geo741

Geography 741:
Teaching Practicum
Fall 2023

Lectures: T 1-1:50pm, Classroom Building 305

Prof. Matthew W. Wilson
Email: matthew.w.wilson@uky.edu
Twitter: @wilsonism
Office: Patterson Office Tower (POT) 815
Office Hours: email for an appointment

I. Course Description

This seminar provides an introduction to teaching with particular focus on pedagogical issues in geography. At the completion of this course, students will have a background sufficient to enable them to assume full responsibility for university and college-level courses.

II. Course Goals and Objectives

By placing teaching practices directly under scrutiny, this course shall:

III. Student Learning Outcomes

By the completion of this practicum, students shall be able to articulate their own vision for teaching while demonstrating techniques that enable that vision, while situating this philosophy in the context of changes in higher education. More specifically, students will:

IV. Format

This course will be composed primarily of discussions and in-class activities. Students will also be required to schedule, attend, evaluate, and report on one lower-division and one upper-division undergraduate class session during the term.

V. Required Texts

There will be required texts for some seminar discussions. Students will be responsible for gaining access to these texts from UK Libraries. Consult the course calendar below for a reading schedule (subject to change). You are attending a research 1 university, taking classes with people who do original research. As such, you may have the opportunity to read journal articles and book chapters published by your professors. Professors are not paid royalties for these publications, but they are how information is disseminated for the academic community.

VI. Assignments, Activities, and Grading

Assessment overview.

Students will be assessed in this practicum, for a total of 100 points:

Final grades will be based on a standard scale, i.e., A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; E=less than 60%. Grades for all assignments will be available via the University of Kentucky Canvas system (http://uk.instructure.com).

Reports.

Two reports will be required: one based on evaluation of a lower-division undergraduate course and one based on evaluation of an upper-division undergraduate course. Courses must be in Geography. Students are required to schedule the observation with the primary instructor (cannot be a graduate student instructor). Reports must be no more than 2-pages double-spaced, addressing (1) techniques and technologies, (2) style and performance, (3) engagement and learning.

Discussions and exercises.

Each scheduled meeting will be composed of discussions and exercises. The exact format will vary from week to week. Students are required to attend, to gain credit for these activities.

Teaching philosophy.

A teaching philosophy is a document that outlines a vision of teaching and learning. After reviewing and evaluating examples of teaching philosophies, students will iteratively produce their own teaching philosophy. The teaching philosophy must be no more than 3-pages double-spaced.

VII. Important Notices

Prepare for this course.

Review the course syllabus carefully, paying special attention to due dates and assignment instructions. If you have questions about course expectations as overviewed by this syllabus, please contact me as soon as possible.

Attend class.

There are many in-class activities that will require your attendance.

Be in contact.

You are responsible for checking your UKY email account; Canvas is what will be used to send communications outside class. Email is the best way to contact the instructor. Please allow at least 24 hours for a response by email during weekdays. The instructor will not necessarily respond to emails over the weekends.

Be a resource for others.

Students are strongly encouraged to exchange contact information with classmates, in order to facilitate the objectives of this studio.

Get permission before recording.

Meetings of this course may be recorded. All video and audio recordings of lecturers and class meetings, provided by the instructors, are for educational use by students in this class only. They are available only through the Canvas shell for this course and are not to be copied, shared, or redistributed.

The University of Kentucky Student Code of Conduct defines Invasion of Privacy as using electronic or other devices to make a photographic, audio, or video record of any person without their prior knowledge or consent when such a recording is likely to cause injury or distress. As addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, students are expected to follow appropriate university policies and maintain the security of linkblue accounts used to access recorded class materials. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not enrolled in the class, or uploaded to other online environments.

If the instructor or a University of Kentucky office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use. In anticipation of such cases, students may be asked to complete an “authorization of use” form by a faculty member.

Video and audio recordings by students are not permitted during the class unless the student has received prior permission from the instructor. Any sharing, distribution, and or uploading of these recordings outside of the parameters of the class is prohibited. Students with specific recording accommodations approved by the Disability Resource Center should present their official documentation to the instructor.

All content for this course, including handouts, assignments, and lectures are the intellectual property of the instructors and cannot be reproduced or sold without prior permission from the instructors. A student may use the material for reasonable educational and professional purposes extending beyond this class, such as studying for a comprehensive or qualifying examination in a degree program, preparing for a professional or certification examination, or to assist in fulfilling responsibilities at a job or internship.

Get help.

If you are having difficulty with any course material, please contact the instructor. There are also other resources which you might find useful:

Meet deadlines.

Meeting deadlines is an important professional practice. Consult the course schedule, below, for the due dates of the course assignments. A 10-percent deduction will be applied to the final score of your assignment for submissions after the deadline on the same calendar day, with an additional 10-percent deduction for each additional calendar day the assignment is late. If the assignment is not delivered by the next class meeting, the assignment will not be accepted.

Be honest.

This course, if successful, will expose you to a variety of concepts and techniques. You are expected to draw upon these various ideas, but you must be transparent and honest about your use of these ideas. Please get help if you are uncertain about this expectation! Per university policy, students shall not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify or misuse academic records. Students should familiarize themselves with policies regarding Academic Offenses (available at https://www.uky.edu/universitysenate/ao). Please note: Any assignment you turn in may be submitted to an electronic database to check for plagiarism.

Be respectful.

Students should at all times be respectful of fellow students, the professor or teaching assistant(s), and the University of Kentucky. Some basic reminders:

Renew your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The University of Kentucky is committed to our core values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and human dignity, and a sense of community (Governing Regulations XIV, available at https://www.uky.edu/regs/gr14). We acknowledge and respect the seen and unseen diverse identities and experiences of all members of the university community (https://www.uky.edu/regs/gr14). These identities include but are not limited to those based on race, ethnicity, gender identity and expressions, ideas and perspectives, religious and cultural beliefs, sexual orientation, national origin, age, ability, and socioeconomic status. We are committed to equity and justice and providing a learning and engaging community in which every member is engaged, heard, and valued.

We strive to rectify and change behavior that is inconsistent with our principles and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. If students encounter such behavior in a course, they are encouraged to speak with the instructor of record and/or the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity (available at https://www.uky.edu/eeo/). Students may also contact a faculty member within the department, program director, the director of undergraduate or graduate studies, the department chair, any college administrator, or the dean. All of these individuals are mandatory reporters under University policies.

Familiarize yourself with campus-wide policies.

To learn more about campus-wide policies on Excused Absences and Acceptable Excuses, Religious Observances, Verification of Absences, Make-Up Work, Excused Absences for Military Duties, Unexcused Absences, Prep Week and Reading Days, Accommodation Due to Disability, Non-Discrimination Statement and Title IX Information, please refer to Academic Policy Statements (available at https://www.uky.edu/universitysenate/acadpolicy). Please contact the instructor with any questions regarding these policies.

VIII. Schedule

Subject to change.

Week Monday
1:
Aug. 22
Course introduction / setup
Day 1 and modeling
Activity: Draft a Teaching Philosophy
2:
Aug. 29
Read Schuurman 2009

Syllabus
Course policies
Activity: Compare and Evaluate Syllabi
3:
Sep. 5
Read Roberts 2000

Lesson planning
Activity: Draft a Lesson Plan
4:
Sep. 12
CLASS WILL NOT MEET

Schedule/complete course observations.
5:
Sep. 19
Read Tufte 2003

Visual materials
PowerPoints and Prezi’s
Activity: Draft a Slide Sequence
6:
Sep. 26
Read Fritzsche 2022

Inclusive learning environments
7:
Oct. 3
Examinations
Reviews and managing expectations
Activity: Draft Exam Questions

Turn in Report 1
8:
Oct. 10
Read Elwood & Wilson 2017

Classroom technologies and participation
Social networks and back-channeling
Activity: Draft a Technology Policy/Plan
9:
Oct. 17
Read Dowling 2008

Shifts in higher education
Neoliberalism and the university
10:
Oct. 24
FALL BREAK
11:
Oct. 31
CLASS WILL NOT MEET

Schedule/complete course observations.
12:
Nov. 7
Read Curran & Roberts 2001

Style and performance
Activity: Practice Lesson Plan Delivery
13:
Nov. 14
Read Kaserman & Wilson 2009

Required readings
Reading groups and discussions
Activity: Draft a (2nd) Teaching Philosophy

Turn in Report 2
14:
Nov. 21
NO CLASS
SEDAAG
15:
Nov. 28
Read Schwedeman 1936

Teaching philosophies
Activity: Evaluate Teaching Philosophies
16:
Dec. 5
Teaching Philosophy Due by 5pm on Canvas

IX. References

Curran, Mary, and Susan M. Roberts. 2001. “Dilemmas of Difference: Teaching the ‘Non-West’ Critically.” International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education no. 10 (2):179-183.

Dowling, Robyn. 2008. “Geographies of identity: labouring in the ‘neoliberal’ university.” Progress in Human Geography no. 32 (6):812-820.

Elwood, Sarah, and Matthew W. Wilson. 2017. Critical GIS pedagogies beyond ‘Week 10: Ethics’. International Journal of Geographical Information Science no. 31 (10): 2098-2116.

Fritzsche, Lauren. 2022. “Integrating contemplative pedagogy and anti-oppressive pedagogy in geography higher education classrooms.” Journal of Geography in Higher Education 46 (2):167-184.

Kaserman, Bonnie, and Matthew W. Wilson. 2009. “On not wanting it to count: Reading together as resistance.” Area no. 41 (1):26-33.

Roberts, Susan. 2000. “Realizing critical geographies of the university.” Antipode no. 32 (3):230-244.

Schuurman, Nadine. 2009. “Work, life, and creativity among academic geographers.” Progress in Human Geography no. 33 (3):307-312.

Schwendeman, Joseph R. 1936. “Human Geography for the Senior High School.” Journal of Geography no. 35:111-117.

Tufte, Edward R. 2003. The cognitive style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.