Human Relations for the Classroom Teacher

07B:180:A01

Class Time: 9:30 a.m. -10:20 a.m.

Class Meeting Days: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays

Class Location: N223 LC

Instructor:  Valerie Nyberg

Office:  N496LC

Office Hours:  Mondays, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.;
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; and by appointment

Contact e-mail: valerie-nyberg@uiowa.edu

Work phone: 319-335-5042

Course Coordinator: Scott McNabb, Ph.D.

Office:  N432 LC

Office Phone:  319-335-5377

Syllabus Navigator:

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Course Description

Intended for pre-service elementary and secondary teachers, this course focuses on the various elements (i.e. social, cultural, linguistic, etc.) which may help or hinder classroom instruction.  When considering teaching diverse student populations, it's important to consider the multilayered factors that contribute to students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to reach and/or teach their students.  This class will be a reflection and discussion class that will examine stereotypes, prejudices, biases, and beliefs.  Students are expected to: a) reflect thoughtfully on class activities and discussions; b) begin forming a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning in diverse classrooms and c) demonstrate reflexivity in regards to teaching and learning practices.

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Required Texts

Notable Selections in Multicultural Education. (2000).  Noel, Jana (Ed.). Gulliford, Connecticut: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.

The Jossey-Bass Readers. (2002). Gender in Education. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Course pack—available at Zephyrs.

 

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Course Objectives

The aim of this course is three-fold:

1.      To increase awareness and sensitivity to the roles of "teacher" and "student" which are bound by the situated values, beliefs, life styles, experiences, and attitudes learned from their separate and shared social, cultural, and societal positions.

2.      To develop an understanding of students from diverse communities in order to create classroom communities that seek to "transgress" boundaries and borders.

3.      To provide points of view, and ideas of diversity, and extended conversations in order to begin developing a pedagogical approach so you may enact them within the classroom.

As a way to help focus the above goals, this course is organized around a number of themes, which we will explore in depth over the next semester.   Some essential questions which we will explore and discuss are:

1.      How is teacher identity formed?

·         How is our identity as teachers formed by our family, environment (location and/or condition), culture, experiences in school and through other relationships?

·         How are our views of teaching practices shaped by our own identities?

·         To what extent are our views and evaluations of students shaped by our own experiences and views of the role of "teacher"?

2.      What is diversity?

·         What are the variety of factors that contribute to teachers and students' notions of diversity?

·         How can diversity serve of an instrument or tool of instruction?  How can it inform teaching practices?

·         To what extent is what is considered "right"/"correct" or what is privileged in the diverse classroom also a matter of who occupies position(s) of power and why?

3.      How do teachers approach teaching students from diverse populations?

·         How does race, ethnicity, culture, language, class, sexual orientation, gender etc. impact the ways in which teachers "read" or assess their students' views and representations in the classroom?

·         How are such factors (listed above) related to student performance and levels of school-based literacy attainment?

·         What are ways in which teachers can better incorporate these factors into their instruction in order to create classroom communities of learning and how is this related to a wider distribution of power relations?

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Over the course of the semester, we will explore the central themes of identity, racism/prejudice, White privilege, language and literacy, social class, gender, and LGBT issues as a way to consider how we come to the teaching profession and how our students come to our classrooms.  Throughout this course, you should approach your reading experiences ready to engage with the texts as you attempt to make them your own.  When teachers consider themselves as learners within the classroom, they begin to read the text of the classroom and discover the multitude of ways in which those within the community are learning to negotiate the same shared space.  Initially, you may experience difficulty and even disequilibrium, but much like your future students, these can become tools and sites for the development of new thought and continued growth to the point that simple multicultural or traditional diversity training will seem simplistic.

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Course Requirements

Writing Assignments: (20%)

During the course of the semester, you are responsible for three writing assignments.  Each paper is intended for you to discuss the observations you've made and experiences you've had as well as to begin reflecting on those factors.

1. Student Autobiography: 

In order to see and learn how situated we, as teachers, are within our own cultural, social, and situated experiences, students are asked to write an autobiography of themselves as students.  This is not meant to be comprehensive in the least, but it is meant to demonstrate the notions, values, and perspectives we have gained as students in regards to our experiences with teachers.  In addition, it also shows us how it is that we have come to desire teaching as a profession and in turn, what it is we hope or expect from our students.  Ultimately, this material is meant to demonstrate how we can become reflexive in our approach to ourselves and to our students when we consider what informs us and why we take such stances, views, etc. in regards to teaching.  Due: September 6^th.

2. Student Case Study: 

During weeks four and five you and a will take the opportunity to complete a case study on a student from a different background than your own.  The goal is to meet, interview, and observe a student for a single day.  From this "data" you will construct a case that demonstrates a snap-shot of who that student is within and outside of school and document the different social communities with their multilayered rules and discourse that the student negotiates as well as see the student as a rounded, fluid individual. Due: September 25^th.

3. Teacher Case Study: 

During weeks eight and nine, you will have the opportunity to take the skills you've gained from your own autobiography, the student case study and the perspectives shared through the reading to complete a case study on a teacher.  It's important to consider where the teacher is in his/her professional development, then use the interview and classroom observation of at least two class periods to form a "snap shot" of the teacher and his/her practices.  Due: October 30^th.

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Learning Journal/Reflection Paper: (10%)

Each week, "reread" the class/conference/assignments/HR Lecture you have had that week and write a 1-page typed journal entry which makes comments on and reflects about the week's activities.  Do you see connections, disconnections, interesting perspectives, patterns, questions, or comments that you hadn't previously considered?  These will begin at the end of the second week and continue throughout the semester.  On alternating weeks (see reading schedule) you are asked to write a longer 3-page reflection paper based on the readings and issues we've discussed in that theme cycle.

Presentations: (20%)

In addition to the writing assignments, during this semester, you will have two presentation opportunities.  These are intended to add additional favor, and focus to the course as well as to give you an opportunity to begin using your own voice in order to help "educate" us.

1. Book Talk/Review:

You are required to read one book from a list of books provided in class (or, with approval, one of your own choosing).  You will present this book to the class in a 10 minute presentation which will be accompanied by a 1-page handout summarizing the main points of the text.  Your top three book choices are due the second week of class.  Depending on the book's subject matter, presentation dates will vary, in an effort to align the book talk/review with the larger class discussions and readings.

2. Midterm Project:

Based on the readings and videos discussed in class, you will identify a topic or an issue which you would like to learn more information.  Working either independently or in pairs, you will gather research on your chosen subject (books, articles, websites, videos, etc.), thoroughly read/investigate the research, and present what you found to the class.  These presentations are meant to provide an informal forum for teaching the class about the subjects that we don't have time to cover in class.  You should plan on speaking for approximately 10 minutes and should have some form of visual (i.e. handout, PowerPoint, etc.) to accompany your presentation.  Due: October 2^nd.

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ESL: (15%)

I will help you to arrange a time to spend one hour per week for six weeks throughout the semester working with an international student or in structured, supervised settings.  We realize that this project requires an extra time commitment, but it is a valuable opportunity to experience working with someone from a different culture, who may speak a different language, and who probably has a very different perspective on the United States and/or the world.  We also realize that this may not be a first-time experience for many of you, but as a "teacher", this project places you in a role that encourages interaction, patience, empathy, and a willingness to teach and learn.  At the end of the semester, you will report on your ESL experiences to the class. Due: November 27^th.

Final Examination: (20%)

Your final exam is a comprehensive test consisting of short answer questions covering various readings and topics presented in the Human Relations lectures.  Be prepared not only to recall information on a given topic, but also to argue the pro/con sides of various multicultural issues as well as apply what you have learned to a given classroom scenario(s).

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Other Requirements

Attendance:

You are expected to attend and participate actively in all class discussions.  You are also expected to complete and critically think about the readings listed on the syllabus (or otherwise assigned).  Since important personal and professional growth occurs through engaging in conversation that challenges your own way of thinking, it is imperative that you are here and that you are an active participant, committed to both your own individual growth and the intellectual growth of your peers.  Please notify me ahead of time if you will not be able to attend a class.

Human Relations Lectures:

As part of this course, you are required to attend the weekly Human Relations lectures.  During the first lecture, Dr. Scott McNabb will pass out the schedule of guest lectures as well as explain both the general expectations and the final exam which covers the lecture series.  The Final Exam is worth 20% of your overall grade, so be prepared to take notes and ask questions about the information presented.

Conferences:

Throughout the semester, each of you will meet with me 3 times for a 15-20 minute conference to discuss the class and/or upcoming assignments.  These conferences are opportunities for you and me to focus on your work and learning.  We will meet in my office or an alternate location.  These meetings are important as they give me time to get to know each student and provide individual feedback; therefore, missing one is like missing a class.

Late Work:

Punctuality also includes completing assignments on time.  When you do an assignment after the fact, the reason for doing it—which is your own and your peers' learning—can be lost.  In order to participate fully in the classroom intellectual community, you MUST have done the necessary groundwork.  For that reason, late assignments will lose 10% value each day that it's late.

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Evaluation

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Course Policies / Accommodations:

Special Accommodations:

It is your responsibility to inform me of any learning style challenges, religious observances, etc., that may require you to receive special accommodations.  Please see me during the first week of class (or during our first conference) to discuss this matter.  University Policy will determine our course of action in establishing these accommodations.  Information regarding these accommodations can be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~sds.

This course follows all University of Iowa guidelines regarding academic policies.  Consult these guidelines online for further detail: http://www.uiowa.edu./~vpss/policies/policies.html

Also, information regarding student complaints and dispute resolution can be found at: http://uiowa.edu/~coedean/policies/student_complaint/index.htm

Information regarding college policy on student academic misconduct can be found at:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~coedean/policies/student_ac_misconduct/index.htm

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Course Outline / Schedule

Human Relations Draft Schedule

Assignments and dates are subject to change and/or revision.
CP (Course Pack); NSME (Notable Selections…); GE (Gender Education)

NOTE: Many of these readings can be categorized in a number of different ways.  Be aware that many of the readings will speak to other readings.  Keep in mind as we read and discuss that it's important to make connections between and among ALL the readings, even when they're separated by weeks.

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