| Assignment |
Points |
|
|
30 |
|
|
30 |
|
|
60 |
|
|
+ 5 (extra credit) |
| TOTAL |
120 (+5) |
| A-108; B-96, C-84, F-83 or less. If you
receive a C or a B in class, but manage to publish your final paper within a
year, I will revise your grade up one level. Any professional publication
will work, but not your building or district newsletter. |
|
|
 | Write at least six short (100-500 words) entry on
the Discussion forum. You may start a new thread or respond to a thread
started by others. Make sure you're saying something substantial and not
repeating what others have said before you. Engage the texts we are reading. If you write something superficial,
I will ask you to rewrite. |
| The class discussion is the whole point of coming to class. If you do not
try to talk, you do not learn. Thus, participation of everyone is expected as a matter
of course. However, if you are consistently brilliant, you may get 5 extra
points. |
| Write a 1200 words autobiography focused on interaction between your
cultural background and educational experiences. |
| Apply concepts learned in book by Spring and Rodriguez to analysis of
your education in cultural contexts. |
|
|
GRE Writing X
2 |
Understanding of
concepts X 3 |
|
6 |
Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas;
develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or
highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully
uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively;
demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and language usage
but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning. |
Demonstrates nuanced, insightful
understanding of at least three course concepts, creatively applied to
specific real life instances. |
|
4 |
Provides competent analysis of complex ideas; develops and
supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately
organized; conveys meaning with reasonable clarity; demonstrates
satisfactory control of sentence structure and language usage but may have
some errors that
affect clarity. |
Demonstrates adequate understanding of
one course concept accurately applied to one's life. |
|
2 |
Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The
writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: serious
lack of analysis or development; lack of organization; serious and frequent
problems in sentence structure or language usage, with errors that obscure
meaning. |
Demonstrates little understanding of course concepts |
|
|
Up to 12 |
Up to 18 |
| Write a 3000-4000 words position paper focused on curriculum, pedagogy
or educational policy.
Do not write a research paper – I don’t want to know what you know; I want to
know how you can think. Feel free to reuse some of your on-line discussion
entries or your autobiography. |
| Select the focus of your paper carefully, so
that there is some theoretical content to it, related to the course's theme,
and to its main readings. Make sure you write on a subject you care and know
about. Don’t worry about the exact title too soon; wait for us to read all
books and look for ways to connect your personal passion and professional
interest with the content of the course. |
| Remember, your opinions must be supported by argument. Think of your argument as a
stairway: each next idea or statement relies on the previous one. Provide a
“map” for your reader; be clear on what you are doing in each section of your
paper. Always think of people who may disagree with you, and keep answering to
their imaginary questions and objections. |
| Submit paper on-line through Blackboard.
Simply Select the whole text of your paper, and paste it into the message
window (Online work, Final Papers forum). |
|
|
GRE Writing X
3 |
Original Ideas X 3 |
Practical relevance X
2 |
Use of literature X
1 |
References X 1 |
|
6 |
Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas;
develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or
highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully
uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively;
demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and language usage
but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning. |
Fully original and
well-developed ideas connected to each other in one coherent conceptual
framework |
Author skillfully applies theory to examine relevant problems of educational practice. The
discussion of practice advances theory. |
Literature used
creatively to generate discussion, not to appeal to an authority. Student
demonstrates deep understanding of others’ ideas and responds to
them
|
At least 4 correct
references to at least 2 assigned books properly used in full compliance
with APA format |
|
4 |
Provides competent analysis of complex ideas; develops and
supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately
organized; conveys meaning with reasonable clarity; demonstrates
satisfactory control of sentence structure and language usage but may have
some errors that
affect clarity. |
Known ideas developed in
a new way or original but undeveloped ideas |
The discussion of educational practice
is used only to illustrate theory; tenuous connections between practice and
theory. |
Literature used to
illustrate points. Although citations and indirect references are use
correctly, the student does not add anything to the authors’ ideas |
Not enough references to
assigned readings, or major errors in APA format
|
|
2 |
Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The
writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: serious
lack of analysis or development; lack of organization; serious and frequent
problems in sentence structure or language usage, with errors that obscure
meaning. |
No original thought;
paper only repeats literature or platitudes |
Paper discusses educational practice,
but does not connect it well with theory. |
Literature used out of
context; it is only superficially included |
Not enough references to
assigned readings, and incorrect reference style |
|
|
Up to 18 |
Up to 18 |
Up to 12 |
Up to 6 |
Up to 6 |
If you miss a class, lose 5 points, or write a 500 word review of a
peer-reviewed scholarly paper related to the course.
|
