Heather Sand

Course Description
A 30 hour field experience, along with readings, online postings, and class sessions. This course is to be taken concurrently with Ed 205, Introduction to Education and Technology.

Course Goals
Confirm teaching as an appropriate career choice.
Better understand teachers and the work of teaching.
Better understand schools and their operation.
Develop an awareness of the necessary dispositions to be a successful teacher.
Assess one’s own dispositions in each of these areas.
Set goals for improvement of dispositions.
Work towards successfully meeting goals in a classroom setting.
Support fellow-students in assessing their dispositions and working toward their goals for improvement.

Course Materials
• All reading materials and forms are available in PDF format on the Desire 2 Learn site. Students may also choose to purchase books or borrow them from the library.

Attendance
Attendance will be necessary to achieve the goals of this course. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the information that was covered during class from another classmate. Please contact me if you plan to be absent, or as soon as possible after an unplanned absence and I will determine if you are excused. If your absence is excused, you will be allowed to make up any points that were assigned during the missed class period. Excused absences may be limited to illness (requires a note from your physician specifying dates for which you are unable to attend class), family emergency (requires a note from the appropriate university administrator), or required university function (requires note from appropriate administrator). Absences may result in a reduction of points from your point total. Save documentation for excused absences; I will review this documentation and adjust point totals so that you are not penalized for absences excused by a medical professional or a university official.

Course Requirements

1. Two reflective writing assignments. (32 points)
2. Active participation in class sessions. (24 points)
3. Required readings as assigned and required posts Desire 2 Learn. (126 points)
4. Self-Assessment/Goal Setting, you will assess your own dispositions and set goals. (18 points)
MUST HAVE 180 of 200 Possible Points AND
5. Complete a minimum of 30 hours of field experience in your assigned school with acceptable ratings on the course evaluation.
6. Confidentiality & Respect, the topic of this class can become very personal. Please respect the privacy of each individual and keep matters heard in class to your self. Also show consideration for the views of others even when you do not agree. Your responses to classmates must be respectful and kind at all times.

Grading

This field experience is graded on a pass-fail basis. The grading options are Pass (P) or Fail (F). The grade of P does not affect your GPA; a grade of F will lower you GPA. Failure to successfully complete ANY ONE of the course requirements will result in a failing grade.
The chart below shows points given for each component of the dispositions seminar. You MUST achieve 180 of 200 possible points in order to receive a “pass” for that portion of the course.

Instructional strategies
•class discussion •group activities

•role-playing •Desire 2 Learn site

•problem solving exercises •LiveText site

A significant portion of the course will be delivered on-line using Desire 2 Learn. Registering for the course automatically signs you up for D2L. An explanation of access to this service will be detailed in class. You may also contact Barb Hoppe with questions regarding D2L hoppeba@mnstate.edu or 477-2596

Repeat Policy
Students who receive a failing grade in a field experience or withdraw from a field experience after the drop deadline must wait one semester before repeating the course. Students who withdraw may follow the appeals process if they do not wish to wait the one semester. A redemption plan must be completed during the intervening semester and prior to enrolling in the field experience the second time. Field experiences may only be repeated once, unless an academic appeal is granted.

Students with Disabilities
“Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.”

Email, computer backup, and electronic submission policy
In conjunction with the Desire 2 Learn site, communication will occur regularly with all students by email. To ensure prompt delivery of email messages, you must have a reliable email account and check it regularly. Free and easy to use accounts are available through the university, go to the home site web.mnstate.edu and click on “email”, follow the instructions for setting up an account. I also offer students the option of signing up for contact through text messaging. In preparing work for this course, you should take normal precautions against data loss. When working at the computer, save frequently. When you submit a paper also save it to your flash drive for safekeeping in case the other is mislaid. All assignments WILL BE submitted electronically. We will utilize the upload feature on the Moodle site. If problems are encountered on Moodle, please send it as an email attachment for verification and we will work through the problem. I will respond promptly to all assignments submitted. If you do not receive a reply in a timely manner try again or contact me to ensure it has been delivered.

Confidentiality Policy
Each MSUM student, upon entering teacher education, assumes a number of obligations, one of which is maintaining professional conduct. The MSUM student assumes the trust and obligation to insure the full protection of information acquired about students/children, teachers, families, and other school personnel, both educational and personal, during all field experiences. The Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teachers states, “In accordance with state and federal laws, a teacher shall disclose confidential information about individuals only when a compelling professional purpose is served or when required by law.” MSUM students will abide by this principle.

Insurance:
You, as an MSUM student teacher must carry liability insurance when working in the schools. Joining Education Minnesota Student Program will provide you with liability insurance. Use the links from the Field Experiences website: http://web.mnstate.edu/edhuman/edmajor.cfm - or go directly to http://www.nea.org/memberservices/index.htmlx

Classroom Role:
Your cooperating teacher will determine more precisely what you will be doing in the classroom. You may work one on one with a student or a small group of students; you may make some copies or do some laminating; you may correct papers while listening and watching the classroom; you may even work with the entire class if the teacher feels that it’s an appropriate task for you. Be prepared to work hard during your classroom time. If you are given time to observe quietly, make the most of the experience by opening up all of your senses to everything that is around you – this is not a time for daydreaming or working on homework. If you do have a concern about your teacher’s expectations, please contact Heather Sand.

Professional Requirements:
Present yourself in this situation as a professional. You are expected to notify your cooperating teacher prior to an absence. You are expected to dress in a professional manner; jeans, T-shirts, sweatshirts, body piercing (other than earrings), and ill fitting clothing are not considered appropriate attire. You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner, this includes your home answering machine as well as conversations on school property with students, teachers, aides, administrators, and other MSUM students. You are required to wear identification while in the school. Use either your MSUM ID or driver’s license and either a lanyard or magnetic clip to display it at all times.

Posting in Desire 2 Learn:
We will use the discussion forum on the D2L site to share thoughts and ideas with group members. You will be divided into small groups and your ideas will be visible only to those in your group and your instructors. When you write something in the discussion forum, it is called a “post”, when you reply to what someone else has said in the forum, it is called a “response post”. You will be required to post or response post EVERY WEEK throughout the semester. This submission is ALWAYS due on Wednesday at midnight. Anything submitted after that time will be counted late and given a reduction in points. You can choose to complete the required assignment ANYTIME throughout the week, early is great- Wednesday at midnight is the DEADLINE. Your ED 205 instructor will read these posts and make comments to the group as well. Please contact Heather Sand, your ED 205 instructor, or Barb Hoppe (hoppeba@mnstate.edu or 477-2596) with any questions you may have.

READ & POST:
Content that you should read will be posted for the week on the D2L site. Full copyright information is given if you’d prefer to purchase the book or borrow it from a library. You should read the given text. You should read the prompt on the D2L site and answer it with careful thought and reflection. You should not summarize the article, but show that you have read the information through your response. POSTS should be at least one complete paragraph with good content, sentence structure, and spelling.

RESPONSE POSTS:
Each person in the group is first required to “READ & POST” – then each person will complete “RESPONSE POSTS”. For each assignment, you must post at least TWO different brief responses to what members of your group have said in their POST. These responses can be just one sentence, or they can be a full paragraph; however avoid brief statements such as “good point” or “I agree” – make your response post worth reading for the author and your other group members.

Alternative Online Application