USF Sarasota-Manatee
EDF 2005
Introduction to Teaching
Course Dates: 05/13/2013-07/05/2013
Instructor: Dr. Dina Osborn
E-Mail: dina1@sar.usf.edu
Telephone: 941 359-4531
Availability: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on most days. Email is the best way to contact me, as I check this regularly. I will ordinarily respond within 24 hours. If you wish, you may set up an appointment to meet with me on campus. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:
This course is designed to answer the question, “What are the things people beginning their formal study of education should know?” Included in the course is an introduction to the history and philosophies of education where you will gain an understanding of some of the issues that have impacted schooling in the U.S. and begin to form your philosophy of education. You will review and discuss The Florida Educator Accomplished Practices, The Florida Code of Ethics for Teachers, contemporary problems in education related to socio-cultural issues, and state and federal mandates. This is an accelerated, 8 week online course that is asynchronous. This means you will have discussion based participation requirements with specific due dates but you can log on anytime during the week to participate. We do not meet on a specific day of the week as this offers students maximum flexibility in participation.
COURSE TEXTS:
Ryan & Cooper (2013). Those Who Can, Teach.
APA Pocket Handbook, 6 th edition.
Check Canvas for additional readings or video viewings.
FIELD EXPERIENCE : All students must complete 18 hours of required field observation in order to pass the course . Your field experience can be at one site, or you can combine multiple sites to meet the required hours. You may work in a school or special program with students who have special needs. You will need to arrange a field experience that is related to an educational setting, as the point of the experience is to give you insight into the world of teaching.
Students are responsible for locating opportunities including those in K-12 public schools. If you are not sure if a field experience activity meets the course requirements, please check with the Instructor. A background check may be required before receiving your Field
Experience placement and beginning your 18 required hours. Check with your desired setting for requirements. You should set up your field experience within the first two weeks of the course so you have ample time to complete the journal requirements . Field experience is
REQUIRED, and no exceptions made. You must get my approval for your field experience prior to participation. Place your desired field experience in your individual folder for my

review and approval.
COURSE ATTENDANCE:
So that you are not dropped from the class, you MUST check in by Friday of the first week.
Simply respond to the Bio thread in the Discussions Forum (Trust me, it is a hassle to be reinstated, so you will want to do this).
WEB PORTAL INFORMATION: Every newly enrolled USF student receives an official
USF e-mail account. Students receive official USF correspondence and Blackboard course information via that address. I only use USF email addresses for email communications with students, as the university provides me with these and it is too difficult to keep up with students' personal emails. Check Canvas/USF email on a daily basis to see if any announcements, such as class changes, alterations in assignments, etc., have been posted on the announcement board. These are the only two ways I have of communicating with the whole class. You will post all assignments through Canvas unless otherwise directed. If you are unfamiliar with Canvas, please go to: https://s3.amazonaws.com/trlearncanvas/screensteps/pdf-manuals/Canvas+Student+Quickstart+Guide.pdf
If you need additional assistance with Canvas please contact Stephanie Fuhr at sfuhr@sar.usf.edu
or 359-4295 or Dale Drees at ddrees@sar.usf.edu
or 359-4215.:
If you have trouble uploading to or downloading readings from Canvas, you must contact
Academic Computing, Sadly, I am not computer technician. Academic Computing information is on page one of this syllabus.
DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATION : Students are responsible for registering with the
Office of Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) in order to receive academic accommodations. Reasonable notice must be given to the SDS office (typically 5 working days) for accommodations to be arranged. It is the responsibility of the student to provide each instructor with a copy of the official Memo of Accommodation. Contact Information: Pat Lakey,
Coordinator, 941-359-4714, plakey@sar.usf.edu
, www.sarasota.usf.edu/Students/Disability/
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES : USFSM recognizes the right of students and faculty to observe major religious holidays. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class for a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second week of classes. Instructors canceling class for a religious observance should have this stated in the syllabus with an appropriate alternative assignment.
PLAGIARISM:
If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, USF has a great web page with sources of information at http://www.lib.usf.edu.proxy.usf.edu/services/plagiarism.html
. Georgetown
University also has a great web page to help you know at http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/hc/plagiarism.html
. So does Purdue University, at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
. Any attempt to use the work of others as your own is grounds for failing the course. I use the university software “Safe
Assignment” to check for plagiarism. A high score indicates most of the work is by another

author. There is no negotiation if I find you have plagiarized. PLAGIARISM OF ANY TYPE
WILL RESULT IN A ZERO FOR THE ASSIGNMENT AND POSSIBLE FAILURE OF
THE COURSE. Be aware that you can self-plagiarize by submitting the same assignment you submitted for another course.
WHERE TO GO FOR CLASS AND COURSE FORUMS:
Announcements: Check this tab daily as I often post specific due dates or clarify course requirements.
Syllabus: This will be posted in the Syllabus tab.
Discussions: This is the main forum for the class and is where class discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write access for everyone. Discussion Questions (DQs) can be found here.
Files: This is where I will post additional course materials and readings.
Course Modules: This is where you will find the weekly assignments for the course.
Questions: This will appear in the Discussions Board and will allow you to ask questions you may have regarding assignments or policies. It has access to everyone so others can benefit from questions you have.
GRADING, EVALUATION AND PARTICIPATION
COURSE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS : You must participate to class discussion questions (DQs) by posting at least three responses to another classmate per DQ. All posts are due by the next DQ posting. Each response is worth 3 points for a total of 9 possible points per
DQ. You may be deducted participation credit if all your posts are written on one day so please space these out to allow for conversation. All responses must be substantive in nature which means, in the opinion of the instructor, they are significantly adding to the discussion. One or two sentence responses are not considered substantive. Substantive responses are usually about 75 words or more. You may include experiences, thoughts and opinions but remember to always use a respectful tone when responding. An important teaching skill is critical reflection, which you are developing as you think, analyze and critique each other.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (DQ) : You will have four discussion questions throughout this course. Each response is worth 7 points. Post your response to each question in the Discussion
Forum by hitting SUBMIT. Do not attach your answers in word document. I highly recommend you use the QUOTE button to begin your response so that there is a connection between your response and that of another classmate. Answers to the DQ should be at least 200 words. You must post your reply to each question by Friday of the week it is scheduled.
You should integrate your course readings in your responses which will greatly enhance your understanding of the topic and add interest to the discussion. Remember to cite any references you use to avoid plagiarism. While you may use references to support your responses, you must use your own words to form the majority of your answer. *Your initial DQ response does not count toward the participation requirement- only your responses to others count as participation.
Please note: I will not accept participation responses or DQ responses to a previous DQ

once that discussion is over. Remember, there will be four DQs and therefore four discussions.
LATE POLICY:
Late papers ordinarily receive a 20% deduction for each day they are late. Papers more than 3 days late will not be accepted, except for students with documented extenuating circumstances.
Technological issues are not considered valid grounds for late assignment submission. In the event of a server outage, students should submit assignments through email to the instructor and post to the main forum when systems are restored. Unless an Incomplete grade has been granted, learner assignments submitted after the last day of class will not be accepted. Incompletes will not be granted unless you are earning a passing grade in the class at the time of your request.
Completion dates are up to the instructor.
GRADING:
97-100 A+
87-89 B+
94-96 A
84-86 B
77-79 C+ 74-76 C
67-69 D+ 64-67 D
Point Values for Course Assignments
90-93 A-
80-83 B-
70-73 C-
60-63 D-
Reaction Paper
Journal Entry
Discussion Question (5 pts each )
29
15
20
Participation (3 pt per response; 9 pts per DQ)
*14 pts. possible per DQ
Total
36
100
REACTION PAPER: (5-8 pages).
Due June 21 st . Select a topic of interest from current events in education. Use the USF online library database to find at least three articles in professional journals that address the issue you have chosen. Do not use web resources other than to supplement your 3 journal references. When using references, you must use APA as a guide for your format including a title and reference page. You will write your reaction to the issue and use references to support your arguments. This should be submitted as a TurnItIn assignment . Do not email me your paper as it may end up in my Spam folder and you will not get credit.
* I will not accept any assignments past the last day of class.
JOURNAL ENTRY: Due June 28 th . Submit to Assignments (MINIMUM 3 page single spaced).
This should include both observations and reflections of your field experience. You

are to include reflections of your experiences, not observations only.
Points will be deducted if you include only or mostly observations.
Some questions that show reflection are:
What are you learning about yourself as a teacher? What are you learning about the students and the environment? How has this experience impacted your decision to teach? What theories have you seen implemented in the classroom? What is the teacher’s classroom management style?
What ideas might you bring to the classroom to facilitate instruction or classroom management?
Be sure to take notes during your experience. On the final journal submission, you will also submit your field experience form to your journal which must be signed by your teacher or an administrator. This is necessary in order to receive a passing grade. You will receive an
Incomplete if you do not submit a signed form and you will NOT pass the course if you fail to complete field experience hours.
C riteria for written assignments: Late papers will be subject to the late policy. You may submit a paper outline or draft for my feedback 3 weeks or more prior to the final due date.
Papers cannot be revised once finally submitted on their due date. Tip: To organize your thoughts, you should develop a paper outline prior to writing the paper.
"A" papers make solid associations between ideas and experiences. They offer insight into the concepts being explored. It is assumed and expected that your papers will:

Demonstrate a command of grammar and mechanics.

Include a thesis, well-developed paragraphs including an introduction and conclusion, and smooth coherence as you move from one idea to the next.

Substantiate your opinions with examples and scholarly references such as journal articles throughout the paper.

Be handed in only after careful proofreading and with errors cleanly corrected on the final copy.\

Be well organized with an introduction and conclusion.

Be in APA format including font and citations and include a title page. Check APA manual for guidelines.
Writing help! We have a great center for writing help, whether you struggle or are good and wanting to make your work even better. Contact Writing Center
( writinghelp@sar.usf.edu
) for assistance.
COURSE SCHEDULE: (Read the assigned chapters and articles and/or view the videos assigned for each Discussion Question. Check Files tab for additional readings and videos per DQ). All DQ responses are due by Friday of the week posted except for DQ 1 to allow for time to get textbook. Check all dates below. Participation is due by the end of each discussion. The discussion ends when the new one is scheduled. This is an accelerated course and the discussions and assignments will come at a quick pace. You must keep track of the schedule, log into Canvas and check announcements daily. Remember, once the discussion is over, you cannot participate in it.

Note: Although there may be holidays in the semester, and participation is not mandatory on those days, you will need to work around personal plans to complete the assignments by the designated due dates.
DQ 1: 5/13-5/24 Introduction to Teaching; Reflecting on your decision to teach.
Readings: Chapters one and two in textbook
Purchase books. Post attendance and bio.
DQ 1 response due 5/20; Participation due 5/27. Reminder: Space your responses!
DQ 2 : 5/27 – 6/10. Socio-Cultural Issues and Diversity
Readings: Read chapter three and ELL article; Read chapter four; Diversity articles in Materials
DQ 2 due 5/31; Participation due 6/10.
DQ 3: 6/10- 6/24. Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Ethics
Readings: Read chapter six, eight and fifteen; FL Code of Ethics; Florida Educator
Accomplished Practices; Read: Florida Tenure Law
DQ 3 due 6/14; Participation due 6/24
DQ 4: 6/24- 7/5 Philosophy and History of Education
Readings: Read chapters nine and ten in text; view History of Ed videos;
DQ 4 due 6/28; Participation due 7/5.
No assignments accepted past the last day of the course
**The schedule may be modified during the course