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The syllabus for this course
consist of this webpage and connected webpages.
The syllabus is an important study tool. It
provides you with specific guidelines as to my
expectations regarding what you should learn, what
skills and understanding I value and how I
organize the content of the course. However, the
syllabus is not a contract and I retain the right
to modify it at my discretion.
Assignments consist of both
readings, problems and videos. The assigned
reading provides you with the opportunity not only
to obtain rule and process information. The
problems provide you with the opportunity to
develop your analytical and problem-solving
skills. The assigned readings serve as a basis for
solving problems. The problems will form the basis
for classroom instruction. It is my expectation
that you will be thoroughly familiar with the
assignment and completely prepared for class
participation.
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general, I will not cover the
reading material directly.
Most of your learning is
expect to be achieved through
reading and problem- solving.
Of course, If you have
questions or comments about
the reading you should raise
them during the class
discussion or you may come to
my office. |
C.
Classroom Instruction Using Cooperative
Problem-Solving
The primary teaching
technique in this class is cooperative
problem-solving. In this class, cooperative
learning will be used to:
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- ensure active
cognitive processing during class and
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- provide long-term support and assistance
for academic progress.
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During the past 90 years
over 600 research studies have been conducted
comparing the effectiveness of cooperative,
competitive and individualistic efforts. These
studies have been conducted by a wide variety of
researchers in different decades with different
age subjects, in different subject areas and in
different settings. More is known about the
efficacy of cooperative learning than about the
so- called "Socratic method" or
lecturing.
From this research you
may expect that the more you work in cooperative
learning groups the more you will learn, the
better you will understand what you are learning,
the easier it will be to remember what you learn,
and the better you will feel about yourself, the
class, and your classmates.
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be cognizant that if a subject
is identified in the outline,
you are responsible for
knowing and understanding that
subject. We will rarely go
over the cases or materials
directly or in detail.
Teaching is not telling
something to a group of
listeners, or explaining some
concept or demonstrating a
mastery of an important topic.
Rather teaching is helping
students learn. Of course,
when I am helping students
learn, I may engage in
telling, explaining or
demonstrating, but I do these
only as a means to accomplish
an end. In the final analysis,
my success as a teacher is
determined by how well you
learn. |
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