Assignments: All assigned materials must be manufactured in a timely manner and should represent
your best efforts to produce high quality, graduate level work.
Late Work: Assignments are considered late if not turned in during class on due date. There will be a
10% deduction of total possible points for each day that work is late. Assignments are always
accepted early.
Tests: All tests related to the purpose and presentation of these materials must be taken on the day
and time they are scheduled. No rescheduling of tests will occur.
XIII.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
1) Class participation
2) Manufacture of materials in class
3) Manufacture of materials on your own
4) Practice with Materials
5) Field Work Reports
10
35
35
10
10
Total 100
Grades will be assigned as follows:
91-100
81-90
71-80
0-70
A
B
C
F
XIV. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as
published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct
addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism
and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of
University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library
materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student
identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the
established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal”
resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which
may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.
XV. DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR:
The University has a stringent policy and procedure for dealing with behavior that disrupts the
learning environment. Consistent with the belief that your behavior can interrupt the learning of
others, behavior fitting the University’s definition of disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Refer
5
to the Kennesaw State University Undergraduate Catalog, 2003-2004, pages 314-315 for further
details.
Other General Policies and Regulations of Student Life have been developed by Kennesaw State
University. These policies (Handling Student Code of Conduct Violations at KSU) include:
1Academic Misconduct, 2) Disruptive Behavior, 3) Sexual Assault, are found on pages 240-244 of
the 2003-2004 Kennesaw State University Undergraduate Catalog.
It is expected, in this class, that no professional should need reminding of any of these policies but
the policies are there for your consideration. The activities of this class will be conducted in both the
spirit and the letter of these policies.
XVI. COURSE OUTLINES:
Course Outlines will be prepared to match the assigned calendar of classes.
XVII. REQUIRED READINGS:
There are no required readings for this seminar, however, students are encouraged to review the
chapters in the above listed texts above which deal with the presentation of the materials they are
manufacturing.
XVIII. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH REFERENCES:
Berk, L. E. & A. Winsler. 1995. Scaffolding Children’s Learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood
Education. Washington, D.C., NAEYC
Brainerd, C. J. 1978. Piaget's Theory of Intelligence. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Bruner, J. 1960. The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1966. Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. & Maya Pines. 1971. The Development of Intelligence in Babies, in Segal, J. (Ed.)
Mental Health Program Reports, Washington, D.C.: U.S.D.H.E.W.
Bruner, J., K. Kaye, & K. Lyons. 1971. The Growth of Human Manual Intelligence in Maya Pines,
Bruner, J. 1973. Going Beyond the Information Given. New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. 1983. Child's Talk: Learning to Use Language. New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. 1986. Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1990. Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. 1997. Celebrating divergence: Piaget and Vygotsky in Human Development,
Vol. 40, No.2, pp 63-73.
Bruner, J., Goodnow, J., & Austin, A. 1951. A Study of Thinking. New York: Wiley.
Evans, R. 1973. Jean Piaget: The Man and His Ideas. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.
Flesch, Rudolph 1955. Why Johnny Can’t Read – And What You Can Do About It. N.Y.: Harper
and Row
Fowler, William, 1962. Cognitive Leaning in Infancy and Childhood in Psychological Bulletin
Vol. 59, No.2, pp. 116-152. American Psychological Association.
Gardner, H. 1983. Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligence. N.Y.: Basic Books
6
Gindis, B. 1999 Vygotsky’s Vision: Reshaping the Practice of Special Education for the 21st Century;
in Remedial and Special Education, Vol.20, No. 6.
Kramer, R. 1988. Maria Montessori, A Biography. N.Y. Addison-Wesley.
Lillard, Paula Polk 1973 Montessori, a Modern Approach. N.Y.: Schocken Books
Meadows, F. 1993 Evaluation of a Model Early Childhood Education Program for At-Risk Children in
California, IUSD Monograph.
Moll, L. (Ed.) 1990. Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of
sociohistorical psychology. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Montessori, M. [1936] 1988. The Secret of Childhood. N.Y., Ballantine Books
Montessori, M. [1914] 1965. Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook. N.Y.: Schocken Books.
Montessori, M. 1915. The California Lectures of Maria Montessori, 1915. Oxford: Clio Press
Montessori, Mario M., Jr 1976 Education for Human Development, Schocken Books
Piaget, J. 1972. To Understand Is To Invent. New York: The Viking Press, Inc.
Rogoff, B. 1990. Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context.
N.Y.: Oxford University Press.
Sigel, I. and R. Cocking. 1977. Cognitive Development from Childhood to Adolescence:
A Constructivist Perspective. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Singer,D. & T. Revenson. 1978. A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks. New York: Internationa
Universities Press, Inc.
Standing, E.M. 1984. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York: New American Library /
Plume Books
Vygotsky, L. S. l997. The Collected Works, Volumes 3 and 4. M. Hall, trans., R.W. Rieber, Ed.
Vygotsky, L. S. [1930-1935] 1978 Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes,
Eds. & trans. M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. 1956. Selected Psychological Investigations. Moscow: Izdstel’sto Akademii
Pedagogicheskikh Nauk SSSR.
Vygotsky, L. S. 1962. Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.
Wertsch, J. V., ed. 1985 Culture, Communication and Cognition: Vygotskyan Perspectives.
N.Y.:Cambridge University Press.
Wertsch, J. V., & B. Rogoff 1984. Eds. in Children’s learning in the “zone of proximal
development”, 1-6. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wittmer, D.S., & A.S. Honig. 1994. Encouraging positive social development in young children.
Young Children 49 (5): 4-12.
Wolery, M., & J. S. Wilbers, eds. 1994. Including children with special needs in early childhood
programs. Washington, D.C. : NAEYC.
7