Educational Studies 200

Fall 2004

Trinity College

TR 9:55-11:10am     

McCook 225

www.trincoll.edu/Academics/Study/EducationalStudies/

Asst. Prof. Barbara D. Henriques                                                    

McCook 304                                                                               

Phone: 297-2278                                                                        

Email: Barbara.henriques@trincoll.edu                                    

Office Hours: T 2-4PM; W 12-2PM and by appointment

Teaching Assistants:

Jessica Baker ‘05

Charkie Quarcoo ‘06

Introduction:

analysis (noun, plural analyses; adjective analytical; verb analyze)

1. The separation of a whole into constituents with a view to its examination and interpretation.

This course introduces the study of schooling within an interdisciplinary framework. Drawing upon sociology, we investigate the resources, structures, and social contexts which influence student opportunities and outcomes in the United States and other countries. From psychology, we contrast theories of learning, both in the abstract and in practice. From philosophy, we examine competing educational goals and their underlying assumptions regarding human nature, justice, and democracy. In addition, a community learning component, where students observe and participate in nearby K-12 classrooms for three hours per week, will be integrated with course readings and written assignments.

Readings:

Available at bookstore in Ed Studies section:

DC Phillips and Jonas Soltis, Perspectives on Learning, third edition. (New York: Teachers College Press, 1998). ISBN 0807737038; $16

Vivian Gussin Paley, You Can’t Say You Can’t Play. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992). ISBN 0674965906; $10.95

Additional readings will be made available to the class.  There will be a charge to cover the cost of copying expenses for the EDUC200 readings packet.

Evaluation:  

Six 2-3 page analysis papers                                             6 x 10 =60 pts

          #1 Sociology of the Classroom

          #2 Theories of Learning

          #3 Explaining Educational Inequality         

          #4 School-based Reform Strategies

          #5 Curriculum Project Proposal

          #6 Philosophy of Education

Classroom Participant-Observation (evaluated by classroom teacher) =15 pts

Curriculum Project - Oral Presentation (evaluated by coordinators) =10 pts

Curriculum Project – Final Draft (evaluated by instructor) =15 pts

Cumulative Final Exam =10 pts

NOTE: Initially, the total number of points equals 110. When calculating the final grade, your lowest 10-point grade will be dropped, resulting in an adjusted total of 100 points.

Be advised that adequate work earns a C, good work earns a B, and outstanding work earns an A in this class. Students are expected to engage in academic honesty in all forms of work for this course. If this is unclear to you, ask for clarification.

The late assignment penalty is a 10% reduction for every 12-hour period beyond the deadline, with exceptions granted only for documented medical & family emergencies.

Please notify me during the first week if you require any special accommodations to be successful in this class.

How to succeed in this course:

• Class begins on time and we expect you to be present at every session from start to finish. If you run into a one-time scheduling conflict with our class, be sure to consult with me (by email, phone, or in person) BEFORE the conflict to inquire about alternative arrangements. If you become ill or have a family emergency, then phone or email me to inquire about what you’re missing and how to compensate.

• Participate regularly in class discussions and bring the relevant readings and notes with you. While there is no formal “participation” grade, actively engaging in discussions (both inside and outside of the classroom) will help you learn the material. At the same time, remember that being a reflective listener is crucial to meaningful discussions, especially when the views of others differ from your own.

• Short analysis papers require students to bridge theoretical readings with the participant-observation experiences in Hartford schools. They also serve as the primary evaluation tool in this course, so look for feedback about improving your writing.  You may also want to utilize the teaching assistants and the Writing Center for help in developing and presenting your ideas in written format.

• The instructor is assisted by TAs who attend all classes, facilitate small group discussions, and write comments on (but not grade) written assignments. Make an appointment with any one of us to talk about improving your learning in the course.

• Check your Trinity email account regularly, since we frequently send out messages with important information, and it's the best way to get answers to simple questions.

Tues    Sept 7           Introduction to Syllabus & Placements in Hartford Public Schools

Participant-Observation Guidelines:

Clusters of students will be assigned to work with classroom teachers in five different schools in the area. In each school, a coordinator has been designated to help organize placements, guide orientations, and facilitate communication with classroom teachers.

Schools & Placement Coordinators   Address                  Main Phone

M.D. Fox Elementary School           470 Maple Avenue     695-3600

          Elise LaRosa Murphy           

McDonough Elementary School       111 Hillside Avenue    695-4260      

          John Freeman

Moylan Elementary School             Hillside Avenue          695-4501

          Irene Coe

Bellizzi Middle (formerly South)        215 South Street      695-2400

          Deana Leiken

          Mitch Grant

Hartford Magnet Middle School       53 Vernon Street       757-6201

          Nancy Otter

          Mark Flaherty

Hartford Public Schools website: http://www.hartfordschools.org/

Trinity Ed Studies Program website: http:/www.trincoll.edu/depts/educ

Students will work as “participant-observers” with their classroom teachers for at least 8 three-hour sessions (a total of 24 hours) over the course of the semester. The objectives are for Trinity students to:

·         Integrate theoretical readings with first-hand experience, in order to complete the 6 analysis paper assignments required in the course

·         Develop meaningful relationships with students and teachers, to deepen our reflections on the contexts of urban schools and the purposes of education

·         Identify potential resources and gain practical experience for designing a curriculum project

Clusters of students will attend a mandatory orientation session during the second week of the course with their school coordinator. (Exact times TBA).

During the initial visit with the teacher, students will complete a basic contract to establish their schedule and role in the classroom. “Participant-observation” is more than just quietly watching; it includes more active roles in the classroom, such as one-on-one tutoring, working with small groups, preparing materials for a classroom project, and (in some cases) planning and teaching a brief lesson.

At the end of the semester, school coordinators will evaluate Trinity students’ placement experiences based on their level of engagement, reliability, and effort demonstrated in the classroom.

Unit 1: Sociology of the Classroom

Question:

 How does the physical, social, and curricular organization of schools and classrooms influence teacher-student interactions?

Thur    Sept 9          Teachers' Work: Hollywood versus Reality

Read:

Sophie Bell, "Dangerous Morals: Hollywood Puts a Happy Face on Urban Education," Radical Teacher 54 (1998): 23-27.

"Teachers, Teaching, and Professionalization" in Alan Sadovnik et. al., eds., in Exploring Education, second edition, (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001) pp. 239-244.

Video excerpts in class:

Stand and Deliver, fictionalized portrayal of Jaime Escalante, (1988). VID 0730

High School II, documentary of Central Park East HS, F. Wiseman (1994). VID 0203

Tues    Sept 14        Looking Inside Schools: International Comparisons

Read:

Kathleen deMarrais and Margaret LeCompte, "The Social Organization of Schooling" and "What is Taught in Schools" in The Way Schools Work: A Sociological Analysis of Education, third edition. (NY: Longman, 1999), 43-52, 222-228, 236-247.

Sharan Merriam, “Being a Careful Observer,” Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998), 94-111.

James Stigler and James Hiebert, "The TIMSS Videotape Study" in Alan Sadovnik et. al., eds., Exploring Education, second edition (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001), pp. 276-281.

Video/CD-ROM:

Eighth-Grade Mathematics Lessons: US, Japan, and Germany (US Department of Education, TIMSS Study, 1998).    

Borrow CD-ROM from Ed Resource Center

Distribute: Paper topic #1, due Tuesday, Sept 21

Thur    Sept 16         Contradictions of Reform: Teaching in Hartford Schools

Read:

Linda McNeil, "Contradictions of Reform" in Alan Sadovnik et. al., eds., in Exploring Education, second edition, pp. 245-255.

Robert Slavin et. al., Every Child, Every School: Success For All (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 1996), pp. 1-20.

Jeff Archer, “Under Amato, Hartford Schools Show Progress” Education Week (March 1, 2000). http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=25hartford.h19

Unit 2: Theories of Learning

Question: How do classical and contemporary theorists explain how people learn?

Tues    Sept 21         Looking at Learning through Different Lenses

Read: Bloom's Taxonomy

/depts/educ/resources/bloom.htm

Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences

http://pzweb.harvard.edu/sumit/MISUMIT.HTM

In class: Videotape excerpts of student learning; learning vignette writing assignment

Thur    Sept 23         Classical Theory and Behaviorism

Read: Phillips and Soltis, Perspectives on Learning, intro and chapters 1-4

Tues    Sept 28         Constructivist Theories: Piaget, Dewey, and Vygotsky

Read:  Phillips and Soltis, Perspectives on Learning, chapters 5-6

Video excerpt in class: First Graders Divide 62 by 5 (TC Press, 1999). VID 2730

Thur    Sept 30         Constructivist Theories: Bruner

Read:  Phillips and Soltis, Perspectives on Learning, chapter 7

Video excerpt in class: A Private Universe (Annenberg/CPB, 1987). [Ed Res Ctr]

See companion website: http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/pup/

Distribute: Paper topic #2, DUE Thursday, Oct 7^th.

Tues    Oct 5             Making Sense of Theories of Learning

Read:  Phillips and Soltis, Perspectives on Learning, chapter 9

Unit 3: Explaining Educational Inequality

Question: How do different theories attempt to explain racial, social class, and gender gaps in educational achievement?

Thur    Oct 7           Making Sense of Race, Class, Gender and the Test Score Gap

In Class: Data analysis exercise with SAT and NAEP standardized test scores

Assignment DUE at beginning of next class:

Print out your "Strategic School Profile" from CT Dept of Education website http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/schools/index.htm

Tues    Oct 12          Trinity Day             No class meeting

View video: Puerto Rican Passages (CPTV, 1995). [VID 2231 and Ed Resource Center]

          Showing by TA at ___________________________        

Thur    Oct 14         School Finance and Tracking

Read:  Jonathan Kozol, “Children of the City Invincible: Camden, New Jersey,” Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. (NY: Crown, 1991), chapter 4.

Jeannie Oakes, “The Distribution of Knowledge,” Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality (New Haven: Yale Press, 1985), excerpts from chapter 4.

In class: Metropolitan Hartford school district data; bring your "Strategic School Profile"

Tues    Oct 19          Cultural Capital

Read: Annette Lareau, “Social Class Differences in Family-School Relationships: The Importance of Cultural Capital.” Sociology of Education 60 (1987), pp. 73-85.

Rick Green, “Chapter 6: A Jolt of Juanita,” Hartford Courant (November 21, 1999).

See other Hartford Schools stories at http://courant.ctnow.com/projects/hfdschools/

Thur    Oct 21        Cultural Discontinuities

Read: Lynn A. Vogt et.al., “Explaining School Failure, Producing School Success: Two Cases.” Anthropology and Education Quarterly 18 (December 1987): 276-286.

John Ogbu, “Immigrant and Involuntary Minorities in Comparative Perspective,” in M. Gibson and J. Ogbu, eds., Minority Status and Schooling. (NY: Garland, 1991).

Distribute: Paper topic #3, DUE Friday, Oct 29^th at 3PM. 

Tues    Oct 26          Stereotype Threat

Read: Claude Steele, "A Threat in the Air: How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and Performance," reprinted in Eugene Lowe, ed., Promise and Dilemma: Perspectives on Racial Diversity and Higher Education (Princeton, 1999), excerpt from pp. 107-108.

Claude Steele, “Thin Ice: Stereotype Threat and Black College Students” Atlantic Monthly (August 1999), pp. 44-54.

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99aug/9908stereotype.htm