EDF 1005 (2759)
Introduction to Education
Fall 2008
Instructor Name and Contact Information:
Dana Brown
Dbrown2@uwf.edu
(850) 382-1472
Course Description: This course is a beginning social foundations course for
freshman students who are considering teaching as a profession and who are seeking
better understanding about the complexity and importance of education. The course
will provide students with an introduction to the field of education, focus primarily on the
nature and importance of the teaching profession, and discuss the current challenges
and requirements for the profession.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Identify the responsibilities of schools as developers of social capital.
 Recognize the characteristics of systemic reform, specifically by examining
GOALS 2000 and the Florida Sunshine State Standards.
 Examine the critical issues for the contemporary teachers specifically regarding
employment opportunities and the required knowledge base, in addition to how
our changing educational system will impact future teachers.
 Describe how changes in the student population are leading to educational
change and how these changes impact instructional programs and curricula,
multicultural and bilingual programs, along with the changes that innovations and
technology bring to the classroom.
 Understand some basic yet critical issues regarding characteristics of todays
students, effective teaching, classroom management and discipline, and the
curriculum.
 Identify patters of the American education system as it has developed from
European precedents to the present, as well as understand the impact of
different philosophical systems on our education system.
Course Text:
Parkay & Stanford, Becoming A Teacher. Allyn & Bacon
Publishers, 7th ed.
Readings: Journal articles and supporting publications may be included in special readings
throughout the semester.
Web Sites and Tutorial:
New Teachers Guide: Table of Contents: www.ed.gov/pubs/TeacherGuide/index.html
Institute on Education and the Economy: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~iee/
STEPS: (www.uwf.edu~coe) http://143.99.86.98/pacee/steps
Best Practices: http://www.coe.wayne.edu/TSC/best.html
Community Update: http://www.ed.gov/G2K/community/
Journals: http://www.accesseric.org/
Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.merit.edu/
Ask Eric: http://ericir.syr.edu/
NEA: http://www.nea.org
US Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/
UWF Library: http://library.uwf.edu
Beginning Teachers website: http://college.hmco.com
Recommended Resources:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th edition).
(1994).
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Grading and Evaluation:
Grading Scale
100-93 A
89-88 B+
79-78 C
69-68 D
59-0 F
92-90 A87-83 B
77-73 C
67-63 D
82-80 B72-70 C62-60 D-
Journal Entries (5) 20 points
Tests (4) 40 points
Discussion Questions (5) 20 points
Interview Reports (2) 20 points
Total Points = 100
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy: As members of the
University of West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive for excellence
in performance, integrity - personal and institutional - is our most precious asset.
Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways which
erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor to
plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to share community resources in ways that
are responsible and that comply with established policies of fairness. Cooperation and
competition are means to high achievement and are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation
is expected unless our directive is to individual performance. We will compete
constructively and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance
standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic
conduct as a condition of membership in the UWF academic community.
The Student Code of Conduct sets forth the rules, regulations and expected behavior of
students enrolled at the University of West Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations,
or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of violating the Student Code of
Conduct. It is the student’s responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and
conduct himself/herself accordingly. You may access the current Student Code of
Conduct at http://www.uwf.edu/judicialaffairs.
Assistance: Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or
other course-related accommodations should contact Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of
Disabled Student Services (DSS) dss@uwf.edu, (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the
student with a letter for the instructor that will specify any recommended
accommodations.
Resources:
Arends, R. I. (1999). Learning to teach (5th ). New York: McGraw Hill.
Campbell, L. and Campbell, B. (1999). Multiple intelligences. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Chalfant, H. P. and LaBeff, E. E. (1991). Understanding people and social life (2 nd ed.)
St. Paul: West Publishing Company.
Clabaugh, G. K. and Razycki, E. G. (1990). Understanding schools: The foundations of
education. New York: Harper & Row.
Goodlad, J. I. (1990). Teachers for our nations schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Henslin, J. (2000). Social problems. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hiebowitsh, P. (2001). Foundations of American education. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth/Thomson.
Jensen, R. and Kiley, T. (2000). Teaching, leading, and learning. New York: HoughtonMifflin.
McLoughlin, J. and Lewis, R. (2001. Assessing students with special needs. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Newman, J. W. (1990). Americas teachers: An introduction to education. New York
Sadker, M. P. and Sadker, D. M. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4 th ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Schnickedanz, J. A., Schnickedanz, E. I., Forsyth, P. D., and Forsyth, G. A. (1998).
Understanding children and adolescence (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Schon, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for
teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stanley, W. O. (1982, May/June). Foundations of teacher education. Journal of Teacher
Education, 3(3).
Wink, J. (2000). Critical pedagogy. New York: Longman.
Wong, H. and Wong, R. (1991). The first days of teaching. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry Wong
Publications.