Summer 2014 Syllabus

EDLDR 497: Workshop in Special Topics in Educational Leadership

Instructor: Kate Sillman, Ph.D.

INSTRUCTIONAL PHILOSOPHY:  Two options for independent projects will provide teachers the opportunity to either develop a unit or useful set of materials to begin the course within the school year; or to examine their own practice by developing and attempting to answer their own questions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the participants will:

Option 1: Complete a unit or set of instructional materials and other necessary documents, such as a syllabus, for use at the beginning of the school year that will include:

  • Standards, objectives, assessments, handouts
  • Other resources of value to the students’ learning

Option 2: Complete a teacher inquiry / action research project that will be most beneficial to the individual teacher’s practice where the teacher will:

  • Identify question about classroom practice (examples):
    • How is teaching AP courses different from regular education?
    • How is the nature of this work different?
    • How are AP learners the same / different from regular education students?
    • What appropriate lessons / hands-on activities should I add to lectures to help students learn the concepts more effectively?
    • What might be a more appropriate sequencing of lessons to match concept development or the school calendar?
  • Examine current research (find a relevant journal article or article from a credible source)
  • Design a plan
  • Implement plan and collect relevant data
  • Evaluate data / results
  • Reflect/discuss outcome
  • Share project with colleagues, if relevant

COURSE RESOURCES:

  • Textbook / resources required by the Summer Institute instructors
  • Research articles chosen by course instructor and those shared by course participants
  • Most applicable list serves, Internet sites, and other resources to inform specific AP course

COURSE SCHEDULE: Participants will do the following:

DAY 1: Reflect on the Big Ideas (notes) from the day and consider how to apply those Big Ideas to your AP course

DAY 2: Reflect on the Big Ideas (notes) from the day and consider how to apply those to your AP course

DAY 3:

  • Option 1: Start developing a unit or set of instructional materials to use in your AP course
  • Option 2: Develop a teacher research question regarding applying the Summer Institute experiences / materials to teaching AP courses to students

DAY 4:

  • Option 1: Continue developing a unit or set of instructional materials for use in your AP course
  • Option 2: Determine the data to collect as the research is begun during the school year following the Summer Institute

During Institute or before the school year begins (if possible):

  • Option 1:
    • Complete a unit or set of instructional materials for use in your AP course;
    • SUGGESTED BUT OPTIONAL: submit your materials for peer review, revise based on peer review, participate in a peer review for a fellow Summer Institute participant in the same subject area
  • Option 2:
    • Complete teacher research plan;
    • SUGGESTED BUT OPTIONAL: participate in a peer review for a fellow Summer Institute participant in the same subject area

During the School Year (at a time convenient to individual participant):

  • Option 1: Teach unit or set of instructional materials in your AP course, reflect; submit to peers (those in same subject area) in course via email (if convenient)
  • Option 2: Conduct the teacher inquiry project (some or all depending on individual); analyze data in dialogue with course instructor; report the research project to course instructor, share with others as you see as relevant to you

EVALUATION: Participants must:

  • attend each session of the Summer Institute (20 points)
  • complete daily reflections on how to integrate Big Ideas from each day (10 points) – not submitted to instructor
  • develop the unit / set of instructional materials or teacher inquiry project before needed within the school year and submit to course instructor  (60 points)
  • submit to peers / APSI instructors for review AND participate in a peer review for a fellow Summer Institute participant in the same subject area (10 points) - points waived if not feasible
  • Grade:
    • 90-100 points (A)
    • 80-89 points (B)
    • 70-79 points (C)
    • <70 points (F)

BY August 1, 2014, please send the signed agreement below to Dr. Sillman, course instructor.

BY June 26, 2015, please submit materials to Dr. Sillman or the grade originally issued at the end Summer Semester 2014 WILL BE CHANGED to reflect work not submitted; i.e., from ‘A’ to ‘F.’

 

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: 

Kathleen Sillman, Ph.D.  

The Pennsylvania State University                      

176 Chambers Building               

University Park, PA 16802

814-863-8076

814-863-7602 (fax)          

[email protected]                          

 

EDLDR 497: Workshop in Special Topics in Educational Leadership

Summer 2014

Instructor: Kate Sillman, Ph.D.

Please return this signed agreement to Dr. Sillman, course instructor, by August 1, 2014.  THANK YOU!

EVALUATION:

Participants must:

  • Attend each session of the Summer Institute (20 points)
  • Complete daily reflections on how to integrate Big Ideas from each day (10 points) – not submitted to instructor
  • Develop the unit/instructional materials or teacher inquiry project before needed within the school year and submit to course instructor  (60 points)
  • Reflect and submit to fellow course participants via email (10 points)
  • Grading Policy**:
    • 90-100 points (A)
    • 80-89 points (B)
    • 70-79 points (C)
    • <70 points (F)

** Since the course grade is issued at the end of the Summer Semester 2014, the attached form must be signed and sent to the Course Instructor BEFORE GRADES MUST BE ENTERED for the summer semester (August 1, 2014).  In the event that the required materials are not submitted by the end of the school year (June 26, 2015), the grade originally issued WILL be changed to reflect work not submitted; i.e., from ‘A’ to ‘F.’

 

Course Participant name/email:     _______________________________________________ 

(Please PRINT your name / email address)

Course Participant home/work phone number:     _______________________________

(Please PRINT your home/work phone number)

Course Participant address:          _________________________________________________

(Please PRINT your address)

My signature below indicates that I understand the grading policy described in the syllabus for this course:

Course Participant signature:        _____________________________________________             

(Your signature)                                                         

date

Please return this signed agreement to the Dr. Sillman, course instructor, by August 1, 2014.