Education in American Society

A COURSE COMPONENT OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI @ MĀNOA

Catalog’s Description - This course examines education and schooling’s interrelated historical, philosophical, and sociocultural contexts, emphasizing identifying, analyzing, formulating perspectives, and deliberating on contemporary ethical issues, problems, and applications of education and schooling in American society.

Instructor’s Description - Education, teaching, and learning are social processes. Teachers, educators, and citizens are deeply interested and invested in education and schooling. Therefore, many aspects of society influence students’ lives, including their community, their socio-cultural and economic context, which schools choose to educate which students, how the government and private entities decide to construct the purpose of education and deliver curriculum in schools, how schools choose to organize around what values, how teachers choose to act, and perhaps most importantly, what the student learning and social outcomes as a result of these decisions and processes. Understanding the foundations of education, schooling, teaching, and learning, including aspects of history, policy, politics, economics, sociology, and culture, SHOULD contribute to how you see and act out your role in society, education, schools, and classrooms. 

Where to Begin—Please review the following materials to familiarize yourself with the location of key resources and develop effective habits and routines for success. 

Course Documents - The following items can be downloaded as PDFs through Google:

• Syllabus - Cawdery (Fall 2025)

• Module Schedule - Cawdery (Fall 2025)

• Assessment Schedule - Cawdery (Fall 2025)

Course website - The following link contains all course content. 

• https://sites.google.com/hawaii.edu/edef310/course-overview

This course has six modules, one for each of the 6 CLOs.  Each module contains various assessments and criteria that you will use to demonstrate learning of these CLOs. Students are expected to examine historical, philosophical, political, economic, and sociocultural issues at the foundations of education in the United States. EDEF 310 expects students to demonstrate the following: 

Module 1 - Respecting Students' Lives & Community (Students) 

CLO 1 - Describe the diversity of students and its impacts on schools.

Module 2 - Purpose of Education & the Learning Environment (Environment)

CLO 2 - Examine various educational models and the role of schools in communities and with government. 

Module 3 - Pedagogical Aims & Classroom Decisions (Curriculum & Instruction)

CLO 3 - Analyze teacher practice and decision-making.

Module 4 - Professionalism, Ethics, & Reflection (Evaluation & Learning)

CLO 4 - Explore the professional and ethical complexities of teaching. 

Module 5 - Expressing An Educational Philosophy (Theory into Practice)

CLO 5 - Synthesize foundational elements of education into a personal philosophy of education and teaching. 

Module 6 - Final Learning & Evaluations (Improvement & Metacognition)

CLO 6 - Evaluate professional learning of pre-service and in-service teachers and educators. 

Course Commitment - This course requires time, focused attention, discipline, and commitment.  Get organized. We want you to succeed, but generally speaking, you must earn it. 

• • • Read the syllabus and scoring guide to know your responsibilities.

    • Check your emails and announcements regularly.

    • You should be prepared to learn. Your preparation will help you succeed.

    • Plan on committing some routine time to this class each week. 

    • There is one assessment (One Assignment or One Discussion)per week throughout the semester. 

    • Generally speaking, assessments are designed to be completed in 60-90 minutes.  

    • Please submit in PDF or Google Docs.

    • Unfortunately, I don't accept assignments via email. Only Lamakū submissions will be graded.

    • I want you to be efficient in your work. 

    • Create a routine for yourself.

    • Read the syllabus and figure out what needs to be done.

    • Check the module for introductions, concepts, content, assignments, and instructions.

    • Read the instructions for the assessment.

    • Read the rubric for the assessment.

    • Complete the assessment.

    • If an issue arises, please reach out to the instructor.

    • Make an effort to develop collegial relationships.

    • Use feedback as an opportunity to improve.

    • Use ethical language.

The following calendar shares essential information about each week for this semester. Additional information can be found on the course website. 

Module 1 - Respecting Students Lives & Community 

Module 1, Week 1 - The History of Education 

• Framing Question - How has the history of education impacted schools today?

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 1.1 - Me & My History of Education - Due 8/31

Module 1, Week 2 - The Sociology of Education 

• Framing Question - What do we know about students' sociodemographics, socioeconomics, and school inequality? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 1.2 - School Case Study Part I - Community Profile - Due 9/7

Module 1, Week 3 - The Modern and Contextually Bound Student 

• Framing Question - What contextual aspects of society influence students and their learning?

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 1.3 - School Case Study Part II - Student Profile - Due 9/14

Module 2 - Purpose of Education & the Learning Environment 

Module 2, Week 4 - School Values - The Purpose of School

• Framing Question - How are schools developed, for whom, for what purpose, and leading to what outcomes? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

  • Weekly Assessment 2.1 - School Values - Due 9/21
    
    

Module 2, Week 5 - School Values - Nā Hopena A'o & General Learner Outcomes 

• Framing Question - What values are most important to public schools in Hawaiʻi? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

  • Weekly Assessment 2.2 - Hā & GLOs - Due 9/28

Module 2, Week 6 - School Values - Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

• Framing Question - In what ways does students' SEL contribute to academic learning? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 2.3 - School Case Study Part III - School Profile - Due 10/5

Module 3 - Classroom Aims & Pedagogical Decisions

Module 3, Week 7 - Standards & Curriculum

• Framing Question - How and why do standards inform the curriculum in our classrooms? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 3.1 - Classroom Decisions - Part I - The Purpose of Instruction (Academics & Standards) - Due 10/12

• Extra Credit - Mid-Semester Evaluation - Due 10/12

Module 3, Week 8 - Instruction

• Framing Question - Why do we use diverse instructional strategies in the classroom? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 3.2 - Classroom Decisions - Part II - Diverse Instruction - Due 10/19

Module 3, Week 9 - Student Behavior 

• Framing Question - What are some classroom management strategies, why do we choose them, and how do they support learning? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 3.3 - Classroom Decisions - Part III - Managing Behavior - Due 10/26

Module 4 - Professionalism, Ethics, Reflection & Evaluation 

Module 4, Week 10 - Ethics of Student Support 

• Framing Question - What do we do, as teachers, when we find a student struggling with learning? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 4.1 - Professional Learning - Part I - Supporting All Students - Due 11/2

Module 4, Week 11 - Professional Expectations & Reflection

• Framing Question - What am I responsible for doing and demonstrating as a teacher and professional, and to whom? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 4.2 - Professional Learning - Part II - Professional Expectations - Due 11/9

Module 4, Week 12 - Teacher Growth and Professional Learning

• Framing Question - How and why should I consider improving my systems and practices? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 4.3 - Professional Learning - Part III - Instructional Observation - Due 11/16

Module 5 - Expressing A Working Educational Philosophy 

Module 5, Week 13 - Developing A Sense of Purpose

• Framing Question - What foundations of education influence my practice? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 5.1 - Your Educational Philosophy - Part I - Purposeful Service - Due 11/23

Module 5, Week 14 - Developing Intentional Instructional Practice

• Framing Question - What instructional strategies do I use, and why? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 5.2 - Your Educational Philosophy - Part II - Effective Instruction - Due 11/30

Module 5, Week 15 - Committing to Professional Learning

• Framing Question - How do I plan to learn professionally? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Weekly Assessment 5.3 - Your Educational Philosophy - Part III - Becoming a Professional - Due 12/6

Module 6 - Final Evaluations 

Finals, Week 16 - Peer, Course, & Self Evaluations

• Framing Question - How did I perform, and what can I learn from my experiences? 

• Reading - Online Support Materials

• Final Assessment 6.1 - Peer Analysis - Due 12/14

• Extra Credit - Course Evaluation - Due 12/12

• Final Assessment 6.2 - Self Evaluation - Due 12/14

• Final Assessment 6.3 - Professionalism - Due 12/14