EDUC_270

Santa Clara University

School of Education and Counseling Psychology

Department of Education

Course alternates weekly with the Clinical Practicum seminar

Meeting Dates: Week 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 of each quarter means we start the first week of class. Week 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of each quarter means we start the second week of class.

EDUC 270-1 Wednesdays, 1:30-3:30, GH #150, 1/6, 1/20, 2/3, 2/17, 3/2

EDUC 301-1

EDUC 270-2 Wednesdays, 1:30-3:30, GH #150, 1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/9

EDUC 301-2

EDUC 270-3 Thursdays, 1:30-3:30, ESJ #109, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/10

EDUC 301-3

EDUC 270-5 Fridays, 4:00-6:00, Guadalupe Hall #150, 1/15, 1/29, 2/12, 2/26, 3/11

EDUC 301-5

Instructor: Mr. Scott Baumgartner

Email: sbaumgartner@scu.edu

Office/Telephone: Guadalupe Hall Rm. # 249, 408-551-3528

My Cell: 541-485-4185

Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-4 pm, and by appointment

Mission and Goals of the Department of Education

Rooted in the Jesuit tradition at Santa Clara University, the mission of the Department of Education is to prepare professionals of competence, conscience, and compassion who will promote the common good as they transform lives, schools, and communities. Our core values of reflective practice, scholarship, diversity, ethical conduct, social justice, and collaboration guide both theory and practice.

Faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Education:

● Make student learning our central focus

● Engage continuously in reflective and scholarly practice

● Value diversity

● Become leaders who model ethical conduct and a commitment to social justice

● Seek collaboration with others in reaching these goals

Course Description

Building on the foundational work completed in EDUC 250/275-Ethics, Diversity, and Reflection and EDUC 254/279- Teaching Diverse Learners in Inclusive Classrooms, this 3-course sequence is designed to sustain and deepen preliminary teaching credential candidates’ engagement in the moral work of teaching (MWT). In each class session, candidates will (1) read, analyze, and discuss case studies written by the 2015 MATTC program completers; and (2) examine and discuss ethical dilemmas they personally experienced in their placements within the past two weeks. The candidates’ ethical challenges will be analyzed collaboratively using a variety of philosophical perspectives and interpreted in relation to the existing research on TK-12 teachers’ professional decision-making. The ethical dilemma “critical incident reports” and self-assessments each candidate completes in this course form the central core of his/her Master of Arts in Teaching Capstone Project. More information about the requirements for the MAT Capstone Project will be distributed in class in January.

Required Text Readings and Materials

1. MATTC Ethical Teaching Practices Annual Casebook, 2015. Download this document from the ETP file in the MATTC Documents folder on Google Drive.

2. Any additional readings, handouts, forms, documents, or other course materials will be posted on Camino. Supplemental readings or other materials not currently included on the syllabus may be added in response to your interests, needs, or for some other reason at the discretion of the instructors.

MS/SS Teaching Credential Program Learning Goals (PLGs)

The PLGs represent our commitment to the individuals who earn their preliminary MS/SS teaching credential at Santa Clara University. (A fully elaborated version of the MS/SS PLGs can be found on pages 8-9 of the MATTC Candidate Handbook.) The MS/SS faculty focus on ensuring that each of you will begin your teaching career ready to:

1. Maximize learning for every student.

2. Teach for student understanding.

3. Make evidence-based instructional decisions informed by student assessment data.

4. Improve your practice through critical reflection and collaboration.

5. Create productive, supportive learning environments.

6. Apply ethical principles in your professional practices.

The PLGs guide our program. Therefore, all MS/SS teaching credential program course objectives are cross-referenced with the PLGs.

Course Objectives (COs)

(COs cross-reference the PLGs)

In this course you will have the opportunity to:

1. Reflect on the moral and ethical core of your teaching practices and the relationship between your moral/ethical core and your identity and life experiences (PLG 4, 6)

2. Develop the ability to identify and understand the ethical dilemmas teachers encounter in their work and learn to manage these dilemmas effectively (PLGs 1-6)

3. Collaborate with classmates in professional learning communities (PLCs) to analyze and evaluate the complexities of ethical classroom teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse school settings (PLG 4)

Student Learning Outcomes

(SLOs cross-reference the PLGs)

As a result of participating fully in this course, teacher candidates will be able to:

1. Recognize and understand the ethical teaching dilemmas that arise in their practice.

2. Interpret ethical dilemmas in teaching using appropriate and relevant theoretical principles in combination with their own contextual knowledge and professional judgment.

3. Manage the ethical dilemmas the encounter in their teaching in ways that are effective, responsible, culturally responsive, and supportive of students’ learning and moral development.

Course Requirements

(Course requirements cross-reference the COs and SLOs)

Professional conduct (CO #1-3)

(40 points, 40% of course grade)

The professional conduct requirement includes the seven dimensions described below.

1. Attendance. Regular attendance at all class meetings is a requirement of this course. For each class session you miss, 10 points will be deducted from your final grade for the course. Each of you is granted one Emergency Release (ER) for the course: you may use it in Fall, Winter, or Spring. Your ER excuses you from one class session with half the grade penalty (loss of 5 points instead of 10). To use your ER you must notify your instructor by email or phone BEFORE the class session you will be missing. We recommend that you save your ER for medical issues, family demands, car trouble, etc.

Students will not be penalized for absences due to the observance of religious holidays that fall on our scheduled class day; please give your instructor advance notice of these absences so we can make the necessary accommodations. All other absences are unexcused and will affect your grade.

2. Punctuality. Coming to class on time and ready to learn is another course requirement. Your first lateness will be excused; your second lateness will cause 1 point to be deducted from your final course grade; your third lateness will cause an additional 4 points to be deducted. More than three late arrivals indicates a serious problem; this situation will be dealt with at my discretion.

3. Communication. Email will be our primary means of communication outside of class. You must check your SCU email every day to ensure you maintain a connection with your classmates and me. Some course communication will also occur through Camino. We will discuss this web-based software program in class.

4. Preparation. The quality of our class sessions depends directly on your preparation. You must complete every case reading assigned for each session and arrive in class with a typed hard copy of a fully developed critical incident report in order to be properly prepared. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Teachers should not be unprepared for class.

Reading cases. After you read each case study assigned for each class, please think about the questions below. Come to class prepared to share your thoughts.

● What do you consider to be the main ethical dilemma(s) in this case? What did the student teacher consider to be the ethical dilemma in this case?

● How did the student teacher handle the critical incident? How successful was s/he?

● How might you handle an incident of this type?

5. Participation. This requirement encompasses engaging actively in all discussions and activities in class and in your Professional Learning Communities (this includes making contributions, listening actively, and withholding contributions to leave space to allow other classmates to participate) and checking your SCU email for class-related communication each day. I expect each of you to demonstrate a commitment to expressing your thoughts and listening to those of others, to engage in respectful dialogue with classmates, and to be willing to challenge and to be challenged by the important ideas in this course.

6. Responsible use of technology. During class time, electronic communication devices must be used only at appropriate times and in appropriate ways. While our class is in session, you should not engage in any activity not directly related to what is taking place in our classroom.

Instructors reserve the right to ask you to close your laptop or put away some other device at my discretion; when/if this occurs, please respond quickly and without protest to avoid further disruption of the class’s learning.

Instructors also reserve the right to ignore your inappropriate use of technology in class and simply deduct points from your final grade.

Instructors strongly encourage all of you to assist each other in meeting these technology expectations. If someone in your PLC is using technology in an inappropriate manner during class, you are responsible for reminding that classmate to stop.

If you would like more detailed clarification about the expectations regarding appropriate and inappropriate in-class technology use, please feel free to contact your instructor for further information.

7. Maintaining classmate and student confidentiality. This course involves in-depth conversations about sensitive topics, personal issues, and the challenging behavior of students, master teachers, parents, and field supervisors. You are required to respect the privacy of every MATTC candidate, the candidates’ students and the students’ families, the candidates’ colleagues, and your SCU field supervisors and faculty. The information discussed in this course should never be discussed casually, nor should it be shared with anyone who is not enrolled in the course. (This excludes situations in which you must act as a mandated reporter or are otherwise legally bound to share what you know.) You are responsible for adhering to all FERPA regulations, even if your master teachers do not follow these requirements.

We take these Professional Conduct requirements very seriously, and we expect you to take them seriously also. See the “Grading Criteria” section of the syllabus for details about how your performance in this area will be assessed.

Ongoing assignment: Critical incident reports (CO# 1-3)

(4 critical incident reports in fall and winter quarter, each worth 10 points; total of 40 points, 40% of course grade)

Teachers (and credential candidates) frequently encounter complex professional problems that have no obvious right or wrong solutions. The research literature on teachers’ ethical decision making often refers to these challenging situations as “critical incidents.” A critical incident does not have to be dramatic or confrontational: something as routine as deciding which student to call on when there are 6 hands raised is an ethical dilemma that warrants consideration.

You will begin to notice and to experience critical incidents as soon as you enter your placement classroom and interact in a professional capacity with your master teacher(s) and students. You will need to become increasingly be aware of the moral and ethical implications of the activities and interactions that occur in your placement classroom. This assignment is designed to assist you in developing the skills needed for the efficient identification and effective management of critical incidents and the ethical dilemmas embedded within them.

Beginning with Class #2 and continuing until the end of winter quarter, you will be required to bring a completed a Critical Incident Report to each class. This form should be used to document a critical incident that you experienced in the two-week period since the class last met. (A copy of the form can be found at the back of this syllabus, along with the rubric that will be used to evaluate your Critical Incident Reports. A blank Critical Incident Report form and an electronic copy of the rubric are available in the ETP course folder on Camino.)

These completed Critical Incident Reports will be analyzed and discussed in each class session. They will also comprise the bulk of the raw material for your Capstone Project.

You will have the opportunity to write a Critical Incident Report in the first class and to evaluate your report using the assignment rubric before you tackle the task independently. More info will be provided in Class #1.

Ethical Quote Assignment: (CCO# 1-3)

(There will be one ethical quote assignment, worth 10 points, or 10% of course grade)

You will find an ethical quote that could be used in their classroom to help guide students toward making good choices, being kind, being helpful, and understanding the importance of ethical and moral character development. The quote will then be integrated into your practicum experience and we will revisit the impact in our final session of winter quarter.

Quarterly self-assessment: Identifying Your Focus Issue (CO# 1-3)

(10 points, 10% of course grade)

This in-class assignment requires you to consider all the ethical dilemmas/issues/uncertainties/ concerns you’ve encountered in your placement, identify an issue that will be your ethical focus next quarter, and develop creative reminders that will assist you in your efforts to consider and engage with your focus issue. More details will be provided in class.

Course policies and procedures

Grading Criteria:

Course Requirement Percent of Final Grade

4 Critical Incident Reports (10 points each) 10% x 4 = 40%

Ethical Quote Assignment (10 points) 10%

Professionalism 40%

End of Quarter Assessment 10%

Total 100%

Standards-based Grading Guidelines

• All tasks, projects, and assignments must be completed and handed in (or posted) by the due date and time specified unless arrangements have been made in advance. Late work may be penalized.

• Points lost due to poor attendance and/or lack of punctuality are deducted from your final grade. A student with excellent grades on assignments and other aspects of professional conduct can earn a poor course grade as a result of excessive absence or chronic lateness.

• Your Professional Conduct grade will be determined through analysis of evidence gathered through your instructor’s ongoing observation and documentation throughout the quarter. If we have reason to feel you are not meeting the expectations spelled out on the syllabus, we will contact you privately to discuss the issue, to clarify the expectations as needed, and to offer our support in helping you reach those expectations. If we do not contact you with a concern, you can assume you are satisfying these course requirements. However, if you would like specific feedback on your professional conduct during the quarter, you are welcome to contact your instructor at any time and we will be glad to share my assessment with you.

• Because so much of the course content is learned through participation in class activities and learning experiences, it is not possible to make up for missing a class session. However, there are ways you can engage with the content, join the conversation, and try to fill the knowledge gaps that are the result of your absence. If you must miss a class session, I recommend that you do the following things:

1. Do the reading(s) for the class session (the case studies and other assigned readings)

2. Download and review the PowerPoint presentation and any handouts from class

3. Talk with your classmates to get their sense of the main “take-aways” of the session

• Academic honesty: Santa Clara University insists on honesty and integrity from all members of its community. See website for details:

<http://www.scu.edu/studentlife/resources/academicintegrity/>

• Disability accommodations procedure: To request academic accommodations for a disability, students must contact Disability Resources located on the second floor of Benson. Phone numbers are (408) 554-4111; TTY (408) 554-5445. Students must register and provide documentation of a disability to Disabilities Resources prior to receiving academic accommodations.

Disability Accommodations Procedure

To request academic accommodations for a disability, students must be registered with Disabilities Resources, located in Benson, room 216. If you would like to register with Disabilities Resources, please visit their office or call at (408) 554-4109. You will need to register and provide professional documentation of a disability prior to receiving academic accommodations.

Academic Integrity

The University is committed to academic excellence and integrity. Students are expected to do their own work and to cite any sources they use. A student who is guilty of dishonest acts in an examination, paper, or other required work for a course, or who assists others in such acts, will receive a grade of F for the course. In addition, a student guilty of dishonest acts will be immediately dismissed from the University. Students that violate copyright laws, including those covering the copying of software programs, or who knowingly alter official academic records from this or any other institution, are subject to disciplinary action (ECP Graduate Bulletin, 2013-2014 http://www.scu.edu/ecp/studentlife/bulletin/upload/Graduate-Bulletin-2013-14-01-27-14-Final-with-cover.pdf).