Educ 101 Assignment Descriptions

EDUC 101 ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS Spring 2014

PARTICIPATION (10 points x 13 sessions)

Because this is an experiential class, regular and on-time attendance is very important. Please practice your professionalism and enhance your learning by attending and participating in every class session. You will receive 10 points for each session you attend in its entirety, and in which you actively participate. Please note that we do not meet some weeks due to your field work requirement. Please make note of these dates so you will not come to class when we are not meeting! NOTE: If you fail to sign in for class on the sign-in sheet provided, you will NOT receive participation points for that class session.

INTERVIEW ATTIRE EXERCISE (25 points) Must be completed during the January 15 class!

Each student will come to class dressed as if attending a professional teaching interview. During the class period, we will provide constructive feedback to our peers regarding their choices of clothing and grooming. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE NEW CLOTHES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT! Choose from the clothing you already own (or can borrow, if necessary) an outfit that will show your intent to present yourself in a professional manner. Also, be aware that all comments to peers regarding their attire are to be constructive, not offensive or derogatory.

DISPOSTIONS CHECKLIST (100 Total points)

The student will ask three other people who know him/her well in different settings to complete the dispositions checklist. Then, the student will complete the Self #1 Column and the back of the sheet, listing 2 areas of strength and 2 areas for growth. The final column (self #2) will be completed by the student at the end of the semester.

SERVICE LEARNING/FIELD EXPERIENCE (345 Total Points)

IMPORTANT! You MUST complete a minimum of 30 hours of service learning/field experience in order to receive a passing grade in this course. All hours must be completed by April 30, 2014. Ideally, you will spend 3 hours in the classroom for 10 weeks beginning the week of January 22 (with the week of Spring Break off). See the specific plan for each week’s suggested activities in the Service Learning/Field Work Handbook to plan your time wisely.

The purpose of the service learning/field experience is to actively observe and assist students and teachers in the classroom, library, computer lab, or other learning environment during the regular school day. In addition, the student will plan and deliver three practice teaching lessons. (See description in manual.) Students are required to explore at least two different grade levels and/or subject areas in order to assess their own individual teaching interests.

Prior to beginning the service learning/field experience hours, the student will submit a learning plan/contract (20 POINTS) to the instructor specifying his/her plan for spending 30 hours observing and participating in an approved public or private school setting. Contact information and signatures of supervising teachers/administrators MUST be included in the learning plan/contract. (This form will be provided by the instructor.)

In order to complete this assignment, the student is responsible to complete the following:

1. Criminal History Check (20 points). File a request for your criminal history check as quickly as possible. Please check first with the school administrator in charge of your building to see which type of criminal history check they need to keep on file. Local checks may be done at your local police station at minimal cost. Note that a convicted felon may not hold a teaching license in the State of Indiana. Individual school districts may deny field placements based on misdemeanor or felony convictions. If you have concerns, please see the instructor immediately. Even if your school does not require a criminal history check, I must have one on file for you for our records.

2. Service Learning Plan/Contract (20 points). This form will demonstrate that you have received approval from administrators and teachers who will supervise your student interactions, as evidenced by their signatures. You must provide their phone numbers and email addresses. Present your Ivy Tech Community College student ID, the letter of introduction provided by the instructor, and your criminal history check to the administrator responsible for the building in which you plan to work, or to the main office of the school corporation, according to the school’s preference. Also be prepared to provide any other identifying information they may need for their files.

3. Observation/interview forms (8 x 25 points= 200 points total).

The student will complete 8 interviews or observations on the forms provided in the field experience handbook. These may be legibly hand-written or typed. They will be submitted on December 3 or 4 together with all other field work documentations in a folder or ring binder.

4. Signed documentation of hours (1 point for each hour in the classroom, minimum of 30 required.) This form will be used to have your supervising teacher verify that you were present for the hours recorded. IMPORTANT! You MUST have your supervising teacher initial the form for each week and sign it at the bottom in order to receive credit for your service learning/field experience.

5. Classroom teacher evaluation (75 points).

At the end of your service learning/field experience, your classroom teacher will evaluate your participation and the skills you demonstrated in his/her classroom. He or she will give suggestions and feedback. Please be open to learning from this experienced teacher in order to enhance your own skills and do not take his or her feedback as negative criticism. Every teacher needs to learn and improve his or her skills along the way, and other teachers can be excellent mentors in that process.

GLOBAL TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES WEBSITE ANALYSIS (100 points) The student will:

1) Research a minimum of 5 websites regarding opportunities to teach abroad.

2) Write a synopsis of each website. The synopsis must include:

 the URL

 sponsoring organization

 teaching opportunities available

 required qualifications and training for applicants

 travel documents needed

 organizational structure and support provided

 any other pertinent data to evaluate the opportunities presented

3) Ranking of each opportunity from best to worst, according to the student’s evaluation of:

 educational focus

 ethical practices

 real, viable opportunities  evidence of cultural awareness and competence

 the likelihood of enabling the teacher to perform competently within the assigned cultural setting

This analysis may be submitted in the form of an annotated spreadsheet, in paragraph format, or in whatever format assists the student in presenting the information in a clear, concise manner. Rankings of the websites must be clear in the student’s written presentation.

PERSONAL INTRODUCTION (50 points)

Each student will complete three different personality/ learning style assessments to discover his/her own personal strengths and challenges. Using this information, the student will introduce him/herself to the group, focusing on qualities that may contribute to becoming a competent teacher and challenges he or she may have to overcome. The goal of this introduction is to develop self-awareness and the ability to speak to a group of peers in a calm and professional manner. Students must use one (1) visual aid during the course of their personal introduction. This may be an object that demonstrates a personal interest, a photograph, a chart, or any other visual aid that is appropriate to the content of the introduction.

GLOBAL EDUCATION SYSTEM PRESENTATION (200 points).

The student will select a country or region of the world and research the culture and specific educational practices employed in that location. The ages and gender of children involved in formal schooling, the curriculum taught, the teaching format and hours of weekly schooling and extra-curricular activities, teacher training and qualifications, number of years of school required, preparation for higher education, etc. should form the basis of the student’s research regarding the educational process. The student should also address the broader culture, including the typical roles of men, women, and children in the culture, typical occupations, cost and standard of living, monetary units used and exchange rate for American dollars, percentage of wealthy, middle class and poor families, typical foods, religious practices, style of clothing, climate of the country, and any other information that might be important to an American who wants to teach in that particular location.

Based on his/her research, the student will:

 Give a 10-minute oral presentation which includes visual aids of some type (Power Point, Prezi, pictures, cultural artifacts, etc.)

 Provide a hand-out for each class member summarizing the most important information presented. A travel brochure format is highly effective, although any other type of interesting hand-out is also acceptable. Please see rubric for further details.

PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING (150 points)

The student will write a beginning personal philosophy of teaching. It should address the questions listed on the rubric and reflect the student’s own opinions, not the beliefs of any other person. Please see rubric for further details.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Personal reflections will be written and submitted during some class sessions. This does not require prior preparation, but will require the student to think critically about his/her own experiences in the field of teaching.