UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL Capstone Seminar SPRING 2014

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1 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Capstone Seminar SPRING 2014 Instructor: Dr. Michelle Scribner-MacLean Office: O Leary Library 531 Phone: (978) michelle_scribnermaclean@uml.edu Course release day: Monday by 6PM Course chat time: Wednesdays from 11 a.m p.m. EST (optional) GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A theme entitled Education for Transformation provides a conceptual framework that unifies programs at the Graduate School of Education. The mission of the University of Massachusetts Lowell to promote and sustain regional economic development. The Graduate School of Education (GSE) contributes to this mission by developing professionals who help transform the region through leadership roles in education. The GSE s commitment to Education for Transformation produces graduates who: demonstrate excellent knowledge, judgment and skills in their professional fields; promote equity of educational opportunity for all learners; collaborate with other educators, parents and community representatives to support educational excellence; use inquiry and research to address educational challenges The fundamental tenets of the School are excellence, equity, collaboration and inquiry. PURPOSE The Capstone Seminar is the pivotal course in the M.Ed. Program, in that it draws together the information, ideas, perceptions, observations, and other experiences gleaned throughout the program. Through designing, implementing, discussing, and analyzing data for students in your classroom, you will be able to demonstrate the competencies necessary to show that you can fulfill the expectations for the degree. The online seminar is designed to help teachers integrate the knowledge gained in their coursework with their personal beliefs about teaching and learning. Each aspect of the seminar is directed toward fulfillment of NCATE Standard I: Student Learning for Advanced teachers. Candidates in advanced programs for teachers have a thorough understanding of assessment. They analyze student, classroom, and school performance data and make data-driven decisions

2 about strategies for teaching and learning so that all students learn. They collaborate with other professionals to identify and design strategies and interventions that support student learning. OUTCOMES Students will emerge from the seminar having clearly articulated their personal beliefs about teaching and examining them for congruence with what they have learned in their coursework and the seminar experience. By the end of the course students will: Use instructional grouping options (individual, small-group, whole-class, and computer based) as appropriate for accomplishing given purposes. Use a wide-range of instructional practices, approaches, and methods, including technology-based practices, for learners at differing stages of development and from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Use a wide-range of curriculum materials in effective instruction for learners at different stages of learning development and from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Use a wide-range of assessment tools and practices that range from individual and group standardized tests to individual and group informal classroom assessment strategies, including technology-based assessment tools. Place students along a developmental continuum and identify students proficiencies and difficulties. Use assessment information to plan, evaluate, and revise effective instruction that meets the needs of all students including those at different developmental stages and those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Communicate results of assessments to specific individuals, (students, parents, caregivers, colleagues, administrators, policymakers, policy officials, community, etc.). Use a large supply of books, technology-based information, and non-print materials representing multiple levels, broad interests, cultures and linguistic backgrounds. ASSESSMENTS The outcomes for the seminar will be assessed weekly discussion board contributions, a midterm evaluation, a video, and a final seminar work sample project. 1. Discussion Board. 200 points 2. Weekly Assignments. 300 points 3. Midterm. 100points 4. Seminar Work Sample 400 points

3 ASSIGNMENTS: (Discussion Board) Each week, you will post a weekly update to the discussion board. This update will provide the class and me with an opportunity to discuss problems, concerns, and any questions that you may have as a result of the week s assignment. These updates should be brief but concise. This is part of the class participation grade and each update is worth 20 points. There will be 10 weekly updates. You should read all of your colleague s postings and respond to your assigned group partner. You are asked to limit your responses to your colleagues to one per week in order to keep the discussion board manageable. If you want to communicate personally with a colleague for an extended or private conversation, please use the on the course website. Grading Criteria for Discussion Board Postings (200 points) - All contributions required for the session are posted and are always timely. 20 pts - Contributions are thoughtful, succinct and advanced the discussion. - Contributions may have included questions BUT ALSO provided your opinions. - Response to your group partner was timely and thoughtful. - All contributions required for the session are posted, but were not always timely. - Your contributions were brief and looked as though you really had not given too - 10 pts much thought to your response or perhaps had not really read many of the rest of the postings. Did not respond to your group partner. 0 pt - Some contributions for the session missing. - Your contributions were incoherent, it was not clear which point you were making or to which point you were responding. Not clear if you read the contributions of others. No contribution for the session made within the WEEK allotted. Weekly Project Assignments (300 points) Each week you will submit a draft of each section of the TWS to me in the assignment dropbox and I will give you feedback each week on your progress. The assignments are directly related to the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) and specific instructions will be released weekly in the

4 assignment folder. These assignments will then help you to write your final seminar project. Each assignment will be worth 30 points. Rubrics for grading each weekly assignment are included in the description in the assignment folder. Midterm Report (100 points) At midterm, you should have made progress toward meeting the first four parts of the capstone project. At this point, I will assess whether or not you are making sufficient progress toward meeting the goals for the final project. Seminar Project (400 points) Throughout the semester you will work toward completing a seminar work sample based on the Teacher Work Sample Project of the Renaissance Partnership Group (June 2002).The work sample will consist of 7 sections and require that you be working in a classroom environment for the entire semester. Teaching Processes Assessed by the Renaissance Teacher Work Sample Contextual Factors Assessment Learning Goals Design for Instruction Instructional Decision-Making Analysis of Student Learning Reflection and Self-Evaluation A more detailed description of the final project will be outlined during the class sessions. COURSE GRADING STRUCTURE Grade GPA Points Comment A Work of the highest professional standard demonstrating independent and exemplary performance A Excellent work demonstrating independent and high quality performance. A Very good work, carefully executed, but requiring some areas of improvement. B Good work, indicating careful thought and attention to the task, yet requiring several areas of improvement. B Work of graduate standard, but omissions exist or careful analysis is not in evidence.

5 Below Graduate Standard B Effort is evident, but work indicates lack of understanding of the demands of the task C Poor quality work with little attention to detail and the demands of the task. C Work of very poor quality, indicating no understanding of the depth of analysis required. F 0.0 Below 650 Serious neglect or evidence of cheating. 1. Course Release Date Lessons will be released on Mondays by 6PM. You will have 5 days to respond and post to the discussion board. The deadline for all posts will be Saturday at 6PM. 2. Methods of Communication Discussion Board: Assignments posted to the discussion board are mandatory. If you want to speak with me personally about an assignment or concern and not include the entire group, you can me at michelle_scribnermaclean@uml.edu Chat: This course will have one hour a week of chat time. Chat will take place on various Wednesdays from 2-3 p.m. EST. Chat time is not a lecture but rather an opportunity for students to ask questions, comment on the course, and focus on a specific topic. You are not required to attend. Telephone: If you need to speak to me voice-to-voice, please call On-line Attendance You are expected to post all assignments to the discussion board and turn in required projects on time. You must log on to the course website each week. 4. Acceptable online behavior. Respect for your classmates is of utmost importance. While there will be many instances of casual interaction, any use of inappropriate language, derogatory remarks or attempts to monopolize the conversation will not be accepted. You will receive a personal from me and at my discretion you may be dismissed from the online course with no refund of tuition and fees paid. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use humor and icons to designate a joke. 4. Late Assignments You must submit all assignments, including the discussion board postings, ON TIME. For every day late (or part of a day), you lose five points from the assignment. Once an assignment is 7 days late you will not receive credit, but the assignment MUST be submitted.

6 5. Re-writes No re-writes are permitted, therefore, you should make sure that you carefully read all criteria for the assignment before you post it. 6. Withdrawal from Course and Incomplete Policy If you do not participate regularly in the required on-line discussion board, and do not turn your assignments in on time, you may be advised to WITHDRAW from the course. You will lose the money you paid for the course, but a W rather than an F will be recorded on your transcript. PLEASE do not ask for an incomplete grade unless you have a very good excuse. Requests for incompletes must be put in writing and approved by me. DATES FOR WITHDRAWAL are posted on the UML Graduate School website 7. Plagiarism If your work shows evidence of plagiarism, the instructor will invoke the Graduate School Policy that can be found at: The following is the definition used in the Graduate Catalog: Plagiarism is defined as: 1. Direct quotation or word-for-word copying of all or part of the work of another without identification or acknowledgment of the quoted work; 2. Extensive use of acknowledged quotation from the work of others which is joined together by a few words or lines of one s own text; 3. An unacknowledged abbreviated restatement of someone else s analysis or conclusion, however skillfully paraphrased.

7 COURSE DATE CONTENT/TOPICS ASSIGNMENTS Week 1 January 20 Week 2 January 27 Week 3 February 3 Introduction Syllabus Seminar Project Focus Initial Plan Using Context to Plan Instruction Welcome Activity Due 1/25 Assignment #1 Due 2/1 Assignment #2 Due: 2/8 Week 4 February 10 Week 5 February 17 Week 6 February 24 Establishing Learning Goals Assignment #3 Due: 2/15 Planning Assessment Assignment #4 Due: 2/22 Designing Instruction Assignment #5 Due: 3/1 Week 7 March 3 Instructional Design Implementation Midterm Due: 3/8 Week 8 March 10 Instructional Design Implementation Assignment #6 Due: 3/15 No class UML Spring Break March Week 9 March 24 Instructional Design Implementation Assignment #7

8 Due: 3/28 Week 10 March 31 Week 11 April 7 Analyzing Results Assignment #8 Due: 4/4 Reflection Assignment #9 Due: 4/12 Week 12 April 14 Review TWS Assignment #10 Due: 4/19 Week 13 April 21 Revise TWS No Assignment Work on Project Week 14 April 28 Submit Final Project Course Evaluation Final Project Due 5/3 FINAL PROJECTS WILL BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY