Educational Psychology

EDUC 303, ONLINE

TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Syllabus
Three Credits
8-Week Course
AUTHORSHIP AND COPYRIGHT
All module materials protected by U.S. copyright laws.
EDUC 303 Online developed by Rick Snoeyink
© Trinity Christian College, 2020

Trinity Christian College

6601 W. College Dr.
Palos Heights, IL 60463

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Course Description……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Course Learning Outcomes………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Course Topics……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Accommodations Statement…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Alignment of Course Learning Outcomes, Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS),
and Assessments……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Course Procedures and Policies………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Grading…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Course Schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Course Requirements..……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Quizzes ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Online Discussions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Research/Response Paper ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 10
Teacher Interview and Blog Post .………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Blog ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
Test Construction/Analysis Project ……………………………………………………………………………… 14
Digital Portfolio Key Assignment……………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 19
Education Program Goals and Expected Learning Outcomes……………………………………………. 19
Foundations Learning Outcomes……………….…………………………………………………………………….. 19

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to help you become a more competent and Christ-like educator. The content of
the course builds on EDUC 203 (Introduction to Education) and EDUC 209 (Technology in Education), and
goes on to explore the development of students age 5 through late adolescence from an intellectual,
social, emotional, physical, and spiritual perspective. We will examine theories about how the brain
works, memory, how students develop and learn, challenges to learning, the impact of diversity on
classrooms, how students are motivated, how to create effective learning environments, and how to
assess learning. Of course we will make connections between what we learn through the course
modules and practical teaching and learning situations. You will also be challenged to think about how a
Christian worldview affects what you do as a teacher. Our goal is to help position you to reflect Christ’s
love and to be a powerful and positive force in the lives of your students.

Since this is an online course, it is much more learner centered than traditional face-to-face courses. You
will need to assume much of the responsibility for constructing your own knowledge. The teaching
methods will take advantage of the online environment and your recent completion of EDUC 209.
Reading and writing will be our primary means of communication, but we will also make use of some
other audio and visual online tools. You will need to check in at least 4 times per week, but more often
would be better.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
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The main focus of this course is the psychology of learning and teaching. Upon completion of this
course each student will be able to:

1. Articulate ways in which faith in Jesus Christ and calling to restore and renew God's creation impact
one’s role in teaching for the success of all learners.

2. Describe a personal view of human development, individual variations, and diversity.

3. Describe theories of learning and motivation from three major perspectives—behavioral, cognitive,
and constructivist.

4. Describe effective, ethical, and legal classroom management strategies and effective learning
environments.

5. Describe strategies for motivating, organizing, learning, and remembering.

6. Show competency in teaching strategies and develop lesson plans and materials for use in diversifying
instruction and accommodating a variety of learning styles.

7. Define and appropriately use facts and terminology in the field of educational psychology.

8. Describe types and practices of assessment, providing a sound basis for determining how well
students have learned.

9. Design assessment instruments, analyze results of assessment, and use results to plan instruction.

These outcomes are broken down further in individual course module objectives.

COURSE TOPICS
Teaching & learning Cognitive development
Self – social/moral development Language development
Learner differences Intelligence - IQ
Culture & diversity Learning environments
Behavioral views of learning Competition
Classroom management Learning sciences
Complex cognitive processes Social cognitive views of learning and motivation
Constructivism Motivation
Concept mapping Assessment
Teaching every student High-stakes testing

Accommodation Statement and Tutoring Services

Trinity Christian College will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented
disabilities through the Office of Learning Services (OLS), located on the first floor of the Library.
Students who are dissatisfied with their academic progress or who wonder if they have a disability are
also encouraged to schedule an appointment.

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 Peer tutoring for most college courses and academic coaching/mentoring services are available for all
Trinity students through The Office of Learning Services. Tutor and mentor request forms are available
electronically through the student portal. Please contact the Academic Support Manager via e-mail at
OLS@trnty.edu or by phone at (708) 293-4587 for more information.

Students who may need assistance in an emergency should register in the Personal
Information/Emergency Contact section of the student portal at the start of each fall semester.

Withdrawing – Trinity’s official policy:

Students must withdraw officially from a course in the registrar’s office if they wish to drop the
class. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade. Timelines for withdrawal are publicized each
semester by the registrar.

Alignment of Course Objectives, Illinois Professional Teaching

Standards (IPTS), and Assessments

Course Learning Outcomes IPTS Assessment

Indicator
1. Articulate ways in which faith in 1F, 9H Blog, online discussion
Jesus Christ and calling to restore and
renew God's creation impact one’s
role in teaching for the success of all
learners.
2. Describe a personal view of human 1F Online discussion, blog
development, individual variations,
and diversity.
3. Describe theories of learning and 2A, 5A Blog, quizzes
motivation from three major
perspectives—behavioral, cognitive,
and constructivist.
4. Describe effective, ethical, and 1K, 4A, 4F, 4G, 4H, 4I, 5F, 9B Online video, management video,
legal classroom management blog, quizzes
strategies and effective learning
environments
5. Explain ways to diversify materials 2E Assessment project, blog
and instruction strategies for
accommodating a variety of learning
styles.
6. Describe strategies for motivating, 2C, 4N, 5B, 5E, 5F Blog, online discussion, quizzes
organizing, learning, and
remembering.
7. Define and appropriately use facts 1J, 2M, 6C, 7C Research/response paper, blog
and terminology in the field of
educational psychology.
8. Describe types and practices of 2C, 2E, 7C Quizzes, online discussion, assessment
assessment, providing a sound basis project
for determining how well students
have learned.
9. Design assessment instruments, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7Q Assessment project
analyze results of assessment, and
uses results to plan instruction. 4
The state standards can be viewed at the following web site:
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/PEAC/pdf/IL_prof_teaching_stds.pdf

COURSE PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

Attendance
Trinity’s Online Attendance Policy
Attending class means participation/engagement in an academically-related activity at least one time
per week. The following constitute academically-related activities.
 Submitting an assignment through Moodle or publisher websites.
 Completing a quiz, test or exam in Moodle or course site
 Participating in an online discussion about course content
 Communicating with the instructor to ask a course-related question
 Contacting the instructor to ask a course-related question

Simply logging into Moodle does not constitute student participation in an online class or attendance in
an online course. There must be ‘measurable’ (graded) course activity to demonstrate attendance to be
in compliance with federal regulations regarding student engagement and participation in online
courses noted previously. Assignments submitted in a week other than the one in which the assignment
is due will not count towards attendance for the previous week; participation must occur during the
week attendance is counted.

Although Trinity has an “official” attendance policy for online courses, in order to be successful in this
course, you will need to go well beyond the minimum attendance requirements. You should plan to
access each module on the day it first opens, which is normally at the end of the day Monday or
beginning of the day Tuesday. Your best strategy for success is to access the course at least 4 days per
week, complete the reading for the module early in the week, and keep up with the ongoing discussions
and communications.

In this course your personal perspective, insight, and understanding are important, and sharing these
helps all of us reflect and learn on a more practical level. You’ll demonstrate your engagement in the
course through your frequent online presence, your participation in online discussions, your regular and
timely writing on your blogs, your exchange with other students through these and other
communication venues, and the timely completion of work that is due. Since you will often need to
engage in ongoing discussions, you should log on to the course in Moodle at least 4 days per week. You
cannot plan to do all the work of a week in one or two days on the weekend.

Required Textbook
Woolfolk, A. (2019). Educational Psychology (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson. ISBN 10: 0-13-477432-9

Module Guides
For each module you will find a module guide. Check this first. The module guide lays out what you are
expected to do for that particular module.

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Reading
I’ll expect you to carefully read everything that is assigned. If videos are assigned, you should watch and
listen carefully. My intent is to engage you in informed written or video conversation about the reading
and other media. You will also need to take quizzes on some of your reading. Since these quizzes are
timed, in order to do well, you will probably want to read carefully, take notes, and perhaps write your
blog before taking the quiz. Some of the optional resources may also be of benefit, especially if you feel
a little unsure of any of the concepts in the chapters.

Writing
All writing that is intended to be read by me or other students should be at a college level. Your
grammar, mechanics, usage, vocabulary, and referencing are important. Your blogs and online
discussions may be written in a more informal and conversational style, but quality writing is still
expected even online.

Timely Completion of Work

Since the timeliness of some work is crucial, late discussion posts and blog comments will not be
accepted. Other late work will be subject to a deduction of up to 20%. Work that is more than 1 week
late will not be accepted. In order for this course to count in the education program, you need at least a
C. EDUC 303 is also one of the professional education courses for which, as a group, you need at least a
2.5 GPA.

Time Commitment
Since we do not meet face-to-face, you should expect to spend the time we would have met, as well as
the usual homework time on your work for this course. This is an accelerated course; 15 weeks are
packed into 5 weeks. In other words, to do well, you should expect to spend 15-20 hours per week doing
your course work. You will also need to commit to 10 hours of field experience.

Brightspace
Brightspace will be used extensively in this course. Here you will find the Learner’s Guide, module
guides, reading, assignments, online discussions, links to other resources and tools, and quizzes. If you
don’t already have a picture uploaded for your Brightspace profile, please update your profile and
include an appropriate picture of yourself. This will help personalize our online interactions. You can also
set Brightspace to forward your course email to a text. I will also post announcements so check
Brightspace often.

Academic Integrity
Trinity holds every member of the college community to the highest standard of academic integrity in
principle and spirit.  Students who compromise standards of academic integrity are held accountable for
their actions.  For Trinity’s policy regarding expectations for academic integrity and procedures for
responding to violations of this policy, see the current college catalog under “Academic Policies.”

GRADING
Your grade will be determined by the percentage of points that you earn out of the points available:

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Introduction 3
Comments on others’ blog posts (3 modules worth) 4 each 12
Module blog posts (5) 6 each 30 Example:
Context for learning blog post 5 If you earn 173 out of the 194 points
Quizzes (8) 2 each, lowest dropped 14 available, you would have 89%, which is
Online discussions (9) 5 each 45 aB
Teacher interview/video/blog 20
Research /response paper 20
Test construction and analysis 50
Field option 10
Total 194
100% – 98% A 97% – 95% A- 94% – 92% B+
91% – 89% B 88% – 86% B- 85% – 83% C+
82% – 80% C 79% – 77% C- 76% – 74% D+
73% – 71% D 70% – 68% D- 67% – below F

COURSE SCHEDULE
Week Topics What’s due

Module 1 Teaching & learning, Cognitive development,  Picture in Brightspace profile

Self – social/moral development,
Module 2 Learner differences, Language development,
Culture & diversity, IQ, Mindset
Module 3 Behavioral views of learning, Learning
environments, Classroom management,
Competition
Module 4 Complex cognitive processes, Learning
sciences, Constructivism, Social cognitive views
of learning and motivation, Concept mapping
 Woolfolk 1, 2, 3 & online resources
 Online discussions and introduction
 Module 1 blog post
 Context for learning blog post
 Module 1 quizzes
 Woolfolk 4, 5, 6, 8 & online resources
 Online discussions
 Module 2 blog post
 Comments on others’ module 1 blog posts
 Module 2 quizzes
 Proposal for paper (emailed)
 Woolfolk 7, 13 & online resources
 Online discussions
 Module 3 blog post
 Comments on others’ module 2 blog posts
 Module 3 quizzes
 Teacher interview and blog post
 Woolfolk 9, 10, 11 & online resources
 Online discussions
 Module 4 blog post
 Comments on others’ module 3 blog posts
 Module 4 quizzes
 Complete plagiarism quiz
 Research/response paper

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 Module 5 Motivation, Teaching every student,
Assessment, High-stakes testing
 Woolfolk 12, 14, 15 & online resources
 Module 5 discussion
 Module 5 blog post
 Comments on others’ module 4 blog posts
 Module 5 quizzes
 Test construction & analysis
 Portfolio standard rationale

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Quizzes
Quizzes for most chapters of Woolfolk along with some other reading, will be available on Brightspace.
Most of the questions are multiple choice and are written at the application level, so you will need to
understand concepts to do well. You will have 15-30 minutes to complete the quiz once you open it. You
will have 2 chances to take each quiz, and only your best score will count. Since some of the questions
you get on a given quiz are randomized, each time you take a quiz, some of the questions may be
different. Quizzes need to be taken sometime during the week that they are scheduled.

Note that the quizzes do not count for a large part of your grade; however, preparing well for the
quizzes will also prepare you well for the online discussions and for your blog posts, which do comprise a
larger part of your overall grade.

2. Online Discussions
For each of the first 4 modules you will be expected to participate in the online discussions on
Brightspace. First read the questions that are posed and then do the reading, watch the video clips, or
participate in the online activities that the questions would require. Then post your thoughtful
responses to the questions. These initial responses should be posted within the fist 3 days of each
module start day in order to allow time for responding to other students’ posts. You will be evaluated on
your overall contributions of the week, which include your initial responses to the questions and your
replies to at least 2 other students.

Your responses to others are important. The idea is to carry on the discussion – extend, add your own
experiences in relation to what the person said, disagree and justify, challenge, ask questions and then
check back for answers. You need to do a lot more than praise what you like about a post. This is a poor
example of responding to another students’ post:

I really liked what you had to say in your post - I especially like how you talked about ____ and
____. I agree when you said, “people can express the religion that they associate with in their
everyday lives and because of that, the interaction between religion and culture is so
important.” I also agree with your thoughts about sharing your faith in a public school through
your actions. You had a lot of good things to say in your post. Great work! 

This response does nothing to extend the thought or add personal experiences that might highlight or
portray a position. It also does not challenge or question anything.

This is much better response to another student’s post:

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 I liked how you defined the terms instead of just listing them like I did. It helped me really
think about what you were getting at in the way you used them. I think, as teachers we are
learners too. I am constantly looking up words that I come across and defining them so I can
better understand the concepts. A professor recently reminded me that when writing, one
should explain themselves to the audience who is reading their work, as if they were hearing
the topic for the first time. I think you did a good job of that here, and now I wish I did too.

Thank you also for sharing about the Hmong students! I did not know this information, and I
can see how not knowing this type of cultural information could result in unintentionally
insulting them or at least turning them off to your teaching. A while back, I had a similar
situation in my field placement. I had several Muslim students in my classroom. I knew they
could not eat pork products, but did not realize that gelatin is a pork product and found in
marshmallows, fruit snacks, and jello. I was so glad the parents told us. We shared it with the
whole school, in case other teachers did not know. Our school parents are invaluable
resources on cultural and religious information that teachers may need to know. I guess my
questions for you now – What if out of ignorance you just didn’t know about your Hmong
students and you accidently insulted them? How far do you think teachers have to go to find
out about their students’ cultures? They can’t really be expected to know everything about
every students’ culture, can they?

This response really helps to extend the discussion, adding specific encouragement, additional personal
experiences, and questions for the original writer (and others who read it too).

In order to earn the 5 available points for the module’s online discussion, you will need to do the
following:
 Clearly address the questions asked
 Give evidence of having read/watched the resources provided
 Give evidence of understanding the issues discussed
 Write or talk clearly and vividly about your own experiences and thoughts, add your own flavor
to what other students have posted
 Write or say enough to make your posts and comments on others’ posts really meaningful
 When other students challenge your thoughts or ask you questions, respond to them. Of course
this means you will have to go back and check before the Monday deadline.

Some of our discussions will involve using your webcam or phone and leaving video responses. Again,
make these replies to others meaningful, just like with the written discussions. When we have video
discussions, please limit your initial comments to 3 minutes and comments to others to 2 minutes each.

You will need to think deeply, gather your thoughts, and you will probably want to use some notes, but
please do not simply read your comments. Let’s keep these discussions more like a conversation.

3. Research/Response Paper
Write a 6-10 page paper on a current educational issue that clearly has 2 sides. You may select one of
the topics below or another that you discuss with me first. Your first objective is to briefly describe the
issue, maybe giving a brief history of how it came about and defining both sides. Second, explain and
defend one side of the issue, presenting all the research that is in support of this side. Then do the same

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for the other side of the issue. Do not offer your opinion in these first 3 sections. Next, weigh in on the
issue. Where do you stand? Why? Relate your own experiences and observations to your stand. What
are the implications for you personally as a teacher? To do well on this paper, you will need to use at
least 5 current sources of appropriate scholarly literature. You will also need to write well – using APA
style throughout. Organize well, use proper APA headings, and observe proper conventions of good
writing.

Use only these 5 headings in your paper:

General Overview of _(Your Issue)__

One Side of the Issue (You need to put this in your own words. i.e. In Favor of _____________)

The Other Side of the Issue (Again use your own words. i.e. Against ______________)

Where you stand on the issue and why (Your own words – i.e. Why I Am in Favor of ______________)

Implications of ____________ for My Teaching

Note that these are level one headings (APA style), so they should be in bold, centered, in both upper
and lower case letters. Do not use any other headings in this paper.

Example headings:
General Overview of Using Tangible Rewards in Classrooms

In Favor of Using Tangible Rewards

Against Using Tangible Rewards

Why I Oppose Using Tangible Rewards

Implications of Not Using Tangible Rewards in My Teaching

Possible Topics (You are not limited to these)
 Traditional vs. standards-based grading in schools
 School choice/Public school funding
 Competition/Cooperation
 Arming teachers
 ESL – immersion vs. submersion
 Ability grouping of students
 Cell phone use
 Preparing all teachers to teach online
 Dress codes
 Teacher evaluations
 High-stakes standardized testing
 Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation
 Learning styles/preferences
 Classroom management – one style vs. another

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  Social Cognitive view of learning vs. Behaviorism

You may also choose to use one of the Point-Counterpoints in the Woolfolk text as your topic, but
obviously you would need to greatly extend the arguments.

Send me your proposal in an email by the beginning of week 3. This can be a simple message such as
the following:

I would like to write my paper on ______________. I believe the 2 distinct sides of this issue are
_____________ vs. _____________. Based on my limited research so far, I am leaning toward the
_____________ side.

Once your proposal is approved, you will have the go-ahead to begin researching and thinking about
your topic in earnest. Your final paper will be due at the end of module 4. Save it as a Word file and turn
your paper in through the drop box on Brightspace. If you don’t have access to Word, save it as an rtf file
and upload that.

4. Teacher Interview Classroom Management Project

This project involves working collaboratively to write a set of interview questions, interviewing a
teacher who has been teaching for at least 5 years (not a Trinity professor), video recording the
interview, posting the video on YouTube (unlisted), and then writing a post on your blog about what
you learned and how it connects to the material in Woolfolk chapters 7 and 13. Do your best to
choose a teacher whom you believe is excellent.

 Write interview questions that will really get this teacher to open up and tell her story of
managing a classroom. You will want to find out about her management philosophy, her
administrative boundaries, what she has tried, what worked, what didn’t work, what failures
she may have had, what specific successes she has had in the area of classroom
management…etc. Learn as much as you can from someone who is an expert and is deep
into professional classroom management all the time. Limit your questions to those about
classroom management.
 Interview your chosen teacher using the interview guide. This is only a guide, and you are
free to follow up on answers or to “go with the flow” of the interview. Use the interview
guide as just that, a guide. Make sure that you have this teacher’s permission to record and
to post online. It will not be available to the public. Video record the interview. You should
do a brief trial first to make sure it is working properly and that the audio is clear and loud
enough. You can use a webcam on your laptop, a camcorder, or even your phone, but
please keep the device still. Limit your video clip to 15 minutes.
 Upload the video clip to YouTube and set permission level to unlisted.
 Link to the video in your blog. Name it Teacher Interview. In your blog post make specific
connections between what you learned from this teacher and the content from Woolfolk
chapters 7 and 13. Cite specific strategies and give page numbers. Tell your own thoughts

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 about what this teacher said and how it relates to you as a teacher. Knowing the
requirements of your blog post should help you use the interview guide effectively.
 Note that this assignment is worth 20 points and is in addition to your regular module 3 blog
post. Your blog post for this project is a very important piece that needs your careful
attention. Do not use your regular blog post to comment about the interview.

5. Blog
Real learning occurs when you construct your own knowledge based on what you already know and
have experienced. Your blog will give evidence of your reflection on the course content and of your
ability to make connections between the ideas you read about and your own life and experiences,
particularly as they apply in a current or past field experience. Your first blog post should be the Trinity
Christian College Field Experience Form Context for Learning Description of School and Students. Please
fill out this form and then copy and paste into your blog, Keep the prompts that are on this file. Your
second post should then be your module 1 blog post.

You can start each blog post by briefly summarizing what you read, but then comes the really important
part - make connections between the specific concepts you read about (cite concepts and page numbers
from Woolfolk) and your own experiences and what’s going on in your life, particularly in connection
with your work with students. Discuss at least 3 different concepts from the reading, but not the same
concepts that the Moodle discussions deal with. Reflect on what you read, what you observed, and
what you experienced. What do you think about the ideas presented? What difference do you think
these ideas will make in your own teaching and learning? How have you seen these ideas in real life in
your field placement or other real situations?

Chapter 1 for example, discusses effective teaching and the factors that contribute to it. What effective
teaching or ineffective teaching are you seeing in your placement? What do you think contributed to the
quality of teaching? What other effective or ineffective teaching have you witnessed before? How did it
affect you and your decision to become a teacher? (This is just an example). Please make these posts
less about summarizing the content and more about how the specific concepts apply to you personally,
especially in connection with your field placement. Making these kinds of connections will help you
construct your own deep learning of the material. Each post to your blog should be long enough to give
solid evidence of your reflection and connection to the material.

When you give a title to your first post, you may be creative as long as Module 1 is somewhere in your
title. Likewise for your Module 2 post, make sure that Module 2 is part of your title, and so on. This will
make it easy for all of us to find what we’re looking for.

Context for Learning Blog Post

For this post you will need to find out some information about the students and the school where you
have your field placement. Download the Word file from Moodle, enable editing, fill out this form, and
then you can just copy the entire form, and paste it on a new blog post. Label this one “Context for
Learning.” You do not need to write any comments about it. You should also not comment on other
students’ Context for Learning posts.

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Commenting on Others’ Blogs
After the first module (once everyone has at least one post), comment on other students’ blogs. During
module 2 you should comment on at least 2 others’ module 1 blog posts, during module 3 you comment
on at least 2 others’ module 2 blogs, and so on. Your comment should build upon what’s there – relate
to your own experiences, commiserate, offer suggestions for how you may have dealt with issues, or
offer additional or alternative ties to educational theories and course content.

Please be sure you are commenting on the right blog posts. When I evaluate your comments on others’
blog posts, I will only look at the posts where you should be commenting. So during module 2, I will only
look at the module 1 blog posts for your comments on others’ blogs. If you posted on someone’s
module 2 post, you will get credit for this during the next module, but you then likely missed the points
for the current module. In summary, comment on others’ blog posts a week after they post. Links to
each other’s blogs will be available on Brightspace.

Blog posts will be evaluated according to the following:

 Posted on time
 Relevant and appropriate specific connections made to course content (page numbers and
quotes will help here).
 Your personal experiences, especially connected with your field experience, are clearly brought
into your writing
 Extensive enough to give evidence of thinking deeply about the concepts
 Quality of writing (vocabulary, usage, grammar, etc.)
See an example of a good blog post on Brightspace.

Your comments on other students’ blog posts will be evaluated according to the following:
 Posted on time (During module 2 you comment on other students’ module 1 posts, etc.)
 Built upon what the other student posted, extended the conversation
 Connection made between the post and your own experiences
 Ample evidence of thinking about the posted thoughts and experiences
 Quality of writing (vocabulary, usage, grammar, etc.)
Poor example:
I love reading the personal parts you are able to put in your blog posts. It's also really interesting that
you were using Premack's principle before you had learned about it and knew what it was. It's cool how
our brains are able to pick up on things and use them, even if we haven't fully investigated them yet. It's
definitely cool to see the things we have been learning about unfold right in front of us!

Another poor example:

Great reflections! I really liked what you said about self-management. I agree with you that it is a very
important skill for every student to have, and it will benefit them tremendously in their life after school. I
really like the "bucket list" idea for self-management, and how most of the responsibility is on the
student, but there is some room for teacher input! 

Another poor example:

I really like how you talked about how teachers should be prepared with activities for students to do in
class. I think that a big part of classroom management is not allowing students to get bored in class, and
I think a big part of that comes with the careful preparation of the teacher! Great work

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Good example:
  I wanted to share a story that I heard from one of my teacher friends after reading about the neglected
child in your classroom. She had a student in her 4th grade class that would fall asleep and always
looked run down. At first she thought that his parents were negligent. But after further digging, she
found out that the boy was delivering newspapers with his parents at 4am in the morning. The boy
couldn't be left home alone, of course. So I completely agree with you that ideally teachers need to know
the life style or home life of their students so that they do not make accusations or draw improper
assumptions. Unfortunately, many parents do not feel the same. They are private and do not feel that it
is important or they are possibly embarrassed to share personal details for fear of being judged. They
also may not understand the implications their personal lives have on their child's academic success. 

You’re so right about summer vacations and how the long break affects poor kids’ learning. But the
learning that a child can potentially lose over the summer affects all economic classes, not just low
income children. My child's school district always sends a paper copy or email of ideas, worksheets,
booklists, and activities for the summer because of this. I remember the feeling of aggravation when
starting a new school year having forgotten important aspects of math, chemistry, or writing. Not cool!
So I have always implemented summer learning with my children. We have summer reading programs at
the library and we attend once a week to check out books. My children write papers about our summer
adventures or lack thereof. We play computer games for math skills and for social studies we go on trips
to historical destinations or do service projects. We spend at least 1 hour a day in academia and that is
how they earn video game time.

6. Test Construction, Administration, and Analysis

Test Construction
Create a test in Google Forms which covers the higher levels of Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy. (Make sure
you have done the reading about this.) Include 8 multiple choice questions and 2 essay questions.

 Multiple choice questions – all should be at Bloom’s Taxonomy application level or higher
 Essay questions – all should be at application level or higher. You may have more than one level
in one question. Note that if the answer can be found in the book or online, then the question is
NOT at a high enough level.

All questions must be original, and your test must be based on one chapter of Woolfolk (your choice).
For each multiple choice question include the answer, a specific source for the question’s content (i.e.
page number), an explanation of why that is the correct answer, and an explanation of why each
distractor is not the correct choice. Also label the level of Bloom’s taxonomy and explain what makes the
question at that level. An example of how to do this is posted on Brightspace. Each multiple choice
question should have only one right answer and 3 or 4 distractors. Do not use “all of these,” “none of
these,” “both a and c,” etc. For each essay question, write a complete correct answer using full
sentences, label the level/s of Bloom’s taxonomy, and explain what makes the question at that level (or
those levels), and give a specific source for the question’s content. Remember that if students could find
the answer, then it is a lower level thinking question. Make sure that you write clear directions for your
students for each part of your test.

Once your test is written in Word as described, you will need to upload it to the Moodle drop box. Then
use Google Forms to put together the version that people will actually take. This version of your test will
not have answers, explanations, and all the other information; it’s just the test with student directions.
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When you log in to Google and go to Drive, you will need to create this file. Make sure that you give
clear directions to your students and ask for the student’s name here too. Guidelines for using Google
Forms are on Brightspace.

You should also decide on how you will score your test. For example you may want each multiple choice
question to count for 5 points and each essay question to count for 15 points. This would give you 70
points. If someone scored 60 points on this test, the percentage score would be 60 divided by 70, which
is 85.7%. You may use whatever point system works for you, but you will need to obtain percentage
scores for your “students.”

Test Analysis
Once your quiz is complete on Google forms, you will need to link to your test from your Standard 7
portfolio page. Other students in EDUC 303 who take your test can access it this way. You may also send
the direct link to your test to any other adults to take it as long as you have at least 10 test takers. Please
stress to the people that you get to take your test that it is important that they answer all the questions
as best as they can. This will give you much more realistic and usable data for writing your report.

When you take other students’ tests, please take them promptly and individually without looking in your
book or using any other helps. But really try to answer all the questions thoroughly. Although the test
you take will be graded by the test’s owner, this grade will not be used in any way to actually determine
your grade in EDUC 303.

Once people have taken your test, you will then need to score your tests and analyze the results from all
your test takers. Write your analysis in Word. Copy and paste (or reproduce) these tables into your test
analysis report, and fill them in with your test results. Use percentages to figure your scores.

Individual Results:
Student Name Percentage z score T score

Class Results: (base these on percentages)

Mean
Median
Mode
Range
Standard deviation

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 (population)

These charts need your explanation. Part of your analysis should also be a narrative (double-spaced
sentences and paragraphs) in which you discuss the numbers and consider the following (Adapted from
Task 3C of the ed Teacher Performance Assessment - edTPA):

Whole Class Results (Your class includes all the people who took your individual test):
 Summarize your “class’” performance in both narrative and graphic form (e.g., table or chart).
Interpret and discuss your chart. (Overall how did your students do? What is your evidence?)
 Discuss any misunderstandings, developmental approximations, confusions, or needs (including
a need for greater challenge) that you have identified based on analysis of student performance.
 Consider common patterns across the class as well as groups of students with similar strengths
or needs. (Which particular questions were problematic? Which concepts? Which ones did more
students get right? Why do think this happened?)
 Based on your analysis of student performance in the assessment, describe next steps for
instruction for the whole class. What will you do now as the teacher? Give clear reasons for your
next steps.
Pretend that you taught these concepts to these “students” and you are responsible for their learning.

Focus Students:
Respond to the prompts below by referencing 2 focus students, your highest scoring student and your
lowest scoring student. Please refer to these students as “focus student 1” and “focus student 2.”

 Describe each student’s individual learning strengths and challenges relative to the
standards/objectives measured by your test.
 After analyzing each student’s work, what conclusions did you make regarding their individual
learning? (Try to comment on their learning of this content, and not simply on their attitudes,
etc.) Cite specific evidence from your test results to support your conclusions.
 Describe individualized next steps for the 2 focus students. Give clear reasons for your next
steps. Again, as the teacher, what will you do? Why would these steps make sense?
Upload your completed test analysis report (a Word file) to the Moodle drop box.
This project will be evaluated according to the rubric:

Test Analysis Project

2 1.5 1 .5
First test item asks for student A test item asks for student Test does not ask for
name in a text question name, but it is either student name
(no excuse for missing this!) misplaced or wrong type of
question
Student directions are clearly Student directions are Student directions are hard Missing student directions
written and complete mostly clear and to understand and/or
understandable poorly written

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 4 3
Constructed test (uploaded to
Moodle) shows Bloom’s
level/s, answers, distractors,
justification, and references to
content; complete correct
essay answers
All of the multiple choice
questions are written at the
application level or higher so
student understanding can be
determined
All of the multiple choice
questions have reasonable
stems, 1 correct answer, and
3-4 plausible distractors and
are well written according to
the guidelines
Both essay questions are well
written at the application level
or higher
Analysis
You have complete data from
at least 10 test takers
Mean, Median, Mode, Range,
Standard deviation, z scores, T
scores, are all complete and
correct
Analysis includes tables which
include the appropriate data
and are easy to view and
understand
4 3
Analysis of overall class
performance includes the
appropriate numbers and
percentages and draws a
reasonable conclusion and
next steps regarding overall
class learning
Analysis of focus students’
Constructed test includes
most of level 4 items
Most multiple choice
questions are written at the
application level or higher
so student understanding
might be determined
Most of the multiple choice
questions have reasonable
stems, 1 correct answer,
and 3-4 plausible distractors
and are written according to
the guidelines
One of the essay questions
is not written at the
application level or higher,
or questions could be better
written
You’re missing part of your
test data
Mean, Median, Mode,
Range, Standard deviation,
z scores, T scores, are
mostly complete and
correct
Tables may have some
inappropriate data or have
some minor issues in ease
of viewing or understanding
Analysis of overall class
performance is missing at
least one element and/or
conclusions or next steps
may not be fully justified
Analysis of focus students’
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2 1
Constructed test is missing
most of the level 4 items
Most multiple choice
questions are not written at
the application level or
higher so student
understanding may not be
determined
Most of the multiple choice
questions are not written
according to the guidelines
Both essay questions are
not written at the
application level or higher,
and/or questions are not
written well
Mean, Median, Mode,
Range, Standard deviation,
z scores, T scores, may not
be complete and/or have
several errors
Tables do not include
appropriate data and/or are
difficult to see or
understand
2 1
Analysis of overall class
performance is missing key
elements and/or
conclusions or next steps
are not reasonable or
justified
Analysis of focus students’
Constructed test consists
only of the questions
None of the multiple choice
questions are written at the
application level or higher
so student understanding
cannot be determined
None of the multiple choice
questions are written
according to the guidelines
Essay questions are not
written at the application
level or higher, and/or
questions are poorly written
You’re missing most of your
test data
Mean, Median, Mode,
Range, Standard deviation,
z scores, T scores, are
mostly missing or
significantly flawed
Tables are missing
Analysis of overall class
performance does not
include numbers and/or
conclusion and/or next
steps are missing or not at
all supported
Analysis of focus students’
 performance includes the
appropriate numbers and
percentages and draws a
reasonable conclusion and
individualized next steps
performance is missing at
least one element and/or
conclusions or next steps
may not be fully justified
performance is missing key
elements and/or
conclusions or next steps
are not reasonable or
justified
performance does not
include numbers and/or
conclusion and/or next
steps are missing or not at
all supported

Writing quality is at exemplary
college level throughout
(organization, transitions,
vocabulary, style, mechanics,
usage, spelling)
Most writing is at college
level with few errors
(organization, transitions,
vocabulary, style,
mechanics, usage, spelling)
Writing has some issues Writing has major issues
with organization,
transitions, vocabulary,
style, mechanics, spelling,
and/or usage

6 4 2 1
Reflection on Standard 7 Reflection on Standard 7 Reflection is written on Reflection is written in the
portfolio page is well written, portfolio page gives some Standard 7 page but does wrong location and/or
refers to specific performance rationale for how the not really give the rationale makes no sense for this
indicators from Standard 7, project shows you meet for inclusion of the project project
and gives clear and compelling Standard 7
rationale for how the project
shows you meet Standard 7
Total:

Portfolio Key Assignment

The test construction project is a key assignment and must be included in your digital portfolio. Make a
link to your test (the one that someone would take) and make another link to your test analysis (should
be a pdf) on your Standard 7 (Assessment) page. Also write a rationale directly on your portfolio
Standard 7 page, which provides clear reasoning for including this project as evidence that you (at least
partially) meet the standard. The reflection needs to include an explanation of the significant skill that
the standard covers and how you understand it. Then give an explanation of why your assessment
project connects to this standard and how your professional growth can be seen through your work. You
should explain the value and significance of your work in direct connection to the standard by
referencing (quoting) specific appropriate performance indicators for Standard 7 of the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards. Your rationale is best done in 3 paragraphs.

Standard 7 - Assessment – The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and
summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student
growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular
and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student.

Part of your reflection should reference at least 3 or 4 of the performance indicators (quote and cite
these) and then explain how you have done these specifically with your assessment project. Especially
relevant performance indicators would include the following:

Performance Indicators: The competent teacher…

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7J  uses assessment results to determine student performance levels, identify learning targets, select
appropriate research-based instructional strategies, and implement instruction to enhance learning
outcomes;
7K appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessments to evaluate the understanding,
progress, and performance of an individual student and the class as a whole;
7M maintains useful and accurate records of student work and performance;
7N  accurately interprets and clearly communicates aggregate student performance data to students,
parents or guardians, colleagues, and the community in a manner that complies with the
requirements of the Illinois School Student Records Act [105 ILCS 10], 23 Ill. Adm. Code 375 (Student
Records), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g) and its
implementing regulations (34 CFR 99; December 9, 2008);
7O effectively uses appropriate technologies to conduct assessments, monitor performance, and assess
student progress;

Conceptual Framework: Serving with Excellence in Education

Education Program Goals and Expected Learning Outcomes

The mission of the Education Unit at Trinity Christian College is to prepare teachers through critical
thought in coursework and application in field and clinical experiences to serve God, students, and the
teaching profession in a spirit of excellence. To that end, and consistent with the mission of the college,
the unit has formulated a set of objectives termed "Education Program Learning Outcomes." These
learning outcomes embody both the foundational knowledge and professional competencies necessary
for teacher candidates to enter the profession prepared to serve with humility and excellence.

Student teacher interns who have completed Trinity’s teacher education program will be able:

1. To embody Christ-like servanthood

o Students will be able to discern how God’s self-giving love in creation and redemption gives
shape to their own calling to educate in faithful, hopeful, and loving ways.
o Students will be able to make pedagogical choices informed by this worldview.
o Students will be able to demonstrate a humble spirit in the service of their educational
learning communities.

2. To cultivate relational peace, educational equity, and justice in diversity

o Students will develop their knowledge and identity as peacemakers: rejoicing in the gift of
difference, while pursuing social justice through practices of advocacy and reconciliation.

3. To practice excellent teaching

o Students will be able to nurture their students’ critical thinking, physical wellbeing, and social
and emotional maturity.
o Students will utilize differentiated best teaching practices to improve the learning of all students.

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4. To practice faithful professionalism

o Students will be responsive to Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Foundations Learning Outcomes

(Outcomes in bold are particularly addressed in this course.
o Articulate and apply the Biblical framework of creation-fall-redemption-new creation.
o Discern and evaluate historical and contemporary worldviews.
o Communicate effectively in written and oral formats.
o Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures and apply that knowledge to cross-cultural
engagement.
o Reason skillfully and analyze the validity of arguments critically.
o Integrate theory and practice in one’s discipline and life.

Selected Bibliography
Borg, W., Gall, J., & Gall, M. (1993). Applying educational research: A practical guide (3 rd ed.). New York,
NY: Longman.

Churches, A. (2008). Bloom’s taxonomy blooms digitally. Educator’s Ezine, Aug. 22, 2008. Retrieved from
http://techliearning.com/PrintableArticle.aspx?id-8670

Kehoe, J. (1995). Writing multiple choice test items. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 4(9).
Retrieved January 6, 2014 from http://PAREonline.net/getvs.asp?v=4&n=9.

Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by rewards. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Siebenga, N. (2010). Restorative Justice. Christian Educator’s Journal, Oct. 2010. Retrieved on March 31,
2016 from http://www.cejonline.com/article/restorative-justice-faithful-and-fair/

White teachers diverse classrooms (2007). Stylus Publishing. Retrieved March 31, 2016 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhXQDQZdKq4&NR=1

Woolfolk, A. (2019). Educational psychology, 14th ed. Boston: Pearson

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