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=**Philosophy & History of Education Syllabus**=
 * University of Maine at Farmington, Fall 2010 - EDU 402** **01 and EDU 402 02**
 * //The University of Maine Farmington Secondary/Middle Education Program prepares professionally certified educators by working collaboratively using the latest research to offer enriching learning experiences.// ||
 * Professor: Dr. Grace J. Ward**
 * Office: 226 Education Center**
 * Office Phone: (207) 778-7508**
 * Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1:45 – 3:45**
 * Email:** //gward@maine.edu//
 * Class Wiki:** //[]//


 * COURSE MEETING TIME, LOCATION AND DATES** **(Tuesday and Thursday)** ( 9/2, 9/7, 9/9, 9/14, 9/16, 9/21, 9/23, 9/28, 9/30, 10/5, 10/7, 10/12, 10/14, 10/19, 10/21, 10/26, 10/28, 11/2, 11/4, 11/9, 11/11, 11/16, 11/18, 11/30, 12/2, 12/7, 12/9) **Education Center Room 103**


 * REQUIRED TEXTS**

• Gruwell, Erin, (2009) //Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writer Teachers and Erin Gruwell. Broadway: New York.// • Johnson, J. A., Dupuis, V. L., Musial, D., Hall, G. E., Gollick, D. M. (2010). //Foundations of American Education//. (15th Edition). Allyn and Bacon: Boston, MA. • Maine Department of Education (1998). //Promising Futures, A Call to Improving Learning for Maine’s Secondary Students//. Maine Department of Education: Augusta, ME. • Additional readings as assigned.

Welcome to the History and Philosophy of Education course. This course is an interdisciplinary study of the philosophy, history, social, ethical and legal aspects of education, with an emphasis on multicultural educational issues. The heart of the course is for each student to develop his or her own reflected-upon philosophy of education and to approach this personal philosophy within the context of past and present formal philosophies, theories and issues in education. Prerequisite: Professional standing in the education department and completion of 24 credits in education.


 * ESTABLISHED GOALS: Maine Standards for Initial Certification**

• //**Standard 1 – Demonstrates knowledge of the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) s/he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful to students.**// //**• Standard 2 – Demonstrate the ability to integrate the concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures among the disciplines.**// //• Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.// //• Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.// //• Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.// //• Standard 6 - Creates and maintains a classroom environment which supports and encourages learning.// //• **Standard 7 – Demonstrates the ability to support students’ learning and well-being by engaging students, home, colleagues, and community.**// //• Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.// //**• Standard 9 – Demonstrates an awareness of and commitment to ethical and legal responsibilities of a teacher.**// //**• Standard 10 - Demonstrates a strong professional ethic and a desire to contribute to the education profession.**//


 * //__ CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: __//** **// University of Maine at Farmington //**

// The University of Maine at Farmington prepares caring teachers, competent educators and confident professionals (C3TEP), grounded in the arts and sciences, who will become the educational leaders of the 21st century. // > **// Build respectful relationships //** > **// Create communities of learners //** > **// Support and encourage successful learning for all students //** > **// Honor and respond to differences //** > **// Utilize knowledge of human development //** > // Design, plan, implement and evaluate instruction // > // Use best practices for instruction and assessment // > // Know content and strategies for integration // > **// Communicate clearly and effectively //** > **// Solve problems creatively and constructively //** > **// Use the tools of a changing world //** > **// Collaborate effectively //**// **with families, communities, and colleague** // > **// Practice reflective, self-directed, life-long learning //** > **// Demonstrate a commitment to ethical and legal responsibilities //** > **// Contribute to and lead in diverse societies //**
 * **// Caring Teachers (CT) //**
 * **// Competent Educators (CE) //**
 * **// Confident Professional (CP) //**


 * UNDERSTANDINGS:**

• Student learning is influenced by language, culture, family and community values. • The important historical contributions that have been made during the last sixty years by private schools, federal government, researchers, teacher organizations, teacher educators and other groups that have helped to improve schools. • Schools of philosophy, educational theories and educational issues, have evolved and influenced education. • Professional responsibilities of a teacher as viewed by the public, parents and professional colleagues.
 * Students will understand....**


 * ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:**

• Why is culture/society, important in knowing yourself, your students, their families, the community and the impact they have on the educational process? • How did the major historical events and philosophical trends have an impact on the development of American Education? • Why do “formal” philosophies and ethics related to current educational events influence your personal philosophy of education? • How does your personal philosophy of education and its relationship to the world prepare you and your students to be life long learners?

• How to develop and reflect upon your personal philosophy of education.
 * Students will know...**

• Discuss past and current trends and issues in American Education as a member of a Professional Learning Community.
 * Students will be able to ...**


 * PERFORMANCE TASK:**

• Research an educational issue with a partner and present the topic to the class. • Read Teaching Hope and reflect your thoughts about current issues in education in a Blog. • Write an educational philosophy paper and then develop an abstract of your philosophy statement. • Design a professional portfolio and participate in a job interview process.


 * SELF-ASSESSMENT AND REFLECTION:**

• Develop a background statement of your educational schooling and beliefs. • Write a final reflection statement of your learning's.


 * EXPECTATIONS:**

Teaching is a profession and this course is about teaching and learning. Participation is a critical component of learning and you are expected to arrive to class on time and attend all classes. If an emergency arises, please notify me by phone or e-mail prior to the class.

Assignments are required to be turned in on time, unless prior arrangements have been made in advance. You may have the opportunity to redo some assignments, if they are turned in on time and will be due one week after being returned to you. You must submit the original work, rubric, the revised work and a brief statement of the improvements you made to the assignment. All assigned work must be typed on a word processor using Times font, 12 points, unjustified and free of typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. Please keep a copy of all work submitted, until the final grade of the course has been determined.

Academic honesty and integrity are important to the teaching profession. The University of Maine Farmington (UMF) Code of Academic Integrity is enforced in this course and students are expected to educate themselves. Please take the time to review the [|UMF Integrity Code]

If you have an identified learning disability and need special accommodations, please let me know immediately.


 * BENCHMARKS:**

Below is the point value for each assessment and your grade will be based on the percent of points earned from the total points of 400.  Write a 4 to 5 page paper describing your personal educational experiences. Recall each phase of your schooling- elementary, junior high or middle school, and high school. Reflect on each phase by responding to the following questions: 1) What were the expectations of the educational systems for the students? 2) What were the expectations of your parent(s)/guardian(s) for your education? 3) What were the expectations of the business world on education? 4) What were your expectations for your own education? How were the classes physically set up? 5) What types of strategies did the teachers use when teaching? 6) What strategies did and did not meet your needs and why? In what setting did you have joy for learning and describe a most memorable teacher that had major influence on your learning? 7) What do you remember about the socioeconomic level(s) and ethnic diversity of the student body? 8) How were the programs and classes structured and what were your thoughts and responses to it? 9) What types of classes did you take and how do you feel about the education you received? 10) How do you think your background will affect how you will approach teaching as a professional career? The last two pages begin to draft your ideas and thoughts about your philosophy of education. 11) Why have you selected teaching as a profession? 12) What do you see as the characteristics of a superior teacher? How do you see implementing those traits into your classroom? 13) What do you hope to gain by being a teacher and why? 14) What do you hope to contribute to the profession? 15) What fears, concerns, and questions do you have about the profession? This statement begins the foundation of your educational philosophy.
 * Background Statement - (40 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**, **CP**

You must be present and actively engaged in all aspects of the course. You will need to be prepared and a contributing member in all the learning components of the course. Teaching is an art and requires dedicated students who will collaborate with one another and are not afraid of taking risk in the process of developing their educational philosophy.
 * Attendance and Participation - (80 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**, **CP**

Reflections on various readings assigned throughout the course. Reflections on //Teaching Hope// will be recorded in a Blog, which will be shared with the class.
 * Additional Readings - (40 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**, **CP**


 * PERFORMANCE TASK**

 With a partner you will research a current educational issue. In 45 minutes, you will present the issue to the class in an active and engaging manner. You will submit a 3 to 4 page synopsis to the professor along with annotated reference list that will also be distributed to the class. You will choose a topic that in some way has an affect on education. Your research will utilize a wide variety of research and information (at least 12 references), including newspapers, journals, the Web, television, news magazine, interviews with experts, etc. You will research the following: 1) What is the issue? 2) History of the issue. 3) Relationship to education. 4) Relationship to different philosophical schools of thought. How would those with different philosophies relate to and respond to the issue? 5) Relationship to your personal philosophy of education. 6) Analysis of the issue and how it’s affected and will affect what you do as a professional educator. 7) What insights did you gain that you found applicable and not applicable to your beliefs and values? The purpose of this assignment is to provide an avenue for you to research with some depth, a current issue in education that is of interest to you and share that interest with other students, who will grow professionally as a result of your research.
 * Educational Issues Research and Educational Philosophy and Professional Portfolio - (200 points)** You will demonstrate your knowledge by researching an educational issue, developing your educational philosophy and designing a personal portfolio.
 * I. Educational Issues Research and Presentation - (60 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**, **CP, CE**

Possible Educational Topics and Issues Assessment Classroom Management Curriculum Integration Differentiated Instruction Discipline Multicultural and Gender Issues Inclusion Models of Teaching Motivation No Child Left Behind Technology Integration

Individually you will create a brief personal response to the educational issue researched, the process of how you worked together, the role and job each played, your contribution to the process and lessons you learned as a result of this project, as well as your thoughts on the feedback provided from students and information gained. What are questions that have now come to the surface for you as a result of this assignment?  Write a 10 to 12 page paper on your philosophy of education. “Philosophy of education is a platform on which decisions are made and life is led” (text, p. 321). Revisit your background statement to see if your thoughts have shifted and if so why? Who are you? What will you teach? How will you teach? Who will you teach? What key personal and life experiences have influenced your philosophy of education and why? Integrate the course readings, discussion and your learning from other courses and explain why this information influenced your educational philosophy during your time at UMF? Interpret and defend your position on the current educational issues we are facing today? Analyze and reflect on the schools of philosophy, and educational theories that fit into your educational philosophy. What are your belief systems regarding teaching and learning? How will your philosophy of education impact your classroom? 1) Classroom Organization - lesson plan, physical setting, 2) Motivation, 3) Discipline, 4) Assessment, 5) Classroom Climate, 6) Learning Focus, 6) Teaching Styles, 7) Leadership Styles. How will your philosophy of education impact a school district and what do you hope to contribute to the field of education?  • Cover Letter, Application, Resume, Transcripts, Praxis Scores, Criminal Background and Finger Print Check, Teaching Certificate, (3) References. • Abstract of your Philosophy of Education • Philosophy of Education Paper • Sample Unit Plan/Lesson Plan, Assessments, WebQuest, Etc… • Photos of Projects, Manipulative, Bulletin Boards, Etc… • Completed Essays, Test, Worksheets, Projects, Etc… • Parents, Students, Faculty, Administration, Etc… • Certificate/Letters, Dean’s List, Scholarship Awards, Awards, Etc… • Volunteer Service Involve, Etc… • Evaluation/Recommendations. • Professional Membership, Conferences Attended, Presentations, Publications, Reflections, Etc… • Employers, Advisors, Supervisors, Faculty, Etc… 
 * Reflective Response - (20 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**, **CP**
 * II. Educational Philosophy - (60 points) Standard 1, 2, 7, 9, 10** **CP, CE, CT**
 * III. Professional Portfolio/Interview - (60 points) Standard 1-10, CP, CE, CT - Final Assessment**
 * A. Application Packet/Credentials**
 * B. Philosophy of Education**
 * C. Teaching**
 * D. Student Work**
 * E. Letters of Appreciation/Commendation**
 * F. Awards/Honors**
 * G. Community Services**
 * H. Student Teaching/Practicum**
 * I. Professional Development**
 * J. Letters of Recommendation**
 * Reflective Statement - (40 points) Standard 7, 9, 10**

Personal reflection is an essential component in the development of a professional educator. The purpose is to reflect on the information, learning's, readings, and experiences from this class, performance task, the ism’s, the four essential questions, the book you selected to read as part of this class, and how you see your philosophy of education - impacting student learning in your classroom. How do you plan to teach across cultures represented in your classroom and globally? What will your professional development look like in the next ten years? How will you update your content area knowledge and connect with excellent teachers in your content area? This reflection can be presented in a format of your choice: a video, prezi, scrapbook, comic life, glogster, etc.... The information needs to reflect your new knowledge base about historical influences, thoughts, ethical and legal perspectives and related to your educational philosophy.


 * GRADING SCALE:**

A (93 -100), A- (90 - 92), B+ (87 - 89), B (83 - 86), B- (80 - 82), C+(77 - 79), C (73 – 76), C- (70 - 72), D+(67 - 69), D (63 - 66), D- (60 - 62), F (0 - 59).