Current Semester's Courses

Spring 2013 Courses in Education

EDUC 10100-01 Literacy for the Middle/Secondary School Teacher LA
2 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Katherine Crawford-Garrett, Phillips Hall 194-Q, ext. 45105, kcrawfordgarrett@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to students from all areas of the college, and of all years. Designed for teacher education students in Humanities and Sciences.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this course is to acquaint the pre-service, secondary educator with the field of literacy while exploring the relationships between the content areas and language, culture, and education. This goal is achieved through the integration of national, state, and institutional standards. The content provides prospective middle- and secondary-level teachers with an understanding of the theory and process of literacy development and how it can be integrated with discipline-specific curricula and pedagogies. Topics include theories behind language and literacy development, the cognitive consequences of literacy and language, secondary-level reading and writing as a process, media literacy, and an introduction to discipline-specific literacy. Course readings, curriculum development, and fieldwork are required assignments.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The course instructor will employ a variety of the following teaching-learning strategies: lecture, discussion, inquiry-based learning, hands-on problem solving, cooperative learning, case studies analysis, and modeling techniques.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 20000-01 Education and Society 1 H LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Mo Baptiste, Phillips Hall 194-O, ext. 45164, mbaptiste@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 22
PREREQUISITES: None
STUDENTS: Open to students from all areas of the college, and of all years.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Open elective for students interested in exploring educational issues and the interaction between schools and society. Includes study of the history and philosophy of U.S. education, educational systems in other countries, and research and opinion concerning contemporary educational policy and practice. Students use course materials as a lens for reflecting on their own school experience and for developing informed positions about how to improve U.S. schools
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar with a few lectures and papers
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 20100-01 Technology for the Middle/Secondary School Teacher NLA
2 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Dennis Charsky, 351 Roy Park Hall, ext. 41745, dcharsky@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 19
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Open ONLY to students in teacher education programs and Speech-Language Pathology
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the concepts and skills necessary for applying/using information technology in educational settings. Topics include basic computer/technology operations and concepts, terminology, modes of access, manipulation of data, installation and use of software, basic troubleshooting, use of a variety of peripheral devices, social and ethical issues, and the pedagogical uses of various technologies. Projects require integrating and applying concepts and skills developed in the course to students’ fields in the teaching profession. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 21910-01, 02 Early Field Experience: Theory and Practice LA TE
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Teresa Michel, Phillips Hall 194-P, ext. 41422, tmichel@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Open ONLY to students who have declared a teaching option major in the School of Humanities and Sciences or in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This experiential course fulfills 50 of the 100 hours of field experience that must precede student teaching, as required by New York State. Students are placed in local public schools where they work with elementary or middle school students under the close supervision of classroom teachers. They also keep reflective journals and attend weekly seminars on campus where they read, write about, and discuss research on diverse teaching strategies for diverse learners. Students then put theory into practice in their field placements and begin to acquire professional skills as they learn to create safe and motivational learning environments that encourage all students to become actively involved. Each student also chooses an aspect of his or her own teaching practice and seeks to improve it through the process of individual action research.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: The course meets MWF for the first several weeks. Once placements are made and the field experience begins the class forms into small seminar groups that meet weekly with the course instructor, which allows for more individual attention.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Blocks of unscheduled time between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. are necessary as students spend approximately 5 hours per week (usually two days per week) in the school plus transportation time (allow 30 min. each way). Students travel to and from their placements via personal or public transportation. Weekly seminar attendance and reflective journals, action research project, midterm and final assignments are required. A-F

EDUC 22000-01 Issues in Elementary Education LA SS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Cathrene Connery, Phillips Hall 194B, ext. 47382, cconnery@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Investigates contemporary issues in elementary education, including historical development of classroom practice (emphasis on reading instruction); philosophical and psychological theories of learning; women’s role in elementary school teaching; children’s literature and storytelling in child development; impact of societal problems on children and families; media literacy initiatives in elementary schools; assessment practices; conflict resolution; family involvement in children’s schooling; multicultural understandings; calls for, and examples of, school reform. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, seminar
GRADING REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 22900-01 Second Language Acquisition: Its Nature and Meaning for Educators LA SS
2 credits
INSTRUCTOR: John Storm, Muller 415, ext. 41190, jstorm@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course explores the process of second language acquisition both from a theoretical standpoint and with a focus on the personal experience of the learner. In this way, readings and discussions on some of the salient theoretical frameworks are juxtaposed and complemented with an examination of how we—as potential second language learners ourselves—acquire language and what this represents cognitively and emotionally. In this way, students make meaning of the conceptual content through the study of vignettes of actual second language learners and a self-reflection of their own. Implications in terms of instructional approaches and strategies are examined and contrasted with what we frequently see in our public school classrooms.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 23900-01 Educating Students with Special Needs LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Peter Martin, Phillips Hall 194C, ext. 41076, pmartin@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing. 
STUDENTS: Open only to teacher education students in the School of Humanities & Sciences and the School of Music.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The primary aim of the course is to familiarize the student with definitions, issues, dilemmas, and instructional practices that currently underlie special education. The objective is for students to understand what special education means (in theory as well as in practice), how to approach the challenges and opportunities it represents, and what this means for teachers and advocates. On another level the course presents a perspective on all students that highlights what is particular about each of them in terms of their backgrounds, experiences, and other relevant distinguishing features. The point is that special education in its truest sense seeks to understand and address what is special in each individual child. Includes a field-based experience of 15 hours.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: In addition to discussing, reading, and writing about critical issues regarding the theoretical, legal, and methodological foundations of teaching exceptional children, the class examines cases of actual students, writes instructional pamphlets on IDEA and the major disabilities and explores the IEP process through extensive role playing. 
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 29003-01: Special Topics in Education: Understanding and Imagining Schools LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Peter Martin, Phillips Hall 194C, ext. 41076, pmartin@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The primary purpose of the course is to explore current issues in urban education through case studies of actual schools, including how school funding, educational legislation, outside social structures, and political climate dictate limitations and possibilities for what schools do and to how they define themselves. In the course, we will examine what roles urban schools are assigned and what their purposes seem to be, what places they occupy in their community, and what philosophies or sense of mission and vision underlie them. Students will explore some of the most prominent issues individual urban schools are faced with and the specifics of the populations they serve. Students will also study trends in the organizational structures of urban schools and their affiliations; schools’ social and economic contexts; and the debates that surround the current movements for school reform. As a culminating project, students will cooperatively design their own, ‘ideal’ public schools, addressing the various issues and real-world constraints they have explored throughout the course.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and seminar
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: A-F

EDUC 34000-01 to 04 Social and Cultural Foundations of Education 1 H LA SS TE
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS: Sections 01 and 02, Moise Baptiste, Phillips Hall 194O, ext. 45164, mbaptiste@ithaca.edu
Sections 03 and 04, Terresa Michel, Phillips Hall 194P, ext. 41422, tmichel@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Three social science or humanities courses
STUDENTS: Open to all Ithaca College students who meet the prerequisites 
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course engages students in a critical analysis of many contemporary educational issues and presents substantial information drawn from research, history, and multiple perspectives for the purpose of helping students become more culturally skilled and effective educators in classrooms, schools, and communities. Issues are analyzed in terms of their historical, philosophical, social, cultural, economic, and political contexts and in light of relevant theory and research. In the process, students are encouraged to develop an approach to education and teaching that serves all students fairly and effectively while contributing to the ongoing improvement of our democratic society. The goals of the course are for students: 1) to develop a critically reflective approach to analyzing educational issues, 2) to develop knowledge about and an understanding of effective, equitable, democratic educational practices, especially as these relate to contemporary social, cultural, and political issues in schools, 3) to develop understanding of and knowledge about multicultural, culturally competent teaching, for the purpose of working effectively with diverse youth and families, and 4) to apply this knowledge and perspective, in discussion and projects, to the worlds of teaching and school reform. The course is designed for students to engage and apply course materials, issues, information, and questions as these relate to their own areas of teaching and educational interest.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, films, small-group work
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Selected readings, papers/projects, class presentation, participation in class discussion; A-F

EDUC 41210-01 Seminar in Reflective Practice LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTORS: Jeane Copenhaver-Johnson, Phillips Hall 194F, ext. 43608, jcopenhaverjohnson@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Admission to Professional Education; grade of B or better in Pedagogy and Practice sequence
STUDENTS: Open to H&S undergraduate students enrolled in a teaching-option major and concurrently enrolled in EDUC 49810, the Professional Semester in Education.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course serves as the reflective component of student teaching, where students will analyze their teaching and confront issues facing them as new teachers. Students will design and prepare their professional portfolios. This course addresses specific New York State Teaching Standards and New York State Education Department regulations.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, seminar, discussion
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F

EDUC 49810-01 to 05 Professional Semester in Education NLA
12 credits
INSTRUCTORS: Section 01: Carla Stetson, cstetson@ithaca.edu; 
Section 02: Cristina Gomez, cgomez@ithaca.edu;
Section 03: John Storm, jstorm@ithaca.edu;
Section 04: Zenon Wasyliw, wasyliw@ithaca.edu; and
Section 05: Elizabeth Bleicher, ebleicher@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: Admission to Professional Education; grade of B or better in Pedagogy and Practice sequence; Admission to Student Teaching
STUDENTS: Open to H&S undergraduate students enrolled in a teaching-option major and concurrently enrolled in EDUC 41210, Seminar in Reflective Practice.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A full semester of observation and supervised teaching at both the middle and high school levels. Additional coursework requires permission of department chair and coordinator of teacher education. Full-time teaching experience.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Supervised field experience
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: A-F