Description

The value of this course lies in its potential to provide you with powerful lenses for interpreting, critiquing, and recreating the world of education (broadly defined). This will not be a "how to" class. I will not be telling you what to do or training you in particular methods. Rather my goal is to help you reflect on the world of education (including your own practice) with greater depth and from numerous perspectives.

Materials

Phillips, D. C., & Soltis, J F (2004). Perspectives on learning, 4^th edition. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Course pack.

Assignments

Synthesis Chart

As a class, we will construct a chart that synthesizes, compares and contrasts the main learning theories in terms of (1) what it means to learn, (2) how we learn, (3) The role of prior knowledge and experience in learning, (4) the active role of the individual in learning, (5) the role of social and cultural factors in learning, and (6) the role of motivation in learning. Each person, will be responsible for one learning theory (we will make assignments the first day of class). Please email a document to me with the appropriate information 1 to 2 days after we finish discussing your assigned theory. I will place the information into a chart on our class website: http://homepages.utoledo.edu/kpugh/5-7110.

Course Project

The course project has two requirements. One, it has to be authentic. That is, it has to make (or attempt to make) a difference in the real world. It can't just be a paper that is presented only to me. It has be something that affects your own practice or the practice of others in your school/district/work/community or it has to be something that is presented/proposed to teachers, administrators, workers, clients, parents, or the general public. Two, it has to draw on course content. That is, you need to base your innovation/presentation/proposal on one or more of the learning/motivational theories we study and clearly show how your thinking was influenced by the learning/motivation theories.

Here are some types of project that you could do (but you are not limited to these):

Innovation in your practice
Written proposal/recommendation/critique or formal presentation for your district, company, community, university, etc.
Opinion piece for newspaper, letter to parents, etc.
Video for the school, district, faculty, employees, clients, etc.
Informative website with regard to a particular issue
Development of some technology related to learning or a technology implementation plan/project.

This project is flexible and we can work out the details of what is accepted individually or collectively as a class. This project may be done individually or with a group of no more than three.

This project will be evaluated primarily on (1) the accuracy and detail with which you show how the contents of the project were based on learning/motivational theories, and (2) the professionalism and thoroughness of the project.

Exams

There will be two exams. These will consist of multiple-choice questions that require you to apply the learning principles to real-world situations. Most likely some questions will involve analyzing Calvin (from the Calvin & Hobbes cartoons). Here's advice on how to study for my exams:

Make concept maps of the material. Spend time figuring what the "big ideas" are for each part of the content and organize the concept maps around these ideas. Focus on thinking about how different pieces fit together. Have all the important terms on the maps and consider how they are related, which are the main ideas, etc.
Test your understanding by thinking up application examples of each idea. Have a friend check these to see if he/she agrees that it a valid application example. For instance, think up examples of transformative experience and check them with a friend. Also do the reverse – have a friend think up examples and you evaluate them. Spend time thinking up, discussing, and comparing examples.
With ideas that seem similar or related (e.g., assimilation vs. accommodation), spend time breaking down what exactly is the difference between them.
When taking the tests, read the question and then imagine what the correct answer should look like before looking at the possible answers. This will help you focus on the important stuff and not get as confused by answers that sound good.

Grade Break Down

Synthesis Chart	20%
Course Project	40%
Exams	40%