399 Enderis Hall Office Phone: ( is the best way to contact me)

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1 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Curriculum & Instruction Early Childhood Education Student Teaching and Student Teaching Seminar Syllabus Fall 2012 CURRINS (1 credit), (6 credits), (6 credits) INSTRUCTOR: Vicki Herman 399 Enderis Hall Office Phone: ( is the best way to contact me) SEMINAR MEETINGS: 4:00-5:30 Thursdays throughout the semester on the following days: 9/6, 9/13, 9/27, 10/4, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29, and 12/6 SEMINAR LOCATION: Gwen T. Jackson Early Childhood and Elementary School, Center Street and 21 st Street (park in lot off of Center Street). Seminar will be held in the library/multimedia room. DESCRIPTION: The student teaching component is the culmination of the UWM program in Early Childhood Education. Following completion of the professional education coursework, the experience involves the practice and demonstration of instructional competencies with children from birth through 8 years of age. The Early Childhood Education Student Teaching Seminar is designed to help student teachers focus on relevant practical issues in urban education, practice reflective teaching and be aware of professional expectations and ethics in the field of early childhood. This seminar is taken in conjunction with the Student Teaching in PreK-K and Student Teaching in the Primary Years and helps the student teacher make sense of the experience. Wisconsin State Teaching Standards addressed in CURRINS 401: Standard #9. Reflective Practitioner/Learning from One s Own Practice. Wisconsin State Teaching Standards addressed in CURRINS 402 and CURRINS 404: Standard #2. Developmental Framework, Placing the Learner at the Center Standard #3. Addressing Differences and Disabilities. Standard #4 A Repertoire of Instructional Strategies, Including Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Standard #5. Active Engagement/Community of Learners. Standard #6. Effective Communication, Including Support for English Language Learners. Standard #7 State of the Art Curriculum and Strategic Planning for Instruction. Standard #8. Assessment to Ensure Student Success. Standard #9. Reflective Practitioner/Learning from One s Own Practice. Standard #10. Collaboration/Family Partnerships/Community Involvement. 1

2 OBJECTIVES: Student teaching, along with the seminar, is intended to support you to demonstrate your competency to qualify as a Wisconsin Initial Educator. Along with these experiences, you will generate a completed portfolio (required by the Department of Public Instruction) that demonstrates your competencies with the 10 Wisconsin Teaching Standards and the knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to these standards. A complete listing of these can be found on the D2L site for CURRINS 401. As a set of general objectives, you will: 1. Demonstrate a strong understanding of the content areas taught in grades pre-k through grade 3 and of the underlying principles and best practices of the field of early childhood. 2. Demonstrate understanding of and ability to respond to learners who vary in background knowledge and experiences, abilities, language, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and family structure. 3. Demonstrate ability to plan, implement, and self-evaluate lessons and experiences that effectively help children to learn. 4. Demonstrate the ability to communicate and interact professionally with families, fellow teachers, and support staff. 5. Demonstrate the ability to manage the classroom. 6. Demonstrate the capacity to think reflectively about your practice, and as a result of that reflection show the desire and ability to improve teaching and learning for children. Expectations: It is very important that you access and carefully read the Field Experiences in Teacher Education Policies and Procedures Handbook, Student Edition. This document can be found at and is also available on the 401 D2L site. Notify either your supervisor and/or Vicki Herman if you experience any concerns or issues related to your student teaching. Please note: All students are responsible for checking and D2L on a regular basis, at least weekly. Grading: The final grades for Student Teaching Seminar will be based on: DPI Professional Portfolio Attendance/Participation (4 points per Seminar) Reading Assignments and Discussions (Included in the participation points) Student Teacher Journal Reflective Discussions (Included in the participation points) Family Participation Project and Presentation (24 points) 2 School Participation Activities and Reflections (10 points per school participation activity and reflection) 2 Community Participation Activities and Reflections (12 points per participation activity) 2

3 A total of 100 points can be earned for the Student Teaching Seminar. The following grading scale will be used to assign grades: GRADING SCALE: A = % C = 73-76% A- = 90-93% C- = 70-72% B+ = 87-89% D+ = 67-69% B = 83-86% D = 63-66% B- = 80-82% D- = 60-62% C+ = 77-79% F = below 60 The final grades for Student Teaching (CURRINS 402 and 404) will be determined by: Professionalism Weekly communication with supervisor Satisfactory completion of the student teaching journal Satisfactory completion of student teaching as determined through input from the ECE Student Teacher Coordinator, your ECE Supervisor and the Cooperating Teacher Completion of a detailed written schedule (timeline) of student teaching responsibilities for each 10 week placement Introduction Letter for each 10-week placement Daily and weekly lesson planning including the following: o 3 formal lesson plans (per 10-week placement) using the ECE detailed Plan for a Learning Opportunity for the supervisor observations o Abbreviated lesson plans using one of the forms provided, for all lessons you teach including scripted lessons o Creation and teaching of a Disciplinary Content-Based Unit of Study for each 10 week placement Lesson Plan Binder POLICIES: Assignments All assignments are expected to be completed and submitted on time. If an assignment is turned in late, up to two points per day may be deducted from your assignment grade for each day that it is overdue. Deadlines may be extended in unusual circumstances where there is adequate cause with written notification. Numerous typos and grammatical errors will lower your grade. So please, proofread all work that you submit. Early Childhood Education Attendance Policy In the ECE Program we believe strongly that the development of strong relationships supports us in creating productive learning communities, a model that we hope you take with you into your professional work as a classroom or childcare teacher. All of the program/professional courses are interactive and discussion based. Missing class means missing the interaction and the collaborative construction of knowledge. It is difficult if not impossible to make this up. Thus, we take attendance and participation in class very seriously. So, for any ECE program class, more than two absences will require you to submit a letter of explanation to the Early Childhood Committee, and may result in the requirement to retake the course. More than three absences may result in a failing grade in the course. 3

4 Student Teacher Attendance Student Teachers must contact both their cooperating teachers and the UWM supervisors as soon as they know they will be absent from their student teaching placement classrooms. Student teachers should have minimal absences, and all absences must be for a compelling reason (e.g., illness). The UWM supervisors will conduct individual conferences with student teachers who are absent more than two times to determine whether or not it is appropriate for the students to continue in the program. Professionalism The student teachers are expected to respond to their student teaching responsibilities as they would to a full-time professional position. This means that the highest priority for scheduling time should be placed on the student teaching activities. The following guidelines describe the UWM expectations: o Student teachers should conduct the majority of their preparation activities outside of the school day so that they are completely prepared when each day begins. o Student teachers should participate in all major school events, such as open houses and parent-teacher conferences. o Student teachers should not cancel scheduled observations by the UWM supervisors unless there is a compelling reason (e.g., illness) Student Teaching Assignment Guidelines Community Participation Activity: At least once during each of your placements visit an establishment in the community that surrounds your school that could be used as a resource for your classroom or the families in your classroom. Complete a write-up (1 page) about the establishment and how you could utilize the establishment during your placement. Be prepared to share your experience with the seminar group. The write-ups should be submitted via D2L. Due dates are listed in the seminar schedule. Creation of and Teaching of a Disciplinary Content Based Units of Study: Each student will create a unit (in each 10 week placement) to be taught (or partially taught) during the lead teaching weeks. You will choose either science or social studies from which to create a learning unit. You will begin by identifying a big idea or central concept from the content area you choose. You will create an authentic assessment or project that will demonstrate what the children learned and how they engaged with your big idea or central concept. Finally you will create a series of activities (at least 8 using the detailed plan for learning opportunity form) that will engage the students over a ten day period of time in the big idea or central concept. By week #3 you are required to share your unit planning worksheet with your supervisor. Your finished units should be given to your cooperating teacher and placed in your lesson plan binder. Cooperating teachers must be provided with your unit plan at least one week before you begin to teach the unit. 4

5 DPI Professional Portfolio Each student is responsible for submitting a Professional Portfolio at the end of student teaching that fulfills the requirements outlined by the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction and the UWM Early Childhood Program. The following deadlines have been established: The first draft of the portfolios is to be submitted by the first day of student teaching orientation. The final draft of the portfolio is to be submitted approximately three weeks before the end of student teaching. The date will be communicated with students during CURRINS 401. Any resubmissions with revisions need to be submitted prior to March 15 th (fall semester) and August 15th (spring semester). Any portfolios not approved by the above dates will result in a permanent incomplete for CURRINS 401. *Note: Should a Permanent Incomplete be recorded, the program will recommend the student for graduation without certification. This means that the student will earn a degree in Early Childhood Education, but will not be recommended to the State of Wisconsin for teacher certification. After this time, should the student desire to complete the requirements for certification, s/he will be required to complete the portfolio via a one credit Independent Study. Family Participation Activity: For at least one of your placements you are to create an activity that directly involves the families of the children in your classroom. Consult with your cooperating teacher and then confirm your activity with the seminar instructor. Be prepared to present your activity to the seminar group on the last day of seminar. You will also complete a reflection about your project on the form provided. Introduction Letter: For each of your placements you will compose a letter to be sent home with the children in your class. In this letter, you should introduce yourself, let the parents know a little bit about yourself, let them know something about your philosophies related to teaching and learning, and encourage them to come in and meet you. Please clear this with your cooperating teacher first, and then ask if the letter can be sent home. Journal Entries: Each student is expected to maintain a professional reflection journal throughout student teaching. You should complete an entry each day for the first four weeks of each placement and then twice per week for the remaining six weeks of each placement. Starting the second week of each placement, your journal entries must include an in-depth detailed reflection of a lesson you taught. For weeks 2, 3 and 4 one of your daily reflections can be the lesson reflection. For weeks 5 thru 10 you must complete two weekly journal entries: 1 entry focusing on a lesson you taught and 1 entry focusing on the week overall. Please note- During the week of a scheduled supervisor observation, your lesson reflection must be about the lesson you taught for the observation. Please bring your journals to each seminar meeting. The content of these journals will be used during seminar discussions and in-class activities. Your supervisor will be reading your journals during their visits. While these are your journal requirements, as a professional you will find additional opportunities to reflect upon. You are encouraged to include additional entries as needed. 5

6 Lesson Plans Daily and weekly lesson plans are required throughout each placement for all the lessons you plan and teach. You must use one of the abbreviated plans provided. Even scripted lessons require a plan. In addition, each student will be required to complete 3 formal lesson plans (per 10-week placement) using the ECE detailed Plan for a Learning Opportunity for the supervisor observations. All lesson plans are to be kept in a lesson plan binder in your classroom. The lessons should be organized in a way that the reader can easily identify daily and weekly plans. The binder should be available for both the cooperating teacher and supervisor. All lessons need to be approved by the cooperating teacher prior to teaching. A system for approval can be negotiated with the cooperating teacher. You should share the approval system with your supervisor within the first three weeks of each placement. Reading Assignments: From time to time I will assign short readings to be completed by the following seminar meeting. I will post these on D2L. Please be prepared to discuss these readings, particularly in light of your experiences in your classrooms. School Participation Activity: At least once during each of your placements participate, preferably with your cooperating teacher, in a school activity outside of your classroom. With the permission of your cooperating teacher, you could attend a faculty meeting, an IEP meeting, attend an after school classroom/family event, participate in parent/teacher conferences, or participate in a professional development opportunity with your co-op. After you have participated in a school activity complete a 1 page write-up for each of the activities. Your write-up should include: a summary or description of the event; how you felt before, during, and after the activity; what you learned from attending the activity; and, any questions that were raised for you by participating. The write-ups should be submitted via D2L. Due dates are listed in the seminar schedule. Seminar Attendance and Participation: Each student is expected to come to class having read any assigned readings and participate in discussions and in-class activities. 4 points can be earned for attending and participating in each seminar. Please notify Vicki Herman via regarding any absence. Timeline for Student Teachers: As soon as possible, sit down with your cooperating teacher to discuss the requirements described in this packet. Prepare a timeline that lists your responsibilities for your student teaching placement. The timeline should build gradually to a two-week period of full-time responsibility. Be sure to include in the timeline your plan for returning responsibilities to the cooperating teacher after full-time teaching. Examples of other events you should include in the timeline are any activities your cooperating teacher and therefore you are expected to attend, such as parent-teacher conferences, as well as observations by your cooperating teacher, UWM supervisor, or fellow student teachers. THIS TIMELINE SHOULD BE COMPLETED DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF EACH PLACEMENT. MAKE COPIES OF THE TIMELINE FOR YOUR COOPERATING TEACHER AND YOUR UWM SUPERVISOR 6

7 University Policies Academic Misconduct The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic endeavors. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade for an assignment, a failing grade for the course, or further consequences. A more detailed description of Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures may be found in Regents Policy Statements, UWS Chapter 14. Accommodations for Religious Observances Students will be allowed to complete requirements that are missed because of a religious observance. Please discuss this with me in advance. Complaint Procedures Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy. Disabilities If you experience a disability, please inform me of any accommodations or modifications that are important to your learning. Grade Appeal Procedures A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides. These procedures are available in writing from the respective department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the college/school. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University. It subverts the mission of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well being of students, faculty, and staff. The university will not tolerate behavior between or among members of the University community which creates an unacceptable working environment. Students Called to Military Service UWM and the UW System have in recent years put in place a number of policies and procedures designed to accommodate students who must temporarily interrupt their studies when called to active duty military service. If you are called to military duty, please let me know as soon as possible. 7

8 Seminar for Student Teaching Fall 2012 Date & Location Focus Required Readings and Assignments September 6, 2012 Supervisors Attend September 13, 2012 Supervisors Invited September 27, 2012 October 4, 2012 Supervisors Attend* November 1, 2012 November 15, 2012 Supervisors Attend* November 29, 2012 December 6, 2012 Supervisors Attend Overview of Seminar & Student teaching Requirements Portfolios & Sharing Resources Classroom Management What Is Good Teaching? The Mystery of Teaching Licensing Steps Evaluations Reading Certification PDP Support Family Project Sharing Reading: Seminar Syllabus* *Bring the Seminar Syllabus and Student Teaching Document packet to class Supervisors meet with student teachers 5:00 5:30 Bring your unit planning worksheets and 1 classroom resource to share (book, song, transition, activity). Andrea Bender, guest speaker (Understanding by Design) Nancy File, guest speaker (classroom management) Reading: Teaching Children What We Want Them to Learn (Midpoint Self-Assessment Due for 1 st placement) Reading: Beginning Again: The Mystery of Teaching Assignments Shared: School Participation Activity & Community Participation Activity from 1 st placement Kathy Berry and Linda Randolf, guest speakers Assignments Shared: School Participation Activity & Community Participation Activity from 2 nd placements Barbara Bales, guest speaker PDP Support (4:00) Kathy Berry, guest speaker Reading Certification (4:30) Assignments*: School Participation Activities Due & School Community Participation Activities Due on or before December 6th. Family Project Due- Bring family project materials to share. *Assignments to be submitted on D2L. * Supervisors and Student Teachers meet from 4:00 4:30 8