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EdSe 5120: Middle School Philosophy and Organization. 2 Credits. Spring, 2005.

Dan Glisczinski, Instructor, Department of Education

Syllabus

Schedule

Assignments

Contact Dan

Schedule

Week 1 | Week 4 | Week 8 | Week 12 | Week 16

Unit 1: Young Adolescents: Development and Issues

Week 1:

• Topic: First person perspectives of young adolescent experiences
• Preparation: Purchase Manning & Bucher (2005) text, CPS responder, register CPS responder

Week 2:

• Topic: Research perspectives on young adolescent development and issues
• Preparation: Read Chapter 2 of Manning & Bucher Text, bring registered CPS responder to class
• Due: Bring first draft diagrams: external and internal young adolescent development with definitions

Week 3:

• Topic: Synthesizing research and experience
• Preparation: Develop Venn diagrams to reflect research and experience, bring registered CPS responder to class every week
• Due: Bring advanced draft diagrams: external and internal development including definitions and examples

Week 4:

• Topic: Advancing a statement on young adolescent development
• Preparation: Work as a team to develop and refine a multiple intelligences statement on young adolescent development and related issues
• Due: Assignment 1: external and internal young adolescent development

Unit 2: Advisory Curriculum in Middle Schools

Week 5:

• Topic: Guiding young adolescents
• Preparation: Read Chapter 9 of Manning & Bucher text
• Due: Bring thought-provoking questions to pose to class

Week 6:

• Topic: Guiding young adolescents: Advisory programs
• Preparation: Research Middle School Advisory programs: Small Schools Project, Middle Web Resources, Education World, Schools To Watch, National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform
• Due: Bring advisory samples from the web or apprenticeship sites; make notes regarding where these seem strongest and ready for development

Week 7:

• Topic: Synthesizing research, experience, and proposals
• Preparation: Develop Middle School Advisory proposal and one advisory plan
• Due: Bring interview findings from middle school student, teacher, guidance staff, or administrator perspectives for advisory topics, curriculum, recommendations, etcetera
• Due: Bring draft of advisory plan for in-class development

Unit 3: Integrated Middle School Curriculum

Week 8:

• Topic: Integrated Middle School Curriculum
• Preparation: Read Chapter 4 of Manning & Bucher Text
• Midterm course evaluation
• Due: Assignment 2: middle school advisory plan

Week 9:

• Topic: Integrated Middle School Curriculum
• Preparation: Read, print, and bring content-area specific Minnesota Middle Level Academic Standards for collaborative, integrated curriculum planning
• Preparation: Research and summarize rationale for integrating curriculum:
• ERIC | Middle Web | NMSA | UMD Education Library Indexes and Databases | Wilson Web | Google Scholar and related search engines
• Integrated Thematic Instruction | Brain-Based Rational for Integrated Curriculum | School Improvement Research Series
• Due: Bring MN middle level academic standards for your subject area and cited rationale for integrating curriculum

Week 10:

• Topic: Integrated Middle School Curriculum
• Preparation: Prepare integrated lesson or unit with cross-disciplinary peers

Week 11:

• Topic: Integrated Middle School Curriculum
• Due: Assignment 3: integrated middle school curriculum map

Unit 4: Assorted Middle School Characteristics

Week 12:

• UBD Lesson Plan of Today's Learning
  
  • Topic One: Exploratory Curriculum:
    • Manning/Bucher (2005) pp. 107-112
    • http://www.nmsa.org/research/ressum4.htm
    • http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/middle.htm
      
  • Topic Two: Flexible and Block Scheduling:
  • Manning/Bucher (2005) p. 149
  • http://www.nmsa.org/research/ressum17.htm
  • http://www.nmsa.org/research/block_scheduling.html
    
  • For each describe:

  • What is it?
  • What is it not?
  • What developmentally responsive benefits might it offer to MS students, educators, systems?
  • What challenges and limitations might it bring to MS students, educators, systems?
  • Whether you would recommend or not recommend it for your district's middle schools.
  • What questions, comments, and observations might you offer regarding your topic?

Unit 5: Learning from Middle School Partnerships

Week 13:

• Topic 1: Curricular Partners and Resources
• Preparation:
  • Read Chapter 10 of Manning & Bucher (2005)
  • Study the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets lists for middle childhood and adolescence
• Topic 2: Middle School Partners and Resources and Service Learning
• In class:
  • Creating rationale statements for Middle School Partnerships
    • From Manning and Bucher (2005) pp. 259-284
  • Creating overviews of Service Learning Best Practices
    • http://www.learnandserve.org/about/index.html
    • http://servicelearning.org/resources/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/reflection/index.php?search=1&search_term=best%20practices&m=all
    • http://servicelearning.org/resources/online_documents/service-learning_standards/principles_of_good_practice_for_combining_service_and_learning_a_wingspread_special_report/index.php?search=1&search_term=best%20practices&m=all
    • http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/service_learning/index.cfm
  • http://www.fiu.edu/~time4chg/Library/goals.html
  • http://www.fiu.edu/~time4chg/Library/bigdummy.html
  • http://www.goodcharacter.com/SERVICE/primer-10.html

Week 14:

• Topic: Curricular Partners and Resources In Service Learning
• Due for class: in 3 person same-subject groups meet, research, and develop
  • a. a best practices model of service learning
  • b. a brief list of actual community needs
  • c. a short list of middle school academic standards which might give students experience addressing one or a few of your actual community needs
  • d. bring to class next meeting prepared to make a brief presentation of your findings

Week 15:

• Topic: Curricular Partners and Resources In Service Learning
• Due: Complete draft of Assignment 4 to be presented to peers

Week 16: Finals Week

• Meeting times (master schedule):
  
  • Section 1: Monday, May 9, 8-10 a.m. in Montague 208 (note time and location change due to common exam time)
  • Section 2: Monday, May 9, 4-6 p.m.
  • Section 3: Tuesday, May 10, noon-2 p.m.

Topics: Curricular Partners and Resources In Service Learning and Synthesis of Course Topics

Due: Final copy of Assignment 4 to be presented to peers

Week 1 | Week 4 | Week 8 | Week 12 | Week 16