Course+Syllabus


 * Course Overview**:

This 3-credit course is designed for K-12 educators interested in learning more about which teaching strategies have positive effects on student learning. These strategies are not new, but when teachers use these strategies effectively with their students, the outcome is a measurable difference in student achievement. The following strategies can be used by any teacher at any time, using either traditional teaching tools or using technology:

IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES, SUMMARIZING, NOTE TAKING, REINFORCING EFFORT AND PROVIDING RECOGNITION, HOMEWORK, PRACTICE, NONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, SETTING OBJECTIVES, PROVIDING FEEDBACK

Class participants will... 1. Learn a variety of research-based learning perspectives and the implications of each in supporting sound classroom instruction. 2. Design lessons and units that incorporate research-based teaching and learning strategies. 3. Reflect on current instructional practice and research-based strategies. 4. Participate in class blog discussions.
 * Course Goals:**

All students are expected to act with civility, personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for self and others and a civil community.
 * Academic Integrity:**

Academic integrity includes a commitment to not engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty include cheating or copying, plagiarizing, submitting another persons' work as one's own, using Internet sources without citation, fabricating field data or citations, "ghosting" (taking or having another student take an exam), stealing examinations, tampering with the academic work of another student, facilitating other students' acts of academic dishonesty, etc.

Students charged with a breach of academic integrity will receive due process and, if the charge is found valid, academic sanctions may range, depending on the severity of the offense, from F for the assignment to F for the course.

The University's statement on academic integrity, from which the above statement is drawn, is available at http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/aappm/G-9.html

For 3 credits, participants will attend each class session, participate for a minimum of one hour per day in blogging sessions, do the readings for those sessions, keep a journal which will be turned in to the instructors after each session, and complete a final project.
 * Assignments and Grading:**

Participants will post reflections about the CITW teaching strategies and their implications on a blog. In addition, they post responses to reflections of others in the course on their blogs.
 * __Reflective Response__** 25 points (5 per entry)

Preparation for and participation in class are important aspects of involvement in this course. Contributions influence participant learning as well as that of their colleagues. It is our desire to build a supportive, respectful classroom community where all feel safe and encouraged to share their ideas and their experiences. Participants will earn participation points by being well prepared and participating both verbally and non-verbally in small and large group class activities and by participating regularly in online activities. Unexcused absences or repeated lateness will result in the loss of one letter grade in class participation. Participants will incorporate activities using the Classroom Instruction That Works strategies into an existing unit. The lesson plans must clearly show the integration of course concepts and include the rationale for the selection of the particular strategy within the lesson plan. The completed lesson plan(s) from the adapted unit must be posted to the individual's blog no later than Friday, August 21st. A = 93-100 pts. C+ = 77-79 A- = 90-92 C = 70-76 B+ = 87-89 Less than 70 = F B = 83-86 B- = 80-82
 * __Participation__** 45 points (Blog (30) & Class (15))
 * __Final Assignment__** 30 points
 * __Grading Scale__**

In order to address the special requests to facilitate learning of any students with disabilities, including those with hearing and sight loss, it is necessary for those students to inform the course instructor who will bring these requests to the attention of the Administrative Assistant.
 * Statement of Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990:**

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