This online
course is designed to assist new teachers in improving their educational
situation for themselves and for their students. The goals of this course will be to offer
opportunities for teachers in their first years to become critically conscious
of their assumptions about teaching and learning, to foster the attitude that
teaching is intellectual work, that requires dedication to and a love of
learning, a respect and caring for students, a concern for equity in the
classroom, and a moral imperative for excellence in teaching. Moreover, participants in the course will
develop themselves into reflective practitioners.
The primary
objectives of this course were developed to help new teachers acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to become effective teachers. Therefore, the course will focus on the
teacher as a person, classroom management and organization, organizing and
implementing instruction, assessing student learning in the context of
teaching, writing in subject areas, technology in education, and the teacher as
a researcher.
Students
will be required to complete all readings and participate fully in online
discussions. Online discussions will focus on real problems of practice from
the participants teaching situations.
Participants will keep a reflective online journal in which they must
regularly record their ideas, conjectures, reflections, and classroom
experiences. Additionally, participants
will be required to respond to other members of the class through online chat
rooms and discussions boards. The major
assignments for the course will be a teaching portfolio that demonstrates their
growth as a first year teacher, developing a classroom website and a classroom
management plan, and writing case studies using their classroom experiences as
text.
Students will log on to the course site at least 2x per week to complete
various assignments as well as meet in person (3x) once in the beginning,
middle and end of the semester.
Additionally, students will have scheduled meeting times to meet in chat
rooms and to work in groups on line.