Class meeting time

UMD: 1/20-21/07, and 4/7/07

Threaded discussions throughout the semester

Instructors

Mary Hermes, 230 Montague Hall, 218-726-6609, mhermes@d.umn.edu

Sue Damme, 230 Montague Hall, 218-726-6178, sdamme@d.umn.edu

Education Department Address and Fax

1211 Ordean Court

Duluth, MN 55812

218-726-7008

Class alias

medtrb3@d.umn.edu

Office hours

Online and through email

Course Descriptions and Overview

Educ 7004 Educational Action Research and Inquiry (4 credits)

This course provides participants with foundational knowledge in being a consumer of and conducting educational/academic research. It is also designed to develop skills to plan and complete a systematic action research inquiry into professional educational practices, which will include analysis of practice, review of relevant literature, plans for change, implementation, and evaluation.

Learner Outcomes

• Examination of research issues and protocols in education and in language revitalization
• Examination of practice, theory, and process of qualitative and quantitative educational research and inquiry
• Grounding in ethical research practices
• Research analysis of own and others' work
• Mini-action research project designed and conducted

This course will enable participants to:

1. Plan and conduct research
2. Understand, critically analyze, with specific focus on research that will support language revitalization
3. Define a scholarly position and apply it to classroom or other educational practices
4. Plan and conduct a research inquiry project
5. Apply research principles to daily practice, through inquiry and reflection

Educ 7003 World Language Revitalization (4 credits)

This course is a master's level survey course on the topic of world language revitalization, with a special emphasis on indigenous languages. The course will include a basic introduction to language acquisition and a variety of readings from Hawaii, New Zealand, and numerous indigenous nations within the United States. Students will consider principles of endangered language revitalization as well as context specific circumstances of several indigenous languages. Students will write a 10-page literature review as a culminating project for this course.

Learner Outcomes

• Understanding of the basics of endangered language planning
• Development of a model plan for revitalization in a local context
• Analysis and comparison of Hawaii and Maori models with an indigenous nation within the continental United States

Required Texts and Readings

• Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, by Linda
  Tuhiwai Smith
• Research Methods in Language Learning, by David Nunan
• Second Language Acquisition, by Rod Ellis
• Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice, edited by Leanne Hinton & Ken Hale

Recommended Resource Books and Articles

• any additional books to add here?

Instructional Strategies

The following instructional strategies and formats will be used:

1. January 20-21: in person classroom: direct instruction, orientation to UMD library, small and large group discussion, and experiential activities. April 7: in person classroom, with group presentations.
2. Web–based threaded discussions, approximately 5-6 hours weekly: original posts, feedback and responses, with critical reflection, collaboration, and discussion on assignments.

Diversity

Educational research, teaching, and planning practices will be investigated from the perspective of indigenous cultures and educational settings.

Privacy

Use of student names and Internet IDs on website: In this class, our use of technology will sometimes make students' names and U of M Internet IDs visible within the secure pages of our course website, but only to other students in the same class. Since we are using a secure, password-protected course website, this will not increase the risk of identity theft or spamming for anyone in the class. If you have concerns about the visibility of your Internet ID, please contact your instructor for further information.

IMPORTANT: We invite any of you who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, or any other special circumstances which might affect your ability to perform in this class to inform us so that together we can adapt methods, materials, or assignments as needed to provide equitable participation.