EDWN 601 - The Professional Portfolio I

SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MINNEAPOLIS GRADUATE CENTER

CREDITS: 3

SEMESTER: Spring 2010

INSTRUCTORS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course (unless special permission is given to take concurrently) extends participant proficiency in the 10 Teacher Standards required for licensure in Wisconsin. Students prepare evidence of meeting these standards and statutory requirements for the development of a pre-student teaching portfolio.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

On completion of the course successful students will:

understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines they teach and develop a curriculum unit that demonstrates their ability to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils (Standard 1);
understand how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provide 20 hours of pre-practicum instruction that demonstrates their ability to support the intellectual, social, and personal development of pupils (Standard 2);
understand how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and adapt lesson plans to that it meets the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities (Standard 3);
understand and demonstrate in their curriculum units the use of a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, forecasting and performance skills (Standard 4);
understand individual and group motivation and behavior and generate a written classroom management plan that will be used to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation (Standard 5);
demonstrate in the classroom through individual and group presentations the use of effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom (Standard 6);
organize and plan a curriculum unit that demonstrates systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and stated curriculum goals (Standard 7);
understand and demonstrate through the development of a curriculum unit the use of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil (Standard 8);
reflect on practice and demonstrate in a pre-practicum journal the ability to continually evaluate the effect of their choices and actions on pupils, parents, professional in the learning community and others and to actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally (Standard 9);
foster relationships and demonstrate in a pre-practicum journal the ability to connect with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well-being and to act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner (Standard 10).

These course objectives are aligned with the Wisconsin Teacher Standards and are numbered accordingly.

TEXTS

Texts are websites listed on the Project Teaching home page
Additional course materials as provided by the instructor

COURSE PROCESS

Introductory face-to-face session
- The Portfolio 1 Rubric
- Details on assignments for this class
- Assignments for specific certification
- Student Teaching Requirements
Guided web-based instruction of eight to ten (depending on certification area) assignments
Evaluation of assignments by the instructor

ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION: Assignments will be received and responded to primarily by email. If for some reason that doesn’t work, the U.S. mail service will be used. Assignments will use APA style.

LIBRARY RESOURCES

To locate appropriate library resources for this class, please consult the index of the current copy of the Twin Cities Catalog and Student Handbook, under Library and Information Resources. You may also call the Twin Cities Campus Library at (612) 728-5108 or toll-free (866) 437-2788, ext. 108 or email tc-librarian@smumn.edu .

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment 1. Rural Education (Standard 3)

Investigate these web sites:

Write a 3- to 5-page paper (APA style) describing five perceived problems and five perceived advantages for rural schools.

Assignment 2. Standardized Assessment (Standard 8)

Read these web sites:

Write a 3- to 5-page commentary with supporting citations on the way you will incorporate standardized assessment in your instructional approach (there is no “right” or “wrong” position). Include the following in your discussion:

Describe your feeling and opinions about standardized testing.
Select a school or school district of interest to you and obtain a copy of the school’s WKCE data http://www.dpi.state.wi.us./sig/index.html. Prepare an analysis of the WKCE data from either the 8th or 10th grade reports.
Analyze the significance of the demographic data reported on the bottom of the report.

Assignment 3. Communication with Students, Parents and Colleagues Standards 6 & 10

Scan these web sites. Read in depth those that seem most useful to you:

Write a 5- to 6-page paper describing a plan for teacher/student/parent/colleague communication. Address each of the following areas:

Parent Communication: Regular communication. Communication in cases of disciplinary problems, academic problems, and communication providing genuine praise.
Student Communication: Regular communication. Communication in the classroom necessary for learning and teaching, in cases of disciplinary problems, academic problems, and communication providing genuine praise.
Communication with Colleagues: Regular communication. Communication in cases of reflective practice, violations of the Code of Conduct, and curriculum development.
Communication with Administration: Communication at the building and district levels, communicating in cases of formal complaints against a teacher, violations of the Code of Conduct, and emergency situations.

Assignment 4. PI 34.15(4)(c)(1-6) Minority Group Relations: knowledge, understanding, and skills in minority group relations through direct involvement with various racial, cultural, language and economic groups in the United States. (Standard 10)

Read the following about the:

history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of American Indian tribes and bands located in Wisconsin,
- Web sites on Indian tribes and bands located in Wisconsin:
history, culture and contributions of women and various racial, cultural, language and economic groups in the United States; philosophical and psychological bases of attitude development and change; the psychological and social implications of discrimination, especially racism and sexism in the American society; evaluating and assessing the forces of discrimination, especially racism and sexism on faculty, students, curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the school program
- http://books.google.com/books?id=1VOGlufZHlMC&pg=PA11&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0
- http://www.tolerance.org/teach/
- http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/
- http://nameorg.org/resources/articles-interviews/
- http://www.rethinkingschools.org/ (search "multicultural" pick an article or two)
- http://ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/print.cgi/Resources/Subjects/Social_Studies/Multicultural_Education.html
- http://riponimmigration.blogspot.com/ A participant wrote these articles about immigration in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin DPI Resources for Culturally Responsive Instruction and Pedagogy http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/doc/disp-res-cultural.doc
- Wisconsin DPI Resources for Culturally Responsive Instruction and Pedagogy http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/doc/disp-res-cultural.doc

Write a 4- to 6-page reflective paper on your understanding (for inclusion in standard 2 of the portfolio) and experiences (for inclusion in standard 10 of the portfolio) in minority group relations as evidence of knowledge, understanding, and skills in the following areas:

History, culture, and tribal sovereignty of Native American tribes and bands located in Wisconsin
History, culture, and contributions of women and various racial, cultural, language, and economic groups in the United States
Philosophical and psychological basis of attitude development and change
The psychological and social implications of discrimination, especially racism and sexism in American society
Evaluating and assessing the forces of discrimination, especially racism and sexism on faculty, students, curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the school program
Direct involvement with racial, cultural, language, and economic groups in the United States

(This paper will be divided into two parts in your portfolio in standard 2 [knowledge] and standard 10 [journal of experience].)

Assignment 5. PI 34.15(4)(g) procedures used for assessing and providing education for children with disabilities, including roles and responsibilities of regular and special education providers. (Standard 9)

Write a 3- to 5-page paper of an interview with a special education teacher.

Inquire about the IEP process and teachers’ responsibilities,
Inquire about the roles and responsibilities of the special education teacher and regular education teacher,
What is the relationship between the special education teacher and the regular education teacher?

Assignment 6. Twenty (20) Hours Pre-Practicum Experience Requirement (Standard 9)

Practicum can be completed when enrolled in either EDWN 601 or EDWN 600. It must be completed prior to the student teaching placement.

Complete a practicum with the minimum of twenty (20) hours in a school of your choice. This can be accomplished in the following ways: by substitute teaching, “permit” teaching with a placement minimum of twenty (20) hours, or completed through classroom observation. This practicum must be monitored by an experienced teacher or a school administrator.
Write a reflective journal detailing your practicum experiences. Include classroom activities, events, student behavior management, etc. Finally, reflect on your experiences relative to the strengths and weaknesses of this practicum.
To validate your practicum experiences, the mentor teacher or administrator must sign off on your experiences on the 20-Hours Documentation form.

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR SPECIFIC CERTIFICATIONS

Assignment A. Early/middle childhood practicum experience (Standard 3)

This applies only to teachers to be licensed in birth to age 21 (agriculture, art, business, English as a second language, family & consumer education, music, health, physical education, technology, theatre, and world languages).

Write a 2- to 4-page (APA style) describing your experiences in an early/middle childhood practicum.

Assignment B. PI 34.15(4)(a) Cooperative marketing and consumer cooperatives. (Standard 4)

This applies only to teachers to be licensed in agriculture, economics, or social studies.

Read these web sites and write a two-week instructional unit using age-appropriate concepts about cooperative marketing and consumer cooperatives.

http://www.cooperatives.ucdavis.edu/ (see materials on the left side). http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/coopp.html
http://nasco.coop/main_coop.html
http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/info/i_pages/topic.html

Assignment C. PI 34.15(4)(b) Environmental education including the conservation of natural resources. (Standard 4)

This applies only to teachers to be licensed in agriculture. science, or social studies.

You must attend a Project Wild, WET or PLT workshop. We offer two, face-to-face workshops each year or you can attend one offered by other facilitators. You then use the curriculum materials you receive at the work shop to design a two-week instructional unit to help students learn some of the major concepts of environmental education.

COURSE EVALUATION:

Complete all assignments from web sources.
Adhere to assignment timelines (Dates will be identified during the Introductory Session).
Assignments must meet the identified criteria. Instructor will appraise each assignment with an evaluative decision of: pass, incomplete, “redo”, or not acceptable.
Additional work in Environmental Education is required of teachers seeking certification in agriculture, science and social studies.
Additional work on Cooperatives is required of teachers for economics, social studies or agriculture certification.

PORTFOLIO

Progress in our certification program is based on two portfolios:

Portfolio 1 is comprised of class work (EDWN 600 & EDWN 601) and other experiences you have had. That portfolio must be completed before student teaching.
Portfolio 2 is based on student teaching experiences. Artifacts for Portfolio 2 come from the student teaching experience. This portfolio must be completed before licensure is recommended.

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