Field Experience Secondary Education/Special Education
Winter Term 04: January 5, 2004 – January 30, 2004.
Course Description
This course is built around an intensive four-week placement at Middlebury Union Middle School (MUMS) during which students are challenged to examine how and why accommodations are made for special education students at the middle school level. Students spend the school day from 8:30am to 3:00pm observing, engaging, tutoring and perhaps leading a class of middle school students. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, students meet with course instructors and other school professionals to reflect on the events that have occurred during the week in light of what research and practice tells us is "best practice."
The major assignment of the course is a case study of one, special needs student. The purpose of this assignment is to provide the opportunity to examine in some depth how and why a team of educators, working together, tries to respond to the needs of a particular student. Examples of prior case studies will be provided in order for students to gain an understanding of what a case study is and the requirements of the assignment.
In all aspects of this course confidentiality is extremely important. Once the permission of the parents and/or guardians has been attained, Middlebury College students will be given access to the academic files of the particular student who is the focus of their case study. These files are provided in order to deepen understanding of a particular student's needs and how educators have responded to those needs in the past. Middlebury College students may not share this information verbally or in writing with anyone other than the relevant MUMS faculty with whom they are working.
Overview of Seminar Topics
Tuesday, 1/6
Review Orientation information and logistics of MUMS schedule.
Snow day calling list.
Team Assignments
Pride Time.
Expectations of Daily Journal.
Thursday 1/8
Inga Duktig, MUMS Principal.
The Why and How of Middle Schools.
Be sure to have read "Turning Points" article for this session.
Tuesday, 1/13
Case Study Requirements, ROPA
Nature of Special Education/Accommodations
Case Study Examples
Thursday, 1/15
Review of Student Records
Regular Ed/SPED/504
Standardized testing (Terra Nova, New Standards Reference Exam)
Comprehensive Evaluations
IEPs
MONDAY 1/19 MLK JR. HOLIDAY
Tuesday 1/20
Case Study Workshop
Meeting, Q&A, analyzing the meaning of records.
Thursday, 1/22
Teacher Panel: Garreth, Martha, Jan, Derek, Mary
MONDAY 1/26 MEET ON MC CAMPUS, Sunderland Lab #1, 9am –12pm.
Guest Speaker: Hector Villa, Technology and Education
Tuesday, 1/27
Sizer Text: So, if the students are watching what have they seen?
Journal Sharing: What have you seen? So What?
Thursday, 1/29 Final Seminar
Case Studies Due
Feedback on Experience
Response to Key Questions.
Course Requirements
Daily Attendance at MUMS, 8:30-3:00pm.
Twice a week seminars: 3:15pm – 4:30pm.
Assigned Readings
Text: Sizer, T & N. (1999). The students are watching: Schools and the moral contract. Boston: Beacon Press.
Journal Writing
As part of the course, you are required to keep a daily journal. The purpose of the journal is to both encourage daily reflection on what you have observed and to ensure you have a place to record insights, questions, concerns, frustrations, etc. that you may have. This is different than the case study as it is much more informal. However, we do ask that you keep in mind two prompts:
1) What are the issues embedded in the Sizer book and how are those issues relevant to what you are seeing at MUMS? Be specific.
2) Given the How & Why of middle schools expressed in both the Turning Points article and the presentation by Inga Duktig on 1/8 how is MUMS doing? Be specific.
Grading
This is a credit/no-credit course. Attendance is critical. A completed journal must be turned in at the end of the course. Completion of the case study in a manner satisfactory to both instructors is required.