Spanish For Teachers–Spring 2012

Koby, Angelica, Veronica and Vitoria:
Here is the basic syllabus for the Practicum/Seminar/Guided Study for the Spring.

FLSP 490 Spanish For Teachers

Professor: Harland Rall Class: Admin 133
Office: Admin 134 Class: TR 4-5:30
Office hrs: M/F 3-5 PM
T/R 9-11 AM
Contact: x2384, rallh@acu.edu, (text: 325-665-4934)

Text: Becoming a Language Teacher, Elaine Kolker Horowitz, 2008, Pearson Publishers

Course Design
Modified practicum in applied pedagogy in relation to the Elementary Spanish Lab taught at Abilene Christian University in the Spring semester or 2012. Students will commit to spending a minimum of 2 hrs per week assisting students in the Elementary Spanish Lab with tutoring, speaking assessment, written assessment, and Blackboard training in grading procedures within the context of Task Based Learning models. One hour per week will be spent in a seminar-based discussion on selected portions of the text (especially chapters 2, 5, 9 and 10). Additional class materials may be required relative to classroom management however these may be supplied through guest lecturers.

Course Evaluation
1. Student Journal. 40% of grade. Students will keep a Weekly Journal written in Spanish about the lab experience. Journal entries should pertain to ascertaining individual student needs and how those needs were met, group needs, speaking assessments, reflections on working within this specific pedagogical model, lab management, writing assessment, and other pertinent aspects of the experience. Journal entries will be evaluated on length (at least 2 pages per week generated by a word processor and double spaced with a font of New Times Roman 12), Spanish structural content, clarity of description of problems addressed and solutions attempted, analysis of assessment mechanisms and personal learning reflections.
2. Seminar Conversations and Journal Entries: 40% of grade. Content presentations and discussions in class and in the journal. Students should write a separate segment of the journal (in English if more comfortable but preferably in Spanish) on meditations on this specific pedagogical model. Reflections should also include some hypothesis relative to how the Guided Study experience might be applied to future teaching contexts.
3. Technology and the classroom. 10% of grade. Students will give at least 2 brief presentations in the Seminar meetings during the semester in which they have explored some application of educational technology relative to the language classroom. Each presentation is worth 5% and will receive a completion grade.
4. Lab Participation: 10%
Final Grade Averages: 100-90 = A; 89-80 = B; 79-70 = C; 60-60 = D; 59-> F
About Course Policies
University and class specific policies: All university-wide policies and regulations contained in the Abilene Christian University Student Guide: Student Code of Behavior and Discipline will be observed in this class.
Academic Integrity Violations of academic integrity and other forms of cheating, as defined in ACU’s Academic Integrity Policy, involve the intention to deceive or mislead or misrepresent, and therefore are a form of lying and represent actions contrary to the behavioral norms that flow from the nature of God. Violations will be addressed as described in the Policy. While the university enforces the Policy, the most powerful motive for integrity and truthfulness comes from one’s desire to imitate Gods’ nature in our lives. Every member of the faculty, staff and student body is responsible for protecting the integrity of learning, scholarship and research. The full Policy is available for review at the Provost’s office web site
(http://www.acu.edu/campusoffices/provost)
and the following offices: provost, college deans, dean of campus life, director of student judicial affairs, director of residential life education and academic departments.
Americans with Disabilities Act
ACU and the First Year Program comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodation for qualified students with a disability. If you have an established disability as defined in the ADA and would like to request accommodation, please see me as soon as possible. You may also contact ACU’s Alpha Academic Services concerning disability accommodations at 674-2667.