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Classroom Interactions EDUC 4060/5060
Syllabus Spring 2015
Meeting Times:
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45
EDUC 346
Quick Links within the Syllabus
Course Description
Prerequisite(s)
Instructors
Kim Bunning
School of Education, Room 344
Cell: 303-902-6667
bunning@colorado.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-3 pm
Textbooks
Julie Andrew (science support)
School of Education, Room 344
Cell: 720-260-0290
julie.andrew@colorado.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-3 pm
Reading List
Course Objectives
Course Expectations and Grading
Course Assignments
Technology
University Policies
Link to: Weekly Overview
Course Description
This course continues the development of teacher candidates’ skills in teaching and learning
secondary science and mathematics as part of the CU Teach sequence. Participants will come
to understand how content and pedagogy are intertwined and best combined to create
effective learning environments for all students. Participants will have the opportunity to see
how theories of learning and teaching play out in real instructional settings by designing and
implementing instructional activities and then evaluating the outcomes of those activities on
the basis of student artifacts (i.e., what students say, do, or create). The course also provides
participants with frameworks for thinking about equity issues in the classroom, as well as larger
school settings, and provides them with strategies for effectively teaching diverse student
populations.
The course is organized around five intertwining themes:
1. Teaching in Heterogeneous Classrooms
2. Attending to Student Thinking
3. Building communities of Inquiry/Designing for learner-centered instruction
4. Teacher as a reflective practitioner/Lesson Study as an example/Video Club
5. Pedagogical Content Knowledge/Knowledge of Mathematics or Science for Teaching/
Professional Vision
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These themes will be used to highlight major issues in science and mathematics teaching and
learning through the course of the semester.
Prerequisite(s)
1. Applied to/Accepted into the School of Education's Secondary Math or Science Teacher
Licensure Program
2. Successful completion of EDUC 4050: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science
Course or EDUC 4112: Educational Psychology and Adolescent Development
3. An interest in exploring secondary mathematics or science teaching and learning
4. Successful completion of Education 2030 (Step 2) or currently enrolled
Textbooks
This is a reading-intensive course. You are expected to come prepared to discuss the readings
assigned and complete a reading quiz; writing brief summaries of each article in your course
journal will help you to look back and reflect on what you have read through the course of the
semester. Each week there will be assigned articles (listed by week in the table at the end of
the syllabus); all of the articles will be available through the course website on CULearn. Please
purchase the following books, as appropriate:
Required Texts:
Cariter, J.L.; Smith, M.S.; Stein, M.K. & Ross, D.K. (2013). 5 practices for orchestrating
productive task-based discussions in science. Reston, VA: National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics. (science candidates only)
Horn, I. S. (2012). Strength in numbers: Collaborative learning in secondary
mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (math
& science candidates)
Keeley, P. & Tobey, C.R. (2011). Mathematics formative assessment: 75 practical
strategies for linking assessment, instruction, and learning. Reston, VA: National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (math candidates only)
Keeley, P. (2008). Science formative assessment: 75 practical strategies for linking
assessment, instruction, and learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
(science candidates only)
Smith, M.S. & Stein, M.K. (2011). 5 practices for orchestrating productive mathematics
discussions. Reston, VA: National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. (math
candidates only)
Stigler, J.W. & Hiebert, J. (1999). The Teaching Gap: Best ideas from the world's teachers
for improving education in the classroom. New York: The Free Press. (math &
science candidates)
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Course Objectives
Participants will …
● discuss and critique the merits
of multiple models of teaching,
understand what each model
requires of teachers, and evaluate
research results on best teaching
practices.
● observe and analyze (1) how
teachers can set the task, (2) what
students understand about the task,
and (3) how students' conceptual
knowledge can be built using a
variety of instructional strategies,
based on evidence from student
artifacts.
● plan and teach, with a small group
of peers, multi-day middle or high
school mathematics or science
lessons on an assigned topic.
Evidence of Participant Learning:
● written analyses and presentations of
teaching
● written reflections and essays
●
●
development of knowledge packages
written analyses and presentations of
teaching
●
lesson plans, including essays justifying
the plans and responses to reviewer
comments
peer and instructor evaluations of
practice teaching in the Classroom
Interactions course
videotapes of teaching
observations and comments by classroom
teachers, master teachers, and by the
course instructor and teaching assistants.
written analyses and presentations of
teaching
●
●
●
observe and analyze unedited
videotapes of instruction in
mathematics and science for
evidence of effective instructional
strategies and student learning.
● observe and analyze classroom
instruction with regard to
equitable and diverse instructional
approaches that afford all students
an opportunity to learn.
● demonstrate familiarity with several
relevant teaching technologies
(presentation software, computer
simulation software, graphical
analysis and representation
●
●
written analyses and presentations of
teaching
● participation in discussion and Internet
postings regarding policies concerning
students who have diverse needs
● artifacts produced by the use of such
technology in the Classroom Interactions
classroom
● participation in discussions of the
effectiveness of technology
●
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software) and analyze how
technology can affect classroom
interactions.
●
written analyses of the uses of
technology
Course Expectations
Attendance and Participation. You are preparing for a profession in which your daily presence
is imperative to the success of your students and your attendance in this class represents that
commitment. We will do our best to bring in as many voices to our discussions as possible,
but we ask that you also monitor your own contributions to class. If you have spent more
time listening, speak up. Listen up if you have spent more time speaking. Attendance and
participation are worth 15% of your final grade. If you must miss class, you must notify us prior
to class. The semester will begin with every student being given 15 points for participation/
attendance. Every student is allowed ONE absence/personal day without penalty. Two points
will be deducted for each absence after the first absence. One point will be deducted for each
tardy.
Preparation. Come to class having completed the reading and assignments for that day
and be prepared to participate actively in class discussions and activities, as well as to listen
carefully and respectfully to your colleagues. Please understand that the workload for this
course is heavy, yet essential to reach the course goals. Much of what we do in class will
require collaboration, so we will be creating opportunities for you to work together and serve
as resources for each other’s learning. Participants are expected to devote 7-10 hours per
week outside of class: 1) preparing to teach in local schools, which includes collaborating and
coordinating with your teaching group, individual preparation, and practicing using all materials
involved in your lesson; 2) reading and analyzing books and articles, and preparing written
analyses of your teaching and other issues; and 3) watching, processing, and analyzing videos of
classroom interactions (including your own teaching).
Late Work Policy
All assignments are due prior to or at the beginning of class on the appropriate due date. Late
work will only be accepted without penalty if you have contacted CU Teach Instructors prior to
the due date, discussed the situation, and negotiated an alternative due date. Assignments will
be marked down 20% per day and will not be accepted later than one week past their due date
(in case of credit/no credit assignments, all late work will receive zero credit for assignment).
Grading
Since you are preparing to become teaching professionals, you need to practice preparing
documents that are ready for students, fellow teachers, administrators, and parents to read. All
email communications with me should be written formally, as though you were communicating
with a parent or administrator. All assignments handed in should be carefully proofread and
should contain no spelling or grammatical errors; multiple errors will adversely impact your
grade for that assignment.
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Final grades will be assigned in the following manner, in accordance with the proportions of
credit for each assignment shown in the table above: 93-100%=A; 90-92%=A-; 87-89%=B+; 8386%=B; 80-82%=B-; 77-79%=C+; 73-76%=C; 70-72=%C-; <70%=F.
Practicum/Field Experience. THIS CLASS HAS A 42-HOUR PRACTICUM REQUIREMENT
IN A LOCAL MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL MATH OR SCIENCE CLASSROOM. YOU WILL BE
EXPECTED TO HAVE A 4-HOUR BLOCK AVAILABLE BETWEEN 7:30 – 4:00 PM ONE DAY
EACH WEEK TO ACCOMMODATE TRAVEL TIME AND APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS AT
YOUR PRACTICUM SITE. The practicum component is comparable to a laboratory for a
science course. This field experience is designed to help you come to understand how
modern secondary schools and science classrooms function, and to bring the theories
we discuss in class into practice. The Practicum Guidelines in your Student Handbook
provide detailed information to ensure a successful experience.
Attendance at your Practicum assignment is a core element of this course to help
prepare you for the realities of classroom practice. Candidates cannot pass a course
with a co-requisite practicum unless they also pass the practicum. Successful
completion of practicum involves full attendance each week (or making up any missed
hours/days), acceptable evaluations by your practicum teachers, and competent
performance on field-based assignments from this course.
You will interview and observe classroom teachers and have two teaching events in a
middle or high school classroom. The first teaching event will be a one-day teach in midFebruary. The second teaching event will be a two-day teach in early-April. While your
regular weekly practicum placement will be in one of your practicum teacher’s class
periods, when you are doing your Teaches, you are expected to teach your lesson in
at least 2 of your practicum teacher’s class periods of the same course. Please notify
the instructors of any conflicts as soon as possible so that we can try to work out an
arrangement.
The Role of Performance Based Standards for Colorado TeachersThe PerformanceBased Standards for Colorado Teachers are available on line at http://
www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/download/pdf/li_perfbasedstandards.pdf. These
“serve as standards for the licensing of all teacher education candidates in Colorado
and reflect the knowledge and skills required of beginning teachers.” This syllabus is
marked throughout with bracketed standards to give teacher education candidates clear
indicators of their professional responsibilities. The brackets indicate when teacher
education candidates are “developing and practicing” [DP] a standard as well as the
standards they must “satisfy” [S] in this class.
When a standard is met at the Developing/Practicing level [DP] that means you will have
opportunities to develop an understanding of the standard’s knowledge base and to develop/
practice, with assistance, your abilities to apply the element in a field setting/university
classroom and to evaluate the success of your teaching performance.
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When a standard is satisfied [S] that means you have demonstrated proficiency on this
standard. To demonstrate proficiency you must demonstrate a substantial knowledge and
understanding of the standard element, the ability to apply the element in a field setting, and
the ability to assess student learning and evaluate your teaching performance.
Each of the assignments in the syllabus must be completed successfully in order to insure
that you have achieved proficiency on the various Performance Standards for Colorado
Teachers that are attached to each assignment. You will not pass this class unless all standards
designated below at the “satisfying” level have been met.
***Completion of Safety Certification Course for All Science Teacher Candidates***
Science teachers have a special responsibility to make sure that they organize safe and effective
learning environments to promote the success of students and the welfare of all living things.
They must have an understanding of their legal and ethical responsibilities for the welfare
of their students, the proper treatment of animals, and the maintenance and disposal of
materials. They need to know and practice safe and proper techniques for preparing, storage,
dispensing, supervising and disposing of all materials used in science instruction. Science
teachers need to know and follow emergency procedures, maintain safety equipment and
ensure appropriate safety procedures are articulated to the students. This is an awesome
responsibility, and many new teachers lament that they were not properly trained in their
teacher preparation programs for this. For these reasons, we are requiring ALL Science Teacher
Candidates to complete the Flinn Safety Certification course online no later than WEEK 9.
This course and certification has no fee and requires approximately 7 hours to complete. You
need to take the High School Safety course. The course consists of 10 thematic units with a
total of 45 chapters. At the end of each unit, you will be required to take a short 12 question
assessment that you will need to pass in order to move on to the next unit. When you have
completed all of the units, you will be able to print out a certificate indicating that you have 7
hours of safety training. ALL Science Teacher Candidates will need to present their certificate
to CI instructors no later than WEEK 9. We suggest working towards your certification a little at
a time rather than trying to complete it all in one sitting.
Here is how you access the course:
● Go to the Flinn Safety Course Web site http://labsafety.flinnsci.com/
CertificateCourseSelection.aspx?CourseCode=HS
● Select High School Safety Course from the top menu. Read the summary of the course
on the left hand side, then click on the Button that says: “High School Certification
Course”.
● You can then create an account, and begin your work.
Because the course is completely free, at the beginning of each chapter there is a 30 sec
commercial about services that Flinn provides.
Course ASSIGNMENTS
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Assignment
1. Class Participation/Attendance
2. Professionalism Evaluation
3. Practicum Assignments
4. Practicum Log
5. Reading Quizzes
% of Final
Grade
Performance-Based Standard Addressed
(Developing)
15
5
12
8
10
All
6. Teach 1 Analysis
20
7. Teach 2 Analysis
30
Total
100
All
All
All
All
1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1,
5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
2.2, 3.1, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 5.7,
5.9, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3
1. Class Participation/Attendance. See 'Attendance and Participation' section above.
2. Professionalism Evaluation: Teaching is a profession. As a CU Teach practicum student,
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
you are entering into a professional field and are expected to be professional in your
interactions with your CU Teach instructors, as well as your Mentor Teacher, students,
administrators and staff at your field placement. As newcomers to this profession, CU
Teach instructors will support you to develop the professional qualities and behaviors
expected of teachers. Therefore, after each of your Teaching Events, you will do a self
evaluation based on a rubric that reflects aspects of your professionalism. Before the
end of the semester, you will be required to discuss these evaluations with one of the
instructors. Feedback from your Mentor Teacher will also be used by your Classroom
Interactions instructor as a data source for evaluating your professionalism.
Practicum Assignments: Each time you visit your practicum placement you will have a
specific task to complete related to the goals of the course. These written assignments
will be distributed in class and should be completed in your Classroom Interactions
Journal. Full completion of your field placement will include reciprocal observations of
your peers during the Teach Week windows.
Practicum Visit Log (google doc): Each time you visit a practicum site, you need to log
your hours and get those hours signed by a Mentor Teacher or CU Teach instructor. Be
sure you make a copy of the form and rename it using your last name, and share it with
your instruction AND your mentor teacher.
Reading Responses/Quizzes (google doc): Where you'll write summaries/responses/
questions regarding the week's readings, and index these ideas for use later in the
edTPA. There will be a short quiz covering the material for selected readings. Quizzes
will be announced during the prior class meeting.
Teach 1 Lesson Plan and Analysis. You will be required to complete a final lesson plan
by the end of Week 5. When you enact your lesson you will collect artifacts indicating
the quality of student learning in your lesson, and then will analyze those artifacts in
light of course topics.
Teach 2 Lesson Plans and Analysis. You and your teaching partner will design and write
a two-part set of lesson plans for your Teach 2 (2-day teaching event). As part of this
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lesson design and based on what you learned in Teach 1 and course readings, you will
pose a specific question for your teaching practice in Teach 2. You will collect specific
evidence of student learning and other classroom artifacts, analyze and report your
findings in a final course project.
Technology
To help you learn how to use integrate different instructional technologies into effective
science and mathematics lessons, we will make use of multiple online tools to aid in
collaboration, lesson design, and presentations. Although all of these websites are free, you will
need to register for each website with a username, email address, and password.
Desire 2 Learn. An essential mode of communication in this course will be Desire 2 Learn
(https://learn.colorado.edu). We will post course announcements, reminders, handouts, and
selected lesson plans to CULearn, and will also use it to circulate electronic copies of course
materials. Links will take you to important reference points discussed in the course.
The CU Teach Website is also a great place to find assignments, and upcoming events. http://
cuteach.colorado.edu
Prezi. To help you learn to think outside the PowerPoint box, all presentations you make in
class will be created with Prezi (http://prezi.com).
Google Docs. Many districts, schools, and teachers are now using online collaboration to host
information for their classes. Google Docs also make wonderful online collaboration tools and
are therefore ideal the lessons that you will be designing with a partner, as well as the guided
reflections you will be performing after Teach 1 and Teach 2. Early in the semester you need
to sign up for a Google Account using your first.last@colorado.edu email address. You may not
only create lessons in html, but also store documents relevant to your lesson. In this course we
will be using Google Docs <<http://docs.google.com>>
Many of your assignments will be submitted in electronic format so that you can receive
feedback more quickly, and so your peers and mentor teacher can also review your work.
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments should be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format, and the
title should follow the following template: Lastname_AssignmentTitle_CI_F14.doc (e.g,
Einstein_Reflection1_CI_F14.doc).
National Science Digital Library. For each lesson you plan, we will ask you to perform a detailed
analysis of the scientific or mathematical knowledge students need to develop in order to
complete the lesson. A wonderful reference for this is the National Science Digital Library
(http://www.nsdl.org), where you will find maps of science and mathematics content, as well as
extensive lists of student misconceptions about that content.
READING LIST
Ball, D. L. & Forzani, F.M. (2011). Teaching skillful teaching. Educational Leadership,
68(4), 40-45.
http://cuteach.colorado.edu
Coggins, D., Kravin, D., Coates, G. D., Carroll, M. D. (2007). English Language Learners in
the Mathematics Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Selections TBD.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Website & Electronic Document. http:/
/www.corestandards.org/
David, J. L. (2008). Collaborative inquiry. Educational Leadership, 66(4), 87-88.
Dong, Y. R. (2005) Getting at the content. Educational Leadership, 62(4), 14-19.
Dweck, C. (2007) Boosting Achievement with Messages that Motivate. Education Canada, 47(2)
, 6-10
Dweck, C. (2010) Even Geniuses Work hard. Educational Leadership, 68(1), 16-20
Furtak, E. M. (2009). Formative Assessment for Secondary Science Teachers. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Selections TBD.
Gagnon, M. J., & Abell, S. K. (2009, January). ELLs and the langauge of school science.
Science and Children, 50-51.
Hyde, A., Friedlander, S., Heck, C., Pittner, L., Zawojewski, J. (2009). Understanding
middle school math: Cool problems to get students thinking and connecting.
Portsmouth, MA: Heinemann. Selections TBD.
Lawson, A.E. (2002). The learning cycle. In R.G. Fuller (Ed). A Love of Discovery: Science
Education, the Second Career of Robert Karplus. New York: Kluwer Academic. (p.51-62).
Lincoln, F., & Beller, C. (2004, September). English language learners in the science
classroom. Science Scope, 29-31.
Ma, Liping (1999). Introduction and Chapter 3: Subtraction with Regrouping. In Knowing
and Teaching Elementary Mathematics (pp.xvii- 27). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Moschkovich, J. N. (1999). Understanding the needs of Latino students in reformoriented mathematics classrooms. In L. Ortiz-Franco, N. G. Hernandez & Y. De La Cruz
(Eds.), Changing the faces of mathematics: Perspectives on Latinos (pp. 5-12). Reston,
VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Mulhall, Berry and Loughran (2003) Frameworks for representing science teachers'
pedagogical content knowledge. Online: http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v4_issue2/
mulhall/index.htm#abs
National Research Council. (2001). Inquiry and the National Science Education
Standards. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, Chapters 1-3, available at http://
www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9596&page=1.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and Standards for
School Mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. http://
www.nctm.org/
Sherin, M., & van Es, E. (2003). A new lens on teaching: Learning to notice. Mathematics
Teaching in the Middle School, 9(2), 92-95.
Smith, M.S., Hughes, E.K., Engle, R.A., & Stein, M.K. (2009). Orchestrating discussions:
Five practices constitute a model for effectively using student responses in whole class
discussions that can potentially make teaching with high-level tasks more manageable.
http://cuteach.colorado.edu
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 14(9), 548-556.
Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
Chapters New York: Hatchet book Group
vanZee, E., & Minstrell, J. (1997). Using questioning to guide student thinking. The
Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6(2), 227-269.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Chapter 7:
Thinking like an assessor. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO POLICIES
Mandated Reporters
Mandated reporters are individuals who are obligated by law to report suspected cases of
child abuse and neglect. Any person who has contact with children in a professional capacity
is a mandated reporter. Mandated reporter laws are designed to catch child abuse in its early
stages, so that children do not suffer long-term damage. All teacher licensure candidates
are a mandated reporter. http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprevention/download/pdf/
child_abuse_manual_2002.pdf
Classroom Behavior Policy: Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate
learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to
discipline. Faculty has the professional responsibility to treat all students with understanding, dignity
and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they
and their students express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important
with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual
orientation, gender variance, and nationalities. See polices:
Student Classroom and Course-Related Behavior
Student Code Conduct
Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter
from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services
determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303-492-8671, N200 Center for
Community, http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices).
Honor Code: All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and
adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include:
cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening
behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council
(honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic
integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and nonacademic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other
information on the Honor Code can be found at <http://www.colorado.edu/policies/student-honorcode-policy>.
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Observance of Religious Holidays and Absences from Classes or Examinations: Campus policy
regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal
with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled examinations,
assignments, or required attendance. In this class, I will make every effort to accommodate all students
who have such conflicts with scheduled examinations, assignments, or attending class, provided
students notify me well in advance of the scheduled conflict.
Discrimination and Harassment
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning,
working, and living environment. CU-Boulder will not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment
based upon Protected Classes or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. For purposes
of this CU-Boulder policy, "Protected Classes" refers to race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age,
disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political
affiliation or political philosophy. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against should
contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Student
Conduct (OSC) at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies, and the
campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained
at http://hr.colorado.edu/dh/