Required Reading and other materials:

1.Morse, P.S. & Ivey A.E. (2002). Face to face: Communication and
Conflict Resolution in the Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Inc.

2.Course reader available at Mr. Copy on 10th and Dunn.

Course Description:
Webster (2000) ed. defines communication as a process by which
information is exchanged between individuals through a common system
of symbols, signs, or behavior. Communication is expressed in a
variety of ways and is impacted by the individual's environment,
gender, age, ability, mood, in addition to numerous other factors.
Within this course we will develop our own understanding of
communication and how it is applied, expressed, and related to
education.
Because communication can be discovered in a number of facets the use
of discussion, demonstration, practice, readings, observations, and
written reflection will be used to increase our understanding of this
complex subject.
Our goal within the course is to obtain a deeper comprehension of the
daily activity of communication on the part of the teacher, student,
and any other individual who may enter the classroom setting.

Course Requirements:
Participation

It is my hope that this course is a learning experience for each
student within the class, in addition to the instructor as well. It is
understandable that each person within the class will have both good
and bad days, which will affect their mood; nonetheless, in order for
this course to be enjoyable and educational it is necessary and
required that each student become involved in classroom activities.

In grading for classroom participation. The first criterion is
attendance, because classroom participation cannot be evaluated if you
are not present for class. Each student is allotted 3 excused
absences. Thereafter your grade will be lowered 10 points and will
continue to be dropped in this manner after each subsequent absence.
After 6 absences your grade will be lowered an additional 50 points.
Each student is required to read the assigned reading(s) before class
in order for class discussion to occur regarding the reading.

Lastly, there will be times throughout the semester that classroom
activities will be planned. It is the your responsibility to
participate in these activities.

Reaction Papers

Each student is required to write a total of 5 reactions to any of the
required readings.

Each reaction paper should be 2 pages in length and should verify that
you have read the material. This is your opportunity to discuss your
opinion regarding the reading, how you feel this material may/or may
not be applied to the classroom, in addition to any other concerns,
thoughts, or issues that may arise due to your reading the material.
	
It is also required that any films outside of the skills videos be
followed with a written 2 page reaction to be turned in the following
week. Criteria for these papers are the same as the above-mentioned
criteria for the reactions to the readings.
	
Some general questions to be answered in your reaction papers are:
What have you read (viewed)?
What was your personal reaction to the information?
What does this information mean for your profession?
How do you think this issue can be addressed within the education
system?

Group Presentation
	
In groups of 3 or 4 students will be responsible to research, develop,
and present a lesson for 50 minutes to an hour. Topics chosen should
be related to the course but should not restate material previously
covered in class. Nevertheless, it is acceptable to expand on a topic
discussed in class if that presentation will provide us with
additional information that has not already been provided.
Presentation teams will be assigned within the first few weeks of
class and will be required to submit a definite topic idea by October
17, 2002 at the latest.

Possible Topic Ideas
-Classrooms under the influence
-Working with Persons who are Non-
-Addicted Students
-Ambulatory, Deaf, Mute, or Blind
-Addicted Parents
-Communication and Behavior Disorder
-Communication and Sexual Harassment
-The Soul of Education
-Student Motivation
-Developing Student Connection
-The art of focus and the Classroom
-Parent/Teacher Communication
-Leadership
-Groups in the Classroom
-Discipline
-Working with the Administration
	
If handouts or readings are apart of your presentation and the group
would like for the class to have read them prior to the presentation
it is necessary that these handouts be given to the instructor the 1st
class meeting of the week prior to the assigned group presentation
date so that materials may be disbursed accordingly.
	
The purpose of these presentations is to educate the class and provide
us with information, skills, and techniques that will be useful in our
future careers.
	
For Group Presentation Evaluation Criteria please see appendix A & B.
Teacher Observation

The purpose of the teacher observation is to link a field experience
with the communication concepts learned in class. You will be required
to spend two hours with one teacher during their class time. During
these two hours you are to pay close attention to the forms of
communication occurring within the classroom. As an observer you are
not to intervene with the classroom setting.
	
Once you have completed your observations you are to write a 3 to 5
page paper discussing the communication attitudes and concepts that
occurred during your observation.
	
Within this paper you may provide specific examples of how
communication concepts discussed in this course were or were not
apparent, whether the concepts used by the teacher were appropriate
for the situation, if you think you would have approached the
situation in a different manner, if so, what would that be and why,
and with this change what would be your expected outcome. You may also
discuss and explain communication interactions that were not discussed
in the class and whether or not you agreed or disagreed with them.
	
This is your opportunity to dissect any communication occurring within
a real setting. Please keep a watchful eye for interactions taking
place, how they developed, what occurred, and what emotions seemed to
have resulted from the parties involved in the interaction.
	
In addition to discussing the situations that you observed within your
field experience I would also like for you to discuss your own
personal feelings regarding the situation you observed, in addition to
how you felt emotionally being an observer within this setting.
	
Each student is required to have the Teacher Observation Verification
Form dated and signed by the teacher whose class you observed. You are
also to fill out the Observation Checklist for the experience. These
forms should be turned in with your 3 to 5 page paper. Please see
appendix C & D for copies of these forms.

Final Paper

This is a final summative evaluation of what you feel you have learned
in this course. This 3-5 page take-home exam, due on December 19,
2002.You will be asked to reflect upon the work that you have
completed in this course, your thoughts about communication skills, as
well as, the special topics that have been addressed, i.e. Conflict
Resolution, Parent/Teacher Communication, etc.  Details will be
provided.

Written Work Guidelines

Please type papers using double spacing, 12-point font, and 1-inch
margins.  Do not attempt to make your papers appear longer (i.e.
bigger fonts, adjusting margins, large headings, etc).

Please remember that written work will be collected and is due at the
beginning of the class.  Be certain to turn in all assignments on
their due date. Late work is unacceptable.

Grading Evaluation:

Class Participation - 71 points (20%)
Reaction Papers - 71 points (20%)
Teacher Observation - 71 points (20%)
Group Presentation - 71 points (20%)
Final Paper - 71 points (20%)

TOTAL - 355 points (100%)

A    94-100%
A-   90-93%
B+   88-89%
B    84-87%
B-   80-83%
C+   78-79%	
C    74-77%
C-   70-73%
D+   68-69%
D    64-67%
D-   60-63%
F     0-59%

						

Tentative Schedule:

Date      Topic					
WEEK I
Sept. 3 - Review of Syllabus
Communication Activity

Sept. 5	- Community Building

WEEK II (phase I)
Sept. 10 - Community Building
Assignments Due: Personal Early Experience

Sept. 12 - Early Experiences in the Classroom
Required Readings: Ch 1 Face to Face (F2F), Morse, P.S. (1994) Survey,
Kottler & Kottler (2000), Ch. 1, Adjusting to Multiple Roles.
Assignments Due: Personal Early Experience

WEEK III (phase I)
Sept. 17 - The Helping Process
Required Readings: Kottler and Kottler (1993), Ch. 3, Understanding
the Process of Helping, Kottler & Kottler (2000), Ch. 2,Understanding
the Process of Helping, Hill & O'Brien (1999), pg. 21-25.

Sept. 19 - Communication Techniques
Required Readings: Ch 2 F2F, Locke (1995) Communication Tech. For
Teachers, Hill & O'Brien (1999), pg. 25-29.
	
WEEK IV (phase II)
Sept. 24 - Communication Attitudes
Required Readings: Hill & O'Brien (1999), pg. 64-70.
Assignments Due: phase I Reaction Papers

Sept. 26 - Communication Attitudes

WEEK V (phase II)
Oct. 1 - Communication Content
Required Readings: Ch3 F2F, Kottler and Kottler (1993), Ch.4, pp.
38-46, Developing Skills of Helping

Oct. 3 - Communication Content
Required Readings: Ch 4 F2F (pp. 40-46), Kottler and Kottler (1993),
Ch.4, pp. 47-57, Developing Skills for Helping	

WEEK VI (phase III)
Oct. 8 - Factors that Influence Learning
Required Readings: Kaplan, P. (1990), pp. 254-260, Educational
Psychology for Tomorrows Teacher
Assignments Due: phase II Reaction Papers

Oct. 10	 - Factors that Influence Learning
Required Readings: Kaplan, P. (1990), pp. 270-275, Educational
Psychology for Tomorrows Teacher

WEEK VII (phase III)
Oct. 15	 - Culture and the classroom
Movie- Starting Small (Part I)

Oct. 17	 - Culture and the classroom
Movie- Starting Small (Part II)
Assignments Due: Group Presentation Topics

WEEK VIII (phase IV)
Oct. 22	 - Conflict Resolution
Required Readings: Ch 7,8,9 F2F
Assignments Due: Reaction Paper to Movie and phase III Reaction Papers

Oct. 24	 - Conflict Resolution/Bullying	

WEEK IX (phase IV)
Oct. 29	 - Communication with Parents
Required Readings: Kottler & Kottler (2000), Ch. 6, Communication with
Parents

Oct. 31	 - Group Presentations

WEEK X
Nov. 5 - Group Presentations
Assignments Due: phase IV Reaction Papers

Nov. 7 - Group Presentations

WEEK XI
Nov. 12 - Group Presentations

Nov. 14 -Movie- It's Elementary (Part I)

WEEK XII
Nov. 19- Movie- It's Elementary (Part II)

Nov. 21- Discuss Teacher Observations
Assignments Due: Teacher Observations and Reaction Paper to Movie

WEEK XIII
Nov. 26 - Final Paper Research/Development Day

Nov. 28 - NO CLASS--THANKSGIVING
RECESS

WEEK XIV
Dec. 3 - Group Presentations

Dec. 5 - Group Presentations

Week XV
Dec. 10 - Group Presentations

Dec. 12 - Group Presentations and Teacher Eval/Grades/Wrap Up

WEEK XVI
Dec. 17 - Finals Week
	
Dec 19	 - Finals Week			
Assignments Due: Final Paper