SETA NEWSLETTER
The College of New Jersey
Volume 1, Issue 3
“Learning Through Inquiry: An Overview of Undergraduate Research” by Joyce Kinkead
April 2010
Article Summary by Nicole Thompson
The article begins by giving two student examples of undergraduate research: one dealing with the sciences and the other with the humanities. An important distinction to make about undergraduate research and research programs is that while the sciences are an integral part of the research field, they are not the only forms of study. Kinkead defines undergraduate research as including “scientific inquiry, creative activity, and scholarship” (6). Regardless of what medium the research takes place in, the most important aspect is that students are working towards an original idea or creation. Another integral part of research development is the incorporation of a faculty member to either serve as a guide for the student or for the student to serve as an assistant for the faculty member’s research.
The article also discusses who the typical “targets” are for undergraduate research. Students who benefit greatly from undergraduate research are often those in honors programs or very involved in campus-wide activities and organizations. Those students who are highly motivated have most likely already met with certain professors and feel comfortable working with them on more intricate projects. Research programs also give students an advantage when applying for graduate and other post-secondary education degrees. On the flip-side, students who are deemed “at risk” or “underrepresented” (11) profit from the program as well. While this seems like a backwards approach, students who are “at risk” can learn the importance of education when they participate in these types of programs. Additionally, their retention rates will more than likely become higher because they themselves are doing the projects, rather than reading about how someone else did
Editorial Board:
them. The last “target group’ is for pre-service teachers, or those students interested in becoming teachers, as they are often interested in improving learning at all levels of education. Until recently, many research universities in the past have not focused their efforts on those interested in becoming elementary or high school teachers. Now they are beginning to realize that if teachers are able to find ways to enrich students’ learning in younger grades, their scientific research endeavors will benefit in the long run. Many students and faculty members find joy simply in the art of doing research and eventually developing a final idea or product based on the information that they have gathered See Learning page 2
Danielle Petrosino Editor-In-Chief Nicole Thompson Co-Editor
Contributing Writers: Drew Conn Karyn Doherty Kelly Kosch Kate Ondrof Cynthia Ritter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Sophomore Year Experience: SED 224 and EFN 299
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JFE Unit Planning
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Exploring the JFE Course Block
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Student Teaching Experience
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Going Global: Student Teaching Abroad By Drew Conn
TCNJ’s Global Student Teaching program offers education students a once in a lifetime opportunity to not just live in another country but also teach in a foreign land and overcome challenges and obstacles that they otherwise may never encounter in the U.S. I spent the first two
months of my semester teaching U.S. and World Lit at an international school in Barcelona, Spain and I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. I returned home a more confident individual inside and outside of the classroom; the experience that I gained while living and
teaching in Spain was invaluable. Now I am almost done with my student teaching experience in New Jersey, and I can say that my global student teaching experience prepared me See Global page 4
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SETA NEWSLETTER
Growing as Educators: The Sophomore Year Experience SED 224 Article By Kelly Kosch Adolescent Learning and Development (SED 224) is a course that Secondary Education students will take in either the fall or spring semester of their sophomore year. Because it is one of the first education courses that students will take, it is important for them to immerse themselves in both the course and its practicum. The practicum for this course involves students going to local schools, usually either Ewing Township High School or Fisher Middle School, and tutoring students after school one day a week. Students will most likely tutor in their content area, but sometimes other subjects are in more demand. For example, my content area is English, but I tutored both Algebra and Spanish in my practicum because the students sometimes had difficulty grasping the material. Because the subjects are high school level, Education students should not worry about not knowing everything that is outside of their content area; in retrospect, they should focus more on the one-on-one interactions with adolescents and what they can learn from them. Throughout the SED 224 course itself, students will learn about various concepts and processes created by different theorists relating to adolescent development. At the beginning of the course, students may find the views of researchers such as Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Howard Gardner, etc. to be farfetched, and they may even ask themselves, “Do I really need to know this to become a teacher?” However, once they begin tutoring, they will begin to directly apply these theories to actual adolescents and experiences, and this becomes a crucial aspect of SED 224. Although it sounds surprising, students may walk away from a tutoring session thinking about Gardner’s “eight types of intelligence” and how it applies to the student they have just helped. One of the most important things that students should take from SED 224 is an ability to reflect. Whether their practicum experiences are positive or negative, students should realize that it is one of their first interactions with adolescents, and reflecting on their experiences from this course will help them better understand what they learn during JFE and student teaching, as well as aid them in shaping their mission as future teachers.
“Learning Through Inquiry” Continued from page 1
EFN 299 Article By Cynthia Ritter EFN 299: Schools and Communities is an education course that is taken during your sophomore year. It does not matter whether it is take fall or spring, but it has to be taken before your JFE. This course is usually a three hour class that is held once a week. There will be a practicum that you also have to sign up for as well. The practicum should last about 1 hour 20 minutes, but judge it by the time allotted on PAWS. Here is the “Course Description” and “Course Themes and Goals” that are included in the syllabus: Course Description This course aims to study the complex socio-cultural context of classrooms by examining the intricate relationships between teachers and students in classrooms. Its goals are to examine how classrooms, as dynamic, social environments, are coconstructed by teachers and students and how this impacts student learning. In this course students develop skills that help them analyze case studies, ethnographies, and various course readings as well as actual classroom practices in a secondary classroom where they complete an observational assignment. Course Themes and Goals Course themes and goals reflect the School of Education’s Conceptual Frameworks: -Demonstrating subject matter expertise. -Excellence and planning and practice. -Demonstrating a commitment to all learners. -Demonstrating a strong, positive effect on student growth. -Professionalism, Advocacy and Leadership. For practicum, you will be assigned a school. When you arrive at the school, you will have “orientation” time where a representative of the school will talk with you about the school. The representative will then tell you what teacher you will be observing and the class period. When you observe, you will take notes following what your professor advises. You should receive a packet explaining what you need to take notes on prior to entering the school site. You may help out the teacher you are observing, and you will remain in the classroom for the entire class period. As you are observing the classroom, you will be taking notes about the classroom environment, dynamic, the subject, concepts and/or themes that were discussed throughout the lesson, and your general thoughts about the class period in general. Once you have gathered your notes, you will write a paper that uses course concepts to interpret this field data. In addition to writing a paper, you will also join together with other classmates that are also observing in the school to form a poster that represents your experiences at the school during the practicum.
about their specific topic of interest. The importance of public recognition, however, is that it not only gives credit to the faculty member for his or her effort in mentoring an undergraduate student, but it also allows the student and faculty member’s work to be showcased, thus inspiring and educating others who There will be readings called “Case Study” that will present a have already begun research on their own or are contemplating situation that happened to someone. You will read these case studies and use concepts learned in class to analyze what hapdoing research in the future. pened and how you might resolve it. These case studies give you an idea of situations that could occur in your future classCitation: rooms. Kinkead, Joyce. "Learning Through Inquiry: An Overview of Undergraduate Research." New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2003.93 (2003): 5-18. Wiley Interscience. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.
Volume 1, Issue 3
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JFE Unit Planning By Nicole Thompson
Many juniors at TCNJ who live with Secondary Education majors know firsthand that steering clear of their roommates/housemates the week leading up to when their unit plans are due is a good idea. When students (or pre-service teachers) are completing their JFE (Junior Field Experience), one requirement is to create a long-form unit plan lasting approximately ten days. Unit formats vary slightly depending on the professor; however, they typically consist of the following: Unit Cover Page Unit title, your name(s), school site, professor’s name, and cooperating teacher’s name Table of Contents and Unit Calendar Simplified version of unit plan with each lesson, theme, key objective, and main activities for each day Rationale Explains why the unit should be taught and what relevance it has for students Overview Discusses what students will know and develop as they move through the les sons, including what authentic assessments will be used to check for understanding
Assessment Plan Includes informal (writing prompts, entrance and exit notes, group discussions) and formal (tests, projects, quizzes, essays) assessments, which are used to check students’ mastery of material Core Curriculum Standards Must adhere to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards and subject specific standards when creating lessons. Standards can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs Approximately 10 Lesson Plans Uses long-form lesson plans, which include the following: an overall essential question(s), 2-3 learning objectives per lesson, materials, settle down/ opening activity, instructional plan, closure activity, assessments, and homework. After lessons have been taught, lesson plans will include self evaluations and reflections on lessons Bibliography and Resources Cite all sources used while creating the unit plan
The amount of time and effort put into the unit plan depends on the individual pre-service teacher (or teachers, if working in pairs), but as a whole, the unit plan takes days, sometimes weeks, to complete, with hours-upon-hours spent coming up with creative ways to engage and educate students. While the unit plan can be a huge time commitment, it is an invaluable guide when teaching in the future. Not only does it make teaching the lessons less stressful because most of the preparation has been done already, but it provides stepby-step instructions on how lessons should be structured in the future. Even though the long-format is typically not used to write lesson plans as a certified teacher, the set-up for the classroom instruction should resemble the methods learned in JFE. As a future English teacher, for example, the unit could come in handy if you need to quickly refer to a past lesson that dealt with a similar genre, theme, or literary technique. Even if you are not covering the same exact novels or literature, the lessons, worksheets, and activities that you created during your JFE could be incorporated into future lesson plans. The unit plan created in JFE provides great practice, teaches lessons about time management and can be an extremely useful tool in the future.
In the language class, aspiring teachers learn how to make appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. By Kate Ondrof They learn about “person first language,” Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and COLA, a method for visually organizThe Junior Field Experience (JFE) includes some of the most helpful ing material in a way that is easy for students with learning classes of an education major’s undergraduate career. In addition to disabilities to access. the field component, there are two other required classes: a methods In the literary portion of the class, students learn how to make course for each content area and a special education language and content area reading more accessible to struggling readers. literacy course that everyone must take. Topics such as study guides, graphic organizers, and the readability of textbooks are touched on in the class. Methods classes give strategies for teaching specific topics within
Exploring the JFE Course Block
the content areas. For English majors, there are two required methods classes dealing separately with teaching Reading and teaching Writing. In Math, too, there are two separate classes, one for middle school math and one for high school math. In these classes, students must research effective methods for teaching different subject topics. The research conducted in these classes is a valuable resource for students to consult throughout their undergraduate career and beyond. A Special Education Language and Literacy class (SPE323) is also required for JFE students. This course is technically two classes in one, taught in conjunction by two separate professors. One class focuses on the language component, while the other deals with the literary component.
Both sections of this course are extremely helpful. This is the only undergraduate course for general education majors that focuses on students with disabilities and how to make accommodations for them. Inclusion of special education students in general education classes is common, so the tools gained from this class will definitely be useful when teaching. The Special Education Language and Literacy course, along with the content area methods courses, provide undergraduate students with their first real exposure to actual pedagogical practices. The grouping of Junior Field Experience classes provides a wealth of information that helps students get through not only their junior year teaching experience, but also student teaching and their future careers as teachers.
An Inside Look at the Student Teaching Experience By Danielle Petrosino
Once you have completed all of the required education courses and Junior Field Experience, you will embark on one of the most challenging, yet enriching teaching experiences of your undergraduate career. You will take everything that you have learned in your educational classes and apply it to your final teaching experience, formally known as Student Teaching. This intensive seminar consists of two courses: EED 490: Student Teaching, which counts for two units (or 8 credits) and SED 498: Collaborative Capstone Seminar, which counts for the standard 4 credits. These courses must be taken together and can either be completed in the fall or spring semester, depending on your discipline and interest in Global Student Teaching.
teach throughout the semester. The first day of student teaching depends upon the contract that is developed between TCNJ and the school district, so you will begin your student teaching experience when the contract starts. However, if you decide to complete your student teaching in the fall, it is highly recommended that you begin when the school does so that you can start the school year with your cooperating teacher as well as the students that you will be teaching. For the first three weeks, your cooperating teacher will instruct the classroom, and you will observe during this time as well as prepare your lessons for your unit(s). After three weeks, you will take over the classroom, while your cooperating teacher observes your teaching techniques and how you execute the lessons. Although your co-op will be there to assist you if necessary, this should be your opportunity to teach every lesson as though you are their full-time teacher.
your grade will be determined by all three mentors. They will also receive your weekly lesson plans and inform you about what you can do to revise it and make it even better than before. SED 498: Collaborative Capstone Seminar is taken once a week at the College where student teachers take a breather from lesson planning and grading and discuss their teaching experiences, obstacles and dilemmas that they are facing on the field. Student teachers will not only talk about what is happening in the schools, but address other subject matter or teaching techniques that will be useful when creating weekly lesson plans as well.
As you are developing and teaching your lessons, you will also be required to work on an Inquiry Project, which will count for a large portion of your grade for this course. The main focus for this project will derive from a specific topic or subject that your students are struggling with. You will You will not only learn about the classdevelop several mini-lessons and lessons room environment and your cooperating that directly relate to your topic, starting teacher’s teaching styles, but you will also with the baseline assessment, and your lessons will go from there based on the be informed about what is going on outside of the classroom by attending weekly results of the baseline. You will receive “team” meetings, bi-weekly faculty meet- more information throughout the semester ings, professional development days, etc. about this from your professors. Near the Your participation in these school funcend of the semester, you will be required to EED 490: Student Teaching takes place in tions will give you a strong sense of the create an e-portfolio, similar to the one the school that you will be assigned to teach classroom climate and what the school is that was created during JFE, and you will in at the end of your junior year by the EASE doing as a whole in order to advance or present your final product to two profesDepartment. You will not only be notified improve their current academic standing. sors from your content area and education about the school district, but you will also You will not only consult with your coop- department. This will be your final assessfind out who your cooperating teacher is and erating teacher, but you will also receive ment for the semester and will bring your how he/she can be reached. It is highly rectwo supervisors who will also guide you teaching experience to a bittersweet, yet ommended that you meet with your co-op through your student teaching experirewarding close. before the semester begins so that you are ence. You will be observed by both your given vital information about the school, cur- Content Area Supervisor and Education Have any questions? E-mail Supervisor throughout the semester, and riculum, and what you will be required to It is strongly recommended that students do not enroll in any additional courses during his or her student teaching seminar. As explained on the TCNJ English Department website, “Student Teaching requires an enormous commitment of energy and time. If possible, student teachers should not take additional courses or hold a part-time job during the semester.” Because this semester has only 12 credits, you will need to either complete an overload of 20 credits or take a summer course in order to graduate in time. Please keep this in mind as you are organizing your program planner.
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Going Global
Continued from page 1 immensely to step right into a New Jersey classroom and begin student teaching immediately. So how exactly does the process work? When you begin filling out your student teaching applications and paperwork during your junior year, you will be given the option of participating in the global program. If you are even remotely interested in the program, then you should at least check that box and look into the options further – at this point, there is no commitment to the program. You will be asked to list your top location choices, and the STEP office will consider your personal preference during the selection process but cannot always please everyone. That being said, you can always decline an offer if this does not work for you. Upon completion of the application process, you will be
invited to interview with a representative from the STEP office. This interview is a chance to speak to a representative about the different options and determine what fits best for you – some people may discover that their #1 choice is actually not the best fit for them. When I applied for the program, Spain was listed as my third choice, but after speaking to a representative, I quickly realized that Barcelona was a perfect match for me. Therefore, the interview is important, not just for convincing the representatives why you deserve the chance to participate in this program, but also so that you can hear more about the various sights and decide which one is best for you. Once the interview and application process are completed, the only thing left to do is just wait and hear back from the STEP office. Before you know it, you may be planning an itinerary and packing for a 2-month trip to a foreign country! For more information please check the following website: http://www.tcnj.edu/~educat/globalteaching/index.html