Course Syllabus:
82-281 TUTORING FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Faculty Liaison: Susan
G. Polansky
Office: BH 168
Mailbox: BH 160
Phone: 412 268 2868
E-mail:
sp3e@andrew.cmu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday
and Thursday 12-1 and by appointment
This course enables students
to participate in a community outreach program and work in the Pittsburgh
Public Schools with either elementary school, middle school, or high school
students, and, depending on the site, to foster their studies of French,
German, Japanese, Spanish or ESL.
The elementary school or middle school experience will involve regular
visits, mentoring, and tutoring at Greenfield Elementary School, Liberty
School, Linden School, Frick International Studies Academy, or perhaps other
sites. The high school experience
invites advanced students, majors, or minors in French, German, Japanese, or
Spanish to tutor language students at Schenley High School, Taylor Allderdice
High School, or perhaps another city high school. This tutoring may be remedial or it may be part of the
Schenley students' preparation for International Baccalaureate Exams in the
spring. During the first week of
the semester, students will meet with the faculty liaison to arrange their
community outreach activities and to prepare for their experience. Depending on the number of units to be
earned, during the course of the semester, students will spend a certain number
of hours per week engaged in some of the following activities: attending and
participating in the individual and group meetings, working in the schools 4 or
6 hours per week, preparing for their volunteer activities, keeping a journal
of their experiences, researching certain aspects of the language learning
experience, writing a paper at the end of the term that reflects experiences. Grade will be based on the student's
participation at the school site and fulfillment of the plan set at the
beginning of the semester, participation in weekly on-campus discussions,
weekly journal submissions, and final synthesis project.
Text: Hartman, D. K. (Ed.), Stories Teachers
Tell: Reflecting on Professional Practice. Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company,
1998.
Binder of articles.
Selected additional
readings to be distributed throughout the semester.
REQUIREMENTS
1) ATTENDANCE and PUNCTUALITY. Your regular attendance according to the schedule
set at the beginning of the semester is essential. You are the University's link with the
city schools, and there will be many individuals depending on your reliable
participation. Any unexcused
absence will jeopardize your passing this course. If you are seriously ill (the only acceptable excuse, with
a medical note), you should do all of the following as early as possible:
a) call your school and make sure to leave a clear message to reach
your cooperating teachers. If
possible, speak directly with your cooperating teacher. If you leave a message with a school secretary, request that
a note be but in the teacher's mailbox with your message.
b) send me an email to inform me of your absence.
c) if appropriate and convenient for your cooperating teacher, make
arrangements to come at another time that same week to work at the school.
(Midsemester holiday and
other non class days (except for Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring
Break) at the University are still required outreach days for you if they are
in your regular schedule.)
2) ATTENDANCE AND
PARTICIPATION AT GROUP SESSIONS. You
are responsible for attending the weekly group meeting (time and place to be
arranged). This will be a time to
discuss aspects of your outreach experience, share materials and ideas, and
promote the success of your experience.
Bring along pertinent teaching materials (drawings, games, books,
articles, etc.) to share. From
time to time, I will also distribute readings to discuss and share appropriate
materials with you.
3) MIDTERM AND FINAL
EVALUATIONS. Your cooperating teachers will be asked
to fill out criteria sheets to provide feedback about your activities.
4) REGULAR SUBMISSION
OF LOG AND JOURNAL ENTRIES. You are responsible
for regular and punctual
submission
of your weekly logs or journals. Late
submissions may jeopardize your successful completion of the course.
a) Entries should be submitted at our weekly meetings.
b) Your weekly submission
should amount to a 1-2 page typed, double spaced journal entry about your
school site experience, plus a paragraph about each weekly reading .
If you prefer, you may submit your entries electronically, but I should
receive them BEFORE our regular corresponding weekly meeting time.
c) Include the following heading/information on each entry:
--Your
name.
--Submission
for the week of date.
--Total
amount of time spent at the school site: ____ hours
--Breakdown
of time spent:
examples:
X
hours with name/s of student/s from name of teacher's class
X
hours with groups of students in name of teacher's class
X
hours in name of teacher's class with the entire class
d)
You should make some brief notes after every school visit to keep things
straight and to remind yourself about what you may want to write.
e)
If we arrange that you write in French, German, or Spanish, work diligently to
build your writing skills.
f)
I (or a colleague who reads your language) will return your entries with some
comments.
g)
Along with the comments, you will receive a check plus, check, or check minus
on your submissions.
Your submissions
should be thoughtful and well-articulated reflections on your individual
experiences. You should try to
connect your experiences to the weekly themes and readings. If you write in your target language,
you will receive feedback on form, but this will not weigh heavily on your
grade unless your language problems impede seriously the understanding of
content. You will be directed to
correct your repeated writing errors, and to work to improve your writing.
h)
Possible things to include in your entry: information about how you prepared
for this week's activity; your activities in the school; your interactions with
individuals, groups; the learning process/progress of individuals;
teaching/learning behaviors; your reactions to happenings.
i)
For your paragraph summaries of the assigned readings, include the following:
What do you see as the main thesis/theses or theme/s of the readings? What most
impressed you about the reading and why?
How does the reading connect with your activities at your school site?
5) FINAL SYNTHESIS OF
YOUR EXPERIENCE (FINAL ESSAY OR FINAL PROJECT). At
the end of the semester, you will be required to synthesize your experience in
the outreach experience by electing one of the following options:
1) A 5-page essay on a topic related to
your working with the students and teachers at your school site. For example, you might choose to
emphasize certain aspects of your journal, to research some aspect of language
teaching or learning, or to critique your experience. You will be required to consult with me in order to confirm
a topic, and you will be required to consult a few writings related to your
topic. The paper is due no
later than the first Wednesday of final exam week.
2)
A "hands on" project that you develop in consultation with me and
your cooperating teachers and implement in your final days at your school site.
OTHER DO'S AND
DON'T'S
Here are some helpful
hints from a past participant who worked in the outreach program for two
semesters:
Do's
1) Always be on time.
2) Be enthusiastic and
creative.
3) Put up a happy face.
4) Be stern yet playful.
Don'ts
1) Don't ever threaten a
student if he or she is not paying attention. Report to teacher.
2) Never complain about
your work.
3) Never be late.
4) Never look grouchy or
ill dressed.
82-281 Tutoring for Community Outreach
SEMESTER PLAN
(To be submitted to the Faculty Liaison by the end of the drop-add period*)
*Make a copy of this form for yourself before submitting it.
*Please inform the Faculty Liaison of any changes made to this schedule during the term.
Name_________________________________________________
Email _______________________ Phone _____________________
Number of units to be earned _____
Outreach site(s) ______________________
Schedule for the Semester:
[Please indicate the grade level(s) or class(es), and the name(s) of the cooperating teacher(s).]
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Weekly meeting with faculty liaison: Day _________Time__________
Syllabus
Week 1 Introduction. The Local Public Schools
Discussion of school sites, placements
Assignment:
Article 1
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Frame/The Sea of
Stories
Journal:
How do you envision the tutoring experience?
What are your general goals?
(If applicable: What were your first impressions of
the school site?)
Week 2 First impressions:
Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 2
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Aperture
Journal:
See page 3 above, plus bring to share with the
group a question based on your tutoring experience.
Week 3 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 3
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Passion: 2 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus bring to share
with the group something about your developing
relationship with a student or students.
Week 4 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 4
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Alchemy: 2 stories
Journal:
See page 3 above, plus bring to share
with the group a teaching strategy you employed
during the past week to teach reading or vocabulary.
Week 5 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 5
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Struggle
Journal: See page 3 above, plus bring to share
with the group something about how you are
motivating your student or students.
Week 6 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 6
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Hope: 2 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus come prepared
to articulate the goals you are developing for
yourself and your students for the rest of the
semester. On separate sheets, for each pupil or group
of pupils you are tutoring, write out a proposed
week-by-week plan for the remaining weeks
of the semester.
As a point of departure, think back to week 1 and
your general goals.
Week 7 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 7
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Serendipity and Rogue:
2 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus come prepared
to discuss the following:
How do you/does one evaluate progress?
How do you/does one measure success?
Refine your proposed week-by-week lesson plans
submitted last week.
Week 8 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 8
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Transformation:
2 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus come prepared
to describe a recent activity you conducted that you
thought was successful and a recent experience that
you think may have been less than successful and
would like to rethink. How did these activities address
the goals you had articulated for the lessons in which you
implemented them?
Week 9 (Mid semester)
Assignment:
Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Article 9
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): History: 1 story
Journal: See page 3 above, plus come prepared
to describe materials or sources you are finding
useful for working with your pupils this term.
Note: Bring a list in bibliography form with your
source information (books, websites, games, etc.)
and make enough copies for the entire group.
Week 10 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 10
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Epiphany: 2 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus come prepared
to describe the learning styles of one or more of
your students and how you address them.
Spring Break
Week 11 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Articles 11 and 12
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Awakening: 3 stories
Journal: See page 3 above.
Begin thinking about your final essay or project.
Week 12 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 13
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Genesis: 3 stories
Journal: See page 3 above, plus write a
paragraph describing your plan for your final
synthesis project or paper. See instruction sheet.
(Individual meetings by arrangement, in addition to the group session.)
Week 13 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Article 14
Stories Teachers Tell (STT): Focus: 1 story
Journal: See page 3 above, plus continue work
on your final project or paper.
Week 14 Discussion of tutoring experiences and readings
Assignment:
Journal: See page 3 above, plus continue work
on your final project or paper.
Week 15 Presentations/submissions of final projects or
essays at school sites and in group meeting.
Final exam week: Final group meeting to evaluate final works.