Teaching English to Diverse Learners

TE 407 Section 2, Fall 2008

Seminar: Erickson 128, M/W, 8:00 – 9:50 am
Lab: W, 4:10 - 6:00 pm

Seminar Instructor Lab Instructors

Carlin Borsheim Annis Brown - brownann@msu.edu Erickson 109
Office hours by appointment Delores Schnarr - schnarda@haslett.k12.mi.us Wells C202
517.862.1368
carlinborsheim@hotmail.com
Course wikispace: http://msu-englished-cohort08.wikispaces.com/

Course Description
This course aims to guide you in taking your first steps into English teaching, to begin preparing
you for the world of the early twenty-first century English classroom with a repertoire of
instructional practices. We will also look beyond the present to the future of English in a rapidly
changing world.

During the semester, you will think about why you might take certain steps in your English
classroom as well as what you can do and how. This means that the methods you use, or how you
go about teaching, depend upon knowing who your students are, who you are, where you teach
(i.e. various contexts such as curricula, school, community, state, etc.), what you teach, and why
you are teaching. This course assumes that there is not a “one size fits all” method or single best
way to teach English language arts. Thus, it is crucial to develop a core set of principles to guide
practice: planning and enacting lessons and assessing instruction and learning. Underlying each
specific choice about what to teach and how are fundamental questions: How will this further the
learning of our students? Why this content or skill? Why this now? Why this way? Being able to
answer these questions requires understanding our students as learners, as well as the social
conditions of our classroom. Interrogating our beliefs and reflecting frequently on our practice will
help us meet our students’ needs. Often, being attentive to timing, to relationships among
learners, and to the dynamics of classroom talk is every bit as important as the coherent, relevant,
and timely presentation of appropriate content.

We will take these steps into English teaching together as a group of learners. As your instructor, I
will be learning about you and the ways I can assist you. As students, you will be learning with
and from each other, as well as from course materials. Consider this cohort your induction into a
network of professional colleagues: our work together this semester feeds directly into the work
we will do in the spring in TE408.

3 Components of TE 407/408: Field Experience/Lab/Seminar

This course has three major components: the field experience, the teaching lab, and the seminar
class. As an instructional team, we are working collaboratively to make this an integrated course
experience; you should also look for ways to build connections across the different parts of the
course.

1) Field Experience
Starting in October and throughout the rest of the year, you will be participating in a secondary
English classroom for at least four hours (spread out over at least two days) per week. For most of
you, this participation will happen with a partner. To help structure your entry into the field
experience, we have designed assignments to help you integrate your experiences with our
course units. Additionally, you will share reflections on these tasks in a peer discussion group on
our course wikispace with small groups in class after your placement begins.

2) Teaching Lab
As part of TE 407, you will participate in a weekly teaching lab, in which you collaboratively
practice lesson planning, design, and performance. More details about lab will be provided during
your first lab class on September 3. Your work in lab is designed to feed, and be fed by, your work
in the seminar class.

3) Seminar Class
As noted above, teaching well entails making many decisions before you enter the classroom and
making on-the-spot decisions once you are there. This seminar course focuses in particular on the
planning aspects of English teaching. We will discuss the complexities involved in making planning
choices, and you will rehearse a number of decisions as you design, enact, revise, and reflect on
lessons. You will also explore the wealth of resources available for English teachers and discover
ways of approaching and organizing your teaching and your curriculum. This course will also help
you begin to build a library of professional resources and a network of professional relationships.

Core Concepts
Almost everything we do throughout the year in TE 407 and TE 408 will address the work of
planning for English instruction. We have structured the course around four core concepts. These
four concepts, and the questions that define them, will not only give coherence to our work
together in class, but we hope they will also become touchstone questions as you make teaching
decisions in your own classroom.

1. Teacher beliefs and knowledge:

How do my beliefs and knowledge shape my practices? How do I believe learning occurs?
What do I believe is important for students to learn? Why do I teach English Language Arts
(ELA)? What makes a good ELA teacher and student? What do I know, believe, and value
about ELA content?

2. Students and context:

What do I believe about students? What do I need to know to teach students effectively?
How does what I know and what I believe about my students shape my practice?

3. Purpose:
How does my understandings of the purpose of a lesson or unit shape my practices? How
can I build coherence in my planning? How is what I do with students today significant for
them beyond today?

4. Classroom talk:
How do different forms, types, and practices of classroom talk create the learning
environment in an English/Language Arts classroom? How can I move classroom talk in a
more dialogic direction?

Course Goals
These concepts feed directly into the primary course goals:
To develop and articulate your beliefs and knowledge as English teachers, including your
evolving understanding of yourselves as teachers and your purposes in the ELA
classroom.
To integrate your growing knowledge about the history and characteristics of English as a
school subject into this understanding.
To practice gathering information about your students and the cultural backgrounds,
discourses, and learning styles they bring to the classroom.
To practice planning curricular lessons – embedded within units – using clear purposes,
which are grounded in course goals, guiding beliefs, and content expertise.
To build a repertoire of instructional practices, including dialogic discourse practices, for
teaching ELA content to diverse learners.

Texts
We chose our course texts with two purposes in mind. First, these texts will facilitate our
exploration of course goals. Perhaps even more importantly, however, we chose texts that will be
useful components of your growing professional library. It is our hope and expectation that you
will be able to use these class texts as touchstones and resources when you enter your own
classrooms in two years. In other words, DON'T SELL THESE BOOKS. Some of these texts are
available for a reduced price at online bookstores, such as Amazon.com. All are available at the
MSU student bookstore.

Required texts:
• Burke, J. (2008). The English Teacher’s Companion. (3rd ed.) Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• O’Brien, P (ed.) (2006). Shakespeare Set Free. (2nd ed.) Washington, D.C.: Folger Library.
• Shakespeare, W. (1998). Romeo & Juliet (Cambridge School Shakespeare). Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
• Additional readings, videos, and resources: available on course wikispace and/or ANGEL

Units of Study
1. Envisioning English
In this short introductory unit, we will consider the history of English teaching as well as our own
current beliefs about English teaching. English as a school subject is rapidly changing. While some
call for a return to a tradition of teaching the basics and reading classic literature, others question
whether there is anything left of relevance in that tradition and instead propose using a
combination of young adult, media, and popular culture texts to explore students’ worlds. You will
explore the myriad of ways English teaching has been defined, your beliefs about English
teaching, and your participation in these ongoing discussions.

2. Leading Classroom Talk: Engaging Poetry

In this unit, we will develop our teaching repertoire by considering some of the available options
for leading classroom talk in the English classroom. With an ELA content focus on poetry, we will
work with videos and will practice developing strategies for structuring “minds-on” discussions in
our classrooms.

3. Backward Design: Engaging Dramatic Literature

As we focus on teaching dramatic literature, we will look more specifically at how one set of
teacher beliefs informs practice. Using Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and an accompanying set
of lesson plans, we will participate in and reflect on a variety of teaching strategies for bringing a
challenging dramatic text to life. We will specifically examine the way the purpose, assessment,
and activities of a lesson align in light of an underlying set of beliefs. We will also participate in a
workshop with actors visiting from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, who will build on many of
the ideas and beliefs we discuss in class. This unit will culminate with a lesson plan project, in
which you will practice aligning teaching strategies with a given purpose, assessment, and
dramatic content.

4. Multi-genre Inquiry Projects: Engaging Adolescent Learners

Over the course of the semester, through shared texts and videos, as well as through your field
placements, we will explore and practice strategies for getting to know and engaging students,
both as individuals and as members of a class. This will involve unpacking common teaching
practices and interrogating common assumptions, as well as exploring resources (both inside and
outside school) for helping us reach our diverse students. We will also explore individual teachers’
and students’ experiences of ELA curriculum and instruction. This ongoing component of the
course will culminate in this fourth unit, in which, small groups will gather, construct, and publish
a professional resource that reflects findings on a particular shared area of inquiry. It is our hope
that your experiences with this project will serve as an experimental application of your learning
over the course of the semester, prepare you for the individual work you will undertake for the
final exam, and provide you with resources for work with your own students. These multi-genre
projects will reflect your work throughout the semester. Groups will present and share their
projects during the last few weeks of the semester.

Major Assignments
All projects will be graded on a 4.0 point scale.

Unit 1 – Curriculum Map and Reflection – 10%

Unit 2 – “Lead a Discussion” Lesson Plan – 15%
Unit 3 – Design an Assessment – 15%
Unit 4 – Multi-genre Inquiry Project (Final Exam) – 25%
Teaching Notebook - 10%
Seminar & Lab Participation – 25%

Late Work Policy

An assignment will be deducted by .5 for each day it is late. Assignments will not be accepted if it
is more than a week late. If extenuating circumstances hinder your ability to meet a deadline, it is
helpful to alert me before the due date, rather than after.

Expectations
1. Learning by being here
Because this class will involve interactive and collaborative activities, being present and prepared
for class are essential conditions for its effectiveness. If you miss class or come late, you will
negatively impact the class, your classmates’ ability to accomplish their work, your own learning,
and your grade. More than two absences – excused or unexcused – will lower your grade by one
half letter. If you are more than ten minutes late, that counts as one absence. We do, however,
understand that “life happens” and that you may need to miss class. In that event, you should let
us know in advance, either by phone or email. You should assume the same practice in your field
placement. This is a basic and critical practice of professional communication.

2. Learning through timely application and reflection

Learning builds over time and is supported by thinking, writing, and talking about what you are
reading and doing. With this in mind, we have designed all reading and writing assignments to be
time and situation relevant. This means that they are of most value for you, for the class, and for
us when completed at the time they are assigned.

3. Learning from and with experienced professionals

Your cooperating teacher and others at the school site of your field experience will become
significant professional colleagues. They can offer you a wide variety of experiences, perspectives,
and information. Also, experienced English teachers and current interns will join us to talk about
and illustrate important elements and issues in teaching English. Finally, we will be consulting a
range of videos that will allow you to learn from experienced teachers talking about and modeling
their practices.

4. Learning from resources

Collecting Resources in a Teaching Notebook

Another way to learn from colleagues is to build your professional library to include books,
supplementary materials, lesson plans, ideas, hand outs, websites, blogs, articles,
photographs, quotes, rubrics, standards documents, etc, etc. Where will you keep it all?
You should START NOW to develop a system (possibly electronic) to keep track of these
resources. You will also be expected to experiment with keeping track of your observations,
resources, and ideas in a journal. The “Teaching Notebook” will be required for this class,
and it can likely serve as a precursor to the teaching portfolio each intern is required to
keep during the internship year. We will brainstorm and discuss possible modes for this
notebook as well as helpful means of organization. We expect that each student’s
notebook will take on a personality of its own, evolve and change over time, and serve
each of you in very practical ways.

Participating in On-line Communities

You should also get in the habit of checking our wikispace regularly and actively
participating in wiki discussions. We will use discussion tabs on the wiki to discuss
readings, critique lessons, and facilitate reflection or group work. I have also built a page
on the wiki where we can SHARE electronic resources we collect over the course of the
semester – and beyond. If we all contribute, the wikispace could be a valuable tool for you
this year, next year, and well into your teaching careers.

Participating in Professional Communities

As professionals, teachers continue educating themselves to improve their craft and stay
up with developments in subject matter and teaching resources. One important source is
 our professional organization - the National Council of Teacher of English. I strongly
encourage you to join NCTE this year and to begin taking advantage of the range of
resources it provides English teachers. [Note: Student membership is $20 and includes
one professional journal of your choice. I recommend you choose English Journal.]
Attending the Michigan Council of the Teachers of English Annual Conference at the
Lansing Sheraton Hotel is another great way to get involved in the local professional
community of English teachers. This year, the conference will be held on October 3 and
the cost is between $25 - $50, depending on your membership status.

Taking Advantage of MSU Resources

Finally, the MSU Writing Center (300 Bessey Hall, and in the library) is an excellent
resource for writing assistance for writers of any ability level at any stage of the writing
process. As you know, even good writers can benefit from peer review, and you might be
interested simply in seeing how they do it. We encourage you to make appointments at the
Writing Center early. The schedule often becomes very busy during the semester--making
appointments early will assure that you get assistance and will give you deadlines for
drafts.

5. Learning through observing and integrating

Good teachers are good observers of their students and of what goes on in their classrooms. This
semester, you will begin to sharpen your classroom observational strategies through your field
experience, lab, Teaching Notebook, Artifact Activities, and the Multigenre Inquiry Project, to name
a few. As you are learning in the TE 407 seminar about aspects of English curriculum and teaching
methods, intentionally integrate them with what you are learning in the TE 407 lab, ENG 408, and
other relevant English and education courses to observe your practicum classroom. Try to
integrate these observations into our class discussions and assignments as well.

My Instructional Commitments to You:

I will make every effort to…
* keep the tension between theory and practice in mind.
* make assignments and tasks relevant to you as teachers.
* bring in a variety of voices, including local teachers, high school students, and other
professionals.
* emphasize the many ways to approach teaching English, as well as the importance of
reflecting critically on curricular and pedagogical choices.
* build in opportunities to use technology for collaboration and creation of multimodal projects.
* encourage you to think of yourselves as professionals and engage in professional
communication in a variety of settings.
* build a strong professional community of educators for you and your colleagues.
* make my own teaching moves explicit as examples of backward design, etc.

University Policies
Grading
TE Program policy dictates that in order to pass TE 407 and 408, all parts of the course (seminar,
field experience, all labs) must be passed with a 2.0 or above. This means that a satisfactory
report must be received from your lab instructor and from the teachers in the field experiences
during TE 407. If you receive less than a 2.0 in the course, the entire course needs to be repeated
in order to continue in the Teacher Preparation Program. In order to enroll in TE 408, students
must have successfully passed all parts of TE 407 with a 2.0 or better.
Academic Honesty
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states, “the student shares with the faculty the
responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In
addition, the College of Education adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in
General Student Regulations, 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University
Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life: Student
Handbook and Resource Guide. Students who commit and act of academic dishonesty may
receive a 0.0 on the assignment or in the course. For additional information, see MSUs
ombudsman’s website: http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html
In lesson planning, it is common to "beg, borrow, and steal" ideas from other ideas from other
teachers, internet sites, conference presentations, etc. Sharing is an important part of the culture
of teaching. We will accommodate these practices by including the phrase, "modified from..."
"adapted from..." or "taken from..." in a bibliography section of the lesson plan.

Professional criteria for progression to the internship

In order to proceed to the internship, you must meet the professional criteria below in the
judgment of your course instructors and your mentor teacher. If you are not meeting these
criteria, you will be notified and given a chance to correct your deficiencies.
(1) Reliability and Responsibility
Teacher candidates must generally have been present and on time for professional commitments,
including classes and field experiences. Teacher candidates must have regularly communicated
about necessary absences or lateness according to the guidelines in the Professional Conduct
Policy. Teacher candidates must have a record of meeting deadlines for course assignments and
program requirements. A pattern of repeated absences, lateness, and failure to meet deadlines in
courses or fieldwork is not acceptable. Any form of dishonesty (lying, plagiarism, forged
signatures, etc.) about these and other requirements is not acceptable.
(2) Communication Skills and Social Relationships
Teacher candidates must have demonstrated the ability to express their viewpoints and negotiate
difficulties appropriately, without behaving unprofessionally with instructors, peers, or students.
Teacher candidates must have shown that they are ready to accept and respond to constructive
feedback in a professional manner. Teacher candidates must have demonstrated an awareness of
appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers and have shown that they are ready
and able to observe those boundaries. Extreme forms of behavior (such as outbursts in class,
sexual or other harassment, threats of suicide or of harm to others) are not acceptable.
(3) Comfort with and Concern for the Learning of all Children
Teacher candidates must be able to engage in informal conversations with children and keep their
attention in such conversations. Teacher candidates must interact courteously, fairly, and
professionally with people from diverse racial, cultural, and social backgrounds and of different
genders or sexual preferences. Racial and other slurs are not acceptable, nor is conduct that
violates the University's Anti-Discrimination Policy or that would violate the Anti-Discrimination
Policy if it were directed at a member of the University community.

Accommodations for Disabilities

We would like to accommodate students with disabilities; please see us with any concerns.
Students with disabilities should also contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to
establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 or 355-
1293 (TTY).

Drops and Adds

The last day to add this course is the end of the first week of classes.

Observing a Major Religious Holiday

You may make up course work missed to observe a major religious holiday only if you make
arrangements in advance with the instructor.

UNIT 1: Envisioning English

Week 1
8/25
Why Teach English?

8/27
Yagelski – Literature and Literacy
Burke - Intro: Teaching English in the 21st Century

Week 2
9/1
NO CLASS

9/3 (Lab begins today)

Burke - Chapter 2: Thinking about Teaching and Learning
Applebee - Curriculum as Conversation

Week 3
9/8
Burke - Chapter 12: Digital Literacy: Technology in English Class

UNIT 2: Leading Classroom Talk: Engaging Poetry

9/10
DUE: Curriculum Map & Reflection

Week 4
9/15
McCann - Talking in Class
EJ Poetry Article

9/17
Langer – Envisioning Literature

Week 5
9/22
Beach & Marshall – Teaching Literature in the Secondary School
Discussion Leaders: 1. __________________________ 2. __________________________

9/24
Johnson & Johnson – Critical Thinking through Structured Controversy
Discussion Leaders: 3. __________________________ 4. __________________________

Week 6
9/29

10/1
Burke - Chapter 9: Teaching Thinking in English Class
Discussion Leaders: 5. __________________________ 6. __________________________

Week 7
10/6
Juzwik: Our Ithacas
Discussion Leaders: 7. __________________________ 8. __________________________

Unit 3 – Backward Design: Engaging Dramatic Literature

10/8
R&J Prologue and Act I and Shakespeare Set Free

Week 8
10/13 (Mid-term)
Burke – Chapter 10: Composing a Curriculum
Discussion Leaders: 9. __________________________ 10. __________________________
Wiggins and McTique - Backward Design

10/15
Shakespeare Set Free
Week 9
10/20
Gardner - Multiple Intelligences
Discussion Leaders: 11. __________________________ 12. __________________________

10/22
R&J Act II

Week 10
10/27
Burke - Chapter 11: Measuring Student Progress
Discussion Leaders: 13. _____________________ 14. __________________________

10/29
R&J Act III and Shakespeare Set Free

Week 11
11/3
DUE: Assessments/Objectives/Reflections

Unit 4 – Engaging Adolescent Learners and Multi-genre Projects

11/5
Gere - Reading Kids
Discussion Leaders: 15. __________________________ 16. __________________________

Week 12
11/10
Burke - Chapter 14: Integrating English Projects and Exhibitions
Discussion Leaders: 17. __________________________ 18. __________________________

11/12
STRATFORD

Week 13
11/17
Gonzales et al - Funds of Knowledge
Discussion Leaders: 19. __________________________ 20. __________________________

11/19
Burke - Chapter 16: Success for All: Teaching Students with Special Needs
Discussion Leaders: 21. __________________________ 22. __________________________
Burke - Chapter 18: Thoughts on Culture, Race, and Language
Discussion Leaders: 23. __________________________ 24. __________________________

Week 14
11/24
Stairs - Culturally Responsive Teaching
Discussion Leaders: 25. __________________________ 26. __________________________

11/26
Newkirk - Popular Culture
Discussion Leaders: 27. __________________________ 28. __________________________

Week 15
12/1
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations
12/3
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations

Final Exam
DUE: Small group inquiry presentations