ED 445

Education 445
Adolescents and the Schools

Course Description
ED 445 is a required course for students in the secondary education  program in the College of Education.  The course provides an overview of physiological, social, emotional, and cognitive development of adolescence.  Additionally, the relationship between these developmental characteristics and success in the high school grades will be explored.

Course Purpose
This course is intended to help prepare future teachers of adolescents for an informed and reflective classroom practice in a diverse society.  In this course you will gain an understanding of adolescent development and learn how to apply this knowledge to your classroom practice.

Course Goals
Through assigned readings, classroom activities, small and large group discussions, and reflective writing this course is intended to increase your knowledge of adolescent development, particularly in relation to the school context.

There are several learning goals for this course.  By the end of this semester, it is my hope that you will be able to do the following:

1. understand the factors that influence adolescent growth, behavior, and learning;
2. understand and apply several theoretical or conceptual frameworks in developmental psychology related to adolescence;
3. understand and critically evaluate empirical research regarding different facets of adolescent development;
4. recognize and understand several points of view on current issues of practice and policy issues relating to adolescents;
5. understand how developmental theory and research can be applied to the classroom context in an effort to promote student learning and development;
6. think, speak, and write in a clear and well organized way about adolescents and schools
7. synthesize knowledge about adolescence into a dynamic and integrated approach to classroom teaching.

Course Readings
    Muuss, R. (1996)  Theories of Adolescence, 6/e.  McGraw/Hill Company.
    Montemayor, R., Adams, G., & Gullotta, T. (2000). Adolescent Diversity in Ethnic, Economic, and Cultural Contexts.  Sage Publications.
    Davidson, A. L. (1996).  Making and Molding Identity in Schools:  Student narratives on race, gender, and academic engagement.  SUNY Press.
    Phelan, P., Davidson, A. L., Yu, H. C. (1998). Adolescents’ Worlds:  Negotiating Family, Peers, and School.  Teachers College Press.
    Other readings as assigned.

Course Requirements
The requirements for the course are intended to help you engage with the course materials and to facilitate your understanding of the different course concepts.  Requirements will be both formative and evaluative in nature.  Formative requirements are intended to help you reflect on your understanding of the course concepts and to help me tailor instruction to your particular needs.  Thus, these requirements are graded only in terms of completion.  Evaluative requirements are intended to assess your knowledge and understanding of the concepts covered in the course.  These requirements will be graded on content and on how well you complete the requirement.  More specific information on the requirements is given below.

Position Paper:  (Total points 100)  You will write a critical reflection paper on your choice of one of the empirical articles listed below.  Papers will be due one class period following the discussion of the article in class.  Papers will be 5-7 pages in length and will be worth 100 points.  (Further instructions on this paper will be handed out next week.)

Jigsaw Groups:  During the second part of the semester we will be reading three books as a class.  Each of you will be responsible for reading one or two chapters of these books and teaching a group of your classmates about your chapter.  There are two assignments associated with these jigsaw groups:  book chapter summaries/reflections and presentation of chapter (s) to your learning group.

Book Chapter Summaries and Reflections:  (Total points 150)  For each book you will be responsible for writing a summary/reflection on the chapter(s) for which you were responsible.  Each of these summaries will be worth 50 points and they will be due the day of the group discussion on the book.  You should make enough copies of the summaries for each student in the class (and me).

Presentation to your learning group:  (Total points 150)  For each book you will also be responsible for teaching a small group of your classmates about your chapter.  These presentations will be graded by the other individuals in your group.  Each presentation will be worth 50 points.

Integration/application paper:  (200 points)  Your final paper will be a 10-12 page paper on a topic of your choice.  The intent of the paper is for you to synthesize and integrate the information we covered during the semester and to use this information to develop a classroom application.  The application could be a course unit or curriculum, a classroom or school practice, an intervention or some other kind of school program.  The application should be based on the adolescent development literature.  You will also get the opportunity to get feedback from the class on your application before your paper is due.  Papers will be due on Monday, December 4, 2000, no later than 8 p.m.

Grading
Grading will be based on the total number of points earned throughout the semester.  The total number of points possible for the semester is 600.  Grades will be awarded based on the following point spreads.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If you need to miss a class session for which a major assignment is due you need to contact me PRIOR to the start of class.  Make-up assignments and extensions on deadlines will only be given in extreme circumstances for which an excused absence can be documented.  If you are commuting to the University from a distance and often encounter traffic delays, I expect that on deadline days you will accommodate for this.

In most cases make-up work for missed class will not be given.

Special Note:  Although late work is not looked upon favorably in my course I would rather have you complete an assignment for partial credit than not complete it at all.  If you are having problems with the work please make an appointment with me so that we can discuss together strategies that will enable you to be successful in this course.  If you turn in late work and do not speak with me, however, I will be forced to take off points for each day the assignment is late.

Special Needs
UIC strives to ensure the accessibility of programs, classes, and services to students with disabilities.  Reasonable accommodations can be arranged for students with various types of disabilities, such as documented learning disabilities.  If you need accommodations for this class, please see me as soon as possible.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism—whether it be passing off someone else’s ideas as your own; submitting work for this class that has been previously submitted for another class, even if it is your own; or violating UIC’s Code of Academic Integrity in some other form or fashion—will not be tolerated.  Judicial matters include but are not limited to the loan or purchase of papers, the use of papers for more than one course, plagiarism, fabrication and facilitating academic dishonesty.

Final Note
If you speak to students who have taken my courses previously you will find that many of them say that they are challenging but also that they learn a lot.  Additionally, I think they would say that I am very fair and consider teaching a reciprocal process.  If you are having trouble in the course it is up to you to come and talk with me about it.  If you do that we will figure out some way to help you be successful in the course.  I am looking forward to an exciting and challenging semester.

The fine print
These course policies and the syllabus are subject to change.  If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to find out about such changes.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES