Tara Affolter
Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Studies
Email: taffolter@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5944
Office Hours: M: 2-5 (Carr Hall 102) W/F: 11:15-12:15 (outside AXN 109) and by appointment
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Tara Affolter is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Education Studies at Middlebury College.She completed her dissertation in the department of Education Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May of 2006 where her advisors included Stacey Lee, Gloria Ladson-Billings, and Mary Louise Gomez. Prior to coming to Middlebury she taught part time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Educational Policy Studies department. She has spent the bulk of her career in high school classrooms teaching English and theatre while working for social justice within the public schools.
Additionally, Dr. Affolterhas research and teaching experience in antiracist teaching, social justice education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and Critical Race Theory. Her current research looks at ways to build, support, and sustain communities of antiracist teachers within secondary schools. She seeks to provide pre-service teachers with the tools needed to successfully battle inequities in schools. She is also keenly interested in finding ways to build fully inclusive environments within schools, colleges, and universities.
On campus, in addition to her position within Education Studies, Dr. Affolter works with Verbal Onslaught and the Carr Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Outside of the academic realm, Dr. Affolter enjoys being outside for almost anything active, acting, and spending time with her husband, Steve, and son, Jerry.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
EDST 0115 - Education In the USA ▲
Education in the USA
What are schools for? What makes education in a democracy unique? What counts as evidence of that uniqueness? What roles do schools play in educating citizens in a democracy for a democracy? In this course, we will engage these questions while investigating education as a social, cultural, political, and economic process. We will develop new understandings of current policy disputes regarding a broad range or educational issues by examining the familiar through different ideological and disciplinary lenses. 3 hrs. lect./1 hr. disc.
Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013
EDST 0230 - Social Justice in Education
Social Justice in Education
Schools can help break cycles of oppression. In this course students will learn how to enact social justice in education. We will take an interdisciplinary approach in examining interconnected social identities and how they complicate issues of privilege, access, and power in schools. Ultimately, we will explore social justice frameworks that promote equity and justice for all students. Service learning is an integral component of this course that will help students move from theory to action as advocates of social justice. 3 hrs.lect.
Spring 2011
EDST 0300 - Models of Inclusive Education
Models of Inclusive Education
In this course we will focus on strategies and techniques for including students with diverse learning styles in general education environments. Legal, theoretical, philosophical, and programmatic changes leading toward inclusive models of education will be approached through a historical overview of special education for students with disabilities. Additionally, the course works to expand notions of inclusion such that students' multiple identities are incorporated into all learning. Emphasis is given to the active learning models and differentiated curriculum and instruction to accommodate a range of learners with diverse disabilities, abilities, and identities.
Spring 2012, Fall 2012
EDST 0318 - Middle/Secondary Ed Methods
Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools
This course emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary for effective teaching at the secondary level. Starting from a foundation in the liberal arts, students will develop lesson and unit plans based on instructional models that reflect "best practice" and that are grounded in key concepts from their respective disciplines. Concerns regarding "classroom management" will be addressed as opportunities to design challenging and engaging curriculum. Students will be required to integrate technology into meaningful, academic inquiry. This course requires 3 hrs/week of observation in local schools. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2010
EDST 0320 - Literacy Across Secondary Curr
Literacy Across the Secondary Curriculum
This course will acquaint prospective teachers with pedagogies that use literacy to help students learn subject matter, strategies, and skills in various secondary content areas. We will consider both the theory and practice of literacy through analysis of the nature of reading, writing, discussion, interpretation, and critical processes and practices. We will also consider the politics of literacy and the importance of socio-economic, linguistic, and cultural factors in making appropriate choices about methods and materials for diverse populations. Students will spend at least two hours per week observing and tutoring in secondary schools in the Middlebury area. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010
EDST 0327 - Field Exp Secondary/Special Ed
Field Experience in Secondary Education and Special Education
In this course we will examine secondary teaching and special education at the middle school level. Working closely with practicing middle school teachers, students will spend five days a week in the schools, observing, tutoring, directing small-group learning, developing lessons, and assessing student work. In this seminar we will explore, through selected readings and a case study, the policy and pedagogy of special education for students with learning disabilities. Further topics in middle/secondary education will be addressed. Required for students seeking a minor in secondary education. (Pass/Fail)
Winter 2010
EDST 0410 - Student Teaching Seminar ▲
Student Teaching Seminar
Concurrent with student teaching, this course is designed to provide guidance in curriculum development and its implementation in the classroom, and to explore issues related to the teaching process and the profession. Students will construct a Teaching Licensure Portfolio as well as exchange ideas about their student teaching experiences. Topics including technology, classroom management, special education, and assessment will be featured. The Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities, the five Standards for Vermont Educators, the Principles for Vermont Educators, and ROPA-R will guide the development of the Teacher Licensure Portfolio. (Corequisite: EDST 0405, EDST 0406, EDST 0407 or EDST 0415, EDST 0416 EDST 0417) (Approval required) 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2013
EDST 0415 - Sec Student Teach Practicum
Student Teaching in the Middle School/High School
A semester-long practicum in a local middle or high school under the direct supervision of an experienced cooperating teacher. (Corequisite: EDST 0410) (Approval required)
Fall 2009, Fall 2010
EDST 0416 - Sec Student Teach Practicum
Student Teaching in the Middle School/High School
See EDST 0415. (Approval required)
Fall 2009, Fall 2010
EDST 0417 - Sec Student Teach Practicum
Student Teaching in the Middle School/High School
See EDST 0415. (Approval required)
Fall 2009, Fall 2010
EDST 0500 - Independent Project ▲ ▹
Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
EDST 1002 - Teaching August Wilson
Make Room: Teaching August Wilson
August Wilson has been hailed as “Theater's Poet of Black America,” yet many students have little exposure to this literary giant. In this course we will explore Wilson’s impressive cycle of 10 plays illustrating 20th century African-American experiences. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to reading, analyzing, and understanding Wilson’s work, exploring such influences as the blues, visual artist Romare Bearden, and playwright/poet Amiri Baraka. We will also use Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool for understanding Wilson’s significance within the larger context of race relations. The course will culminate with workshops at local schools and staged readings of Wilson’s work.
Winter 2011, Winter 2012
EDST 1020 - Critical Race Theory/Education
Critical Race: Theory in Education
In 1998 Gloria Ladson-Billings published a landmark piece entitled, “Just what is critical race theory and what is it doing in a nice field like education?” The piece revolutionized the field of education and helped bring an important lens of critique to understanding and working against inequity in schools. In this course we will examine the ways in which critical race theory has been utilized as a lens for interrogating past and current issues of systemic racism and other forms of oppression affecting our schools. We will focus specifically on curricula, funding, desegregation, special education, discipline practices, and federal laws affecting schools.
Winter 2013
FYSE 1340 - Race, Class & Educ. Inequality
Race, Class, and Educational Inequality
In this course we will critically examine race and class inequality in education. We will primarily focus on the U.S. education system, paying particular attention to the often-confusing labyrinth that students and families must navigate. Students will be asked to reflect on their own educational path and how their social position has potentially shaped their educational experiences, opportunities, and outcomes. We will engage theatre, hip-hop, and popular media sources to interrogate the ways schools, students, and teachers are portrayed. Finally, we will examine the impact of educational policies on students, families, and teachers. 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2011