EDUC 211O: INVESTIGATING CRITICAL & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

IN EDUCATION

SPRING 2016
SYLLABUS

FACULTY AND COURSE INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR: DR. ALISON MANN
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Office: Music 112
Email: amann9@kennesaw.edu

CLASS LOCATION: WILSON 221

CLASS MEETING TIMES: TUESDAY/THURSDAY, 11:00-12:15
COURSE COMMUNICATIONS:
Please use email as the primary way to contact with me outside of class. I will only
respond to emails sent to amann9@kennesaw.edu, do not utilize the D2L email
system if you are seeking a response.
Office Hours: Appointments available upon request

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS:
The University provides all KSU students with an official email account with the
address students.kennesaw.edu. As a result of federal laws protecting
educational information and other data, this is the sole email account you
should use to communicate with your instructor or other University
officials and the account by which they will communicate with you.

REQUIRED TEXTS

OR TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES:
Martin, David J. and Kimberly Loomis (2012). Building teachers: A constructivist
approach to introducing education. 2nd edition. [Access code available at KSU
Bookstore] Bundle Not Required
D2L Access

REQUIRED TEXTS

OR

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES:

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EPP Field Experiences Handbook Available at

http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/centers/cepp.
edTPA Handbook and Other Information Link located at
http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/bcoe/epp-syllabus-statementsADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

COURSE DESCRIPTION, CREDIT HOURS, AND PREREQUISITES

EDUC 2110 Investigating Critical and Contemporary Issues in Education.
(2-1-3). Pre-requisite: ENGL 1102. This course engages potential education
candidates in observations and interactions in schools, and analyses of critical and
contemporary educational issues. Candidates investigate issues influencing the
social and political contexts of educational settings in Georgia and the United
States. Candidates actively examine the teaching profession from multiple vantage
points both within and outside the school. Against this backdrop, candidates reflect
on and interpret the meaning of education and schooling in a diverse culture.
Includes the use of current technologies which are directly related to effective
teaching and 15 hours of observation and participation in a P-12 music setting.
Verification of professional liability insurance and a criminal background check are
required prior to receiving a school placement. Verification of the criminal
history check (Certifiedbackground.com) and liability insurance are due
January 29.
Field Experience:
You will have 15 hours of field observations in a school setting, and you must
complete all 15 hours and have a satisfactory field experience evaluation
to pass the class. Verification of professional liability insurance and a
background check (Certifiedbackground.com) are required prior to
receiving a school placement. This must be completed by 01/29/16.
Field placements are contingent upon a clear criminal background check
and verification of professional liability insurance. FAILURE TO MEET THE
DEADLINES WILL RESULT IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE
COURSE.
Background Check through Certifiedbackground.com: KSU has legally binding
agreements with our partner schools and districts. In those agreements, KSU
guarantees that all KSU students have completed and cleared a criminal
background check and that all KSU students carry $1,000.000.00 of tort liability
insurance. Additionally, KSU guarantees that all KSU students will report to their
field placement with a teacher candidate identification badge. All students MUST
complete their criminal background check by the deadline, so it has time to clear
prior to the start of your field experience. While completing your criminal
background check, students are also asked to fill out a personal affirmation form
and a tort liability form. By completing these forms, you are agreeing to report any

[EDUC2110 Mann Spring/16]

arrests for felony or misdemeanor charges that occur while you are enrolled in any
KSU program to the Director of CEPP within 48-hours of arrest. Some arrests may
prevent you from being able to complete the teacher education program. Districts
will run an independent background check at the time of student teaching, so you
must report any arrest ASAP. The tort liability form is your guarantee that you will
keep current a policy for $1,000.000.00 of tort liability insurance during the duration
of your time as a student in a KSU teacher education program. Teacher candidate ID
badges will be assessed through a fee attached to this class.
The Deadline to Sign-up for a Field Experience Placement: You will be given
ample notice of a 24 to 48 hour window of time to sign-up for a field experience on
a designated website. You will receive a confirmation of your placement. Make sure
you save your confirmation as evidence of your placement. Because of the need to

communicate placement requests to the schools in a timely manner, the deadlines for sign-up
are firm. If you fail to sign-up by the deadline, you will need to drop this course because you
cannot pass the course without the field experience. If, for some reason, you go online and
the placement request site is not functioning, you must e-mail DURING the sign-up
time to inform your instructor that you are having an issue with the sign-up, and
you will be given the opportunity to select from the remaining placements. If you do
not contact your instructor, there will be no late placements made, and you will
need to drop the course.

COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS/ACTIVITIES

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GOALS/OBJECTIVES
1. Analyze historical and
philosophical
influences as they
have an impact on
current school trends,
policies, and practices.
2. Demonstrate reflective
writing and critical
thinking within the
context of educator
preparation.
3. Critique the
constitutional, legal,
and ethical
requirements, and
dispositions of the
education profession.
4. Define, identify, and
use the concept of
academic language
within the context of
educator preparation
and schooling.
5. Explore how
sociocultural
differences impact use
of technology in
classrooms, and the
ethical use of
technology.
6. Engage in a field
experience in an
appropriate school
setting and
demonstrate the
dispositions for
teaching.

STANDARDS

ACTIVITIES

CAPS Standard
10
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

CAPS Standard 3
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

Philosophy Statement
Group Project and
Presentation
Field Experience Labs
Online modules

Field Experience Labs

CAPS Narrative
Reflection
Online modules

CAPS Standard 9
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

Field Experience Labs

Ethics module
Online modules

CAPS Standard 1
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

Philosophy Statement
Field Experience Lab
(Academic Language
within the classroom)
Online modules

CAPS Standards
3, 7, & 10
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

Class discussion
Online modules
Group Presentation

Field Experience Labs

Field Experience
Evaluation

CAPS Standards
7, 9, &10
CAEP/PSC Standard
1

*CAEP = Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The CAEP Standards can be
found at this link: http://caepnet.org/standards/introduction
*[SPA = Enter the name(s) and web address for applicable SPAs]
*CAPS = The Candidate Assessment on Performance Standards will be used to evaluate field
experiences. The CAPS can be found at this link:
https://caepnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/breakout_iii_candidate_assessment_on_perfor
mance_standards.pdf

COURSE OUTLINE AND REQUIREMENTS

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Purpose / Rationale
This course is designed to provide the potential teacher candidate with an
opportunity to examine perspectives, issues and concerns held about schools,
learning, and teaching and the implications of these perspectives for educational
practice. The historical, social, legal and philosophical foundations of education will
be examined in depth. An understanding of how foundations have shaped
education in the United States will allow the professional facilitator of learning to
better understand the role of education, schools and teachers in this society.
Potential teacher candidates will participate in an exploration and observation of the
school setting and the roles and responsibilities of the student and the classroom
teacher.

COURSE OUTLINE:
DATE

TOPIC

READING

Week 1

Intro to 2110

Week 2

Effective
Chapter 1
Teaching
Ed Philosophies Chapter 2
Ed Philosophies
Students: Needs Chapter 3
Students:
Chapter 4
Diversity
Students:
Chapter 5
Abilities Safety Chapter 8
Students:
Social Issues
Chapter 12
History
Chapter 10
Government
Chapter 10
Finance
Chapter 11
Legal
Chapter 13
Ethics
Chapter 9
Quiz

Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

ASSIGNMENT
FE Background Check/Liability Insurance

Philosophy Paper Due

D2L Online Assignment/Ethno
powerpoint
Quiz
1/ 1st FE topic Due
Group Project
2nd FE Topic Due
D2L Online Assignments
FE Evaluation/Fe Topics 3 & 4
Ethics Certificate
Narrative

DISCLAIMER:
Parts of this syllabus may change as the need arises. Any changes made will be
clearly communicated and these changes should be expected.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
There is a fee associated with EDUC 2110 that is used to compensate the
cooperating teachers who host KSU candidates in their classrooms.
Satisfactory completion of this course is required for admission to
teacher education. See the Education Student Services (ESS)/Teacher
Education Advising Center (TEAC) web site at
http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/centers/ess/teac/epp-program-admissions/
for more information on applying to teacher education.

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EVALUATION & GRADING SCALE

Grading Scale
90% - 100%
80% - 89%
70% - 79%
60% - 69%
Below 60%

C
D
F

A
Excellent (Model work)
B
Very Good (Exceeds expectations)
Satisfactory (Meets expectations)
Less than satisfactory (Does not meet expectations)
Not passing (Needs improvement before progressing)

ASSIGNMENTS/REQUIREMENTS
Assignment
Getting to Know You/Ethno Presentation
Read Chapter 1, complete building
NO CLASS- GMEA
Read Chapter 2, pgs. 38-56, complete
Read
BB 2.8Chapter 2, pgs. 56-67, complete
NO CLASS- MMEA
Read Chapter 3, pgs. 84-93, complete
Philosophy
Paper DUE
BB 3.11
Read Chapter 4, pgs. 94- 102, complete
Field
Experience Activity 1
BB 4.5
Read Chapter 5, pgs. 123-134,
Field
Experience
complete
BB 5.3 Activity 2
Read Chapter 8, pgs. 195-206, BB 8.2
Read Chapter 12, reading quiz
Group Project
Read Chapter 10, pgs. 248-256, BB
NO
10.3CLASS- MICCA
Read Chapter 10, pgs. 257-283,
complete q 6
Read Chapter 11, pgs. 304-314
Read Chapter 13, BB 13.4
Ethics Certificate
In class writing
Field Experience packet due
Final exam

Points, percentage or
measurement
20

Due Date

20

1/19 or
1/21
1/26
1/28
2/2
2/9
2/11
2/18
2/23
2/25
3/1
3/3
3/10
3/15
3/22
3/24
3/29
3/31
4/12

20
20
20

4/19
4/26
4/28

20
20
20
20
45
20
20
20
20
20
20
40
20

45
20
45

5/3
5/11

COURSE CONTENT:
Passing this course with a grade of C or better as well as the recommendation of
the instructor is required for admission to teacher education.
Assignments:

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1. Philosophy of Education Statement You will write your personal philosophy

of education. Relate your thoughts to the philosophies/philosophers we study, using
the guiding questions from the text. (See chapter two, p. 56, Building Block 2.8 for
guidance.)
2. Getting to Know You/Ethnocultural Presentation You will create a
presentation (Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) with a focus on the most important aspects of
your personal culture and provide examples. This activity will help you understand
your own cultural identity to assist you in responding to your future students. You
will demonstrate one skill outside of music for the class.
3. Ethics Exam- Required for admission to the Teacher Education program.
4. Group Project You will work in a group to present a topic to the class.
5. End of Course Narrative Reflection You will make a connection with the
Candidate Assessment Performance Standards (CAPS) and the online modules,
activities, lectures, and assignments in class and field experience.
6. Field Experience The focus of the field experience is to introduce the KSU
student with teaching and learning experiences with P-12 students in local school
districts. You will participate in a 15-hour field experience as a requirement of this
course. You should spend 2-3 hours per week for 4-5 weeks in your assigned field
placement.
There is a fee associated with EDUC 2110 that is used to compensate the
cooperating teachers who host KSU candidates in their classrooms.
Please visit the website for the Center for Educational Placements and
Partnerships (CEPP, http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/centers/cepp) to complete the
process for signing up for a field experience placement:
Request a placement
Take the Georgia PSC Educator Ethics Entrance Exam
Get proof of liability insurance
Have a criminal history background check
7. Field Experience Labs You will complete 4 activities and provide reflections
on your field experience.
8. Field Experience Evaluation Your participation, professionalism, and
disposition in your field experience placement will be evaluated once during the
semester, at the end of the term.

COURSE POLICIES
Quality communication and commitment: The profession of teaching carries
with it high expectations for appropriateness and excellence in all forms of
communication. Potential teacher candidates whose writing is judged to be in need
of remediation will be directed to the Writing Center or other sources of assistance.
PLEASE USE PROPER SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION IN YOUR ONLINE POSTINGS.

All assignments should be typed and double-spaced in an appropriate font style

and size (12pt.), double-spaced, with no spelling or grammatical errors.

Effective communication skills are expected.

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Assignments are due by class time on the date due unless otherwise specified.

No late work is accepted without approval from the instructor.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Any absence must have a valid excuse. Excessive absences (more than 3) will affect
your grade in the class. Students are solely responsible for managing their
enrollment status in a class; nonattendance does not constitute a
withdrawal.

MAKE-UP

AND LATE WORK POLICY:

No late work will be excepted. All assignments will have a corresponding dropbox on
D2L unless otherwise notated by the teacher or in the syllabus. If you have an
emergency, late work will be analyzed on a case by case basis.

QUIZ/EXAM POLICY:
Quizzes will be announced and the dates are posted in the syllabus. All quizzes will
be given during class time. Make-up exams will be decided by Instructor based on
valid excuse.

COURSE TECHNOLOGY:
For this course, you must have and be proficient in
Using a word processing package.
Using Internet technologies, email, WWW searching, posting files to
Brightspace (formerly d2L).
Opening and navigating MS Powerpoint files
Viewing online movies from YouTube (Flash Player ability to play .swf and
.flv files)
Using a PDF Viewer
Downloading and playingMP3 audio files
Using a media player, either Windows Media Player, Real Player, or Quicktime
Using Java installed with your web browser. The version of Java is important,
so if you run into problems check the UITS website FAQS at
http://uits.kennesaw.edu/banner/faqs.php.

OTHER POLICIES:
ProfessionalismPotential teacher candidates are expected to conduct themselves
with professional behavior that includes effective and respectful collaboration and
communication with colleagues, prompt attendance of all meetings and classes,
moral behavior and actions, appropriate communication with the KSU instructor,
cooperating teacher and university supervisor, professional dress (even on casual
days), proper hygiene, etc. Commitment, determination, motivation, enthusiasm,
collaboration, and willingness to move toward innovation and creativity are highly
valued and noted. Among the factors that will influence this recommendation is the
aspect of professionalism.
If, at any time, a potential teacher candidates actions or attitudes are judged to be
less than professional by a university supervisor, cooperating teacher, principal, or
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other school personnel, appropriate remedial action will be taken. Such action may
include the development of a remediation plan and/or the removal of the candidate
from the FIELD experience. At the schools request, a candidate will be removed
from the field experience. A candidate must have a SUCCESSFUL FIELD
EXPERIENCE to receive a passing grade in EDUC 2110.
When teacher candidates are not successful in their advanced field experiences
(Yearlong Clinical Experience I and II), the area of concern is often that of
professionalism. Behaviors that indicate professional skills may be demonstrated in
a candidates approach to participating in and completing the requirements for any
particular course. Professional behavior will be monitored in this course. Should
concerns arise regarding an individual student, the instructor will communicate
these concerns to the student and to the appropriate teacher education program
coordinator so that he or she may receive remediation before further field
placements. Indicators of professionalism that will be monitored are addressed in
the statements below.
The potential teacher candidate shows acceptable professional ability to:
Assess, reflect upon, and improve professional performance.
Work collaboratively with colleagues, supervisors, students, parents, and
community members.
Show regard for human dignity in all relationships.
Assume responsibility for professional and ethical behavior.

FEEDBACK/REPLIES

IN A TIMELY MANNER:
Response to email and voicemails will be made within a 24 hour period MondayFriday. Feedback on assignments and exams will be provided in a timely manner
unless there are unforeseen circumstances.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL:
March 2nd is the last day to withdraw without academic penalty.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding all provisions of the Student Code of
Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. The Code of
Conduct includes the following:
Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the Universitys policy on
academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating,
unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of
University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or
destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer
facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents
of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established
procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an
informal resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment,
or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of
Conducts minimum one semester suspension requirement.

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Students involved in off-campus activities shall not act in a disorderly or

disruptive fashion, nor shall they conduct any dangerous activity.
Students involved in off-campus activities shall not take, damage or destroy
or attempt to take, damage or destroy property of another.

EDTPA INFORMATION AND

EPP POLICY STATEMENTS

Important information about edTPA and the following EPP Policy

Statements are located at http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/bcoe/epp-syllabusstatements.
1. edTPA Information
2. Video Recording Release Forms for Assignments other than edTPA
3. KSU EPP Conceptual Framework
4. Use of Technology Statement
5. School-Based Activities Statement
6. EPP Diversity Statement
7. Campus Resources Statement

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