1. Carol Billing
Office: Aspen Classrooms Building, Rm. 122
carolbilling@cwidaho.cc
208.562.3391
Elementary Education
Families, Communities & Culture
EDUC 204 – W01W
Spring 2012
Course Description
This course examines the interactions of schools, families, communities, and diverse
cultures as a basis for reflecting on the social context of learning. Nonparticipant K-12
classroom observations are included. Students are required to complete and pass a
background check. (This course includes Portfolio Entry: Diversity Statement of
Informed Beliefs. This class addresses Idaho Core Teacher Standards 3, 6, and 9.)
PREREQ: ENGL 101
Course Schedule
Online, asynchronous
Students are expected to check into class approximately three to four times a week
Runs a regular semester from 1/17/12 -5/11/12
Course Objectives
 Understand systems theory
 Identify three leadership/parenting styles
 Identify major roles of a teacher (i.e. leader, mentor, manager, planner &
motivator).
 Discuss the importance of peer groups, mass media, & community services.
 Discuss the ecology of families, parenting, schooling, and teaching.
 Discuss socialization methods and outcomes.
 Learn teacher language and concepts such as ZPD (Zone of Proximal
Development), “with-it-ness”, learned helplessness, etc.
Teacher Education Core Principles
Principle 3: Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs: The pre-service teacher
understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and
creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with
diverse needs.
Principle 6: Communication Skills: The pre-services teacher uses a variety of
communication techniques tofoster inquiry, collaboration, and supportive
interaction in and beyond the classroom.
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2. Principle 9: Professional Commitment and Responsibility: The pre-service teacher is a
reflective practitioner who demonstrates a commitment to professional
standards and is continuously engaged in purposeful mastery of the art
and science of teaching.
Outcomes Assessment:
Student Learning Outcome Assessment
Exams
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate
their attitudes and knowledge as a foundation Teacher Interview
forunderstanding the diversity among students Observation Summary Assignment
in school. (ICTS 3)
SIB
Exams
Learning Outcome: Students will identify how
school, family, and community interaction can Teacher Interview
be used as a basis for understanding cultural Observation Summary Assignment
diversity.
SIB
Exams
Learning Outcome: Students will identify how
school, family, and community interactions can Teacher Interview
be used as a basis for extending learning Observation Summary Assignment
opportunities of children (ICTS 9)
SIB
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate
how to make appropriate adjustments in Observation Summary Assignment
planning, delivery, and assessment of SIB
instruction to meet students‟ diverse needs Teaching Presentation
and experiences. (ICTS 3)
Exams
Interview Summary
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate
Observation Summary Assignment
effective communication skills. (ICTS 6)
SIB
Teaching Presentation
Activity: Statement ofInformed Beliefs Diversity
SIB
Essay (Portfolio Entry).
Textbook &Materials
 Child, Family, School, Community – Socialization and Support (8th edition)
By Roberta M. Berns
ISBN: 978-0-495-60325-2
 Memory Stick
 Binder & place to keep class notes (notebook or paper in binder)
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3. Student Contributions
The average student can expect to spend approximately 6-9 hours per week preparing
for this class.Observation Summary Assignment
Course Work:
Assignments are completed using information from the textbook, resources linked or
posted to Bb, class lectures, handouts and group assignments. To see assignment due
dates, check your course calendar or „My Grades‟ on Bb. All assignments will be
submitted via Bb unless directed otherwise by your instructor. If you do not see the
assignment link in Bb, the assignment is late and cannot be submitted. I will not
accept late assignments or those that are emailed.
After the first week of the semester, if the student does not log into the
Blackboard (Bb) class, submit assignments/communicate with the instructor, I
will withdraw the student for lack of attendance.
As a three credit, 16 week course, students should schedule up to 12 hours per week
for this class.
Course Requirements
Exams: There will be three tests comprised of, but not necessarily including: multiple
choice, matching, true/false and essay questions.
Portfolio Entry: Statement of Informed Beliefs
Interview: The student will interview acertified practicing K-12 TEACHER. The interview
must demonstrate relevance to any topic found in the textbook. Write an essay in MLA
to describe your experience. Be prepared to discuss.
Teaching Presentation: The student will create a lesson plan and PowerPoint or Prezi
to teach a concept from the text.
Observations: Each student will spend 10 hours in a classroom observing the
interactions among the school population and analyzing the school culture. Each
student will complete presentationregarding the observations. Be prepared to discuss
the progress of your observations in class.
Observation Summary Assignment: Each student will present a summary of his/her
observational experience, theories witnessed in use and general information about the
observation experience.
Office Hours
My official „office hours‟ are listed on Blackboard under Faculty Information. Additionally
I am always available for appointments and questions via e-mail.
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4. Attendance Policy
 Attendance is critically important for this class. I have high expectations for the
work submitted. In order to comprehend concepts, theories and how
assignments should be competed and submitted for full credit, you must
check into Bb three times weekly and contribute/collaborate.
 It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course.During the first two weeks
of the term, a student may drop a course or completely withdraw without its being
recorded on the student's official transcript. After the first two weeks a “W”will be
recorded in any course the student drops. A student who stops attending but
fails to drop or withdraw from the course will be given an F grade.
NOTE: No course may be dropped or withdrawn from after 75% of the course or
12 weeks of the term has elapsed, whichever is earlier. An Incomplete (I) grade
may be available in the event that unexpected circumstances prevent the
completion of the course after the 12th week.
Behavior:
 You are expected to conduct yourself in a positive and professional manner in
this class environment. All other class members should be treated with respect.
 You will receive a warning concerning inappropriate behavior. If the behavior
persists, you will be referred to the Office of Student Enrichment, and if the
problem persists it may result in removal from the course.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
All work submitted by a student must represent his/her own ideas, concepts, and
current understanding. All material found during research must be correctly documented
to avoid plagiarism. Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and violations
may result in disciplinary action ranging from failure of the assignment to failure of the
course. Repeated acts of academic dishonesty may have more severe institutional
ramifications.
Grades
A combination of lecture, demonstration, homework, exercises, and projects will be
used in the class. Lectures, text readings, homework, Bb exercises, and projects will be
used as preparation for assessments. Grades for this class will be based on a straight
point total, calculated in Bb.
The final grade will be based on the following percentage:
90 - 100% = A
80 – 89% = B
70 – 79% = C
65 – 69% = D
0 – 64% = F
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5. As a general rule I do not give Incompletes. However, to be eligible for an Incomplete,
a student must have an A for the class and have most of the class work completed. I
will only consider awarding an Incomplete if a student meets the above criteria and has
some extreme emergency situation. In such cases, a student requiring an incomplete
must submit a written appeal with full rationale to the instructor at least three weeks
prior to the end of the term.
Course Evaluations
Students are strongly encouraged to complete course evaluations at the end of the
course. Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching staff to improve the
course. Evaluations are available at http://evaluation.csi.edu. Evaluations become
available two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete an
evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open,
students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer
with Internet access. When students log in, they should see the evaluations for the
courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the
evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly
appreciated.If 80 percent of the class completes their evaluation, everyone in the
class gets extra credit.
Drop Policy
It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course. Students are responsible for
adding and dropping courses. At the end of the first week of class, faculty may drop
students for non-attendance up to census date. Beyond census date, it is the student‟s
responsibility to drop any course he/she does not intend to finish. Students who stop
attending a course without filing a drop request may receive a grade of F.
CWI E-mail and Blackboard Accounts
All registered CWI students receive a college email and Bb account. Every course at
CWI has a Bb component. It is the student‟s responsibility to access both accounts
regularly to avoid missing important messages and deadlines. Bb can be accessed
through the icon on CWI‟s home page: www.cwidaho.cc. Email can be accessed
through the login page at http://mail.live.com. Your default password for both Bb and
email accounts will be the first letter of your firstname in CAPS + first letter of your last
name in CAPS + “logon” in lower-case letters + last 4 digits of your SSN; if you don‟t
have a SSN, then use the last 4 digits of your student ID number (Ex: Jonathan Smith‟s
password would be JSlogon1234).
Library and Information Resources
The CWI Library is located in room 209 of the Nampa Campus. Online library and
information resources, including electronic databases, are accessible through the library
web page at https://cwidaho.cc/library/. Student login instructions are available on the
library home page.
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6. Special Accommodations
Students with disabilities who believe that they may qualify for accommodations in this
class are encouraged to contact the One Stop Student Services Center and discuss the
possible accommodations with an Enrollment Specialist. If you have a diagnosed
Learning Disability, please initiate this contact as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please contact the One Stop
Student Services at 562-3000 or Room 107 – CWI Main Campus.
Course Calendar
See course calendar uploaded in a separate document to Bb
Special Notes for Online Learning
Personal technical skills required to take an online course
Communicate via email including sending attachments
Navigate the World Wide Web using a Web browser such as Internet Explorer
Use office applications such as Microsoft Office (or similar) to create documents
Be willing to learn how to communicate using a discussion board and upload
assignments to a classroom Web site
Be comfortable uploading and downloading saved files
Have easy access to the Internet
Hardware and software requirements are clearly stated
Personal computer / laptop with Windows operating system
Microsoft Office 2010 (See techhead.org or Google “Microsoft Ultimate Steal” for student
pricing)
Email turn-around time
All emails and text messages will be answered within 24 Mon-Friday, no responses on
Sat/Sun.
Assessment turn-around time and feedback
All assignments will be graded within one week of due date
All projects will be graded within two weeks of due date
Feedback on work will be posted in the Blackboard grade book or directly on assignment
in Bb.
Netiquette expectations
Taken from: mycollegesandcareers.com @ http://www.mycollegesandcareers.com/2010/11/10-
etiquette-tips-for-an-online-course/
1. Participation — unlike classroom settings, you can’t just ―show up‖ and expect to pass the
class. An online class is a community, and as such all are expected to participate. Discussion
posts, opinions and feedback should be thoughtful and well-articulated so that everyone can
enjoy a fun learning experience.
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7. 2. Procrastination — do not wait until the last minute to do your work! Taking an online course
means working with technology, and sometimes it can fail you. Work ahead of schedule so that
any problems can be taken directly to the instructor for help, without losing time.
3. Sharing — ideas, opinions and experiences should be shared with the whole community.
Classmates may post questions on the Discussion Board, which you may be able to answer.
Don’t keep information to yourself; in a community, everyone works together for the good of
the whole.
4. Proofread – before you press the SEND button, think about what you have written; you can’t
take it back! A response to a classmate, a discussion post, an email to the instructor, make
sure that you have said what you meant and that you mean what you said!
5. Express — classmates and teachers cannot ―see you‖, so you have to be clear. Sarcasm,
concern and other emotions are lost in an online environment if there is not enough information
to back the statement up.
6. Feedback — give feedback to your classmates and be open to theirs. Online classes function
best when everyone is involved in the learning process.
7. Respect — do not put down anyone’s ideas or thoughts, also state your own opinion in a way
that is not hostile or overwhelming. Respect your classmates and they will respect you!
8. Caution – be careful about statements that may come off as derogatory, racist or
inappropriate for the classroom setting. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online.
9. Cheating – treat the class like an in-room course. Do not cheat; it only hurts your learning
opportunities.
10. Work hard! — to get the most out of it, you’ve got to put your best into it! Work hard and
achieve results!
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