PROF191 in 2011-2012

The course coordinator for PROF191 is Tom Russell.  Please contact Tom by email at Tom.Russell@QueensU.CA if you have any urgent questions related to this course.

Teacher Candidates are assigned to a section of PROF191 based on the Associate School to which they are assigned. Each section is taught by the Faculty Liaison who will visit during two of the three practicum assignments.

There are three assignments for this course.  Details will be available on the Assignments and Rubrics page (under Course Outline) in late August, before the B.Ed. program opens on September 1st.

The recommended textbook for PROF191 is The Art and Science of Teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction by R. J. Marzano, published by ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) in 2007. This book will be available at the Campus Bookstore.

PLEASE NOTE: As you register for your B.Ed. courses in July, you should be aware that the FIRST ASSIGNMENT for the course is a Professional Reading assignment.  You have a CHOICE to read a book before you arrive in September (if you have time in July and August) or during the Fall Term (if you sense that the reading may be more productive after your first 4 weeks of practicum in October).

The assignment is due in class on January 18. Your assignment is to prepare and present to other candidates in your section a PowerPoint presentation that would be suitable for a group of teachers working as a professional learning community in a school.

There are literally hundreds of relevant educational titles available.  The following three links offer suggestions and a long list of titles follows the links. Please be cautious about selecting a book that focuses exclusively on problems in American schools, which can be very different from the issues teachers face in Canadian schools.

Summer Reading List for New Teachers (Edutopia)

Online Universities list of Books that Teachers  Should Read this Summer

40 Important Books about Education (Amazon.com)

In previous years the following books have been suggested:

• Allen, R. (2002).  Impact teaching  . Toronto: Allyn & Bacon. Ideas and strategies for creating effective lessons to maximize student learning and influence students positively.
• Ayers, William (2001). To teach: The journey of a teacher (2nd ed.). New York : Teachers College Press.A thoughtful story about "what happens in the classroom" by a teacher and professor of education. Education is described as bold, adventurous, creative and illuminating, something for doers and activists and citizens. Explore notions of observing students with a sensitive eye, creating a caring environment for learning, and growing as we teach.
• Bennett, B., & Rolheiser, C. (2001).Beyond Monet. The artful science of instructional integration . Toronto, ON: Bookation, Inc. This practical book focuses on how to integrate a variety of instructional skills and strategies based on knowledge of how students learn. It provides numerous sample lessons by teachers at all grade levels.
• Emmer, E. T., Evertson, C.M., & Worksham , M.E. (2003). Classroom management for secondary teachers(6th ed.). Boston , MA : Pearson Education. Information and skills to establish management systems in today's rich multicultural classrooms. Helps teachers plan, implement, and develop a smoothly running classroom that encourages learning. Addresses planning decisions–including arranging the physical space, establishing rules and procedures, planning and conducting instruction, encouraging appropriate behaviour, addressing problem behaviour, and using good communication.
• Kohn, A. (1996/2006). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria , VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.Kohn questions the assumption that problems in the classroom are the fault of students who don't do what they are told, suggesting that we might reconsider what they have been told. He shows that a cynical view of children lies beneath the assumption that we must tell them how we expect them to behave and then offer "positive reinforcement."
• Kozol, J, (2007).  Letters to a young teacher . New York: Crown Publishers. Through the medium of letters, the author offers thought-provoking discussions of many of the concerns teachers encounter in the early stages of their careers. He encourages novice teachers to use their own creativity and imagination, as well as to be open to the insights and advice of their more experienced colleagues, in the course of their journey towards becoming more compassionate, thoughtful and competent professionals.
• Leven, J., & Nolan, J. (2005).  Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model.  Canadian edition. Toronto, ON: Pearson.  This text presents an array of decision-making options to guide thinking about how to approach typical classroom management situations and prevent or solve a variety of problems.
• Marzano, R. (2003). Classroom management that works: Research based strategies. Alexandria , VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Research supports a variety of specific strategies that educators can use to manage classrooms and learning effectively. A guide to the critical role of classroom management in student learning.
• Noddings, Nel (2005). The challenge to care in schools (2nd. ed.). New York : Teachers College Press. Different people have different strengths, and schools should be based on this notion. Strengths should be nurtured in a climate of caring, not competition, according to this vision. Themes of care are described, as are ways of organizing areas of study around them. An important book for teachers who care about students.
• Parkay, Forrest. (2005). Becoming a teacher (2nd Canadian ed.). Toronto : Pearson Education. Provides tools and information to explore 21st century teaching practices in Canada: “school 101.1”
• Perrone, V. (1991).  A Letter to Teachers: Reflections on schooling and the art of teaching .  San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Explores a range of topics relevant to beginning teachers starting with purposes for education, and moving on to deciding what to teach, engaging students, grading, accountability, and concluding with a discussion of the nature of teaching and the role of the teacher.
• Smith, H. A. (2007). Teaching adolescents: Educational psychology as a science of signs . Toronto: University of Toronto Press. A unified account of educational psychology as a practical foundation for teaching. Emphasizes understanding the signs that are inherent in any given situation as well as the interpretations and action that result from attending to those signs. Addresses classroom management and discipline, adolescent development, learning, teaching, exceptionality, culture, and expertise in teaching.
• Thorson, Sue A. (2003). Listening to students: Reflections on secondary classroom management.  Boston , MA : Pearson Education. Synthesizes current research, teacher practice, and student comments about discipline in secondary schools. Authentic student discussions about discipline procedures integrated throughout the book provide honest reflections on classroom management. Stories from real teachers encourage readers to reflect and expand their practice.
• Wassermann, S, (2004).This teaching life: How I taught myself to teach.  New York: Teachers College Press. The engaging autobiography of a teacher who worked hard at coming to terms with the challenges that most of us face in an effort to become better teachers.  Although focused on the elementary schools, the author’s insights and wisdom are pertinent to teaching from kindergarten to post-secondary education.
• Wong, H. K., & Wong, R.T. The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher  (4  ^th   ed.). Mountain View, CA: Harry K.Wong Publications.  An all-time classic offering a structured approach to the beginning teacher.

Additional Suggested Titles

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Summerhill by A.S. Neill, Hart Publishing, 1960
• Yes They Can and The Teacher is the Key by Ken Weber, Methuen Publishing, Toronto
• Teacher by Sylvia Ashton Warner, Touchstone Books, 1963
• Hooked on Books by Daniel Fader, Berkley Publishing
• Learning Disabilities by W. M. Cruickshank, Syracuse Press, 1980
• Reading: How To and On Teaching by Herbert Kohl, Bantam Books
• The Tuned In, Turned On - Book About Learning Problems by Marnell Hayes, Academic Therapy Publishing
• Applied Imagination by Alex Osborn (originator of brainstorming)
• Six Thinking Hats and Serious Creativity and Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono, Amazon
• Multiple Intelligences (1993) by Howard Gardner
• The Unschooled Mind (1991) by Howard Gardner
• Frames of Mind (1983) by Howard Gardner
• Brainsex by Moir and Jessel, Amazon
• The Portable Jung , by Joseph Cambell, Amazon
• Please Understand Me by David Keirsey, Prometheus Nemesis Book Company
• The Exceptional Child through Literature edited by London/ Epstein/ Stone
• Absent Fathers, Lost Sons by Guy Corneau, Amazon Books
• Creativity Inside Out (Learning through Multiple Intelligences) by Terry Marks-Tarlow, Addison-Wesley Publishing
• Emotional Intelligence (10^th Anniversary Edition) by Daniel Goleman, Bantam Books 1995
• Change your Brain, Change your Life (1998) by Dr. Daniel Amen, Three Rivers Press, New York.
• Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, Basic Books, 2007
• What Great Teachers Do Differently: Fourteen Things that Matter Most (2004) by Todd Whitaker, Eye on Education.
• Multiple  Intelligences in the Classroom (2^nd ed.)(2000) by Thomas Armstrong, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Differentiated Literacy Strategies for student growth and achievement in Grades 7-12 (2005) by Gayle Gregory and Lin Kuzmich, Corwin Press.