The mission of The College of Education at Northern Arizona University is to prepare education professionals to create the schools of tomorrow.

Northern Arizona University
College of Education

Integrated Secondary Teacher Education Program (I-STEP)
Fall 2003

General Information

Times and rooms: M, W, Th 9:30-12:30 - Rm 208
T 7:30-12:30 (school sites as assigned; or 9:30-12:30 on campus)

Instructors/offices/phone number:
Dr. Pat Hays 207K EEC 523-3952 pat.hays@nau.edu
Dr. Peggy Raines 207E EEC 523-7124 peggy.raines@nau.edu
Dr. Jean Ann Foley 202B EEC 523-6998 jeanann.foley@nau.edu
Jessica Jennings (G.A.) jlj57@dana.ucc.nau.edu

Course Prerequisites: Completion of all major and minor course work; Ed foundations course.

Course Description

The I-STEP program incorporates the objectives and learning experiences from ECI 308, ECI 322, ECI 350, ECI 450, and ECI 465. The program directs student learning to integrate the concepts and skills of each of the above courses in a final exhibition that synthesizes the material. The course is inquiry-based, interdisciplinary, and contextually grounded through guided experiences in school sites (incorporating the credit for ECI 308). I-STEP addresses the Arizona Department of Education Standards for Beginning Teachers. In particular, I-STEP directly addresses standards 1-5 and 8 and builds the foundation for standard 6. Standard 7 is addressed in the liberal arts and subject major and minor courses of each student.

Course Objectives

Pedagogical Knowledge
Students demonstrate an understanding of the following:
1. the nature of adolescents;
2. theories and principles of curriculum development;
3. theories and principles of classroom management;
4. theories and principles of instructional methodologies;
5. the role of subject area content in instruction;
6. the role of context of schooling and instruction--
social contexts,
historical contexts,
philosophical contexts,
political contexts,
ethical contexts;
7. the role and techniques of assessment in instruction;
8. issues of diversity and special students in secondary classrooms;
9. realities and structures of the teaching profession;
10. resources available for use in instruction.

Instructional Skills
Students will demonstrate a proficiency in the following areas:
1. communicating effectively with others--peers, students, faculty, administrators, parents
community members;
2. designing, planning and implementing instruction--writing instructional objectives, planning,
unit and course design;
3. using technology and other resources in instruction;
4. designing and implementing classroom management plans;
5. critiquing , evaluating, and developing curriculum documents;
6. assessing students and classroom instruction;
7. motivating students and fostering student learning;
8. delivering instruction through multiple methodologies;
9. organizing and managing use of time for instructional and non-instructional tasks;
10. developing habits of mind for professional growth.

Attitudes (Teaching Dispositions)
Students will demonstrate appropriate levels of development in:
1. affirming and nurturing diversity in schools and classrooms;
2. reliability;
3. taking initiative;
4. establishing collaborative and cooperative relationships with students, peers, and supervisors;
5. establishing a credible reputation as an educator;
6. reflective practices in instructional and personal contexts;
7. maintaining personal wellness;
8. respecting others;
9. continuing professional development (i.e. life-long learning);
10. creativity;
11. social and emotional intelligence;

Course Structure/Approach

These objectives will be accomplished through:
• Class lecture and discussion
• In-class demonstrations
• Video presentations
• Small-group/cooperative activities
• Role-playing and simulations
• Reading of required texts, articles, outside readings
• Guest presenters
• Completion of problems/projects/assignments
• Site observations and activities
• Micro-teaching
• Final Exhibitions

Readings and Materials

Required Texts:
Feden, P., & Vogel, R. (2003). Methods of Teaching: Applying Cognitive Science to Promote Student
Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kain, D. L. (2003). Problem-Based Learning for Teachers, Grades 6-12. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Required I-STEP Course Packet available at SNS Printing

Additional Readings/Materials on Reserve:
I-STEP materials are on reserve, either On-Line at Cline Library or some are in CEE Curriculum Lab. These will be announced when appropriate, though you may access them at any time by asking for the I-STEP readings. Professor-supplied readings will also be used as needed.

Course Policies

1. Regular attendance is required and will be considered in the professionalism grade (see On Becoming a Professional: Student Code of Conduct). If you must be absent, arrange for another student to pick up handouts for you. You are responsible for getting class notes, announcements, etc. from another student. More than two absences will necessitate a conference with the I-STEP professor(s). If you must be absent from a school site appointment, contact the cooperating teacher before school begins.

2. All assignments must be word processed. Writing errors, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, will be taken into consideration and may lower the grade. All assignments should be professional in appearance, such as you would submit to your principal or other employer.

3. A weekly calendar of activities will include assignment due dates. Assignments are to be turned in to the appropriate professor by no later than 4:00 p.m the day it is due. Late work will be penalized 10% per school day late (i.e., if an assignment is due Thursday, there is a 10% reduction if it is turned in Friday, 20% if it is turned in Monday, etc.). If you are turning in the assignment on a Friday, you must go to the INL office, Room 120, for a date and time stamp, then slip the assignment under the appropriate professor’s door.

4. On-time assignments that receive C grade or lower can be resubmitted by 4:00 PM of the following school day. (If resubmitted on a Friday, follow procedure above.) Include the original assignment/evaluation along with the resubmission to the professor who scored the first assignment. The scores of these two submissions will then be averaged.

5. After you have read all comments/remarks on graded work that has been returned to you, if you have a concern or disagree with the evaluation, you must submit these concerns in writing the following day to the appropriate professor. Grade grubbing is not professional behavior!

6. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on tests or lying about the work involved in class (e.g., presenting others’ work as one’s own, plagiarism from the internet, etc.). The policy in the NAU Student Handbook may be applied.

Evaluation Methods

Student evaluation will be based on performance in the following areas:

• Benchmark assignments (i.e., projects that synthesize learning experiences). Some sample assignments include: lesson plans, unit plans, curriculum papers, assessment and techology projects, problem-based learning presentations, etc. 40%

• A portfolio with artifactual evidence including professional documents, reflections, attestations, and productions. Portfolios will be created in cooperation with one I-STEP faculty advisor; specific expectations will be provided in class. 20%

• Tests/Quizzes – 5%

• Professionalism - a holistic score assigned by the faculty team based on your level of development/growth on I-STEP’s Dispositional Objectives
(see On Becoming a Professional: Student Code of Conduct for explication). 15%

• Final exhibition (see next page). 20%

• One credit (ECI 308) will be pass/fail, based on completion of activities associated with school sites.

Final grades will be computed by averaging the weighted results of each category. Though the work for I-STEP is integrated, grades are reported according to the four classes that make up the integrated experience. Thus, you will receive a grade for each class. Instructors will determine which course will receive which grade based on your overall performance.

The final grade scale for the course is this:
90-100% A, A, A, A 73-74% B, C, C, C
88-89% A, A, A, B 70-72% C, C, C, C
85-87% A, A, B, B 68-69% C, C, C, D
83-84% A, B, B, B 65-67% C, C, D, D
80-82% B, B, B, B 63-64% C, D, D, D
78-79% B, B, B, C 60-62% D, D, D, D
75-77% B, B, C, C 0-59% F, F, F, F

When rubric scores are assigned, the number system will be translated into appropriate points to match the following scale for computing student grades:
4 A 90-100% (e.g., 45-50 points if 50 possible)
3 B 80-89%
2 C 70-79%
1 D 60-69%
0 No score given; work is unacceptable.

I-STEP Final Exhibition

Students will demonstrate their understanding of course concepts through a final exhibition, to be scheduled during finals week. Exhibitions will be judged according to a four point rubric; two judges will evaluate each exhibition.

You are being considered as a teacher candidate for a school district that is building a model school. The cornerstone of your application is a presentation you will make to a committee on what you consider to be your ideal classroom. The presentation consists of a display (documents, diagrams, etc.) that can be examined in 20 minutes, a 15-minute oral presentation describing your work, and a 20-minute question-and-answer session during which the committee interacts with you and your ideas. You will describe the context of the school to which you are applying. Assume that the student body reflects the increasing diversity of the country as a whole. Be prepared to describe how you would adapt your plan if the context were different.

Your proposal must provide evidence of your expertise in content area knowledge and include at least the following elements:

VISUAL DISPLAY

1. A plan for a unit of instruction (3-5 weeks in length; including sample lesson plans, assessment, learning activities, use of resources and technology).

2. Sample documents prepared for distribution to students and/or parents (e.g. syllabus, management plan,
evaluation plan).

3. Three hypothetical student evaluations of your class provided by a student who does well in your subject and likes your class, a students who is struggling, but likes the class, and a student who does not like your class.

TEACHING SAMPLE

4. Included with the visual display is a sample of your best teaching (5 minute video tape), with a caption describing your intentions.

ORAL PRESENTATION

5. An overview/summary that ties the entire plan together, providing evidence and examples of how your plan deals with the five I-STEP habits of mind. This should include a description of student and teacher roles (what you will be doing, observing, etc. and what your students will be doing) in your classroom.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

6. Each exhibition will conclude with a question-and-answer session, during which the judges interact with the exhibitor. You may be asked questions about your visual display, videotape segment, oral presentation, or teaching in general.

The evaluation form and criteria used by the evaluators are included in the required course copy packet.

As an inquiry-based program, this course will be grounded in a set of focus questions. Student-generated questions will complement this tentative outline. The I-STEP habits of mind will provide the framework for exploring the focus questions.