Introduction to the Teaching Profession Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

Student Withdrawal Procedures

N/A

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

EDUC-1301-003 Introduction to the Teaching Profession

Prerequisites

RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

Overview of the teaching profession and requirements. Provides introduction to and analysis of the culture of schooling and classrooms. Includes opportunities to observe in P-12 classrooms. Course will align with the State Board for Educator Certification Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities and Technology Application standards.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hr; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

1.  Education Introduction to Teaching 1301, 1st edition, Pearson Learning Solutions (2010).  Pearson Custom Publishing Company,  ISBN 10:  0-558-86246-2  You can only purchase this textbook throughAC's Bookstore.  

Bundled with this textbook, there will be an access code in order to view AC's Education/Child Development department portal.  Here's the link to the portal: http://www.pearsoncustom.com/tx/amarillo_edu/ You will click on this course's My Education Lab and to set up a Pearson student account, and then you will enter the access code in order to view Pearson's on line course resources.

2.  Bingham, T. and Thomas, C. (2006).  TExES Success:  A Comprehensive Guide to the Texas PPR Examination of Educator Competencies, 2nd edition, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company,  ISBN 13:  978-0-7575-3306-8     ISBN 10:  0-7575-3306-X

Choose one of the following preparation manuals to relate to your particular major:

• 194 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC-6 (ESL or Bilingual)
• 110 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities 4-8
• 130 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities 8-12
• 160 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC-12 (Special Education)
• 170 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities for Trade and Industrial Education 8-12

Supplies

Pencils, pens, paper.  Other supplies will be discussed in class.

Student Performance

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Things to Remember:

• Your participation in class helps you learn more, and makes the class more interesting.
• Ask questions.  Ask more questions. We will all learn together.
• Check out Amarillo College’s Students Rights and Responsibilities.
• Students are expected to follow the Amarillo College Student Code of Conduct.
• Respect and honesty are key to education.  We will be working with sensitive topics. We will learn how to handle confidential information in professional ways. Keep respectful and honest practices in the front of your mind.
• Make up exams are up to the instructor's discretion.  Please make a strong effort to complete all exams by the deadline date and time. Make up exams may be in an essay format.  In order to be fair to students who take the exams during the given time frame, make up exams will lose 15% of their original value.
• Any student, who because of a disabling condition may require some special arrangement in order to meet course requirements, should contact disAbility services at 371-5436 as soon as possible.
• If for some reason you are unable to complete this course, be sure to notify the instructor and the Registrar’s office
• Completion and verification of the 16 hour observation log sheet and journal is mandatory in order to receive credit for this course.  The start date for observations has not been determined yet; however, observations must be completed by Friday, November 18, 2011.

Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria
Weekly Learning Activities -- 25% of Final Grade
5 Exams --  20% of Final Grade
Why I want to teach" Essay --  10% of Final Grade
Observation Log Sheet with hand written thank you notes--  20% of Final Grade
Observation Journal --   25% of Final Grade

*** If a student does not complete the observation and journal requirements as designated, a grade of “F” will be given for the course. 

***If there is a complaint from a teacher about student’s behavior on a campus, a grade of “F” may be given for the course.     

Grading Scale
A = 100 -- 90
B =   89 -- 80
C =   79 -- 70
D =   69 -- 65
F =    64 -- 0

Attendance

The online portion of the class will run from Monday afternoon through Sunday evening at 11pm. 

Calendar

Additional Information

Observation Guidelines
What a wonderful opportunity it is to step into a classroom to increase knowledge and begin to put ideas into your repertoire to become a fabulous teacher! Young students are excited for you to enter into their classroom to observe their learning environment. Below are a few guidelines that will assist you in the most successful experience; not following these procedures can cause the student to have points deducted from the observation grade.  The value of the points may vary depending on the offense.  Professionalism cannot be stressed enough!  You are not only representing yourself, but you are also representing Amarillo College, and you are a role model to students you will be observing.  This is an awesome responsibility and we know you will take this experience seriously!

1. Be sure to wear the AC ID and your blue/white lanyard at each observation.
2. AC and Amarillo ISD will host two seminars for students.  You are strongly encouraged to participate in these sessions if at all possible. These sessions will be very beneficial to you.  If you attend both seminars, you will receive 4 hours toward your 16 observation hours and extra credit on Exam 1 and 3 (it's worth your time to attend!)  
3. You will need to schedule 12 extra hours (if you attend the seminars) to meet the 16 hour requirement.  Be sure your observations total 16 clock hours (960 minutes).  If you need to observe outside Amarillo ISD, you need to contact me directly and I will contact the school district you want to observe.  
4. Please submit your observation schedule once you have scheduled your observation hours with your assigned teachers.  
5. Email the teachers you have been assigned to observe and introduce yourself.  Ask them if they could send you a copy of his/her schedule and then you can determine what date(s)/time(s) you want to observe.
6. Email the teachers a copy of your proposed schedule....if there's a scheduling conflict, it's better to know ahead of time so you can reschedule.
7. Be sure to read the observation journal completely prior to starting your observation hours.  Feel free to ask questions if you need more information. 
8. Print a copy and take the journal with you for each observation so you will know what to observe and document.
9. Determine prior to each visit, which part of the journal you will focus on that day.  This will help you be more focused and intentional during your observations.
10. Make sure if you have not been to the school before, drive by the location in advance so you will feel comfortable arriving in a timely fashion, stress free.  Be sure to locate the visitor parking and the main entrance.
11. Remember you should always dress for the job you wish to get, not the one you currently hold.  Keep in mind you are a visitor in a classroom and will be watched very carefully by students.  Your arrival at the main office could be your first opportunity to meet your future boss! 
12. Wear professional attire.  If you do not own such clothing, now should be the time to invest in appropriate attire.  Jeans, t-shirts, sweats or workout clothing are NOT acceptable. 
13. Keep in mind the type of shoes you wear too.  Some shoes are noisy and distracting when walking down the hallway. No flip flops should be worn.  
14. Take out any eyebrow, nose, lip, or multiple ear piercings prior to visiting a classroom.  
15. Your hair needs to be a color that is a natural hair color (no pink, purple, green, blue, or any other color that is not natural).  
16. No outlandish hairstyles or contact lens that are colored (i.e. cat eye) or inappropriate eye wear.  
17. If you have visible tattoos, they need to be covered all the way!  
18. Your appearance should not distract students from learning or teachers from teaching.  Teaching is a profession and you should dress for success. This is your first impression chance.  
19. Arrive at the school at least 15 minutes before your designated time.  You will need to report to the main office to get a visitor’s pass and receive directions to the classroom.  Be sure to sign in on the AC log sheet when you arrive and before you leave the campus.  Failure to sign in and out may result in failure of this course. 
20. When you arrive at the classroom, enter quietly because you may disturb the end of a class period.  Quietly go to the back of the room if possible and wait until the class dismisses or if the teacher is giving instructions.  If you will not disrupt the lesson, approach the teacher and introduce yourself. 
21. Be sure to complete the log sheet properly.  Write the date, time in, time out, total number of minutes. Include "campus/grade/subject/".  Write the teacher's name in the space before the signature box.   Show the teacher your log sheet and have him/her sign the appropriate box.  Be sure that your time in, time out match the total amount of time of each visit.  Calculate the total minutes at the bottom of the log sheet.
22. Make sure you have a pencil, pen, and notepad or paper to journal the activities during your visit.  (Do not expect the teacher to provide your supplies).   Take detailed notes during each visit.
23. Ask where the teacher would like for you to sit or stand during your observation.  You should be able to tell if the teacher wants to carry on a conversation and discuss the class or lesson.  If he/she needs to prepare for the next class make sure you do not interfere with preparation.  Be courteous.  If preparation time is needed, take time to observe the classroom setup.  When the class begins remember you are like a fly on the wall.  You should not interfere with the teaching process.  The more information you can collect now, the more information you will have to refer to when you begin teaching.
24. Thank the teacher for allowing you to observe his/her classroom.  Specifically mention briefly at least one item you enjoyed or learned in the classroom.
25. Go back by the office and return your visitor’s pass.  Take this opportunity to thank the principal (if available) or the office staff for the experience. 
26. Fill in any missing areas of your journal as soon as you leave the classroom because you forget things quickly.
27. Keep in mind you are not to discuss specific student names in any discussion inside our classroom or definitely not outside of the classroom.  Confidentiality is very important!!  You may make up student names if you wish for classroom purposes.
28. Be courteous and considerate of the teacher’s time schedule.  If for any reason you can not show up on an agreed day/time, contact the teacher in advance of only special circumstances that prevent you from showing up.  Otherwise, do not miss a scheduled observation.  Not showing up for any observation and/or not notifying the teacher in advance can result in an enormous reduction in your grade for this assignment. 
29. After your observation times/dates are completed, write the principal (for each school you observed) and every teacher you observed a thank you note.  
30. Purchase inexpensive cards (not notebook or copy paper) and these notes are to be handwritten.  Do not type them.   A handwritten note is personal and professional.
31. Include your thank you notes when you submit or mail your log sheet. 
32. Remember to include postage stamps on each envelope along with a return address and complete school address for the recipient.
33. Classroom observations of tests, videos, field trips, assemblies, pep rallies or other athletic events do not constitute as valid observations for the designated time requirement.  When scheduling appointments, make sure “active teaching” will be observed during your visit.  This is your responsibility.  You may observe one conference or collaboration (possibly one hour). 
34. Above all…enjoy this experience as much as possible.  You have chosen to enter the teaching profession; this first observation experience will give you a different perspective.  In the past, you have been the student.  Now you will view teaching through different eyes…that of a teacher.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.     
—William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Irish Poet and Playwright