1. Course Description:

Designed to inform practice in P-12 classrooms, this course explores philosophical and pragmatic issues affecting teacher leadership. By the end of the course, participants will have the opportunity to analyze case histories, examine the philosophy and history of teacher professionalization efforts, critique and analyze research articles, develop basic strategies for research review, and formulate initial professional development plans. A major outcome of the course is personal assessment and planning of professional development goals.

As the introductory course in the Master of Arts program, this course must be taken prior to any of the other required core courses (560, 570, 580).

II. Course Objectives: Students will be able to:

A) Knowledge

1. Define in personal terms the meaning of professional status.

2. Trace the history of teaching as profession in terms of alternative theoretical approaches.

3. Relate topics concerning the moral and spiritual dimensions of teaching to their own situation.

4. Understand the areas of performance assessment required by new licensure and certification programs: Praxis III and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

5. Articulate the need for educational environments which sustain personal mission.

B) Skills

1. Create and analyze cases involving the exercise of professional judgment in the domains of teaching.

2. Write scripts evaluating teaching performance, providing evidence of instructional performance.

3. Develop written professional development goals and describe educational mission in written form.

4. Create a professional development plan in relation to personal goals and the learning opportunities of the Master of Arts program.

5. Develop areas of concern they would like to investigate in the masters program work.

6. Construct a plan for a professional portfolio.

C) Attitudes and Values

1. Acknowledge the need for developing personal capacities as they relate to instructional goals.

2. Appreciate diversity as a premise of effective instruction.

3. Value the need for professional partnerships.

4. Consider how their own professional growth can be aligned with service to other teachers and students.

III. Course Topics and Outline

1. Philosophy and Ethics in Teaching

Text: Palmer

Topics: uncovering professional mission, conceptions of learning, developing and analyzing personal narratives.

2. Professionalization History and Culture

Text: Welker

Topics: professional knowledge bases of teaching; critiques of professionalization efforts and the expertise model; forming metaphors and images of good teaching.

3. Professional Assessment and Advancement

Text: Pathwise Orientation Guide and Supplemental Readings

Topics: changing paradigms in professional assessment, teacher testing and assessment, NBPTS and national certification

4. Research Review Analysis and Strategies

Text: Student Created Cases and Supplemental Readings

Topics: the case approach to research; ethical judgment; writing reflections of specific

cases of instruction.

IV. Instructional Procedure

1. Discussions in reflective book discussion group and presentation of review.

2. Analysis of educational issues relating to professional leadership.

3. Research review of specific issues related to assessment of professional performance.

4. Development of professional portfolio plan.

V. Evaluation

Book Review and Discussion (30%)

Students will lead a one book discussion session and write a reaction paper which compares the ideas of Parker Palmer to the research on teacher retention and job satisfaction. For the discussion, the student should prepare a study guide for the other students which would include ideas or questions for discussion. They should lead a discussion and write a brief assessment of the the result.

The paper on Palmer should tie three points together. The first is an analysis of Palmer's ideas as they pertain to the student's own professional needs and circumstances. The second is a discussion of the wider imports of Palmer's ideas as they reflect some of the research on job satisfaction with teachers. Finally, the paper should conclude with the author's suggestions of how the ideas in the paper might influence some practical efforts to sustain teacher energy and purpose.

Written Mission and Professional Development Plan (25%)

Students have three responsibilities for this section of the course. First they will compose a one page statement reflecting personal mission and purposes. They will create a description of professional development needs and describe a professional development plan. Finally, they will develop a plan for a professional development portfolio by creating the table of contents to guide its construction.

Case Study Review (15%)

Throughout the course, we will be relying on specific descriptions of instruction (cases) to analyze as we consider issues of professional responsibility and mission. Following the analysis format used in class, students will compose their own case study and react to a case study composed by another student.

Exams (30%)

There will be two essay exams. The first will cover material related to the history and theory of teacher professionalism. The second will relate to the various aspects of teacher performance as it is described and assessed in Praxis and NBPTS approaches.

VI. Clinical Experience and Field Experience

Analysis of specific cases which describe actual circumstances in the school setting will comprise clinical experience for the course.

VII. Text and Supplemental Materials

Required Texts:

Palmer, Parker. (1998). Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Welker, Robert. (1993). The Teacher as Expert: A Theoretical and Historical Examination.

Albany, New York: SUNY Press.

Pathwise Orientation Guide. (1995). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

Supplemental Materials and Readings:

Goodlad, John L., Soder, Roger, & Sirotnik, Kenneth A. (Eds.). (1990). The Moral Dimensions of Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Goodlad, John L. (1991). Teachers for Our Nation's Schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Greene, Maxine. (1995). Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, the Arts, and Social Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gutmann, Amy. (1987). Democratic Education. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Hostetler, Karl D. (1997). Ethical Judgment in Teaching. Needham, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Kincheloe, Joe L. & Steinberg, Shirley L. (Eds.). (1995). Thirteen Questions: Reframing Education's Conversation. New York: P. Lang.

Noddings, Nel. (1984). Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Perkinson, Henry J. (1993). Teachers Without Goals; Students Without Purposes. New York: McGraw Hill.

Strike, Kenneth A. & Soltis, Jonas F. (1985). The Ethics of Teaching. New York:

Teachers College Press.

VIII. Course Numbering Rationale

The "500" number designates the course as graduate level. It is sequentially numbered with the other core courses in the Master of Arts in Education graduate program.

IX. Date of Syllabus: Fall, 99