Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 746: Professional Learning and Literacy Leadership – Spring B 2016

Credits - 3

Description

This course will focus on the leadership skills that the professional will need as a Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach.  Specifically, this course will explore the coaching relationship and how to work collaboratively to plan, implement, and supervise literacy programs. Focus will be on facilitating a literate environment, working with literacy in a diverse society, and developing leadership skills. This course will also fulfill the requirements that many states have for course work in Administration and Supervision of Reading and Language Arts Programs.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

For each course in this program there are overall program goals. Below is a chart of how the overall program goals match the key assessments for this course. In addition, in each module there are smaller learning objectives. These will be specified at the beginning of each week’s introduction along with how these match the broader program goals. This chart will detail the following:

• Course Objectives: These are what we hope you will learn through this course.
• Connection to Department Mission
• Connection to Program Objective
• Student Learning Outcomes: This is what you will do to demonstrate that you have met this course objective.
• IRA Standards for Reading Professionals 2010: These standards sets forth the criteria for developing and evaluating preparation programs for reading professionals.

Please note that throughout the course UNE students will be referred to as “teachers” in order to avoid confusion between UNE students and students whom they work with.

Course Objectives	Student Learning Outcome	Key Assignments	IRA Standards for Reading Professionals	Connection to Department Mission	Connection to Program Objectives
Teachers will demonstrate that they can communicate effectively.  They will be active and contributing members of a learning community, and will use communication to further understand the role of the Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach.	Teachers will demonstrate their ability to summarize, synthesize, and apply information from a variety of sources to engage in discussions with group members.	Discussion Board Participation	Standards 1 & 6	Rigorous Mind Reflective Stance	Teachers will be able to articulate foundational knowledge of literacy through the examination of both theoretical and evidence-based literacy instruction.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to formulate appropriate instructional plans based upon individualized student needs.	Teachers will create literacy lessons that reflect their understanding of effective content area literacy through instructional plans designed for specific, individual students.	Student Instructional Plans	Standards 2 & 5	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration	Teachers will be able to create, evaluate, deliver, and analyze expert literacy instruction that supports a wide range of abilities among student populations.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to serve as  literacy leaders who are able to coach teachers in a variety of formal and informal situations for a variety of purposes.	Teachers will demonstrate their ability to serve as resources for teachers, administrators, and other staff members by engaging in impromptu discussions with others.	Coaching “On the Fly” Blogs	Standard 6	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration	Teachers will be able to fulfill the various roles of Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach including that of interventionist, coach, and agent of change at the student, classroom, school, and district level.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to serve as literacy leaders who use their expertise to bring parents in as partners in their children’s literacy development.	Teachers will demonstrate their ability to serve as resources for parents by creating a plan for establishing a home/school connection.	Parent Involvement Plans	Standard 6	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration Compassionate Heart	Teachers will be able to fulfill the various roles of Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach including that of interventionist, coach, and agent of change within the home/school relationship.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to address the various components of literacy when planning for instruction.	Teachers will demonstrate the ability to look deeply at one component of literacy.  Teachers will use their knowledge of this component to supply information concerning teaching strategies and assessments to a graphic organizer which will be shared with classmates.	Literacy Component Graphic Organizer	Standard 2	Rigorous Mind	Teachers will be able to plan for literacy instruction which supports students’ literacy learning.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to address student needs through individualized instruction.  Teachers will also demonstrate the ability to model instructional approaches for teachers in a coaching situation.	Teachers will create and deliver appropriate instructional experiences with actual students within classrooms.  These will be recorded and shared with the class via youtube or teachertube.	Mini-lesson Demos	Standards 2 & 6	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration Compassionate Heart	Teachers will be able to fulfill the various roles of Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach including that of interventionist, coach, and agent of change at the student, classroom, school, and district level.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to be literacy leaders and agents of change at the school-wide level.  Teachers will also demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with others and to be effective problem-solvers.	Teachers will demonstrate the ability to promote and lead change by working with partners to create a time-line for implementation of the change and to address a major obstacle which would/could impact the change.	Obstacles to Large-scale Change Presentation	Standard 6	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration	Teachers will be able to fulfill the various roles of Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach including that of interventionist, coach, and agent of change at the student, classroom, school, and district level.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to create effective, engaging, and meaningful professional development experiences for a variety of staff members within a district.	Teachers will apply their knowledge and theory around professional development by working in small groups to plan a district-wide professional development day for teachers.	District-wide Professional Development Plan	Standard 6	Rigorous Mind Competent Demonstration Compassionate Heart	Teachers will be able to fulfill the various roles of Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach including that of interventionist, coach, and agent of change at the student, classroom, school, and district level.
Teachers will be reflective learners who are able to self-evaluate and self-direct their own learning.	Teachers will reflect on their own learning by looking at a continuum for literacy coaches and discussing where they are currently, where they hope to be, and how they plan to reach their goals.	Personal Reflections	Standard 6	Reflective Stance	Teachers will reflect on their own learning and their roles within the field of literacy.

Assignments

Introductions (4 Points)

At the beginning of the course you will be asked to introduce yourself to the group by adding a quote, cartoon, or visual symbol which represents leadership to our class Padlet.

Threaded Discussions (6 Points)

In this course there will be 2 discussion board prompts for you to participate in.  Each threaded discussion will be worth 3 points.  

Student Instructional Plans (15 Points)

For this assignment you are to choose a student and create an instructional plan that is tailored to the needs of that specific student. You will consider various factors, such as scheduling and type of instruction, and we will also ask you to consider how you will align your instruction with that of the classroom teacher.

Coaching “on the fly” Blogs (3 Points)

This assignment is intended to simulate the conversations that occur when coaches are stopped in the hallway, in the teacher’s room, or in any number of places where teachers might pass each other briefly throughout the school day. You will think about a variety of situations in which you can give a “quick answer” and some that require more time and thought before answering.  

Parent Involvement Plans (3 Points)

For this assignment you are being asked to think about the ways in which you could promote effective parent involvement which supports children’s literacy development. This could be accomplished in many different ways such as through parent education/information sessions, effective home/school communication systems, or recruiting and training parents to volunteer in the classroom.  

Literacy Component Graphic Organizer (7 Points)

For this assignment you are to select one component of literacy (comprehension, phonemic awareness, writing, etc.) to explore in depth. You will complete a graphic organizer which will include information such as teaching strategies and assessments which specifically address your chosen component.  

Mini-lesson Demonstrations (10 Points)

For this assignment you will prepare and teach a short mini-lesson on a literacy topic of your choice at a grade level of your choice.  These mini-lessons should be fairly brief (about 10 minutes) and very concise. You will post them to the UNE YouTube channel and share a link with the class so that we can all learn from your expertise.  

Obstacles to Large-scale Change Presentation (20 Points)

You and a partner will choose a “new” reading program or approach (examples: Fountas and Pinnell, Reader’s Workshop, Read 180, etc.) which will be “implemented” at a school-wide level at your school or a school that you know of. You will choose one of the obstacles to large-scale change, as outlined in your text, and then create a presentation in which you share details of your program/approach, provide a timeline for implementation, define the obstacle, tell how you would resolve or deal with it, and tell how you would know whether or not the change has been effective.  

District-wide Professional Development Plan (28 Points)

For this assignment you will work in small groups to plan a professional development day for staff in an entire district. You will select a central literacy topic for the day (assessment, integration of technology, fluency instruction, etc.) and plan for a variety of learning experiences which will benefit teachers at all grade levels and content areas.  Your project will include a schedule which will show what all staff members will be taking part in throughout the day, and you will include details which would give us a clear picture of what this would look like.  

Personal Reflections (4 Points)

For this assignment you are being asked to write a brief (1 page) reflection in which you think about where you currently are on a continuum of skill levels for Reading Specialists/Literacy Coaches. You will also be asked to think about where you hope to be, how you plan to get there, and your timeline for achieving this goal.  Finally, you will be asked to reflect on how your vision of a literacy leader has changed as a result of this course.  

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00