Course Design

From Labor Day (September 6th) until October Break (October 11), this course will follow a more traditional seminar style in which there will be readings, in-class writing assignments, discussion, and reflection. After October Break (October 23), your assigned readings will decrease as I expect you to spend more time outside of class working on your final paper / project. For the second half of the course, we will transition to more in-class group activities in which you will be exposed to contemporary topics through experiential learning opportunities.

Because this is an education course, I expect some of you may be interested in pursuing a teaching career. To give you a peek behind the curtain, I tried to make the course syllabus as transparent as possible so you can see why I chose to design the course in certain ways. When I leverage a research-based strategy (e.g., activating prior knowledge, structured choice in out-of-class assignments, handwritten learning journals), I included a hyperlink so you can read about the research behind the activity we are doing. I recognize that it can sometimes feel as if course design is a black box or part of the hidden curriculum that is beyond a student’s control. If you ever want to know more about why I designed the course in a certain way and/or if you have ideas on how to improve this course, please feel free to share during office hours or a separately scheduled appointment.

Throughout the course, I have embedded opportunities for students to give feedback. At the start, middle, and end of the course, you will take online surveys to share your questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions. If at any other time you want to share something that you would prefer to remain anonymous, there is also an anonymous check-in space or “parking lot” for you to jot down anything that is not sitting right with you or that you want to learn more about. I will do my best to check this space throughout the semester and address student feedback as soon as possible in class.

To ensure equitable participation, the syllabus has a course timeline that outlines not only the assigned readings but also previews future in-class writing assignments and group activities. This is not intended to make students do more work before they get to class but rather to ease any potential confusion and anxiety coming into class. All in-class writing assignments and group activities are expected to be completed during class time, not before.

It is expected that you will complete all of the out-of-class readings prior to the class that they are listed on. This is essential for your active participation in class. To support your time management, I have indicated the page numbers of each reading and included a “status” button so that you can use this syllabus as a tracker. If you want to use this tracker, please make a copy of the syllabus for use on your personal Google Drive. Readings vary in density, so I recommend starting them as early as possible to give you enough time to engage thoroughly. If you have any questions or concerns related to time management, please let me know by coming to office hours or making an appointment.

I will not assign more than 60 pages per class. The only exception is the first reading assignment, which is why you have extra time to complete it. I suggest you start reading early. And, you are encouraged to read ahead!

I selected course readings to expose you to core historical views, classic educational philosophers, contemporary researchers, and critical thinkers. While I selected course readings to reflect a diversity of opinions, there may still be underrepresented voices. If you feel that there is a missing perspective that would support your learning, please let me know. When evaluating texts, I encourage you to attend to articles’ content as well as authors’ positionality. To support you in your understanding of these texts and to be as transparent as possible, you can find authors’ photos and professional biographies on the course website organized by each week of readings. When I designed this course, I made a commitment to ensure a majority of the authors would identify as women (63%) and scholars of color (55%) in order to reflect the diverse field of educators in this country. While this is an academic course and 96% of the authors are researchers or theorists, I made sure that over a quarter of authors (29%) have prior experience as PK-12 teachers at some point in their careers.

I am open to feedback on the course readings. On the mid-course and end-of-course surveys, you will be given the opportunity to rate each reading and list your favorite and least favorite. Please note that theoretical and empirical papers are not static. They are evolving pieces of work that must be understood as snapshots of their sociopolitical moment. A reading's utility to us as scholars changes over time. As such, I understand that readings may resonate more in some years than others. To ensure this course evolves to meet the current moment, I plan to read alongside you this semester and hope that, together, we can curate the best possible readings for future cohorts of students.

This course has two types of assignments:

1. In-Class Writing Assignments

2. Final Paper / Project

More information can be found on the Course Assignments page of the class website.

Everyone is required to meet with me at least ONE time individually this semester. You can come to my office hours on Mondays at 3p-4p in Room 103a in the Maria Mitchell Observatory or email me to schedule a virtual appointment for another time. During this meeting, we will discuss the course and course assignments. I may ask questions and/or give you feedback. You may ask questions and/or give me feedback. I look forward to these meetings so that I can better understand you and your ideas. If you have concerns about this requirement, please let me know and we can discuss another way for you to participate fully in the course.