EDC 365C: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science.
Spring 2014, Unique 09890.
SZB 316 Tu/Th 11 am – 12:30 pm
Instructor: Dr. Cesar Delgado (prefers to be called Dr. Delgado)
Office hours: SZB 462G Wed. 10-11 am or by appointment. cesar_delgado@austin.utexas.edu
Phone: (512) 232 9682 office.
Teaching Assistant: Paul Robbins (prefers to be called Paul)
Office hours: SZB 518D, Thurs. 10-11 am or by appointment. paul.robbins@austin.utexas.edu
Course Website: courses.utexas.edu
Required Materials: None (all readings will be available from lib.utexas.edu, online, or posted on
Blackboard)
Table of Contents
I. Grading and Attendance................................................................................................................. 1
II. Course Overview and Objectives ................................................................................................. 2
III. Course Requirements and Procedures ......................................................................................... 2
IV. Course Schedule ............................................................................................................................. 3
V. Additional Notices and Policies ...................................................................................................... 4
VI. Reading List ................................................................................................................................... 6
I.
Grading and Attendance
Point Breakdown:
75 Pts Reading Responses
25 Pts First Interview
100 Pts Midterm
100 Pts Second Interview
50 Pts Class Presentation
100 Pts Final Project (Teaching Philosophy)
25 Pts In-class Participation
25 Pts Final Presentation (Student Ideas)
500 Points TOTAL
Grade Range:
A = 95 % and above (475-500 points)
A- = 90-94% (450-474 points)
B+ = 88-89% (440-449 points)
B = 84-87% (420-439 points)
B- = 80-83% (400-419 points)
C+ = 78-79% (390-399 points)
C = 74-77% (370-389 points)
C- = 70-73% (350-369 points)
D = 60-69% (300-350 points
F < 60% (under 300 points)
Attendance:
Attendance and participation are crucial to this class. Attendance will be taken every class period. In
order to participate fully, please do not let your laptops or other communications devices distract
you or other participants. Missing or not participating actively in four classes will result in ONE
FULL LETTER GRADE REDUCTION. Additional absences may result in an incomplete or failing
grade.
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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II.
Course Overview and Objectives
Knowing & Learning seeks to help you develop a powerful tool kit of theory-driven approaches to
knowing and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We will
explore what it means to learn and know science and mathematics, while broadening our sense of
what is possible in educational practice. Some of the questions that we will address are: What
standards for knowing can we develop and justify? How are knowing and learning structured, and
how does what we know change and develop? What are the tensions between general, crossdisciplinary characterizations of knowing (e.g., intelligence or the conditioning of behavior) and
specific, disciplinary learning and knowing in STEM? How are learning and development related?
What are the implications of different learning theories for assessment, instruction, and the use of
technology?
This course builds on your initial encounters with teaching in the Step courses by providing
powerful theoretical lenses with which to analyze knowing and learning. This course also provides
foundational understandings for your further development as a teacher and designer in Classroom
Interactions and Project-Based Instruction.
Course Objectives:
1. construct models of knowing and learning to guide classroom practice.
2. articulate various standards for knowing STEM and discuss the implications of these
standards for assessment, especially standardized assessment.
3. articulate what it means to know and learn in terms of cognitive structures and describe how
what people know changes and develops.
4. describe various paradigms for evaluating STEM understanding, and trace their relationships
to learning theories.
5. use the clinical interview method to make sense of a learner's reasoning about a topic in
STEM.
6. express informed opinions on current issues and tensions in education, especially as they
relate to STEM instruction.
7. explore the affordances offered by various technologies in supporting knowing and learning
in STEM, and trace their relationship to learning theories.
8. explore the implications of deficit models of learning on issues of equitable instruction and
learning environments.
III.
Course Requirements and Procedures
Readings: All readings will be available through the UT library website (lib.utexas.edu), other online sources, or posted on Blackboard. There is no coursepack or textbook for this course.
Readings (and discussions) are a significant part of the course – make sure you have access to both
the readings and your notes on the reading while in class. Reading response questions are posted on
Blackboard. Responses are due by 7 pm on the night BEFORE the class for which the
assignment is made. This is done to allow the instructor time to review the responses BEFORE
class, in order to monitor and respond to students’ ideas and comments; i.e., the reading responses
are a form of formative assessment. Late, incomplete, or superficial responses will count 50% of a
full, on-time response. You are allowed to miss two reading responses. Make sure to download the
readings ahead of time; if you have trouble accessing the reading, contact your TA.
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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Class discussions are essential in supporting student sense-making. Building on and reacting to
other participants’ comments is encouraged, and should be done in a respectful tone even if you
disagree. This will create a safe atmosphere in which participants feel free to express their ideas.
Students are expected to devote approximately 6 hours per week outside of class to: 1) reading and
analyzing books and articles, and preparing responses; 2) interviewing learners about their ideas
about core disciplinary concepts in STEM, and analyzing and reporting on their interview; 3)
preparing a teaching philosophy and uploading it to the UTeach portfolio website; and 4) planning
and leading an approximately 30-40 minute segment of class.
IV. Course Schedule
***Note that you are expected to come to class having read the articles listed for that day
Date Topic
Disc.
Readings
Due
Bd.
1/14 Introduction and course overview
None None
1/16 The Knowledge Project I
1
None
1/21 The Knowledge Project II
2
None
1/23 Dimensions of knowledge
3
Adding it up (NRC, 2001a)
1/28 Measuring knowledge
4
None
1/30 Knowing what students know I
5
-Popham (1999)
-Atkinson & Geiser (2009)
-Shavelson et al. (2005)
2/4
Knowing what students know II
6
-KWSK (NRC, 2001b)
-Ginsburg (1997)
2/6
Knowing what students know III
7
Black & Wiliam (1998)
2/11 Intelligence: Nature
8
-Duncan (2010)
-Gardner et al. (1996) pp. 3951, 58-66
2/13 Intelligence: Nurture
9
-Gardner et al. (1996) excerpts
from Ch. 2
-Sternberg (2007)
2/18 Behaviorism I
10
Assigned readings from among: First
-Skinner (1974)
interview
-O’Donohue & Ferguson (2001)
-Sammons (n.d.)
http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/
newResources/approaches/AS_
AQB_approaches_Behaviouris
mBasics.pdf
2/20 Behaviorism II: Teaching
11
-Erlwanger (1973)
Machines
-Fischman (2011)
2/25 Cognitive Revolution: Jean Piaget 12
-Piaget (1983)
-Duckworth (1964)
- McLeod, S. (2012). Jean
Piaget. Online at
http://www.simplypsychology.o
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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2/27
Currents of Constructivism
13
3/4
3/6
3/18
Learning theories in action
Midterm Exam
Interaction of Nature and Nurture
14
None
15
3/20
3/25
Groups as learners I
Groups as learners II
None
16
3/27
Tracking
None
4/1
4/3
4/8
4/10
How people learn I
How people learn II
Effective lessons
Collaborative learning
17
18
19
20
4/15
Peers and learning
21
4/17
4/22
Parents and learning
Teachers and learning
22
23
4/24
Agency and social justice
24
4/29
Generative design and teaching
the basics
25
5/1
Course wrap-up and evaluations
None
rg/piaget.html
-Elby (2000)
-McCloskey (1983)
Judson & Sawada (2002)
None
-AAUW (2010)
-McGlone & Pfiester (2007)
None
-Vygotsky (1978)
-Bigge & Shermis (1999)
Assigned from among: Benbow
& Stanley (1996), Boaler
(2006), Kulik (1993), Hallinan
(1994), Loveless (2009)
-NRC (1999), Ch. 1
-NRC (1999), Ch. 2
-NRC (1999), Ch. 7
-Gillies (2004)
-Marzano et al. (2001)
-Riegle-Crumb, Farkas, &
Muller (2006)
-Fryer (2006)
-Calarco (2011)
-Beilock (2010)
-Weinstein (2002)
Riegle Crumb & Humphries
(2012)
-Gutstein (2007)
-Willingham (2010)
-Stroup (2005)
-Carmona & Greenstein (2010)
-Delgado & Morton (2012)
None
5/12
Final presentations 2–5 pm
None
None
Note check
Second
interview
Teaching
philosophy
V. Additional Notices and Policies
Course web site. In this class we use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with password-protected
access at http://courses.utexas.edu —to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post
grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at
the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The use of Blackboard’s email function for
purposes other than class-related communication is against UT’s IT guidelines and will adversely affect your class
participation grade.
Absences due to illness. Illness should be communicated as soon as possible, and a doctor’s note should be provided
upon return to class. We will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the
absence.
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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Religious Holy Days. By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to
the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project
in order to observe a religious holy day, we will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a
reasonable time after the absence.
Absences for other motives. Students who are unable to attend class for motives other than sickness or religious holy
days should review Blackboard and contact the TA or the instructor to find out what they missed, and negotiate the
possibility of making up work.
University of Texas Honor Code. The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery,
freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold
these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Students are expected
to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are
subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from The University.
Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of The University, policies on scholastic
dishonesty will be strictly enforced. All work on papers should be done individually. Any material that you include that
is not in your own words must be cited clearly as to its source. Likewise, you should give credit for ideas that originate
from another source. Using another person’s words or ideas (including words and ideas from the Internet!) without due
credit is plagiarism and is a violation of University rules.
Technological Support: Learning Technology Center www.edb.utexas.edu/education/centers/ltc/
The LTC provides a full range of computer facilities and services for College of Education (including UTeach) students,
faculty and staff. During open lab hours, students may use a computer workstation and log in with their EID.
Multimedia lab computer workstations may be reserved online; however, most computers will be available on a walk-in
basis. The LTC Media Lab provides supplies, facilities, equipment and instruction for students to produce a variety of
audio-visual and digital media. Basic AV production equipment and supplies are available for sale in the Media Lab
with a Lab Card or personal check. Media instruction is a large part of the Media Lab’s service, providing students with
the knowledge and skills to properly use AV and multimedia equipment.
Writing Center: The Undergraduate Writing Center (FAC 211, 471-6222, www.uwc.utexas.edu/) offers free,
individualized, expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Consultants
can help students develop strategies to improve their writing, or simply provide feedback (this is a normal part of a
successful writing project).
Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students. All students should become familiar with the University's
official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes
in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay
current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is
recommended that e-mail be checked daily. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail
address are available at www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.
Documented Disability Statement. The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic
accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Your instructors consider providing accommodations to be
more than a legal responsibility; meeting students’ needs is the heart of good teaching. We are willing to find alternative
ways for you to meet any of the course requirements. If you have any special needs, let us know. Any student with a
documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities
(SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice), 1-866-329-3986 (videophone), or website
http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php.
Safety Guidelines. If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns
Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about that individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a
partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or
visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.
Please sign up for emergency text alerts at http://www.utexas.edu/emergency/.
Familiarize yourself with procedures in case of an active shooter: www.utexas.edu/police/videos/
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is
activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation:
 Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the nearest exit door
may not be the one you used when you entered the building.
 If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class.
 In the event of an evacuation, follow the instructions of the class instructors.
Do not re-enter a building unless you’re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police
Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office.
Q drop Policy
The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic reasons to six (6). As stated in
Senate Bill 1231: “Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an institution of higher education may not permit an
undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at
another institution of higher education, unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.
VI. Reading List
American Association of University Women. (2010). Why so few? Women in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. Catherine Hill, Christianne Corbett, Andresse St. Rose
(Eds.)Washington, DC: AAUW.
Atkinson, R. C., & Geiser, S. (2009). Reflections on a centure of college admissions test. Educational
Researcher, 38(9), 665-676.
Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers’ math anxiety affects
girls’ math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863.
Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1996). Inequity in equity: How “equity” can lead to inequity for highpotential students. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2(2), 249–292
Bigge, M. L., & Shermis, S. S. (1999). Learning theories for teachers (6th ed.). New York: Addison Wesley
Longman.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi
Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-144, 146-148.
Boaler, J. (2006). How a detracked mathematics approach promoted respect, responsibility, and high
achievement. Theory into Practice, 45(1), 40-46.
Calarco, J. M. (2011). “I Need Help!” Social Class and Children’s Help-Seeking in Elementary School.
American Sociological Review, 76(6), 862-882.
Carmona, G., & Greenstein, S. (2010). Investigating the relationship between the problem and the solver:
Who decides what gets used? In R. Lesh, P.L. Galbraith, C.R. Haines, & A. Hurford (Eds.),
Modeling Students'Mathematical Modeling Competencies: ICTMA 13. New York, NY: Springer.
Delgado, C., & Morton, K. (in press). Learning progressions, learning trajectories, and equity. Presented at
the International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Sydney, Australia: International Society of
the Learning Sciences.
Duckworth, E. (1964). Piaget rediscovered. Journal for Research in Science Teaching 2, 172-175.
Duncan, J. (2010). How intelligence happens. Yale University Press.
Elby, A. (2000). What students’ learning of representations tells us about constructivism. Journal of
Mathematical Behavior, 19(4), 481–502.
Erlwanger, S. H. (1973). Benny's conception of rules and answers in IPI mathematics. Journal of Children's
Mathematical Behavior, 1(2), 7-26.
Fischman, Josh. (2011, May 8). The Rise of Teaching Machines. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-Rise-of-Teaching-Machines/127389/.
Fryer, R. G. (2006). Acting White. Education Next. Retrieved from
http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/fryer/files/aw_ednext.pdf
Gardner, H., Kornhaber, M. L., & Wake, W. K. (1996). Intelligence: Multiple perspectives. Fort Worth, TX:
Harcourt Brace.
EDC 365C Knowing & Learning, Spring 2013
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Ginsburg, H. (1997). Entering the child's mind: The clinical interview in psychological research and
practice. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Gillies, R. M. (2004). The effects of cooperative learning on junior high school students during small group
learning. Learning and Instruction, 14(2), 197-213.
Gutstein, E. (2007). " And That's Just How It Starts": Teaching Mathematics and Developing Student
Agency. The Teachers College Record, 109(2), 420-448.
Hallinan, M. T. (1994). Tracking: From theory to practice. Sociology of Education, 79-84.
Judson, E. & Sawada, D. (2002). Learning from past and present: Electronic response systems in college
lecture halls. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 21(2), 167-181.
Kulik, J. A. (1993). An analysis of the research on ability grouping. NRC/GT Newsletter, 5.
Loveless, T. (2009). Tracking and detracking: High achievers in Massachusetts middle schools. Washington,
DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based
strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
McCloskey, M. (1983). Intuitive physics. Scientific American 248(4), 122-130.
McGlone, M. S., & Pfiester, R. A. (2007). The generality and consequences of stereotype threat. Sociology
Compass, 1(1), 174-190.
National Research Council. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. (J. D. Bransford,
A. L. Brown, & R. R. Cocking, Eds.) (1st ed.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
National Research Council. (2001a). Adding it up: Helping children learn mathematics. (J. Kilpatrick, J.
Swafford, & B. Findell, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
National Research Council. (2001b). Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational
assessment. (J. W. Pellegrino, N. Chudowsky, & R. Glaser, Eds.). Washington, DC: National
Academies Press.
O’Donohue, W., & Ferguson, K. (2001). The psychology of B.F. Skinner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Academic
Press.
Piaget, J. (1983). Piaget’s theory. In P. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp.
103–128). New York: Wiley.
Popham, W. J. (1999). Why standardized tests don't measure educational quality. Educational Leadership,
56(6), 8-15.
Riegle-Crumb, C., Farkas, G., & Muller, C. (2006). The role of gender and friendship in advanced course
taking. Sociology of Education, 79(3), 206-228.
Riegle-Crumb & Humphries (2012). Exploring bias in math teachers' perceptions of students' ability by
gender and race/ethnicity. Gender & Society 26, 290.
Shavelson, R. J., Ruiz-Primo, M. A., & Wiley, E. W. (2005). Windows into the mind. Higher Education,
49(4), 413–430.
Skinner, B. F. (1974). About Behaviorism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Sternberg, R. J. (2007). Who are the bright children? The cultural context of being and acting intelligent.
Educational Researcher, 36(3), 148-155.
Stroup, W. M. (2005). Learning the basics with calculus. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science
Teaching, 24(2), 179-196.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press.
Weinstein, R. S. (2002). Reaching higher: The power of expectations in schooling. Harvard University
Press.
Willingham, D. (April 27, 2010). What do students have against social justice education. Teachers College
Record. Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org.
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