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Michael Gabler, Instructor,Department of Education, Montague 107
Office phone – 726-7718 email mgabler@d.umn.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 10:00-12:00 and Thursday 11:00-12:00
Section 1: Tuesday and Thursday – 9:30-10:45 Section 2: Tuesday and Thursday - 3:00-4:15
Course description:
This course will provide opportunities to examine the philosophy, organization, and structure of middle schools. This will include assessment of benefits, drawbacks, and rationale of middle school education.
Course overview:
The goal of Middle School Philosophy and Organization is to prepare you to improve the educational experiences of young adolescents.
Required text:
The Essential Middle School: Wiles, Bondi, and Wiles 4th edition
Principals of Instruction:
| Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards |
UMD Education Department Conceptual Framework |
Standard 1: Knowing subject matter
Standard 2: Human development and learning
Standard 3: Diversity in learning
Standard 4: Variety of instructional strategies
Standard 5: Motivation and management
Standard 6: Communication skills
Standard 7: Instructional planning skills
Standard 8: Assessment
Standard 9: Reflection and responsibility
Standard 10: Relationships and partners |
Diversity (D)
Reflection (R)
Empowerment (E)
Collaboration (C)
Technology (T) |
Course Outcomes:
During, or upon completion of this course, you will demonstrate the following abilities, which are aligned with the following Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles:
Course objective |
INTASC |
MN SEP |
UMD Conceptual Framework Elements |
Describe the history of and current research on middle school reform. |
9 |
9A |
C
R
T |
Identify how student physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development influence learning and know how to address these factors when making instructional decisions. Understand developmental progressions of learners and ranges of individual variation in physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive domains. Identify levels of readiness in learning and understand how development in one domain may affect performance in others. |
2, 3, 5 |
2B
2C
2E
3J
5A
5B |
D
E
R
C |
Identify options for middle school-specific scheduling, curriculum, programs, team teaching techniques, interdisciplinary teaching, and assessment strategies. |
3,4 |
3A
4C |
D
E
R
C
T |
Articulate ways of developing and maintaining educational relationships with community partners. Understand schools as organizations within the larger community context and understand the operations of the relevant aspects of the system. |
10 |
10G |
C |
Identify and design instruction appropriate to a student’s stages of development, learning styles, strengths, and needs. Create, revise, and evaluate your own middle school-specific instructional plans. |
3, 5, 7, 8 |
3K 3L
3P 5L
5M 5R
7A 7D
7E 7F
7G 8K |
D
E
R
C
T |
Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of middle level schools. |
9 |
9C |
D
E
C |
Articulate the characteristics, roles, and functions of the middle school teacher. Use professional literature, colleagues, and other resources to support development as a learner and a teacher. Collaboratively use professional colleagues as supports for reflection, problem-solving, and new ideas. |
10 |
10G |
D
E
C |
Explain student rights and teacher responsibilities for equal education, appropriate education for students with disabilities, confidentiality, privacy, appropriate treatment of students, reporting in situations related to possible child abuse. |
10 |
10B |
D
E
R
C |
Integrate middle and intermediate state standards into lesson plans and curriculum design for subject and interdisciplinary teaching opportunities |
8 |
8A |
C
T
E |
Identify state and federal accountability systems relative to middle schools. |
8 |
8A
8C |
D
R
E |
Dispositions:
This course will help you develop and strengthen the following dispositions:
Attendance/Puntuality
Critical thinking skills
Desire to improve teaching performance
Self-initiative/independence
Tactful judgement
Commitment to the educational profession
Reliability/dependability
Collegiality
Attitudes toward learners
Oral expression
Reflective response to feedback/supervision
Professional ethics and demeanor
Written expression
Interaction with students/peers/teachers/others
Diversity:
This course will provide firsthand experience utilizing diversity in learning communities. Our readings, discussions, interactions, guests, assignments, and reflections will emphasize and provide opportunity to learn from a variety of life experiences, ways of knowing, and perspectives. You are invited to share your perspectives and to honor the diverse perspectives of those around you.
Attendance expectations:
Active participation is required in all meetings. Exceptions may be arranged in the case of emergency. If you will miss class, make arrangements with me in advance. Unexcused absences and being unprepared in class will reduce your course grade. Numerous absences or patterns of being unprepared may result in failure of this class.
IMPORTANT:
I 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 ME, SO THAT TOGETHER WE CAN ADAPT METHODS, MATERIALS, OR ASSIGNMENTS AS NEEDED TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION.
Overall Course Grade:
Assignment 1: Perspectives on Middle School Students (100 points)
Assignment 2: Integrated Middle School Curriculum Unit (100 points)
Assignment 3: Content area lesson plan (100 points)
In-class Participation and homework (100 points)
Final Exam (100 points)
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