TE 808 Inquiry into Classroom Teaching and Learning

Fall 2012

Instructor E-mail Office Hours My Skype Username MSU E-mail Phone

Kari Richards Please email me through ANGEL email By appointment > Skype richa372 richa372@msu.edu (only to be used for emergencies please use ANGEL email for email correspondence Thank you!) 517.639.0233 (only to be used for emergencies please use ANGEL email to contact me)

The best way to reach me is through ANGEL Mail, and you should receive an email response from me between 24-48 hours. For general questions we will be utilizing discussion boards on ANGEL where the Q & A can benefit the whole class; please email me only if you have a private matter. Office hours will be scheduled by arrangement; for these you can email me through ANGEL and we can set up a virtual meeting time.

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

Course Rationale and Objectives

The principal aim of this online course is to inquire about how action research is a pathway to enhanced teaching practice. In this course you will join an evergrowing community of teacher researchers who observe, question, inquire, test, and reflect in order to become a more complete teacher (Bissex, 1987). During this semester you will engage in an inquiry project often referred to as action research. The inquiry project requires you to be actively involved in observation, analysis, and reflection. This is an opportunity for you to become a reflective practitioner (Schon, 1983) by framing and conducting a small study of some aspect of teaching and learning. Simply put, action research is a way to study classroom teaching and learning through a disciplined inquiry. The goal of action research is to take action to improve teaching practice based on the deeper understanding that relevant data can provide. This course is designed to provide teachers and educators with a set of learning opportunities that will be meaningful and engaging. Furthermore, your action research report from this course will become part of your portfolio for the MATC degree. Specifically, the course objectives are for you to: draw on your experiences and your education context to identify a question or problem of teaching practice to research develop action research skills including: o the identification of ethical research questions o the examination of literature and theory o a disciplined inquiry for the collection of data o data analysis o the development of recommendations towards an action plan work with a community of action research scholars to improve your inquiry lens and your professional writing synthesize and present your action research project so that your colleagues can learn and benefit from your inquiry cultivate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teacher leadership by engaging in professional online discussions with peer teachers and educators design and execute an action research project

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

Introduction
TE 808 is a dynamic course. In this course, you have the opportunity to enhance your teaching practice through action research; the knowledge and skills which you learn in this course will likely become habits of your practice. This will also be a challenging course, both as action research might be completely new to you and there is a lot of reading and writing required. I have structured the course in order to keep you on schedule and to prevent a back-up of assignments due at the end of the semester. The assignments are scaffolded in such a way that each assignment builds towards what scholars call a disciplined inquiry. As you are conducting your own individual action research projects, there will also be interaction between participants via the discussion boards on ANGEL. These discussion boards are asynchronous (that is, you do not need to be online at the same time, nor are there online chats). You will also be using the discussion board as part of a peer writing group. Typically, peer writing groups turn into a quasi-support group as members share in the experience of conducting research and writing it up. ANGEL and our course website will be the two primary content management systems for this course. Throughout the semester you will find both assignment information as well as links to Internet resources: readings, text, video, audio, online exhibits, and more on the course website. ANGEL will be used for community engagement and learning, and offers all participants the opportunity to engage equitably. However, the success of any online course is related to the amount of each students participation and therefore I would like to encourage each of you to actively engage your peers in the forums and discussion threads.

Reading Materials Primary course text: Mertler, C.A. (2008). Action research: Teachers as researchers in the classroom (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

ISBN-10: 1412968577 ISBN-13: 978-1412968577 You can get this textbook on Amazon in Used-Like New condition for around $20: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1412968577/sr=11/qid=1325445697/ref=olp_page_1?ie=UTF8&shipPromoFilter=0&coliid=&startInde x=0&sort=sip&me=&qid=1325445697&sr=1-1&colid=&condition=used

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

Each week, I will post the weeks activity schedule to our course website. I will provide the links for extra course readings and materials (not covered in the textbook). Each unit contains extra reading materials - these assigned materials are divided into lessons. For many of these lessons, I will include discussion prompts and directions for responding to the readings. You will post responses to the reading(s) on a discussion board located in a folder on ANGEL. Discussion posts are due as indicated in the weekly assignment schedule. Occasionally, suggested readings and/ or videos will also be posted. The suggested readings are optional and you will most likely be able to access these optional readings via the MSU Library or I will provide a link for them. A note on using the MSU Library electronically: As distance learning students, you may not have the opportunity to visit the MSU Library personally. To gain access electronically to the MSU Library, go to the following address: http://www2.lib.msu.edu/ and follow the directions for re-setting your browser (click on the Computers tab at the top of the page and then on Off Campus Access). Many graduate and undergraduate students often find that browsing the library journals is a good way to enrich their knowledge of a subject. As you locate the journals and suggested articles for each unit, you may wish occasionally to browse a bit to get a sense of what scholarship is like in the several domains of curricular inquiry. Using the MSU Library, and the other online resources in TE 808, will demonstrate how learning via the Internet can be an endlessly interactive activity limited only by your interests (as well, of course, as your time!). Again: remember to reset your browser if you want access to the MSU Library from an off campus computer.

Assignments
There are five categories in your course grade: 1. Assignments and Participation (25% of course grade) Participation is evaluated by interaction on ANGEL, Twitter, and your Website. The discussion postings (between 150-250 words) focus on your response to the readings. They are more open-ended, and are intended to provide a way for you to hear your classmates thoughts on the reading(s) for the week. When writing your discussion post, it might be helpful to start by considering the question, "How does this reading speak to the work I am doing?" You should connect your posting to the materials in the weeks lesson, but the posting can also have application to your own classroom practice your own Action Research project. In the first couple of weeks, you will form peer writing teams of three or four people. These teams will then serve as your peer writing groups and provide critical feedback on the rough drafts of your literature review and action research project. Throughout the semester these groups will rotate in order for you to be able to read a variety of different peer writing Action Research papers. The due dates for all assignments in this course are indicated in your weekly assignment schedules listed in the course website.

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

2. Action Research Proposal (5% of course grade) This assignment has two purposes. The first purpose is to describe and propose an action research project. The second purpose is to help you lay the foundation for your final action research project paper. Thus, you will reuse and expand on this proposal in various sections of your final paper. Your action research proposal will include the following six sections: 1) Introduction and statement of problem 2) Research question(s) 3) Theoretical framework 4) Research design and data collection methods 5) Data analysis 6) Timeline (Hint: keep your study short) You will submit two drafts of this assignment. First, you will submit a rough draft of the first three sections (introduction and statement of problem, research question(s), and theoretical framework). The rough draft should be double spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman. You will post this rough draft in a drop-box on ANGEL. Second, you will submit a second draft of all six sections of the proposal all assignment due dates are listed in the weekly assignment schedules. The second draft should be double spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman. You will post this rough draft in a drop-box on ANGEL. The second draft should be about 2-3 pages in length.

3. Literature Review (15% of course grade) An essential component to any research project is the review of pertinent literature. A literature review is a coherent, investigative essay, which reports on studies related to your research question. The purpose of the literature review is to determine what others have discovered before you begin your action research, this will ground your study in the particular context of what is known about a subject and establish a foundation for the topic (or question) being researched; it will also explain how your research question grows out of the literature, and identify any gaps in previous research. This assignment will also allow you the opportunity to research a topic of study so you can learn to (1) identify and formulate an inquiry question that defines what you would like to learn in your classroom, (2) know how to search and locate empirical literature (in academic journals) using library and internet resources; (3) analyze information found in educational and academic journal articles, and (4) synthesize new knowledge into a written literature review and (5) establish context for your inquiries. The literature review you write for this assignment will also be included in your final action research project paper.

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

For this assignment you will write a 5-6 page (not including the reference section) literature review on your action research topic. You will identify 10-12 references which describe empirical research and/or theoretical insights related to your action research project. At least 6 of the references should be articles (or dissertations) from educational journals and describe empirical research. Empirical research means that there is a collection and explanation of original data. You will synthesize and explain the findings from those articles. More details related to this assignment are provided in an assignment sheet. The literature review will be peer reviewed and revised before the final draft submission. The peer review process will happen as follows: you will submit a rough draft to a member of your peer writing team - a member of your peer writing team will read and provide feedback on your rough draft (just as you will read and provide feedback on another team members draft). Peer members will return the rough draft by the due date listed in the weekly assignment schedule. You will then revise and submit the final draft of your literature review by the due date listed in the weekly assignment schedule. You will post your literature review in a drop-box on ANGEL. The literature review should be double spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman. You will use APA (6th edition) style for the papers citations and references. (For more about APA style click on the following link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ).

4. Website (20% of course grade) The purpose of this assignment is to present a commentary on your action research project in a multi-media type forum. Additionally, the assignment prepares your action research project as an artifact for the MATC portfolio requirement. In this assignment you write an ongoing commentary about your action research project. The commentary will be written in accordance to the MATC guidelines on the following link: http://matcadvisor.wordpress.com/about/artifactcommentaries/. The purpose of the commentary is to 1) briefly describe your action research project 2) explain why you were interested in the question and what you discovered 3) reflect on why this matters How does the action research project connect to the MATC program goals or standards? Which ones? What is the significance of this for your learning and practice? Throughout the course of this assignment you are also encouraged to load photos, videos, or any other appropriate multi-media files to the blog or website. This will add a depth to the project, and serve as a basis for future presentations of your work. For the purpose of this assignment you will be required to send out the link to all of the TE 808 participants at the beginning of the course.

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

5. Action Research Project (35% of course grade) The action research project assignment is the culmination of all that you learned in TE 808. You will enact your action research proposal by collecting and analyzing data related to your research question. You will also report on the findings from your research and include recommendations for an action plan. Preferably, your action research project will be an investigation of your own classroom teaching practice. However, if you are currently not teaching, we will discuss alternative ways in which you can still conduct an action research project. More details related to this assignment will be provided in an assignment sheet. You will submit two drafts of this assignment. First, you will submit a rough draft of action research project to your peer writing team. A member of your peer writing team will read and provide feedback on your rough draft (just as you will read and provide feedback on another team members draft). Then, you will have time to revise and compile the final draft of your complete action research project. The final draft of the complete action research project (including the literature review you wrote) should be around 15-20 pages. The final draft of your action research project should be double spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman. You will use APA (6th edition) style for the papers citations and references. (For more about APA style click on the following link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ). All due dates for your TE 808 assignments and your Action Research project will be listed on our course website. Communication You should check your e-mail for messages from me. While I welcome communication from each of you via email, if you have specific questions about the course, please use the FAQ discussion board on ANGEL. I prefer that you use this forum rather than send direct email as other class members can learn from these dialogues. As you know, most of the time, if one person has a question others also want to know the answer. Late Policy All work must be turned in on time. No deferred grades or incompletes will be given without serious extenuating circumstances. It is your instructor who would determine when there is a serious extenuating circumstance so please be in communication with your instructor. Academic Honesty and Citations I assume that each student is honest and that all course work and examinations represent the students own work. Violations of the academic integrity policy such as cheating, plagiarism, selling course assignments or academic fraud are grounds for academic action and/or disciplinary sanction as described in the Universitys student conduct code. The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to the community of teachers and scholars. This means that all academic work is prepared by the student to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind.

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

Incidents of plagiarism are taken very seriously and will be pursued and punishment can result in automatic failure of the course. Students are warned not to use any text verbatim on any class assignments without quotation marks and source citations. Warning: do not go to a site like Wikipedia, copy and paste, and then rearrange words or sentences or replace a few words here and there that constitutes plagiarism. If you are quoting verbatim, always use quotation marks and cite the page number. (Note, if you use block quotes, APA citation style does not use quotation marks, however, to be on the safe side of academic honesty, for this course, use quotation marks whenever you are citing verbatim). If you have any questions, please ask. Directions for APA style for references and citations are available at http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm and many other places on the web. You may also wish to purchase the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed. American Psychological Assoc.: New York, 2008). For University regulations on academic dishonesty and plagiarism, refer to http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/rule32.htm http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html Course Questions or Concerns If you have concerns or complaints about the course or my conduct of it, I will appreciate your bringing them first to me. Alternatively, or if I am not sufficiently responsive, you could take them to Dr. Randi Stanulis at randis@msu.edu, or to the MSU Ombudsman (https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/). Accommodations for Disabilities It is Michigan State's policy not to discriminate against qualified students with documented disabilities in its educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for modifications in this course, please contact me and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. I should be notified as early in the semester as possible. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY). Instructors in the course may request a VISA Form (Verified Individual Student Accommodations Form) from a student requesting services. The OPHS website is at http://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Home/. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford

HAVE A WONDERFUL SEMESTER!

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker

TE 808 Grading Scale

% 4-Point Scale

Description
This represents outstanding and exemplary work. The student uses and integrates readings, online discussions, and personal experiences (where appropriate) to inform his/her writing. The student meets all the requirements of the assignment, is deeply thoughtful, and provides many details and examples to support writing. The writing contains no errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This represents high quality work. The student uses many readings, online discussions, and personal experiences (where appropriate) to inform the writing. The student meets all the requirements of the assignment, is thoughtful and provides some details and examples to support ideas. The writing contains very few errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This represents good quality work, performed at the expected level for graduate study. The student uses some readings, online discussions, and personal experiences to inform writing. The student meets all requirements of assignment, attempts to engage with the purposes of the assignments, and provides details and examples to support ideas. The writing contains few errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This represents work below the expected level of quality for the TE program. The student does not include appropriate references to relevant readings, online discussions, and personal experiences to inform writing. The student does not meet all requirements of assignment. The students writing represents a limited attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, few details and examples to support writing. The writing includes many errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This represents work significantly below the expected level of quality. The students writing includes many errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The work shows little evidence of having read course readings or of integrating online discussions. The writing meets few of the assignments requirements. The student demonstrates a minimal attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, with no details or examples to support the ideas. This represents work considerably below the expected level of quality. The students writing includes numerous errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The work shows very little evidence of having read course readings or of integrating online discussions. The writing meets very few of the assignments requirements. The student demonstrates a very minimal attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, with no details or examples to support the ideas. This work does not meet the expected level of quality for TE 808. The students writing includes numerous errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The work shows very little evidence of having read course readings or of integrating online discussions. The writing meets very few of the assignments requirements. The student demonstrates a very minimal attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, with no details or examples to support the ideas. The student is missing many of the course assignments. This work does not meet the minimal expected level of quality and completion for TE 808.

95-100

4.0

90-94

3.5

85-89

3.0

80-84

2.5

75-79

2.0

70-74

1.5

65-69

1.0

0-64

0.0

Adapted from the MSU TE808 SS11 syllabus of Erik Byker