Syllabus 201 W Fall 2021 AM PDF

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Summary

Syllabus for the class for professor Elaine Silverberg...

Description

SYLLABUS Queens College, CUNY Education Unit Schooling in Diverse Communities: EECE 201-W 6 (44968) Thursdays, 9:10-12 Elaine Silverberg, Ed.D. Office: PH 054 Office hours: 8-9 am prior to class 718-997-5302 [email protected] Lessons are synchronous Office hours: Thursdays, 8-9 AM Zoom info: Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 860 6251 8000 Passcode: 388206 Zoom will start at 8 am for “office hours” Help desk for tech issues: 718-997-4444 or: [email protected] Help for special services: 718-997-5895 or: [email protected] I.

Policies

A. CUNY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY The Policy on Academic Integrity, as adopted by the Board is available to all candidates. Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. This policy and others related to candidates’ issues are available to you at: http://www.qc.cuny.edu/about/administration/Provost/Policies/Documents/CUNYrevisedacademicintegrityfinal6-811.pdf B. USE OF CANDIDATE WORK All teacher education programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by accreditation agencies and the state education department. For these purposes, samples of candidates’ work are made available to those professionals conducting the review. Candidate anonymity is assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. C. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES Candidates with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Special Services Office, Frese Hall, Room 111; 2) bring a letter indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. For more information about services available to Queens College candidates, contact: Special Service Office; Director, Miriam Detres-Hickey, Frese Hall, Room 111; 718-997-5870 (Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. & Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

D. Statement on student wellness: [Sample Text “As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere with learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, substance use, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities.] QC services are available free of charge. You can learn more about confidential mental health services available on campus at: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/StudentLife/services/counseling/counseling/]

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The Syllabus (Just remember it can be changed if conditions arise that require alternative lessons and readings.) THE CURRENCY OF OUR WESTERN WORLD: LITERACY/MATH AND A COLLEGE DEGREE

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is aligned with the Core Values of the Education Unit of promoting Equity, Excellence, and Ethics in urban schools and communities. More specifically, the Education Unit is committed to preparing teachers and other school professionals who: a) build inclusive communities that nurture and challenge all learners; b) demonstrate professionalism, scholarship, efficacy, evidence-based practice and reflection; and c) value diversity, democracy, and social justice. B. "This course is a Writing Intensive (W) course and fulfills one Writing Intensive requirement. W classes include a significant portion of time devoted to writing instruction. This may include things such as revision workshops, discussions of rhetorical strategies, or reflective writing about writing assignments." FIFTEEN pages of evaluated writing are required; this includes revising one or more assignments after I have provided feedback. There will be more focused attention in class to writing instruction. Three hours of classroom time will be devoted to writing instruction.

C. COURSE LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES This course examines the historical, philosophical, cultural roots and social dimensions of contemporary education as part of the configuration of change within American life. It focuses on educational changes for children and immigrants of present-day urban areas. The course deals with the configuration of urban-rural problems, resources, and possible alternative schools in selected cities. This course meets the human relations requirement of the New York City school system. The objective of the primary sources you will read is to engage you in an intellectual dialogue as if your job were “policy analyst.” My goals for engagement and analysis are to have you wrestle with the many problems confronting education and people from a variety of perspectives. 2

You will explore the relationships between the social sciences and education, making us more sensitive to diverse ethnic/racial/socioeconomic groups within the United States. In the words of Michael Apple (1996), by understanding the conflicts that surround the institution of schooling and education, we will achieve the ability to “name the world differently” (Michael Apple, 1996). Aside from understanding the dynamics of schooling in diverse communities, we will also work diligently on our writing skills.

D. REQUIRED READINGS Virtually all readings will be sent electronically and are on BLACKBOARD. You do NOT have to purchase any book. Please PRINT OUT the readings and downloads for the week unless you can highlight the documents on your laptop/ipad. E. ABSENCES/LATENESS/LEAVING EARLY You are allowed ONLY 3 absences for this class. If there are extenuating circumstances, please notify me. The same holds true for lateness and if you need to leave early. Any abuse of either absences or lateness will result in a change of grade. NOTE: If you have any problems or circumstances that you would like me to be aware of so that I can evaluate your work appropriately or send out alternative readings, please contact me via e-mail. Do NOT wait until the end of the semester. Do not hesitate to email if you have any questions. F. ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES AND GRADING PLAN  

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1- I send out the readings. I do not want anything taken from the internet in place of what I send out. You will be writing essays of various lengths (2-4 pages) depending on the reading assignment. An essay is a thoughtful, critical evaluation of what is read. However, for our class, I do not want your opinion (“I believe…I liked…) but an evaluation of how the author presents his/her argument. (The author wrote on page X that charter schools are…but the author does not provide evidence for his argument, or the evidence is not logical, etc.) Insert quotations and page numbers from the articles I send out. Essays require short quotations/references to the text but they should NOT fill the essay: no excessive use of quotations. In other words, I do not want to read a blurb from a book jacket or chapter. It is your job to create a theme, a thread of meaning from the readings. PUT WHAT YOU READ INTO YOUR OWN WORDS! Check sentence structure and create paragraphs! I will not accept hand-written work. YOU MAY NOT SUBMIT AN ESSAY ON A READING AFTER WE HAVE DISCUSSED IT IN CLASS. I cannot help you when I receive papers the last week of class. In addition, if you have any need for a modification of the style in which the homework is to be submitted, please inform me at the beginning of the semester via email so that adjustments can be made in a timely manner. My goal is to see that you gain new insights into the world of schools and schooling and get a grade for the course. Your goals and responsibilities are to read, write, attend class and submit the homework prior to the end of class in December. You will not be permitted more than 3 absences without incurring damage to your grade. 3

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Written homework assignments: You will write three 3-4- page (22% for each-12% for observation paper and 22% for each week’s short quiz-each quiz is 2 points approximately) critical analyses of any readings of your choice listed in the syllabus or any additional readings I send out. (YOU ARE NOT TO WRITE ON ANY ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES UNLESS I ASSIGN IT. Please do not revise an essay unless I ask you.) 1-The grade is based on the quality of how well you explore the issues presented in the reading and the quality of the writing; 2-Refer to the author’s definitions of concepts, the solutions posed, and how they relate to children, parents, communities, schools and classrooms. At the top of the paper list 3-4 bullet points of the main ideas you want to discuss. The bullet points are like a shopping list with the most important things you need to include and address in the essay. 3-You are to include at least three quotations with page number to substantiate your thesis. Please do not personalize the analysis with “I believe…” or “I think…” Instead, “The author writes on p. X…and concludes…” 4-Your final grade is based not only on the 3 essays, the observation paper, quizzes, but also on each week's forum discussion (including your participation on zoom). 5- In addition, remember, this course and these assignments are meant to help us write a more formal college report as well as introduce us to the myriad of complexities that face schools and communities. A SIMPLE RUBRIC FOR PROOF READING YOUR PAPERS

1-Did I put bullet points at the top of the paper to anchor what I will discuss? 2-Did I create a theme or thesis? Did I present the author's alternative argument? 3-Does each paragraph follow through with the development of the thesis? (Did I connect the dots?) 4-Did I give supporting evidence (quotations) with page numbers from the text? 5-Could I have deleted details that are not significant or important to the story line? 6-Did I wrap up the ideas presented in a convincing conclusion? 7-In order to implement the new writing requirements (and view this as an experiment), I am requesting that with each reading you make a list of what you consider the most important points. Not everything is “important,” however, after you have read each article, find the “main idea of the story.” From the main idea you will create a few bullet points (no more than three or four), and facts/opinions that the author presents. We will do this as a “do now” in class to gain proficiency in highlighting what is important. This is another form of “taking notes” as you read. At the top of your essay paper, include the bullet points for the reading. Again, these are anchor points, as if it were a shopping list of your most important groceries.

o The essays must be submitted PRIOR to the class in which the reading(s) will be discussed: NOT AFTER WE DISCUSS IT IN CLASS. No hand-written work will be accepted.  Please use New Times Roman, font 12, and 1.5 spaces. o Please put your name, the title of the article and the author at the top of the first page. G. OBSERVATION REQUIREMENTS: 4

EECE 201: Schooling in Diverse Communities: Course Description in conjunction with the video observations: This course is designed to provide an understanding of the social dynamics within classrooms, communities and families. It focuses on the interaction between diverse social groups and school systems. Among the major topics are: community socioeconomic factors, interventions such as pre-k, charter schools and other school sectors (elite, private or religious), and the purposes of these alternative types of schoPols. Various communities experience schooling and are influenced by it in accordance with the goals of family and other significant members of a community. This course requires 10 hours of field work with young children. (3 hours, 3 credits) Fieldwork Requirements This course has a ten-hour fieldwork requirement. Your fieldwork hours are split between two assignments: (1) video analysis and (2) a short essay response to the videos. Completion of both assignments satisfies your field work requirement. If one (or both) assignments are not completed, not only will you not receive any points for the assignment(s), you will also have incomplete hours for your fieldwork experience. Video Analysis 3 fieldwork and observation hours include: 1. Watching assigned videos for classroom interactions. Consider the theories we have discussed: social capital and cultural capital (in the form of language competence). 2. Essay discussion of each of the videos viewed. Put the name of the video and its link in the paper. 3. Given that each video presentation will be unique, you can be creative in how you present what you have learned, found positive, negative, or just interesting.

EECE Department Syllabus Addendum for Clinical Experience PLEASE NOTE MORE VIDEOS WILL BE ADDED AND YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED HOW THEY ALIGN WITH THE SYLLABUS Assignment # 1 Assignment # 2 Assignment # 3 Schooling and Latinos: THINK ABOUT, WRITE THINK ABOUT, WRITE THOUGHTS Description of THOUGHTS FOR BB, WILL FOR BB, WILL MEET TO DISCUSS ON assignment: Achieving the American dream: MEET TO DISCUSS ON ZOOM: CAPTURING THE Beyond elementary school ZOOM: SOCIAL DYNAMICS ALL ASSIGNMENTS WILL INCLUDE Unequal education: Katrina OF SCHOOLING IN WRITTEN EVALUATION OF WHAT YOU VARIOUS TYPES OF SAW AND CONNECTING IT TO PAST AND Sumner A good addition to Obama COMMUNITIES AND PRESENT READINGS CURRENT ISSUES 1-Communities without Wifi during pandemic 2-Raising the Future-PBS

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Due date: Number of hours required: 10 Online tools required or recommended: Videos

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/howdistance-learning-illuminates-disparitiesamong-students-and-teachers PBS NEWS HOUR

https://youtu.be/7O7BMa9XGXE

https://youtu.be/PRTAF2VnJMo

Grading criteria or points assigned: Percentage of overall course grade: 12% Special notation for attention to diverse student populations (if applicable): N/A Special notation for use of technology (if applicable):N/A

THE OBSERVATION PAPER WILL COUNT AS 12% OF THE GRADE. H. Each week we will discuss current events in education. The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize us with current issues and names and enable us to debate the merits of these issues. In general, there is news about education almost every day and it need not be just about US/NYC education but may include international issues as well. Everyone should be prepared to discuss one article each week but only from the NY Times. The OP-ED page may be used and please examine Letters to the Editor to gain a wider perspective on the issues. I. COURSE TOPICS/READINGS AND WEEKLY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Schedule of classes and topics: The schedule of readings is tentative in view of the fact that new issues might arise as the school session progresses. I will create a class list and inform everyone via e-mail of the next session’s readings. If you have any questions or problems, inform me of the issue and I will adjust the requirements. Also, as I am "building" this syllabus, I realize that some lessons will spill over to the following week. I will put on BB each week’s lesson and readings including videos. As you read or watch, keep in mind the social/sociological aspects of this course as suggested by its title. Think structural forces: poverty, race, ethnicity, gender, health and housing, and location (urban, rural). Please send all responses or papers to [email protected] because going in and out of BB is time consuming for me. Each week there will be a short-one or two question quiz on the reading/s. Each quiz will be a point but it will keep us all on target. I will also call on you in a random fashion to reinforce the readings for the week. Since this is a writing class, I will send out the quiz question Monday or Tuesday and I am requiring a very short written response to be emailed to the above email. I want all communications to be as

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grammatically correct as possible (and yes, I have made mistakes, too, when I send out a response quickly-I am not above the grammatical law!) So, one page or less is required to respond to a question. Keep in mind that many of our readings will deal with various forms of diversity that constitute schooling in diverse communities. There will be a general discussion of major educational topics and issues: the goals of American education, testing, charter schools, small schools, elite schools, integrated versus segregated schools, and teachers. To explore: What does it take to succeed academically? We will read "Peace without Land" by Gary Natriello to introduce social capital. We will go over general information/data about college graduation rates given that we live in an era of "College for All." The first few weeks we will explore prominent issues in education: the pandemic, critical race theory and privilege, pre-k, and the fight over entrance exams at elite high schools. Aug. 26- Lesson 1 – We will introduce ourselves and I will provide my background information. We will discuss how our families and experiences are reflected in our educational goals. We will also look at some current issues and problems in education and schooling. Introductory readings in “class” -Natriello: Peace without Land, Heckman’s 15 points; theories of cultural capital, social capital and human capital; and We Will Miss English Class. In order to under how structural forces create barriers that prevent some groups and communities from taking advantage of the schooling process, we will read: “I Desegregated the University of Georgia: History is still in the making,” by Charlane Hunter-Gault, Jan. 9, 2021, New York Times. Sept. 2-Lesson 2-We will read several short articles on the effects of the pandemic on schooling, including one about college students, “We Miss English Class.” As we read this article we will see how schooling in diverse communities affects educational attainment. We will also watch PBS: “Raising the Future.” We will also touch on critical race theory. Video on Japanese childcare: ht t ps : / / y out u. be/ 1qRf qboYWNo Video on childcare in Oklahoma: ht t ps : / / y out u. be/ wbWRWeVe1XE

Sept. 9-Lesson 3: Conflicts over entry into elite high schools. We will also read what it is like inside an elite high school in School of Dreams as well as a chapter from Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man on his experiences at Stuyvesant High School. We will also read about after school programs called Hagwons which demonstrate why and how Asians are so invested in getting into elite programs. I also have video about the hagwons. THERE IS NO CLASS SEPT. 16. Sept. 23-Lesson 4-We delve into the importance of pre-k and a comparison of two different communities in Boston: The Most Important Year, chapters 1 and 2. The Most Important Year is about the need for quality - pre-k day care and how different communities provide that care. DATAABOUTHOW PANDEMI CHASAFFECTEDENROLLMENTWewi l l l ookatt hi sar t i cl ei ncl ass

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Sept. 30-Lesson 5- We continue with the above book with chapters on reading and math at the pre-k level. Oct. 7-Lesson 6-Charter schools and the need or demand for alternative schools in urban areas. I will lay the groundwork for why low-income communities are opting out of public schools and demonstrate through data additional causes for public school rejection. We will watch the movie Waiting for Superman and read several chapters from the book Finding Superman. Waiting for Superman -which is about the lottery system that is used to recruit students into a charter school. Homework for this lesson is reading Ravitch: “The Myth of Charter Schools.” YOU CAN WATCH MOVIE AT HOME. SEE BELOW. https://digitalcampus.swankmp.net/qccuny370202#/digitalCampus/browse You will need to log in with their library barcode to get access. Once you get to the site, you should identify as STUDENT. You can either search for Waiting for Super...