Course+Expectations

Come to class. Let me know by email if you aren't going to be in class. One non-excused absence allowed. I expect everyone to participate actively. This means let us know what you are thinking and try to help each other express what each of us is thinking. Collaboration is important to me so we'll try to structure it well. Please work with each other as colleagues and collaborators. Please stay in touch with me concerning the level of work and accessibility of course materials.
 * Attendance and Participation**

4. rotate turns in group process roles: facilitator, recorder, reporter
 * Readings and Nightly Assignments** 30%
 * 1) read the assignments daily
 * 2) participate reflectively with your group
 * 3) bring accessible and useable notes to the discussion
 * what were the essential ideas in the reading
 * what grabbed your interest
 * what connections are you making to the reading
 * what is the reading making you think more deeply about

Everyone will be asked to pursue, complete, and present a major project for the course. While I consider the project a work-in-progress, it should have enough structure to it so as to be meaningful to others at the time of your presentation. I am not an advocate of projects as research papers. Think expansively about what would be useful and personally/professionally meaningful for you to pursue. I expect each project to be clear about how its formation has been grounded in content that we've studied, //particularly content about how the brain learns//. I will give you a rubric for the project that we will edit together so you can be clear about how the project will be assessed.
 * Personal Project** 40%

3. how big, how long, what else do you expect ?
 * 1) identify an area in your professional practice you'd like to strengthen
 * 2) by Friday, July 10, have a plan to share with the class (5-8 minute share) as best you can
 * area of inquiry/study
 * support from edpsych knowledge base (2-4 sources)
 * outcomes/goals in terms of the time we have together
 * mode of sharing
 * use but don't be constrained by our rubric
 * 15 hours of outside work
 * alternative mode of presentation...think non-conventionally
 * could be setting up your own wiki
 * could be learning how to use blogs
 * could be a study a theoretical position in the field
 * could be a study of practices that have succeeded within an area of the field
 * could be the design of a unit of study and/or a series of connected lesson plans
 * could be presented using a tri-fold
 * mentions support base from ed. psych. knowledge base
 * includes changes in your own behavior and changes expected in learners (if appropriate)
 * includes some visual elements
 * could be done with other members of the class
 * shared with whole class during third week of the course (10-15 minute share)
 * develop an intellectual relationship with an educational psychologist such that your work feels confirmed by that person and their body of research. I will ask you to share this relationship as part of your project.

Issues in American Education Project 30%

 * select an issue
 * collaborative with a partner(s) on issue development and presentation
 * 15-20 minute classroom presentation
 * 3-4 page handout (narrative or outline with bullets)
 * what's the issue you are working with
 * what’s the problem(s) you are going to address
 * range of advice in terms of the readings (who, what - citation)
 * not all, just those related to the problem(s) you are going to addres
 * feel free to bring in other information from your own prior experience/knowledge
 * connect to how the brain learns
 * what do you advise

Course Rubric
without contacting instruction (prior) • work left unfinished • constantly late • no instructor contact || • misses up to one class, no instructor contact • makes up work || • misses no classes • on time || • opinion based participation • lacks collaborative sensitivities || • work completed • participates as an individual • listens carefully and assists others in their learning • references texts in discussion || • work completed and on time • participates reflectively • references texts in discussions • makes sure others are included in work || • sloppy work || • three criteria on the mark || • five criteria on the mark ||
 * || Needs Improvement || Good Work || Excellent Work ||
 * 1. Attendance || • misses more than one class
 * 2. Readings and Participation || • work missing
 * 3. Personal Project || • three or four criteria from Project Rubric miss the mark || • five criteria on the mark || • six criteria on the mark ||
 * 4. Issues in American Education Project || • two or one criteria on the mark