EDU202 Syllabus
EDU202 Syllabus
Course Information
EDU 202
Prefix & Number
SPA Standards The standards are categorized into four major areas and are outlined below. It
Addressed: will benefit all prospective teachers to become familiar with these standards
Standard Domain as they are used to evaluate beginning and experienced teachers’
Areas Addressed in performances in classrooms.
this Course The Learner and Learning
Standard 1—Learner Development: The teacher understands how learners
INTASC Principles grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development
Addressed in this vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social,
Course (please emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally
insert three appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
subcomponents to
Standard 2—Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of
them (performance,
individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure
essential knowledge,
inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high
and critical
standards.
dispositions
Standard 3—Learning Environments: The teacher works with others to create
environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that
encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and
self-motivation.
Professional Responsibility
Standard 9—Professional Learning and Ethical Practice: The teacher engages
in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate
his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on
others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and
adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.
Course Objectives
The course is an experience to engage students in self-reflection, in examination of personal and practical models
of teaching, and in experiences related to schooling in the contemporary urban setting. Through participation in
the course, students will become aware of issues, challenges, and current programs in secondary classroom
settings. One of the primary purposes of this introductory course is to assist students in making informed
decisions regarding careers in education and what it means to become a qualified professional in changing
educational contexts. The weekly lectures, weekly discussions, assignments, and classroom observations (field
trips) are organized based on the following goals:
Course Requirements
Field Experience:
A minimum of 8 hours of field observation in a public secondary school is required for this course. The
purpose of this experience is to provide you with opportunities to observe the teaching profession from the
perspective of the teacher as opposed to that of a student. You are responsible for choosing one school at
which you would like to attend ALL four field trips throughout the semester. Field trips are on Fridays and are
scheduled from 6:30am until 10:00am for secondary schools (PLEASE NOTE: the specific times may change
but it will fall into this range). Students are expected to register for their field trip location online through the
UNLV Office of Field Experience online portal; directions are included at the end of the syllabus.
The field visits will be located at a number of CCSD schools and sign-ups will be the first week of classes in
January. Once enrollment numbers for the semester are official, the specific sites will be secured.
For information about each school, please search: http://ccsd.net/schools/pdf/school- telephone- directory.pdf or
http://ccsd.net/schools/zoning/index.php
Field visits are tentatively scheduled on the following days: February 5, February
19, March 11, April 8.
If you are enrolled in a lab or special Friday class please contact the instructor immediately. It is the
responsibility of students to arrange any personal and work schedules to accommodate for these trips.
Missing one of the required field visits will have a negative impact on final grades (25% deduction from
cumulative course grade). Failure to complete the observation requirement and assignments will result in an
"F" grade in this course. Please note that you are responsible for your own transportation and time management
to fulfill these observation requirements.
**Also note that these are the minimum required hours of observations for the course. With the permission of
the mentor teacher, site facilitator and administrators, it would be beneficial to your development if you can make
arrangements to conduct additional hours of observations throughout the term. However, it will in no way
affect your grade.
Required Materials:
Sadker, D. M., & Zittleman, K. R. (2015). Teachers, schools, and society: A brief introduction to education (4th
Ed.) New York: McGraw Hill
WebCampus: To complete this course, you must be able to use WebCampus to submit the assignments
and communicate with the instructor and classmates. All assignments will be submitted through
WebCampus unless otherwise indicated.
Attendance:
Simply reading the text and completing the assignments will not be enough to truly understand the material. It is
vital that students attend all class meetings to listen to lectures and fully participate in class discussions. For the
purposes of this class, attendance is defined as presence and participation in classroom discussions and activities.
Lack of participation may be considered as absence from class. Students planning to take University sanctioned
religious holidays must inform the instructor in advance. For medical emergencies, provide a written excuse from
a doctor. Your attendance pattern (absences, late arrivals, early departures, and participation) will influence your
final grade as follows:
Late Work:
LATE WORK IS NOT ACCEPTED. Please see me if you have any concerns about completing assignments by
the due date. Be proactive with communication.
An absence from class does not incur a special circumstance. Exceptions are rare, but possible in certain instances
when circumstances. If an exception is needed, it is the responsibility of the STUDENT to communicate with the
instructor as soon as possible.
Course Assignments
All writing assignments should be in accordance with APA 6th edition including a cover page with a title, your
name, the date and the assignment, an abstract page and reference pages. All assignments should be submitted
on time except in case of emergency. All written assignments should be submitted on-line through our class
Web-Campus site according to the schedule. In order to avoid academic misconduct, you should consult the
instructor if you want to use the assignment(s) in another class for this class.
• Describe your school experiences from elementary to middle school (junior high) through high school.
(2)
• Choose and talk about one specific memory you experienced as a middle or high school student. (2)
• Outline at least three characteristics of an effective teacher that may impact your interest in becoming a
teacher based on your story. (2)
• Raise no more than three questions or issues that are crucial to elementary school level teaching and
learning and you may pay more attention to in your field observation for this semester. (2)
• Written with correct sentences and spellings. APA style and sufficient length are observed. (2)
Educational Philosophy Statement:
An educational philosophy statement synthesizes your conceptualization of effective teaching in the context of
current practice. Although this paper is expressed in the first person, the statement is academic in content
and must include pedagogical language. It should also reflect what you have gained through observation in
classrooms and participation in this class. You will revise and restructure your philosophical statements
throughout your teacher education preparation as your attitudes change and your knowledge expands. Your
philosophy statement will expand on the following prompts:
• I believe that teaching and learning...
• I believe a successful learning environment is...
• I believe students learn best when they...
• I believe I learn best when I...
• I believe a teacher is...
*Plus any additional prompts you would like to add*
Expressed in the first person, your statement is a synthesis of academic content in pedagogical language and a
reflection of the observation experience. The two/three page essay, a framework of beliefs, attitudes, and
intended teaching behaviors, must be double- spaced, and supported by a minimum of TWO citations, from
either primary or elementary sources, in APA format. The course rubric will be used for evaluation.
Educator Interview:
This assignment is designed to help students understand and become familiar with current educators and what it
is like to work full-time in the field of education. To finish this assignment, you are required to do the following:
For the Educator Interview, each student must contact a person that works in the field of education. You can meet
in person, call, email, etc. The first five questions have been provided for you, please remember to be as detailed
as possible in your responses.
Interview Questions:
1. What is your name, current role in education, and any other roles you have had in education?
2. What does education mean to you?
3. Why did you originally go into education?
4. How has education changed since you first entered the field?
5. What is one thing you wish you would have known when you first started in education?
Requirements (Grading Rubric):
Students should write the paper in paragraph form and summarize the responses given (you do not have to
transcribe the interview exactly). Direct quotes can be used, but should fit with the flow of the paper. All
papers should be written in APA format. Section 1 Educator Interview
1. Paragraph 1 Teacher Background (1)
o Provide a brief background of the person being interviewed
2. Paragraph 2 Teacher Philosophy (1) Describe his/her philosophy
3. Paragraph 3 Teacher Story (1) Describe his/her story
4. Paragraph 4 Evolution of Education (2)
o Describe his/her opinions on how education has changed or evolved
5. Paragraph 5 Teacher Advice (2)
o Describe what you would tell a pre-service teacher
6. Paragraph 6 Summary of Interview (2)
o Explain big three take-aways you have developed through this interview.
o Reflect
APA Format (1) – Total 10 points
Research and Reflection Paper (Final)
This 5-page paper is intended to extend your thinking about an important topic covered this semester. This paper
will accomplish two goals: 1) deepen your understanding of a key education topic, and 2) uncover your personal
experiences and beliefs on the topic. Students will select a high interest topic (differentiation, etc.) from the
semester and have it approved by the instructor. The students will then gather research facts from credible
sources and begin the writing process.
The paper should include:
1. A detailed explanation of the topic (What is it?)
2. Relevance to education, schools, etc. (Why is it important to know?)
3. Reflection (What is your experience, thoughts, opinions of the topic?)
Grading Policy
Final grades will be determined by the amount of points earned during the semester.
Grading is based on meeting the criteria for each assignment as detailed on the evaluation rubrics and written
description of expectations.
Grading Scale (%)
95 and above A
90 to 94 A-
85 to 89 B+
80 to 84 B
75 to 79 B-
70 to 74 C+
65 to 69 C
60 to 64 C-
45 to 59 D
Below 45 F
Project Rubrics
Reading Facilitation
For each reading assignment, student groups will take responsibility for facilitating a 25-30 minute class dialogue
on the assignment/reading. Facilitations should be designed to engage the class in the dialogue, encouraging a
wide range of perspectives about the reading/visual media to emerge. The discussion should involve critical
thought and include equitable participation of both pair members. Beyond providing the professor copies of
outlines, questions, handouts, etc., used during the facilitations, there is no formal “hand-in” component to this
assignment, only the in- class facilitation.
Students must develop and submit outline for their facilitation. Students will be graded on their facilitation to the
extent that they:
1. Communicate completion of the entire reading assignment and thoughtful reflection on it.
2. Engage each member of the class in the dialogue by employing varied strategies.
3. Encourage a wide range of perspectives about the reading to emerge from class members.
4. Challenge the class with complex questions, problems, and continuing critical reflection.
5. Elicit the course-relevant concerns expressed in the assignment chapters’ major themes.
6. Extend student thinking outside of the assigned reading (do not focus the entire presentation on
the reading)
Teaching Presenters used multiple teaching The presenters did The presenters
Methods strategies (not just lecture) not successfully use did not practice
Outline multiple strategies (1) multiple
(2) teaching
strategies. (0)
Presentation Team was CLEARLY prepared and Some parts were not Lack of
and presentation was professional (2) prepared or preparation was
Teamwork professional (1) evident (0)
Handout Informative and Clear (2) Yes (2) No (0)
Content Response discusses what the The response All of the areas are not
author liked & disliked about answers all of the discussed or the
the reading. questions, but there response is not
Discusses something surprising is no depth to the complete.
about reading. response. Or, a
Knowledge is applied to the component is not
future classroom discussed
Overview of Student fails to Each aspect of the An overview of Overview is The overview
Setting document one or school the school effectively paints a clear
more aspect and setting is setting is documented & picture of the
failed to make the documented but effectively information classroom and
experience background documented. helps the reader school
understandable information is understand the atmosphere.
missing. day.
Documentation Documentation of The activities The activities Documentation Documentation is
the observation is observed in the observed in the is of extremely of extremely high
poorly stated classroom are classroom are high quality and quality and the
and provides documented documented & a higher level of student
little application to but there is not understanding understanding demonstrates
instruction. consistent of application is application is understanding of
application exhibited. exhibited. application to
exhibited. teaching.
Organization The student fails to The student Most or all of The student Each question is
discuss several of discusses most of the questions discusses each discussed and
the required the required are discussed of the questions elaborated fully,
questions. questions but with but there are and elaborates and adds
little to no detail. several details fully on each additional
missing. question. information.
Structure Errors in sentence Some sentences Sentences are Sentences are Sentences are
structure are are awkwardly well-phrased well-phrased well-phrased and
frequent enough to constructed so that and there is and varied in varied in length
be a distraction to the reader is some variety in length and and structure.
the reader. occasionally length and structure. They Flow smoothly.
distracted. structure. flow smoothly APA format
Sentences flow from one to strictly followed.
smoothly. another.
Support of üü Critical, Relevant, and consistent support Missing 1-2 Missing 3 or more
Topic criteria criteria
(5)
Organization üü Clear, logical, and developed
(5)
Implications üü Paints a clear picture of what his/her Missing 1-2 Missing 3 or more
for Teaching classroom philosophy will be. criteria criteria
üü Discusses diversity in education.
(10)
üü Discusses implications for classroom
management.
üü Discusses implications for instruction.
üü Is able to cite outside research to justify
opinion.
Teacher Licensure
Misdemeanor or felonious conviction(s) may bar teacher licensure in Nevada or other states. If
you have any questions, please direct them to the Director of Teacher Education, CEB 301.
SPECIAL NOTES
Academic Misconduct
Academic integrity is a legitimate concern for every member of the campus community; all share in upholding the
fundamental values of honesty, trust, respect, fairness, responsibility and professionalism. By choosing to join the
UNLV community, students accept the expectations of the Student Academic Misconduct Policy and are
encouraged when faced with choices to always take the ethical path. Students enrolling in UNLV assume the
obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLV’s function as an educational institution. An
example of academic misconduct is plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of another, from the
Internet or any source, without proper citation of the sources. See the Student Academic Misconduct Policy
(approved December 9, 2005) located at: https://www.unlv.edu/studentconduct/student-conduct.
Copyright
The University requires all members of the University Community to familiarize themselves with and to follow
copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and
fair use laws. The university will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or
student violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil
penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under University policies. Additional information
can be found at: http://www.unlv.edu/provost/copyright.
Incomplete Grades
The grade of I—Incomplete—can be granted when a student has satisfactorily completed three-fourths of course
work for that semester/session but for reason(s) beyond the student’s control, and acceptable to the instructor,
cannot complete the last part of the course, and the instructor believes that the student can finish the course
without repeating it. The incomplete work must be made up before the end of the following regular semester for
undergraduate courses. Graduate students receiving “I” grades in 500-, 600-, or 700-level courses have up to one
calendar year to complete the work, at the discretion of the instructor. If course requirements are not completed
within the time indicated, a grade of F will be recorded and the GPA will be adjusted accordingly. Students who
are fulfilling an Incomplete do not register for the course but make individual arrangements with the instructor
who assigned the I grade.
Tutoring and Coaching
The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides tutoring, academic success coaching and other academic assistance
for all UNLV undergraduate students. For information regarding tutoring subjects, tutoring times, and other ASC
programs and services, visit http://www.unlv.edu/asc or call 702-895-3177. The ASC building is located across
from the Student Services Complex (SSC). Academic success coaching is located on the second floor of the SSC
(ASC Coaching Spot). Drop-in tutoring is located on the second floor of the Lied Library and College of
Engineering TEB second floor.
Rebelmail
By policy, faculty and staff should e-mail students’ Rebelmail accounts only. Rebelmail is UNLV’s official e-
mail system for students. It is one of the primary ways students receive official university communication such as
information about deadlines, major campus events, and announcements. All UNLV students receive a Rebelmail
account after they have been admitted to the university. Students’ e-mail prefixes are listed on class rosters. The
suffix is always @unlv.nevada.edu. Emailing within WebCampus is acceptable.
Final Examinations
The University requires that final exams given at the end of a course occur at the time and on the day specified in
the final exam schedule. See the schedule at: http://www.unlv.edu/registrar/calendars.
Library Resource
Students may consult with a librarian on research needs. For this class, the Subject Librarian is
(https://www.library.unlv.edu/contact/librarians_by_subject). UNLV Libraries provides resources to support
students’ access to information. Discovery, access, and use of information are vital skills for academic work and
for successful post-college life. Access library resources and ask questions at https://www.library.unlv.edu/.