ED X997: Teaching Diverse Learners: Critical Pedagogy
and Learner-Centered Teaching
Spring 2016 Professional Development Course: San Diego State University Extended Studies
FACE TO FACE, Fridays 9:00am-12:30pm (Feb. 19, Feb. 26, Mar. 11, Mar. 18, Apr. 8, Apr. 22, May 13, May 27)
Please note: Mar. 11 and Mar. 18 are consecutive weeks.
Room B-172, Cuyamaca College
Course Description
The professional development class provides participants an opportunity to examine the union
between theory and practice across disciplines at Cuyamaca College. Participants are invited to create
a team of educational practitioners that will work collaboratively throughout the semester to integrate
critical pedagogy and learner-centered pedagogy into their teaching practices. Teaching and
curriculum will be directly tied to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content
delivery alone. This course addresses challenges and solutions surrounding the role of the urban
teacher in critical pedagogy and the tensions of enacting critical pedagogies within the current,
standards-driven climate. Participants will work closely with students to design, implement and
evaluate learning strategies directly informed by the content of this course. Participants in this course
will also have the opportunity to work in Faculty Inquiry Groups to explore areas of concern in their
classrooms and test out interventions developed as a result of the work they complete in class.
Goal
To facilitate the ability of faculty and staff to work collaboratively with their students to create learnercentered, inquiry-based curriculum and learning opportunities.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
1. Enhance their understanding of theory and research applicable to effective learning.
2. Design, implement and evaluate Learner Centered Approach curriculum.
3. Create dynamic, relevant, and interconnected learning experiences for students of color and
other marginalized populations.
4. Understand challenges and opportunities of teaching in an urban educational institution in the
age of standards and mandates related to SSSP, Title V, Basic Skills, Student Equity, etc.
5. Improve persistence and student success by increasing engagement and self-advocacy.
6. Enhance their understanding of the diversity among students and the subsequent need for
strategies that contribute to equity in educational access and outcomes.
Course Texts
A weekly article will be provided to participants.
In addition, participants will SELECT ONE of the following books:
hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress. New York: Routledge, 1994. Print.
 In Teaching to Transgress, bell hooks--writer, teacher, and insurgent black intellectual-writes about a new kind of education, education as the practice of freedom. Teaching
students to "transgress" against racial, sexual, and class boundaries in order to achieve the
gift of freedom is, for hooks, the teacher's most important goal. bell hooks speaks to the
heart of education today: how can we rethink teaching practices in the age of
multiculturalism? What do we do about teachers who do not want to teach, and students
who do not want to learn? How should we deal with racism and sexism in the classroom?
Full of passion and politics, Teaching to Transgress combines a practical knowledge of the
classroom with a deeply felt connection to the world of emotions and feelings. This is the
rare book about teachers and students that dares to raise questions about eros and rage,
grief and reconciliation, and the future of teaching itself. "To educate is the practice of
freedom," writes bell hooks, "is a way of teaching anyone can learn." Teaching to Transgress
is the record of one gifted teacher's struggle to make classrooms work.
Weimer, Maryellen. Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. San Francisco:
John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.
 In this new edition of the classic work, one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities
on effective college teaching offers a comprehensive introduction to the topic of learnercentered teaching in the college and university classroom, including the most up-to-date
examples of practice in action from a variety of disciplines, an entirely new chapter on the
research support for learner-centered approaches, and a more in-depth discussion of how
students' developmental issues impact the effectiveness of learner-centered teaching.
Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and
objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.
Nilson, Linda B. Creating Self-regulated Learners: Strategies to Strengthen Students’ Selfawareness and Learning Skills. Sterling Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC., 2013. Print.
 Linda Nilson provides the theoretical background to student self-regulation, the evidence
that it enhances achievement, and the strategies to help students develop it. She presents an
array of tested activities and assignments through which students can progressively reflect
on, monitor and improve their learning skills; describes how they can be integrated with
different course components and on various schedules; and elucidates how to intentionally
and seamlessly incorporate them into course design to effectively meet disciplinary and
student development objectives. Recognizing that most faculty are unfamiliar with these
strategies, she also recommends how to prepare for introducing them into the classroom
and adding more as instructors become more confident using them. The book concludes
with descriptions of courses from different fields to offer models and ideas for
implementation. At a time of so much concern about what our students are learning in
college and how well prepared they are for the challenges of tomorrow’s economy and
society, self-regulated learning provides a reassuring solution, particularly as studies
indicate that struggling students benefit the most from practicing it.
Course Requirements
To receive SDSU grade and credit you must:
1. Complete course work as follows:
a. ATTENDANCE: (10 POINTS EACH, 80 POINTS TOTAL)
 Participants must come on time and stay until the end of all classes to receive the full
10 points for attendance. You will get ONE “freebie” before it will negatively impact
your grade
b. READING JOURNAL ENTRIES: (10 POINTS PER JOURNAL ENTRY, 40 POINTS TOTAL)
 Must be typed, double-spaced, 2 pages, MLA or APA format, and submitted on

Blackboard before class.
For each journal entry please address the following prompt. Reflect on your reading
selection for the week: What do you agree with in the reading?; What do you
disagree with?; What are you unsure about?; How does the reading connect to your
teaching practice?; What are the implications for your teaching practice?
c. TEACHING DEMONSTRATION: (40 POINTS)
 Create a Teaching Demonstration that you will present in class. The Demo should be
about 15 minutes long and include a one-page synopsis that you will distribute to
your colleagues and submit for credit.
 This Demo should not be a “role play” activity during which you pretend that you are
teaching your students. Instead, it should be a presentation of a complete
lesson/assignment/activity you have developed and use with your students.
 Demo (and one-page synopsis) will include theoretical background, classroom
practice, and evidence of effectiveness of practice.
d. POSITION PAPER: (40 POINTS)
 Write a paper developing one of the themes or ideas from the class and making an
argument about the topic (thesis).
 Must be typed, double-spaced, 3-5 pages, MLA or APA format.
 A summary of the paper will be presented to the class during the final class period,
and will include a synopsis of the argument and major evidence presented verbally.
GRADING RUBRIC: GRADES ARE DETERMINED BY THE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL POINTS EARNED (POINTS POSSIBLE 200)
A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, F=59% OR BELOW
Grades will be submitted by: May 31, 2016
To Receive a Certificate: No registration fee /no credit. A certificate will be awarded to each
participant who completes the requirements as outlined under SDSU credit. Auditors are welcome and
are encouraged to come and contribute to the discussion.
Flex Credit: All participants who do NOT take this course for SDSU credit will receive Flex credit.
Teacher of Record:
Lauren Halsted Burroughs, Professional Development Coordinator, Associate Professor of
English
Sponsoring Institution:
Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway. El Cajon, California 92109
Enrolling for SDSU Credit
The following ED 0997 course that begins on February 19, 2016 is available for online registration:
TBD
The deadline to register for this course is February 22, 2016
If participants require assistance at any time during the registration process they can contact the
College of Extended Studies’ registration office at:
[email protected] or (619) 594-5152.
Please note: Courses are only offered for letter grade, a grade is required for all students listed on the
roster.
Course Schedule
Date
Topic
Class 1
Course Intro;
2/19
Block Party Protocol with “The Thriving
Due
Quotient”;
Book Groups—determine reading schedule;
Review course assignments
Class 2
Article and protocol;
2/26
Teaching Demonstration (example);
Read book selection:______________, and
Book Group discussion
complete 2-page journal entry
Class 3
Article and protocol;
3/11
Teaching Demonstrations;
Read book selection:______________, and
Book Group discussion
complete 2-page journal entry
Class 4
Article and protocol;
3/18
Teaching Demonstrations;
Read book selection:______________, and
Book Group discussion
complete 2-page journal entry
Class 5
Article and protocol;
4/8
Teaching Demonstrations;
Read book selection:______________, and
Book Group discussion
complete 2-page journal entry
Class 6
Article and protocol;
Writing work:
4/22
Teaching Demonstrations;
Writing Group work/discussion
Class 7
Article and protocol;
5/13
Teaching Demonstrations;
Writing work:
Writing Group work/discussion
Class 8
Article and protocol;
5/27
Position Paper Presentations/discussion
May 31, 2016: Grades submitted to SDSU
Position Papers