Instructor: Mr. Frank W. Brandon

Office: G110-L

Telephone: (O)770-961-3460; (H)404-361-2263;(M)404-285-7889

E-Mail: frankbrandon@mail.clayton.edu;fbrandonf199@aol.com

Web Site: http://a-s.clayton.edu/frbrando/

This course is the Spring Semester portion of a ten month internship (mid-August to mid-May). Internship II is a full time teaching assignment in grades 4-8. Placement will be in grades 4,5,6,7, and 8, and in mathematics, science, social science, and /or language arts. Arts and Sciences content-area faculty will observe and assess this component of the internship.

The Office of Teacher Education is committed to preparing quality teachers for Georgia’s public schools. Thus, within the context of a collaborative, field-based environment, CCSU produces team-oriented, reflective professional educators who effectively integrate content with pedagogy and incorporate appropriate technologies to facilitate learning for diverse students.

Professional educators, like practicing professionals in other fields of endeavor, have traditionally served an internship under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Such an internship allows the student-teacher to observe a master teacher in the classroom setting and allows a master teacher to observe the student-teacher in the formative process of practice teaching. After observing the mentor teacher and after observing the components of a public middle school, the student-teacher is expected to assume the full role of classroom teacher for a limited time period. This period of time should be long enough to allow observation by the mentor as well as by academic instructors who will evaluate the intern’s pedagogical skill and content knowledge. During this period the intern will be expected to follow the best current practices, but should have the freedom to try a variety of methods of instruction in an effort to determine which methods and practices are most effective in diverse situations. Interns will be expected to adjust their teaching behavior based on feedback from evaluators and will be expected to end their internship with a self-reflective exit interview.

Students will develop an understanding of a variety of instructional methods and practices in Middle Grades social science education.

Students will gain a thorough understanding of the social science concepts used in the Middle Grades curriculum.

Students will become familiar with the QCC standards for Middle Grades social science curriculum.

Students will be able to manage and conduct classroom instruction in the area of social science in a Middle Grades setting.

Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of social science concepts by correctly interpreting and applying these concepts in the conduct of social science instruction in the Middle Grades.

Students will apply the middle school philosophy and meet the needs of middle school students.

Students will develop and write lesson plans including necessary modifications to accomplish "high expectations" for all.

Students will design lessons which adequately develop content aimed at specific learning objectives.

Students will teach lessons to middle school students that exemplify the dimensions of effective teaching.

Students will implement a variety of teaching strategies and successfully implement classroom management techniques.

Students will apply various assessment procedures appropriately.

Students will analyze the differences in observed classroom management styles.

Students will communicate effectively with parents, peers, and school resource personnel.

Students will use technology to create lessons and to enhance learning.

The course will address professional standards as outlined by the following:

CCSU Middle Level Education Program Outcome s(CCSU) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Standards (INTASC) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10

National Council for the Social Sciences (NCSS) 1.0-10.0-All standards are content oriented

GA-International Society of Technology in Education (GA-ISTE) 1.a, 1. b, II. A, V. c

National Middle School Association (NMSA) 2.1, 3.1, 4.5, 4.6, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, and 5.8.

Students will apply the middle school philosophy and meet the needs of middle school students. (CCSU:1,6;INTASC:2,3,4;NMSA:2.1,4.5)

Students will develop and write lesson plans including necessary modifications to accomplish "high expectations" for all. (CCSU:1,2,3;INTASC:1,7,8;NMSA:3.1,5.1)

Students will design lessons which adequately develop content aimed at specific learning objectives. (CCSU:1,2,3,4;INTASC:1,7;NCSS:1.0-10.0;NMSA:3.1,5.1,5.3,5.4)

Students will teach lessons to middle school students that exemplify the dimensions of effective teaching. (CCSU:1,2,3,4;INTASC:7; NCSS:1,0-10.0;NMSA:3.1,5.1,5.3,5.4)

Students will implement a variety of teaching strategies and successfully implement classroom management techniques. ( CCSU:2,3,5,6;INTASC:4,5,6;NMSA:3.3,5.6,5.8)

Students will apply various assessment techniques appropriately. CCSU:2,3,6;INTASC:8)

Students will analyze the differences in observed classroom management styles. (CCSU:3,5,6;INTASC:4,5,9;NMSA:4.1,4.5)

Students will communicate effectively with parents, peers, and school resource personnel. (CCSU:1,5,6;INTASC:10;NMSA:4.5,4.6,6.2)

Students will use technology to create lessons and to enhance learning. (CCSU:2,3;INTASC:4;GA-ISTE:I.a,I.b,II.a,V.a)

Each CCSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student’s academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CCSU’s Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://itpchoice.clayton.edu/policy.htm

Computers will not be used as part of EDUC 4712, except for communication and research. Evidence of computer usage will be shown in the internship by Power Point presentations, word processed student and teacher materials, and content material derived from internet research.

In addition to computer usage, the intern will demonstrate other uses of technology including data projectors and video equipment.

Teaching pre-service teachers how to address diversity among the adolescent middle school population is a major theme throughout the CCSU Teacher Education curriculum. Diversity and multiculturalism are essential to the middle school philosophy, and are constant challenges to middle school educators as they create varied teaching and learning approaches. Meeting the individual needs of students in a multicultural classroom, including gender, race, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, learning styles, and stages of physical, social, and intellectual development, are incorporated as major components of every topic in the course’s curriculum.

Assessment of each intern will be based on observations made by the course instructor in the classroom of the assigned mentor teacher. These observations will occur on at least three occasions, at times that will be mutually agreed upon by the student, the mentor teacher, and the course instructor. Each observation will result in an evaluation carrying a numerical grade. The numerical grades will be averaged to arrive at 80% of the final course grade. The instructor will use a standard form to evaluate the student during each classroom observation. This form is provided in The Student Handbook, 2004-2005 Middle Level Education Program. In addition to classroom observations, the intern will be assessed on the basis of a work sample (lesson plan), due before the end of the semester. The social science-related content of the work sample will account for 20% of the final course grade.

The grading standards are as follows:

A=90-100%

B=80-89%

C=70-79%

D=60-69%

F=below 60%

These grade definitions are University policy and will be strictly adhered to.

Due to the relatively small number of observations that will be made before mid-term, no mid-term grade will be reported for this course. Students making unsatisfactory progress will be contacted individually by the course instructor before mid-term.

Each student will be responsible for attending a conference in the first month of the semester with the course instructor and the mentor teacher to determine the tentative schedule of observations. After this conference, in-class observations will be conducted, followed by a scheduled review session at which time the intern will receive the results of each observation. A minimum of three in-class observations will be made for each intern. Work samples (Lesson Plans) will be written by the intern throughout the semester. The work sample may be reviewed with the course instructor at any time by appointment.

For information about Disability Services or to obtain this document in an alternative format, contact: The Coordinator for Disability Services at 770-961-3704.