COUN 6652 TEACHING COUNSELOR EDUCATION

Transcription

1 COUN 6652 TEACHING COUNSELOR EDUCATION Department of Counseling and Higher Education University of North Texas Spring, 2011 Wednesday 1:30 4:20 pm; Stovall 178 Delini M. Fernando, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC Office: Denton Campus, Stovall 155L Office Phone: Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00-5:00, Wednesday 11:00-1:00 pm or by appointment Course Description and Purpose This course provides an overview of theory, research, and practice associated with effective teaching and learning in higher and postsecondary education, with a special focus on teaching counselor education. Topics examined typically include historical perspectives on college teaching and learning; traditional and contemporary models of college and university teaching, with an emphasis on learnercentered teaching; theories of student learning, development, motivation, cognition, and selfregulation; research on teacher behaviors and student learning outcomes; theory, research and practice related to the cognitive, motivational, behavioral and social-contextual dimensions of learning environments; effective methods, strategies and techniques for college teachers; the scholarship of teaching and learning; faculty development and instructional improvement strategies; assessment and evaluation of learning and teaching. The interaction of theory and practice is an important theme of the course. Expectations and Assumptions for the Course In this course, scholarship and learning are viewed as communal activities that is, activities in which we engage as part of our learning community. In other words, while we can learn much from our own individual study, experiences, perspectives, and reflections, we can learn much more when we seek out, respect, and value the diversity of perspectives, experiences, reflections, and understandings of other members of our classroom learning community. Consistent with this theme, students will be expected to share their experiences, viewpoints, opinions, ideas, reading, writing and their related reflections with other members of the class on a regular basis in an interactive classroom setting. Additionally, students are expected to complete all required readings and assignments in a timely manner and be well prepared for classroom activities. Each student is expected to attend class regularly and be prepared to share her or his perspectives, questions, and insights on the topics studied. Students are expected to complete all required readings and other preparatory and written assignments by the due dates as announced in class. All formal written work should utilize APA style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Furthermore, each member of the class is expected to be prepared to give meaningful feedback to other members of the class during small and large-group discussions and other learning activities, and to be constructive and supportive when giving such feedback. An explicit assumption that is expected to shape classroom participation in discussion is that it is not so important that participants agree with one another, but it is indeed very important that participants seek always to listen to, understand, and respect one another. That is, each participant is encouraged to ask--both

2 inwardly and outwardly Why did that person say what they did? What experiences, perspectives or reasons have led that person to make that statement or interpretation? Students should expect the instructor to (a) be well prepared for each class, (b) provide meaningful feedback in a constructive and supportive manner to all members of the class in all learning activities and assignments for the course, (c) appreciate and value the diverse perspectives, viewpoints, backgrounds and experiences that students contribute to the class, (d) seek to learn as much as possible from the students in the class, (e) be accessible and available to students both in class and outside of class either in person or by or telephone, and (f) work hard, and empower students to develop greater understanding and analytical skill in the topical areas covered in this course. Curricular experiences will provide an understanding of the following: Teaching: Knowledge CACREP 1. Understands the major roles, responsibilities, and activities of counselor educators. IV.C.1 2. Knows instructional theory and methods relevant to counselor education. IV.C.2 3. Understands ethical, legal, and multicultural issues associated with counselor preparation training. IV.C.3 Teaching: Skills and Practices CACREP 4. Develops and demonstrates a personal philosophy of teaching and learning. IV.D.1 5. Demonstrates course design, delivery, and evaluation methods appropriate to course objectives. IV. D.2 6. Demonstrates the ability to assess the needs of counselors in training and develop techniques to help students develop into competent counselors. IV.D.3 Methods of instruction: Instructional methods include readings, didactic lectures, small and large group discussion, experiential activities, teaching and learning clinic, and feedback exchange. Required textbook: Svinicki, M. D., & McKeachie, W. J. (2011). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers, (13th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed). Washington, DC: Author. Additional Readings Sets of additional (not-required) readings appear after the required readings for each learning objective or topic covered. The additional readings are designed to supplement the required readings listed on the syllabus, either to support your in-depth work on the course paper or to support additional work you elect to do in the topical areas of this course which extend beyond work for your assignments for this course. Most of these readings are available from the University Library in journals or books. Evaluation Methods

3 The course grade will be based on two categories of evidence of student learning, and evaluation components A and B each account for 1/2 or 50% of your course grade. Evaluation component A is your class participation and engagement (CPE) and the requirements and evaluation of CPE are explained below under point A. Evaluation component B is your teaching and learning paper in which you create pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) i.e., your PCK paper. The requirements and the evaluation of the PCK paper are explained below under point B. A. Because the classroom environment for this course is highly interactive and includes a substantial in-classroom clinical component, attendance at every class session is especially important and 50% of the course grade is based on evidence of effective preparation for and participation and engagement in activities which take place in the classroom. On the final day of class (Wednesday, May 4th), you are required to submit a 1-page, single-spaced, 12-pt font, self-assessment of your class participation and engagement (CPE) on each of the 5 dimensions described below. Each of the 5 dimensions is worth a maximum of 20 points; and 5 x 20 = 100 maximum possible points for your overall CPE score. On your self-assessment, you will assign yourself X points out of 20 possible for each of the 5 dimensions and briefly justify the X points you assigned for each dimension. Summing your assigned points across all 5 dimensions yields your overall self-assessed CPE score in terms of total points out of a possible 100. As instructor, I will complete a responsive assessment of your CPE on these dimensions and I will average the total points you assign and the total points I assign to determine your overall CPE score in terms of percentage of points earned out of a possible 100. How would you evaluate the demonstration of your CPE in this class on each of these 5 dimensions? 1. As a well-prepared and active contributor to large group and small group discussions about the required readings? 2. As an astute observer of the teaching and learning process in the clinical format of the class? 3. As a provider of constructive and supportive feedback to your peers after they taught their lessons in the clinical format of the class? 4. As an attentive and thoughtful listener to other class members? 5. There are many ways in which an individual can demonstrate effective class participation and engagement. With that in mind, how would you characterize and evaluate your class participation and engagement in ways that are not identified in the previous 4 dimensions? Finally, it is obvious that absence from class is one factor that can reduce your overall CPE. Therefore, in fairness to all students who attend class regularly throughout the semester, if absent >1, I reserve the right to reduce your grade. B. Among the essential skills for an effective college teacher is the ability to create pedagogical content knowledge or PCK. College teachers create PCK by drawing explicit connections between general theory-based principles of effective college teaching and learning i.e., pedagogical knowledge or PK exemplified by what you study and learn in this course and the unique challenges of teaching counseling students in ways that help them learn the specialized subject matter in the counseling field. Making explicit connections between PK and CK creates a new form of knowledge: pedagogical content knowledge or PCK. The purpose of your final paper in this course is to create PCK. Your PCK Paper is a page, double-spaced (15 pages is the max!) typewritten, one-inch margins, 12-pt font paper. In your PCK paper, you are required to present a reflective and critical analysis of the relationships between PK, as defined above, and CK as defined above. In your writing, you must make explicit by making citations to references in the literature we have studied in this course which PK knowledge, theory, principles, etc. you are connecting or relating to which CK knowledge i.e., aspects of content and teaching that are unique to your own major field of expertise. In this paper you will construct and articulate your own pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). If you have had college teaching experience, your reflections and

4 analyses may be either experience-based and/or based on informed speculation; otherwise, your reflections and analyses will necessarily be based on informed speculation. One technique for preparing to write your paper--one that students have reported as especially helpful to them--is to keep a journal of your reflections on the various ways in which the readings and classroom experiences throughout this course relate to and have particular implications for the special challenges of teaching in your own content field. Your final paper score will be expressed as percentage of points earned out of a possible 100, so that it is directly comparable to your score for part (A) above. Your final paper is due at class time on Wednesday, May 4th. For late papers, five (5) points per day will be deducted from your final paper score. Your overall course grade will be the average of your percentage scores for parts A and B above and % = A; 80-89% = B; and 70-79% = C. The Teaching and Learning Clinic in the Course As stated above, the most essential feature or sine qua non of each learning activity in this course is to build a strong foundation of knowledge regarding theory and research on teaching and learning in higher education, and to use that knowledge base as the foundation from which to develop, analyze, and apply effective teaching and learning strategies. Toward this end, we first conduct an initial study of theories of student learning, development, motivation, and self-regulation; research on teacher behaviors and student learning outcomes; and theory and research related to the motivational, cognitive, behavioral and social-contextual dimensions of learning environments. Then, we create an inclass clinical format to intensify and enrich the use of our expanding knowledge base to develop and apply effective teaching and learning strategies. This particular learning activity is called The Teaching and Learning Clinic in the Course or TLC; and it is used frequently after the first 5-6 weeks of the course. The Teaching and Learning Clinic in the Course, or TLC, makes extensive use of role-playing and simulations of classroom learning environments. The TLC provides unique opportunities for students to more deeply understand and analyze contemporary learning theories, and develop, demonstrate, and evaluate effective teaching & learning strategies for the motivational, cognitive, behavioral, & socialcontextual dimensions of learning environments and students self-regulated learning processes in the college classroom. Each student plays the role of teacher in the TLC, at which time they really teach a 20- minute lesson, from any chosen area of counseling to a few other members of the class who are playing the role of students. Whoever is in the teacher role is strongly encouraged to arrange students into pairs (or small groups) for at least a part of the lesson, because this gives the teacher the opportunity to explore a much wider range of student-centered or learner-centered teaching behaviors. All of the remaining members of our class take on their assigned roles as an observer in the TLC. All observers then carefully watch the events and details of what occurs in the simulated classroom between those in the teacher and student roles during each 20-minute lesson. However, each observer s perspective on a given TLC event e.g., a particular student-teacher interaction is different. For example, at least one observer is assigned to interpret their observations from the perspective of the motivational theories of learning that we have studied. Another observer is assigned to interpret their observations of the same TLC event by drawing upon the cognitive theories we studied; while others are asked to interpret their observations in terms of the behavioral or the social-contextual theories of learning environments, student learning strategies, and effective teaching strategies that we have studied. Observers from each perspective, as well as those playing the role of students write out all their observations/comments as constructive feedback to be given to whoever is in the teacher role. At the end of each lesson, each role player, whether as an observer, student, OR teacher in the TLC, orally shares a couple of their key observations/comments interpreted from his or her theoretical

5 (observer roles) or experiential (student roles) perspectives and presented in a constructive and supportive manner as oral feedback to whoever is in the teacher role AND to all TLC participants. All of the remaining details of The Teaching and Learning Clinic in the Course or TLC are discussed during class. And the classroom layout for TLC appears in the diagram below.

6 Fernando 6652 Classroom Layout for the Teaching & Learning Clinic Motivational Teacher Social-Contextual Students Elocutionary Skills Questioning & Responding Learning-Style Differentiated Teaching Leading Discussions Cognitive Behavioral 6

7 Fernando 6652 ***Course Outline, Learning Objectives and Assignments*** 1. Examine the evolution of values and assumptions about what constitutes effective college teaching and learning in America, in order to establish historical and philosophical perspective on the nature and practices of contemporary college teaching. Required Readings Fuhrmann, B. S., & Grasha, T. (1983). The past, present and future in college teaching: Where does your teaching fit? In B. S. Fuhrman & T. Grasha, A practical handbook for college teachers (pp. 1-20). Boston: Little, Brown & Co. Additional Readings McKeachie, W. J. (1990). Research on college teaching: The historical background. Journal of Educational Psychology 82 (2), Cowley, W. H. (1958). The two ends of the log: Learning and teaching in today s colleges. In W. H. Cowley, College and university teaching, Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. 2. Discuss, analyze, and apply traditional and contemporary styles of college teaching and models of instructional design. Required Readings Please prepare, and bring to class, your typewritten (only 1-2 single-spaced page maximum length, 11-pt font) 5- minute lesson plan that applies Gagne s 8-phase model of instructional design and explains precisely how you will teach students the complete lesson in no more than 5 minutes! Your 5-minute lesson plan should briefly present the content you will cover and explicitly state how you will address each of Gagne s 8 phases when you teach your 5-minute lesson. Please be prepared to present or teach your 5-minute lesson plan in either a small-group or a whole-class setting. Please note that this activity works well if your plan focuses on teaching a skill or something related to one of your hobbies.] Lowman, J. (1995). What constitutes exemplary teaching? In J. Lowman Mastering the techniques of teaching (pp. 1-22). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Dressell, P. L. & Marcus, D. (1982). Teaching styles and effects on learning. In P. L. Dressell & D. Marcus On teaching and learning in college (pp. 1-17). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gagne, R. M. (1974). The processes of learning. In R. M. Gagne Essentials of learning for instruction (pp ). Hinsdale, IL: Dryden Press. Additional Readings Pratt, D. D., (2002). Good teaching: One size fits all? In J. M. Ross-Gordon (ed.). Contemporary viewpoints on teaching adults effectively (pp. 5-15). New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 93. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 7

8 Fernando 6652 Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness Policy: The Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short survey will be made available to you at the end of the semester, providing you a chance to comment on how this class is taught. I am very interested in the feedback I get from students, as I work to continually improve my teaching. I consider the SETE to be an important part of your participation in this class. Note: 1. If you need an extension on a paper assignment please talk with me ahead of time. You will receive a drop in letter grade for papers turned in late without a previous discussion with me. I do not allow rewrites for papers. 2. Please put all pagers and cell phones on vibrate during class time. If you need to text message or make an emergency phone call, please quietly excuse yourself from the class to do so. Laptop usage is only for class purposes. 3. I do not give incomplete grades except under extraordinary circumstances. 8

9 Fernando 6652 All UNT counseling program students are automatically issued an Eagl account when the EUID is activated. UNT, the College of Education, the counseling program, and I may be communicating important information to you through Eagl ; please check it regularly. For information about Eagle Mail, including how to have Eagle Mail forwarded to your regular address, visit The University of North Texas (UNT) is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of disability. If you are a student with a disability, your responsibility primarily rests with informing me of your need for accommodation by providing me with your letter from the UNT Office of Disability Accommodation. Information regarding specific disability diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at Also, you may visit the Office of Disability Accommodation in the University Union (room 321) or phone (940) Academic Misconduct Cheating and plagiarism are types of academic misconduct. The term plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. Plagiarism also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials. Specific penalties can be assigned by a faculty member. Penalties can include reducing or changing a grade or issuing a failing grade for an assignment/test or for the entire course and/or expulsion from the academic program and the university. A student penalized for academic misconduct has the right of appeal (University of North Texas Graduate Catalog, 2002, p. 94). Plagiarism is plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional. To avoid plagiarism, follow guidelines in the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Some general guidelines from the th edition include: - Always cite the source of a quote or paraphrase (pp. 120 & 349). - When quoting: - Copy the original material word-for-word (p. 117). - If a quotation is less than 40 words, place quotation marks around it; if it is 40 or more words, indent the quote as a block. Double space all text (p. 117). - Follow the conclusion of a quotation immediately with the citation of author(s), year of publication or year of creation if original material is unpublished, and page number(s) (p. 120). - When paraphrasing: - Restate concepts in substantially different words than the original material (p. 349). - Immediately after paraphrased material, cite author(s), year, and, whenever possible, page number(s) (pp. 121 & 349). - In addition, according to Pan (2003), if paraphrased material extends to multiple paragraphs, be sure to cite the source in each paragraph (pp ). UNT counseling program students should be prepared to submit research papers and other written work electronically so that the instructor can use anti-plagiarism software to validate the originality of the student s work. References American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: Author. Pan, M. L. (2003). Preparing literature reviews. Los Angeles: Pyrczak. 9