La Salle University

La Salle University

Honors Program

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Honors 484 The Cultural Context of Learning: Spain

[A Travel Study Course]

Check www.lasalle.edu/~feden/tslinks.htm for Updates on Travel

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Instructor: Dr. Preston D. Feden	Office: Olney Hall, Room 253, Phone x 1193
Website: www.lasalle.edu/~feden	Office Hours: Posted on office door

Spring, 2003

Course Description

Human learning seems, at first glance, to be a rather simple phenomenon. We go to school, where we find teachers and books. We learn from these teachers and books. Then we get jobs and live happily ever after! Well, it is not that simple. Much of what we learn is not learned in school. Virtually everything that we learn is influenced by the context in which it is learned. The largest social context is the culture in which we live.

In this travel study course, you will have the opportunity to study the influence of culture on human learning. You will work with others in this course to investigate the essential question, "Do schools reflect their culture, or do they shape it?" In the context of culture, situated learning and contextualist theory will be addressed. Because you will travel to Spain, you will also have the opportunity to truly come to understand, accept, and value the cultural diversity that both characterizes and enriches the world. At the end of it all, you will share what you discovered with members of the La Salle community, and beyond.

Required Text

Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Additional Readings (Connolly Library Circulation Desk -- readings may be used only in library)

Hofstede, G.J., Pedersen, P., and Hostede, G. (2002). Exploring culture: Exercises, stories, and synthetic cultures. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc. [Chapter 2]

Chapter 7: Vygotsky's Theory and the Contextualists

Gardner, H. (1999). Chapter 5: How cultures educate. In The disciplined mind: What all students should understand. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Course Objectives:
Students enrolled in this course will, among other things:

Understand how cultures educate.
Develop their abilities to make unbiased observations.
Identify the themes of situated cognition and understand the elements of contextualist theory.
Learn about Spanish culture and education through research and in-country experiences.
Apply their understanding of situated learning to Spanish culture.
Apply their understanding of Vygotsky's contextualist theory to Spanish classrooms.
Develop a matrix that compares Spanish and American cultures on the contexts they provide by using five different dimensions (Hofstede, 1981).
Develop a matrix that compares Spanish and American education systems on the contexts they provide by using five different indicators (D'Hainaut, 1980).
Use what they know about American culture and what they have learned about Spanish culture to provide a well-constructed, informed, and defensible answer, delivered through an authentic project, to the question, "Do schools reflect their culture, or do they shape it?"

Course Schedule:

Fall Semester, 2002 (Pre-Course)

Sunday,

Dec. 8

TAPAS lunch and social and conversation with Soledad Miranda (exchange student) -- Growing up in Spain

Assignment over Winter Break -- Read Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Answer questions on question sheet (see link above). On return to campus but before first class meeting, read Gardner, How Cultures Educate

Spring Semester, 2003

January 15	How Do Cultures Educate? Discussion of the "Problem" (letter from Ministry) and Team assignments Situating our study of the cultural context of learning Discuss Bruner's and Gardner's ideas. Syllabus review For next class meeting: Organize and work on team assignments Read and work through: Hofstede, Pedersen, & Hofstede (2002). Culture: The Rules of the Social Game Do Martian Anthropology Exercise
January 22	Understanding Cultures: Making Unbiased Observations and 5 Important Dimensions Making unbiased observations: Two Activities Discuss Hofstede's dimensions and report to Martian Delegation For next class meeting: Read Vygotsky's Theory and the Contextualists Continue work on Team Assignment
January 29	Identify the themes of Situated Cognition and Contextualism Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, situated cognition, and the Cultural Context of Learning. Beyond Formal Schooling. For next class meeting: Read Sousa's (2000) analysis of education in Portugal (using D'Hainaut's work) Continue work on Team Assignment
February 5	Culture, Schools, Classrooms, and Contextualist Theory Traditional vs. Contemporary views of teaching and learning Vygotskian principles in action: Dynamic Assessment, ZPD, and scaffolding. D'Hainaut's indicators of the nature of an education system. Continue work on Team Assignments
February 12	Preparing for our trip to Spain Practical matters, survival Spanish, safety tips.
February 19	Team Briefings Tonight, each team will provide copies of its Team Briefing Report to all members of the class. The copies of the report will be typed, bound, and professional in appearance. The cover page will clearly identify the area that the team was assigned. The team members will make a verbal presentation that provides an overview of the contents of the report, and that highlights important key points.
February 26	Make certain to read all three Briefing Reports prior to departure for Spain.
Depart USA Feb. 28, Arrive home March 8	Travel to Madrid, Spain Culture and Schools Do schools reflect their culture, or do they shape it? Two days in a Spanish school, working with students Several days visiting cultural sites and events Evening Seminars -- Applying theory to observations -- The Cultural Context of Learning
March 12	No class meeting
March 19	Do schools reflect culture, or do they shape it? What we observed and learned in Spain. Group #1: Co-construct matrix comparing Spanish and American cultures (Hofstede's dimensions).
March 19 (continued)	Group #2: Co-Construct matrix comparing Spanish and American education systems (D'Hainaut's indicators).
March 26	Putting It All Together Combine matrices and apply to the question: Do schools reflect their culture, or do they shape it?
April	Sharing What We Learned No Formal Class Meetings in April Work in small groups to complete a project. Possible projects include: Assemble a portfolio of materials relevant to our travels under the direction of Drs. Allen and Vogel for Global Program (that provided our stipends for travel) Prepare a documentary for Channel 56 Design a session for the La Salle community, using what you learned and sharing what you learned. Plan a lesson for a class of high school students enrolled in an introductory Spanish class. Design web site Projects must be completed by April 23.

Course Requirements

Questions related to book, The Culture of Education

Contribution to Learning Community (see rubric)

Briefing papers (pre-trip)

Learning Journals -- In country

Final Project

Grading Criteria for Course
Good Work (Grade of B+, B, or B-)

To earn a grade in the "B" range, you must successfully meet all of the requirements set forth in the course syllabus. These requirements have been designed, deliberately, to be challenging. The requirements, listed above, should meet the following general criteria:

Answer a set of questions on the book The Culture of Education. Answers will be thoughtful, complete, correct, well written, and professionally presented.
Contribute to the learning community by being an active participant in class sessions and travel (a detailed rubric is included on a page that follows).
Work as a member of a group to develop a briefing paper that includes all required components and that is well written and factually or procedurally correct.
Complete a series of learning journals (in country) that meet Bradley's Criteria for Assessing Levels of Reflection, Level Two (see attached page).
Work as a member of a group to develop and deliver a project that helps others to understand the Spanish education system and the cultural influences that relate to it, and that clearly addresses the course essential question.

Excellent Work (Grade of A or A-)

To earn a grade in the "A" range, you must not only meet, but exceed, the criteria listed above. Anything above the requirements and criteria established by me, for you, enters into excellence. I can only offer examples of what I mean here, because there are various ways to exceed the set criteria:

Answer a set of questions on the book The Culture of Education. Answers will be thoughtful, complete, correct, well written, and professionally presented. In addition, will contain unique or unusual insights, identification of underlying assumptions, and will be flawlessly written and presented.

Contribute to the learning community by being a highly effective participant (see detailed rubric that follows. ALL categories must be in this highly effective group for this rating to apply).
Work as a member of a group to develop a briefing paper that includes all required components and that is well written, organized, and factually or procedurally correct. In addition, the briefing paper must be well organized and professionally presented, will include visuals to enhance reader understanding, and will tie course concepts to the information gathered by the team.
Complete a series of learning journals (in country) that meet Bradley's Criteria for Assessing Levels of Reflection, Level Three (see attached page).
Work as a member of a group to develop and deliver a project that helps others to understand the Spanish education system and the cultural influences that relate to it, and that clearly addresses the course essential question. The project is highly informative, factually flawless, and compelling.

Passable Work (Grade of C+, C, C-)

A grade in the C range is earned by students who complete all of the requirements but whose work falls short, in some way, of meeting the criteria for a Grade of B. This would include, for example, meeting criteria for minimal participant, submitting a briefing paper with a missing component, little evidence offered to support assertions, journal entries consistently at Level One of Bradley's Criteria, a weak project.

Unsatisfactory Work (Grades of D or F)

Students who fail to participate in a minimally acceptable fashion or demonstrate unacceptable professional skills, who fail to complete in a timely manner all components of all requirements, who submit papers with two or more missing components, who fail to demonstrate even basic understanding of concepts, or who demonstrate serious deficiencies in the basic skills of speaking, reading and writing, or who fail to travel with the group may earn an unacceptable grade for this course.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO LEARNING COMMUNITY

Highly Effective Participant

Active Participant

Minimal

Participant

Unacceptable

Participation

Attends every class session and travels to Spain.

Always Punctual and prepared for class and on trip.

"Claims" education by being actively engaged on a consistent basis.

All work prepared ahead of time and handed in on time. Professionally presented.

Actively engaged. Brings outside ideas to share with others.

Makes connections well beyond personal experiences -- to previous coursework, readings, etc.

Consistently thoughtful and reflective.

Attends all but one session. Notifies instructor ahead of time and makes up work.
Always Punctual and Prepared.

Often engaged with peers and instructors during seminar.

Work prepared ahead of time and handed in on time. Professionally presented.

Brings outside ideas to share with others.

Misses more than one class, but has "excused" absences.

Arrives to class or trip activities late or unprepared once or twice.
Sometimes engaged with peers and instructors during class/trip.

One or several assignments late, or unprepared prior to class/seminars. Not always professionally presented.

Occasionally volunteers comments, ideas, etc.

One or more "unexcused" absences.

Consistently late or unprepared.

Little engagement with peers and instructors during class/trip.

Habitually unprepared, or work is sloppy and disorganized.

Rarely volunteers comments or ideas. Has to be called upon.