Preparing Educators for Diverse Cultural Contexts

EDGR 5135

Teachers as Leaders: Roles and Responsibilities - Practicum 
 

Course Description: Prerequisite: EDGR 5130

The candidate will apply the techniques of EDGR 5130. This course primarily serves to enhance the leadership skills of the master teacher. 
 

Format: This course will be taught primarily on Blackboard using the Layered Curriculum® model of instruction. Class will meet face-to-face 3 times throughout the semester.   
 

Assignments and Activities: 

“C” Layer – Choose from the following activities to equal 70 points. 

1. Take on a leadership role in your school. Keep a journal for at least a month about your roles, responsibilities, and feelings.  15 points
2. Complete a peer observation using the TPAI-R. Write a reflection on this process. 10 points
3. Create a list of at least 10 websites for beginning teachers. For each website, give the url, a brief description, and why this site is helpful. 5 points
4. Create a Welcome Basket for a teacher new to your school. Be able to share the significance of each item in the basket. 5 points
5. Share something that works for you with a beginning teacher. Have that teacher write a sentence or two about the helpfulness of this information/idea. 5 points
6. Using Microsoft Publisher, create a brochure or catalog about the staff at your school. Or you could make a bulletin board about the staff with pictures. Make sure everyone is included. (Take a picture of this) 20 points
7. Design a bulletin board for your school that encourages teacher leadership. List opportunities available, ways to get involved, etc. Take a picture of this bulletin board. 10 points
8. Keep a journal with a beginning teacher for a period of time (at least a month) Write a minimum of five entries. 15 points

9. Make a packet of resources dealing with one of the strategies that increase student achievement for a beginning teacher. Check the website: http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/ for a review of the strategies. You may also choose from the survival skills list. 15 points

10. Construct a list of teacher leadership opportunities at your school to share with others. 5 points
11. Collect materials that would help a beginning teacher be more successful at your school. Create an orientation packet of these materials. This should be a user- friendly desk top manual, not a re-creation of the teacher handbook. 10 points
12. Create a Classroom Management Scrapbook/Portfolio. Using a digital camera, take pictures of your classroom or areas where you can show evidence of the following classroom management components. (Show at least 6 of these.) Write a description for each photograph. This can be done in power point using a slide for one or more pictures or Microsoft Word. 20 points
• Classroom rules and consequences
• Routines and procedures
• Positive classroom climate
• Offering students choices
• Establishing relationships with students
• Using creative, interactive learning strategies
• Cooperative learning
• With-it-ness
• Tapping into Multiple Intelligences
• Making learning relevant
• Time management
• Organization

13. Read A Student’s Brain: The Parent/Teacher Manual by Kathy Nunley. Create a visual of the important information to share with other faculty or administration at your school. 15 points

“B” Layer – Complete the following assignment for 20 points: 

In the Teachers as Leaders Seminar, you created a workshop to share with a particular audience at your school. Present this workshop. Audio or video tape the workshop. Have participants complete evaluation forms (which you have created) at the end. Write a reflection about the success of your workshop.   
 

“A” Layer – Choose two of the following topics to respond to. Responses must show reflective thinking. 15 points 

1. What can colleges and universities do to better prepare novice teachers for the reality of the classroom?
2. With all of the high stakes accountability testing focusing on student achievement, what can be done to ensure that teachers are not the ones left behind?
3. Why is it important for teachers to have leadership roles? What kinds of change can teachers in leadership roles bring about in their school?
4. Why is it important for teachers to learn about Brain-friendly teaching strategies? How can this information be shared in a school?

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