LAMBUTH UNIVERSITY
Education Department

EDU 4033 Books and Related Materials for Young People and Adults

Instructor: Dr. Jean McDonald       Office: CU222

Office Telephone: 731-425-3265

E-Mail: mcdonald@lambuth.edu

Office Hours: Posted by office door

12/3/2007 6:29:25 PM

 

Course Prerequisite: ENG 1033 and 1023

                                    EDU 2403

                                    Junior or senior status

 

Required Books:

Graham, L. (2003). North town. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Martinez, V. (1996). Parrot in the oven Mi vida.. New York: Harper Trophy.           

Nixon, J. L. (2001). Playing for keeps. New York: Random House.

Oates, J. C. (2002). Big mouth & ugly girl. New York: Harper Tempest.

Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon.

Matthews, M., Cronan, J., & Poulsen, E. (2004). Microsoft® Office FrontPage® 2003:

            Quick steps New York: Osborne.

OR

Snell, N. (2004). Easy Microsoft® Office FrontPage® 2003. Indianapolis:

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington,

DC: American Psychological Association..

           

Materials: Students are responsible for furnishing any materials and technology (e.g., transparencies, handouts, CD-Rs, paper clips, etc.) used in classroom assignments and presentations.

            Flash Drive (at least 1 gb))

           

Course Description: Books and Related Materials for Young People and Adults provides an exploration of books and materials suitable for adolescents. These books are selected because they present high-interest topics to this age group. The issues and themes prevalent in young adult literature are analyzed for topicality for this age group. The books are for recreational reading but through instructional activities, fundamental critical concepts and techniques to aspects of the novel will be introduced. The course will give students the opportunity to apply constructivist learning theory to the use of narrative in teaching reading in all disciplines.  Multiple and diverse representations of reality as portrayed in literature will be integrated into the curriculum.  Students will learn how to create authentic tasks as they design activities that incorporate both context- and content-dependent knowledge of historical, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, and political environments that represent the varied backgrounds of the students they will teach. The strategies for teaching narrative text and related materials, including graphic novels and magazines, will comprise a repertoire of resources for you to access as you design your reading instruction so as to convert your students into avid readers.

 

Conceptual Framework: The constructivist model asserts

  • Knowledge is created actively by the learner.
  • Knowledge is “constructed” or made meaningful when learners relate new information to prior knowledge or existing structures of knowledge.
  • Knowledge “constructs” are shaped by experience and social interaction.
  • Members of a culture collaboratively establish knowledge.

 

Three types of learning, as set forth by Dunlap with citations from others (2004), serve as the basis for the conceptual framework for this course: generative, intentional, and situated.

§         Generative: Students will take responsibility for ascertaining the content they need to know for their chosen teaching fields. The learning activities and lesson plans they design will reflect the research they have conducted and the  cognitive level, synthesis,  they have addressed. Their end products will be presented for evaluation by the professor and reflection by the presenter (Bloom, 1956; Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992).

§         Intentional: Students will be actively involved in creating the activities required in the curriculum. They will work collaboratively with their classmates in small groups and with partners. The learning activities will result from research and creative application of the research to form innovative learning experiences for the students to use in their teaching careers (Palinscar, A., & Klenk, L., 1992).

§         Situated: By demonstrating in the pre-service classroom, the observational classroom, and the student-teaching classroom the lessons and activities they have designed, the students will integrate theory into practice; that is, they will show the implementation of research-based, creatively adapted instructional methods. This approach is problem-based learning carried out according to the philosophy of constructivism with a mandate for the inclusion of multiple-intelligences theory (Smith, 2003).

 

            Additionally, throughout this course, the Lambuth University Education Department’s conceptual framework is incorporated as a basis for the instructional design and the outcomes derived from the implementation of the instruction by means of preparation for LiteracyExperienceAccountabilityDiversity (LEAD). Teacher Education Handbook (2007).

 

Course Goal: To create a lifelong love of reading, to develop critical thinking skills for learning concepts and techniques related to narrative fiction, and to inform students about diverse populations through the vehicle of narratives written for young adults.

 

Tennessee Teacher Licensure Standards: Professional Education

Standard 1

Discipline Taught.  Candidates know, understand, and use the central concepts, tools of inquiry and structures of the discipline(s) they teach and can create learning experiences that develop student competence in the subject matter.

Standard 2

Student Learning and Development.  Candidates understand how students learn and develop and provide learning opportunities that support student intellectual, social, and personal development.

Standard 3

Diverse Learners.  Candidates understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

Standard 4

Teaching Strategies. Candidates understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills in students.

Standard 5

Learning Environment.  Candidates use an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

Standard 6

Communication.  Candidates use knowledge of effective verbal, non-verbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the learning environment.

Standard 7

Planning.  Candidates plan instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, community, and curriculum goals.

Standard 8

Assessment and Evaluation.  Candidates know, understand, and use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuing intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.

Standard 9

Reflective Practitioner.  Candidates are reflective practitioners who continually evaluate the effects of their choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally.

Standard 10

Colleagues, Families, and Community.  Candidates foster relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being.

Standard 11

Technology.

11.a Candidates use technology and technology-based resources to facilitate developmentally appropriate student learning.

11. b  Candidates use technology to enhance their professional growth and productivity.

11. c  Candidates effectively use and manage all technology available to them and explore uses of emerging resources.

 

Attendance and Tardy Policies: You are expected to be present for every class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out missed work from a classmate.  Do not call, e-mail, or by other means contact instructor.

In registering for classes in the Education Department, you accept the responsibility for attending class, completing assignments on time, and contributing to class discussions.  You will be allowed to make up assigned work for the following reasons ONLY:

(A)  Medical emergencies with appropriate documentation.

(B)   Family emergencies with appropriate documentation.

(C)  University-sponsored activities with appropriate documentation

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO FURNISH DOCUMENTATION WITHIN TWO (2) CLASS PERIODS FOLLOWING THE ABSENCE.

            A copy of the documentation must be given to the instructor, and it will not be returned.

 

Assessment: Assessment will be by rubric and as described under the subheading “Grading” (below).

           

Grading:  Please see Mastery Learning Supplement.

  • All written work will be graded on the basis of content, format, and standard written English. WHAT IS STANDARD WRITTEN ENGLISH?

 

“The dialect of English used and expected by educated writers and readers in colleges, universities, businesses, and professions” (Fowler, H. R., & Aaron, J. E. (2004). The Little, Brown handbook (9th ed.). New York: Pearson Longman)

 

    • Obvious typographical errors reflect carelessness and a lack of seriousness in the fulfilling assignments and will result in the assignment of additional work.
    • In citing sources, all attributions will be in APA style.

           

Participation: You will be expected to participate actively in class discussions and hands-on projects required for presentation during class time.

 

Electronic Portfolio (E-portfolio): Your portfolios will contain all the presentations and strategies covered during the semester. You will organize your portfolios as instructed on the portfolio attachment to be printed out along with the other attachments (“Portfolio”).

               

Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes cheating on an assignment by plagiarizing, unapproved submission of work prepared for another course, and providing assistance to another student in preparing assignments – unless designated as a collaborative project – or in taking tests.

            Because some major assignments may be replicated yearly, all previous student assignments and tests from this course are retained by the department.  If the work of another student in a previous semester of this course is submitted by a student presently enrolled, the student will receive an F in the course, along with possible dismissal from the Teacher Education Program.

 

American Disabilities Act: Lambuth University is committed to making every reasonable accommodation to assist any student with a documented disability meet the requirements expected of all students enrolled in this course.  Students who have special needs or disabilities that may affect their ability to access information and/or material presented in this course should contact the instructor.

 

>Please mute all cell phones, pagers, and sound-activated technology during class. No text messaging is allowed during class.

 

 

>This course is designed for students registered through the university. Children, therefore, are not permitted to be present in scheduled classes. Additionally, children cannot be left unattended on department premises. Adults not registered with the university or adults not registered in this course may visit classes only at the discretion of the professor.

 

Dunlap, J. C. (2004). The Web Resource Collaboration Center. Tech Trends, 48 (2),

            41-42.