Managing the Learning Environment
TELC 5003
3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

Use of appropriate knowledge and skills for managing the total learning environment in the early, middle, and secondary school settings; emphasis on development of skills that facilitate effective teaching through appropriate management techniques and the involvement of parents and community members.  A major paper focusing on an appropriate topic of the students choice, content modules, and highly interactive discussion boards will provide learning opportunities in an on-line setting.

Course Objectives:

     1. Apply appropriate strategies for preventing problems and maintaining effective behaviors in elementary, middle, and secondary school classroom.
     2. Utilize theories of motivation, child and adolescent development and learning to manage student behavior.
     3. Organize and manage the physical, emotional, and social environment for safe and effective learning.
     4. Ability to manage class time and pace instruction space and resources, and collection of student progress.
     5. Use technology to plan for and efficiently manage appropriate record keeping and schedule systems.
     6. Assess and analyze behavior problems using formal and informal assessment strategies, using continuous feedback models to monitor success.
     7. Understand cultural, gender, individual differences and how these difference influence student's behaviors and communication styles.
     8. Use management strategies which reflect individual differences, special needs, and the diverse cultural backgrounds.
     9. Communicate and collaborate effectively with a wide variety of individuals (colleagues, parents and community). Encourage development of strategies to encourage rapport with students, express empathy, advise students and assist them in solving problems.
     10. Become cognizant of the influences of families (including cultural variations), school, community and other social and political institutions on a child's development as they relate to early childhood advocacy, public and private policy and legal issues.
     11. Gain knowledge about and application of understandings about the complexity of personal relationships with children, families, and colleagues, and accompanying skills, including oral and written communication, in promoting and sustaining cooperative and growth promoting relationships.
     12. Develop strategies for dealing in crisis and potential school violence situations.
     13. Integrate assessment data, national and state standards with instructional technology and other referrals when planning management and instruction.
     14. Understand how human ideals, values and ethics can be examined and illustrated to encourage citizenship in all students.

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

No prerequisites or corequisites.

Course Topics:

     1. Perspectives on behavior management: What makes it harder today.
     2. Strategies for developing parent involvement, preventing problems
        A. Teacher characteristics which help prevent behavior problems and foster parent involvement
        B. Prevention/intervention techniques
        C. Development of positive parent-teacher-child relationships
     3. Theories of motivation as they relate to behavior management
     4. Organizing the environment for effective learning:
        A. Physical
        B. Emotional
        C. Social
     5. Managing class time and the pace of instruction.
     6. Assessing and analyzing behavior problems.
     7. Applying management strategies with typical classroom behavior problems.
     8. Conflict resolution strategies
        A. Peer mediation programs
        B. Anger management techniques
     9. Communication skills for use with a wide variety of individuals.

Specific Course Requirements:

It will be helpful for students to understand how to access PDF files and Microsoft Word documents.  If these skills are not available, the instructor can make accommodations.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:


Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary Materials:

N/A

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(A list of software the student is required to purchase or download for the course, Real Player, Media Player, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc).

Instructor Information

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours, instructor's commitment to feedback, and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

A final exam will be administered during specific dates for this course.  Students will have two days available to complete a short essay exam.

Grading Procedure:

Grades are based on the intellectual engagement of the student with the material.  While bulletin board posts are considered conversational and therefore not deducted for structural errors, the level of engagement with which students approach each post will be critical.  Quantity of writing, while an indicator of engagement, is not nearly as significant as quality of thought. 

Grading Scale:

90-100--A
80-89---B
70-79---C
The grading scale should emphasize research papers, case studies, article critiques, other assignments, projects, and student participation in the learning community as well as timed quizzes and periodic examinations.

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Projects:

1.   Overviews of 5 scholarly journal articles on the topic of classroom management as defined in the course (2-3 pages) (4 points each)
2.    Final exam (20 points)
3.    Bulletin board responses to content modules (20 points)
4.    Bulletin board responses to textbooks (20 points)
5.    Ten hours of field experience reflections (20 points)
6.    Student interactions with other student posts.

Class Participation:

Students must actively participate in threaded discussion events.  Because of the nature of an on-line class, the board will be the means of our class discussions.  Students are expected to read one another's posts, the instructor's posts, and respond appropriately to indicate the construction of their knowledge throughout the course.

Punctuality:

Please be sure to check the calendar regularly to keep track of due dates for article reviews, observations, and other course assessments.

Course Ground Rules

Participation is required, Expected to communicate with other students in team projects, Learn how to navigate in WebCT, Keep abreast of course announcements , and Observe course netiquette at all times. 

Guidelines for Communications

Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org