ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL & MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM, TEACHING & EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

“The Educator as Service Professional”

COURSE SYLLABUS

This syllabus represents a contract between the student and the instructor for this course. The syllabus delineates essential details about the course, course content, and performance assessment. Any official changes to this syllabus will be made in writing and provided to each student. Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is subject to change with advanced notice in writing. Additionally, a student is officially enrolled in this course until such time as the university procedure for withdrawal from the course has been executed. Some of the materials in this course are possibly copyrighted. They are intended for use only by students registered and enrolled in this course and only for instructional activities associated with and for the duration of the course. They may not be retained in another medium or disseminated further. They are provided in compliance with the provisions of the Teach Act.

Students are responsible for confirming that the call number for the course is the number for the section in which they are actually registered and should be attending.

Course: FED 300	Name: Foundations of Education
Call No.	2 Credit Hours	Semester:
Prerequisites: Enrollment in Teacher Education Program in College of Education, AAMU

Course Description:

This course discusses professional aspects of teaching and the role of schools in American society. It also surveys the history of education, philosophies of education, the financing and governance of public education, current problems and trends in education, and curriculum development.

Rationale/Relationship to Conceptual Framework:

This course represents a performance-based approach to teacher education designed to enable the student to become an educational service professional with knowledge, skills, and dispositions required by institutional, state, regional, and national standards. Through a constructivist design, learning will be facilitated by the student’s participation in activities that will involve the intellect as well as dispositions. Creativity in learning will be facilitated by collaboration and feedback that should result in continual reflection and self-assessment. The ultimate outcome of this course is the further development of a skilled, highly proficient educational practitioner.

Primary Textbook: McNergney, R.F. & McNergney, J.M. (2004). Foundations of Education: The Challenge of Professional Practice (4^th Edition). New York, NY: Allyn & Bacon.

Or

Johnson, James A., Dupuis, Victor L., Musial, Diann, Hall, Gene E., and Gollnick, Donna M. (2003). Essentials of American Education. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Suggested Readings:

Additional Resources:

COURSE LOCATION
Building: Carver Complex North	Day: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Room: 109 CCN	Time: 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: Sha Li	Office Hours: 11: 00 AM – 1:00 PM Office Room Number: 211CCN
Office Telephone: 256-372-5973
E-mail: sha.li@aamu.edu
Classroom Procedures: Ø Please place all electronic devices in the silent or vibrate mode. If you need to answer a call, be courteous and step outside the room. Refrain from answering calls while class is in session. Ø Students are expected to be in class ON TIME! Ø If there is a need for you to be out, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the instructor is either contacted in advance by telephone or email the day of the absence. Ø It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she is aware of what transpired (to include assignment of ADDITIONAL class work) during the session in which he/she is absent. Ø All assignments must be turned in, IN CLASS, on the date assignment is due. Ø All assignments must be turned into the instructor (unless otherwise noted by the instructor). Ø Please sign the roster next to your name for each class period; this denotes whether you are given credit for being present in class. If you do not sign in next to your name, this will constitute a missed day of class. You are allowed TWO absences without penalty. Ø Consistent absentees WILL result in negative points attached to your final grade (5 points per absence). See academic catalog. Ø ALL ASSIGNMENTS TURNED IN MUST BE TYPED. ASSIGNMENTS NOT TYPED WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR GRADED. Ø Students should maintain a copy of all submitted assignments to protect themselves against lost work or missing grades. Ø Students should save all assignments until the course grade is received. Ø Major exams are made up at the discretion of the professor. This decision is based on written documents from a professional (i.e., doctor or nurse) that support student’s reason for missing class.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will have developed the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to: Respect and build upon diversity to create a learning environment in which all students feel valued and supported in learning. Collaborate with colleagues to create and adopt research-based best practices to achieve ongoing classroom and school improvement. Improve student learning through the acquisition of knowledge of current educational issues related to the philosophy, history, finance and governance of education in the United States. Adhere to the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics and federal, state, and local laws and policies. Engage in continuous learning and self improvement

ASSIGNMENTS:

Attendance and Participation 100 points 15% of Grade

The learning that we aim for in this course (clarifying, testing, justifying ideas) depends largely on your attendance and active participation. It is particularly important that you complete readings, journal entries, and other assignments on time, because class and group discussion will generally be based on them. Hence, attendance, timely completion of assignments, and participation in class will count in your professional development and grade in this course. In your development as a teacher, you will discover that these skills are critical in helping you enhance your abilities to be self motivated and responsible for your own learning and growth as a professional.

Journal 100 points 15% of Grade

Throughout the term you will keep a journal where you will respond reflectively to readings, class discussions, or questions raised by classmates or by your instructor. Sometimes your instructor will suggest a focus for your journal. Other times, you can write about whatever intrigues or puzzles you from the readings or class discussions. The journals are intended as a means to help you think about educational problems and issues to encourage you to think critically and propose solutions. To help you focus on important ideas in the readings and make connections among ideas and examples of teaching, study questions will be distributed. You might use the questions to focus your journal entries. Your instructor will collect the journals to read and respond to your entries.

Paper 100 points 20% of Grade

The ability to communicate ideas clearly in writing is an important prerequisite for teaching; getting feedback from others and revising your first thoughts are critical steps toward good writing. You will write one major paper during the semester. The paper will take the form of a conversation. You will exchange a draft of this paper with a member of your group who will provide you with written comments. You will then revise your paper in light of those comments. In this paper you will be expected to give critical analysis to an issue by supporting it with evidence and making a reasoned argument.

Group Work 100 points 15% of Grade

You will be divided into groups to accomplish many of the learning tasks in this course. The work you do as a group is also important to your development as a professional. Because of the constructivist philosophy we embrace in the School of Education, we believe that all individuals bring their unique experiences to learning situations and that much learning occurs as individuals share their own conceptions of learning and interact with each other to negotiate meaning within a community of learners. A community implies that everyone’s opinion is respected and valued in the group.

Summative Examinations 100 points 20% of Grade

In order to assess your understanding of pertinent concepts in this course, you will be given summative evaluations at the end of the material covered after each unit in your text or from other material. These examinations are intended to measure the extent to which you have acquired the relevant knowledge base expected in this course.

Final Examination 100 points 20% of Grade

There will be a final examination. The examination will be comprehensive and will assess your knowledge of concepts presented during this course.

Point Scale

100 – 90.0% A

89.9 – 78.0% B

77.9 – 66.0% C

65.9 – 55.0% D

54.9 – 0.00% F

Topic Area	Learning Outcome	Assessment Method
Cultural, Ethnic, and Social Diversity	1. Describe the process by which non-native learners acquire the English language; 2. Develop instructional strategies that support the learning of students whose first language is not English	Journal; Summative examination; Final examination [S03(4)(c)2.(i); P2; N3]
Ethical Issues in Education	1. Display an understanding of the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics; 2. Describe basic principles that relate to the safe, responsible, legal, and ethical use of technology; 3. Research acceptable-use policies including fair-use and copyright guidelines and Internet-user protection policies of area school systems (i.e., Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County)	Journal; Summative examination [S03(5)(c)5.(i); 03(5)(c)5.(ii) P2; N9]
Historical, Philosophical, and Legal Foundations of Education	1. Articulate the basic tenets of major educational philosophies; 2. Develop and articulate a personal philosophy of teaching; 3. Develop knowledge of the history, finance and governance of education in the United States; 4. Describe laws related to students’ and teachers’ rights and responsibilities (i.e., IDEA, Section 504, ADA, and Alabama statues on child abuse and neglect); 5. Demonstrate and understanding of the importance of complying with these laws.	Summative examination; Journal; Group work; Final examination [S03(5)(c)6.(i); P2; N9]
Collaboration and Teaming	1. Define the general purposes, processes, structures, and potential benefits associated with collaboration and teaming; 2. Describe the roles and responsibilities of members of different types of teams including, but not limited to Building Based Student Support Teams; 3. Describe the roles and responsibilities of para-educators and other paraprofessionals.	Summative examination; Final examination [S03(5)(c)1.(i); 03(5)(c)1.(ii); 03(5)(c)1.(iii); P2; N10]
School Improvement	1. Summarize the research relating collective responsibility for student learning to increased achievement for all students; 2. Describe some general principles of individual and organizational change; 3. Demonstrate a commitment to assume personal responsibility for leading and supporting others in results-oriented changes.	Paper; Summative examination; Journal; Group work [S03(5)(c)4.(i); 03(5)(c)4.(ii), P2; N10]
Professional Development	1. Describe the processes and skills associated with peer coaching and mentoring	Summative examination; Final examination [S03(5)(c)2.(iii); P2; N10]

Remediation: Candidates whose classroom or clinical performance is judged as “needing improvement” will be provided reasonable remediation.

Disability Statement (Americans With Disabilities Act):

Alabama A & M University is committed to serving the needs of students with disabilities, and the institution recognizes its responsibility for creating an instructional climate in which a student with disabilities can succeed. A student with a disability who needs academic accommodation should:

(1) Register with and provide documentation to the AAMU certifying official in the Office of Disability Services to verify eligibility and to discuss the options for reasonable academic accommodations that might be available.

(2) Provide a letter to the instructor indicating the type of accommodation that is needed.

This syllabus and other course materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to AAMU students with disabilities, please go to the Office of Disability Services in Room 203 of the Ralph H. Lee Student Center.

Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, And Ethics:

All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct that could result in such consequences as receipt of an “F” on a single assignment, failure in a course, and up to dismissal from the university. Academic dishonesty includes, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information.