Northeastern
Spring 2008 syllabus for
SPCH 4623 and SPCH 5623
Critical Pedagogy
(last updated 02.13.08)
Professor: Amy Aldridge Sanford, PhD Office:
E-mail: aldridga@nsuok.edu Office
Hours: See Contact Info
on Webpage
Webpage: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~aldridga/ Facebook: Amy Aldridge Sanford
Class Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3:15 p.m. in SH204
Your professor’s philosophy of education: I am a facilitator of learning. The participants in any given classroom enter with different paradigms and truths. I aid in the exploration of those truths. I do NOT believe that the instructor is THE holder of Truth; therefore we must all participate to co-construct knowledge and create synergy. When a student starts to feel uncomfortable in his/her existing paradigm that means s/he is growing as a scholar. My desire is that all of my students feel the joy of discomfort from time to time.
“Of
course you don’t know. You don’t know
because only I know. If you knew and I
didn’t know, then you’d be teaching me instead of me teaching you. And for a student to teach his teacher is
presumptuous and rude. Do I make myself
clear?”—Mr. Turkentine, Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory
Course Description
and Goals:
This course seeks to help students, who may or may not be looking toward a professional career in academe, develop the knowledge and skills necessary to critically examine and evaluate various classroom practices. Analysis will evaluate teaching practices that are presumed to be conceptually sound, ethically responsible, and culturally responsive, or will consider the various ways to make them so.
One of the social foundations of education is our capacity to communicate with one another: without communication there can be no education; indeed, there can be no social life at all. Thus, as communication scholars, special attention will be paid to communication between and among students in the classroom, as well as communication between students and the teacher.
As a student-centered classroom, you will be offered the opportunity to have more say in how the class is constructed and executed. While this offers the student more agency, it also requires more commitment and responsibility from the student.
Some of the goals we have for both
teachers and students include:
·
To
understand that theory and practice go hand in hand -- that theories of
teaching and learning guide our
practice in classrooms and that our experiences in classrooms enable us to
reformulate our theories.
·
To learn
the theory and practice of critical pedagogy.
·
To learn
to practice "persistent critique," i.e., to be willing to look at the
possibilities and limits of what we are able to hear/think/know because of our
identities as multicultural subjects.
·
To develop
a sense of inquiry and begin to see ourselves as teacher researchers who know
how to investigate systematically a problem that intrigues us.
Pre-requisites: none
Gatto, J. T. (2002). Dumbing us down:
The hidden curriculum of compulsory schooling.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress:
Education as the practice of freedom.
Wink, J. (2005). Critical pedagogy: Notes from the real world (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
Movie:
Bernard, S. C. (2001). School: The story of American public education (S. Mondale, Director). In S. Mondale & S. Patton (Producer): PBS.
For more information on the series: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/about_the_series/index.html
Outline of Course
(negotiated):
The expected course outcomes will
be realized through a variety of instructional strategies. Those strategies include, but are not limited
to, the following: discussion,
demonstration, inquiry and group activities.
WEEK
|
DAY |
TOPIC |
READING/ASSIGNMENT |
|
1 Jan. 9 |
W |
Go over syllabus; talk about negotiable items; look at assignments; divide up readings* |
Pick up readings in Amy’s office by next class period; consider any changes you’d like to see in syllabus |
|
2 Jan. 14 |
M W |
Negotiate syllabus |
|
|
3 Jan. 23 |
W |
Negotiate syllabus |
|
|
4 Jan. 28 |
M W |
Negotiate syllabus |
|
|
5 Feb. 4 |
M W |
Negotiate syllabus |
|
|
6 Feb. 11 |
M W |
PBS movie PBS movie
|
1st draft of Learning Contract due Feb. 11 |
|
7 Feb. 18 |
M W |
PBS movie PBS movie |
|
|
8 Feb. 25 |
M W |
Defining Critical Pedagogy |
Wink 3; McLaren 5 Discuss on Feb 27th |
|
9 March 3 |
M W |
Problems in Schools |
Gatto 1&4; Apple 5&6 Discuss on March 5 |
|
10 March 10 |
M W |
Solution to Problems |
Gatto Ch 5; Shor Ch 8 Dunn & Dunn; Postman 8 Discuss March 12 |
|
March 17 |
|
SPRING BREAK |
|
|
11 March 24 |
M W |
Self- Actualization |
Bain 6; Hooks 13; Noddings 8 Discuss March 26 |
|
12 March 31 |
M W |
Classroom Management |
Bain 4&5; Shor 4&6; Chesebro 8 Discuss April 2 |
|
13 April 7 |
M W |
Foreign Exchange Students & Freshman Culture |
Nathan 4 & 5 Discuss April 9 |
|
14 April 14 |
M W |
Textbooks |
Apple 4 Discuss 16th |
|
15 April 21 |
M W |
Racism in Classroom |
Sleeter 7 Discuss April 23rd |
|
16 April 28 |
M W |
Girls in Classroom |
Orenstein 1, 2, & 3 |
|
May 5 |
M |
FINAL |
|
Grading and
Assignments (negotiated on Learning Contract):
"A grade (is) an inadequate report of an
inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a
student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of
an indefinite amount of material." (Author Unknown)
Your grading distribution will be decided by your own personal Semester Learning Contract.
Work that meets the minimum requirements of an assignment, is completed on time and displays average involvement with the course content is deserving of a “C.” Higher grades are awarded to work that goes above and beyond the minimum standards to produce papers and presentations that reflect superior intellectual effort, excellence in critical analysis and overall creativity in the approach towards any given assignment.
Classroom Climate
Statement:
The success of this course is directly related to the sense of community that we will develop in this classroom. Participation is essential to this process. We encourage you to share your views and listen to those of others. Debate and discussion are an important part of the learning process. While there will no doubt be disagreements, we expect the members of this community (including ourselves) to challenge ideas in a manner that reflects respect and recognition of opposing viewpoints without attacking individuals.
Attendance:
The emphasis on performance and participation in this class requires close attention by students and the instructor to attendance. If you miss a class, you are responsible for finding out all assignments, content, activities, and any changes in due dates. If you contact us BEFORE class, we will be happy to provide this information for you. If you try to get this information AFTER a class session has already passed, you will need to contact one of your classmates. We will not keep extra copies of assignments or class notes.
Missed/Late
Assignments:
1. Written Work: For each class session that an assignment is turned in late (late means any time after the assignment is taken up), you will be assessed a penalty of 10 points for that particular assignment.
2. E-mailing assignments/computer problems: You will need to submit most of your assignments in hard copy. On occasion, it will be possible to submit assignments via e-mail. Please note: your computer breaking, printer not working, etc. will never be accepted as an excuse for late work. It is your responsibility to begin work early enough to accommodate unforeseen circumstances. In addition, e-mailed work is recorded as “turned in” according the time stamp in the introduction to your message. “I got your address wrong” or “my e-mail wasn’t working” will not be accepted as reasons for late assignments.
3. Speeches/Presentations/Interviews: If you miss an assigned speech, we may not have not have time to allow you to present it later. If you know you are going to miss an assigned speech, trade speaking dates with someone in the class, and let the instructor know about the change. Failure to make a speech/presentation/interview will result in a zero for that assignment.
Food and Drink: Feel free to bring food and drink to class. Just be sure to dispose of it properly when
you are finished.
Class Grievances: I am willing to meet with you to discuss our class and/or particular assignments. I ask that you please wait 24 hours after you have received a graded assignment to come see me. Before we discuss your work, you are required to type out a document detailing what particular elements of your work you feel merit discussion.
Students with Disabilities: If any member of the class feels that he or she has a disability and requires special accommodations, of any nature whatsoever, I will work with you to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in this class. Please advise me of such disability and the desired accommodations at the close of the first class period. Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should visit the Office of Student Affairs, Ext. 2120.
Plagiarism: According to Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983, 2nd Ed.), to plagiarize is “to steal or pass of ideas or words of another as one’s own…to use created productions without crediting the source…to commit literary theft…to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (p.1371). Students in this course will be responsible for authenticating any assignment submitted to the instructor. If asked, you must be able to produce proof that the assignment you submitted is in fact your own work. Therefore, it is recommended that you engage in a verifiable working process on assignments. Keep copies of all drafts of your work, make photocopies of research materials, write summaries of research materials, keep logs or journals of your work on assignments and papers, learn to save drafts or versions of assignments under individual file names on computer diskettes, etc. In addition to requiring a student to authenticate his/her work, the instructor may employ various other means of ascertaining authenticity—such as engaging in internet searches, creating quizzes based on student work, requiring students to explain their work and/or process orally, etc.
NSU’s policy on Academic Misconduct (from http://www.nsuok.edu/policies/academic/misconduct.html): Academic misconduct includes cheating (using unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise), plagiarism, falsification of records, unauthorized possession of examinations, intimidation, and any and all other actions that may improperly affect the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement, or assisting others in any such act or attempts to engage in such acts. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the University and therefore is unacceptable and prohibited. Any faculty member, administrator or staff member may identify an act of academic misconduct and should report that act to the department head/college dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs or administrative supervisor. Students violating the standards of academic honesty are subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) in a specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the class in which the violation occurred; expulsion from a program; or expulsion from the University.
Inclement
Weather/Disaster Policy: The following are basic premises for the inclement
weather policy at
1.
Classes are expected to be held if at all possible.
2. It is the student's responsibility to receive
the information when weather is questionable.
3. Neither students nor faculty are expected to
risk life or limb.
4. Faculty members are obligated to hold classes if
the University is not closed, unless the faculty member is unable to get to
campus.
Policy:
During times of inclement weather, decisions concerning day classes will be
made by 6:00 a.m. in order for the media to be notified and for students to
receive the announcement before they leave home. Decisions concerning night
classes will be made by 3:00 p.m.
The
following media will be notified regarding closing of the campus:
|
Radio Stations |
Television Stations |
|
KRMG 740 AM |
KJRH Channel 2 |
|
KAYI 107 FM |
KOTV Channel 6 |
|
KTLQ 1350 AM Tahlequah |
KTUL Channel 8 |
|
KEOK 102 FM Tahlequah |
KFSM Channel 5 |
|
KBIX 1490 AM |
|
Common
courtesies: