ED347 MIDDLE CHILDHOOD PHILOSOPHY AND GENERAL TEACHING METHODS Course Syllabus - Matt Melnek

Term
Spring 2026
Section
M1
Course Delivery
ln person­[FTF]
Class Program

ED347:

Credits 4
Description
The course explores the historical, philosophical, psychological, and social foundations of middle childhood education as they relate to present day practice and emphasizes the connections between theories learned in college classrooms and their application in the P-12 classroom with the purpose of developing reflective practitioners. Developmentally appropriate education environments aimed to fulfill all students’ needs is a focus of this course. Specifically, issues pertinent to middle level education, including but not limited to, current research about best practice, block scheduling, team teaching, collaboration across teaching specialties, and the uniqueness of middle childhood students and their education will be addressed. The importance of family involvement including sensitivity to family structures and assistance to families in need, as well as knowledge of community resources and collaboration with community professionals is stressed. Classroom management and varied instructional techniques, including the uses of media and technology are discussed in class. A special emphasis on reading and writing to learn is provided. Students develop units that integrate reading and writing to learn, classroom management strategies, varied instructional techniques and assessments. Data generated by assessments are analyzed in order to guide remediation and future instruction.

Prerequisites

Admission to the Teacher Education Program or Applicable Education Studies Concentration

Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details

Meeting Days:
Monday
Meeting Times:
6:00pm-9:00pm

Contact Information

Instructor:
Matt Melnek
Instructor Email:
Matthew.melnek@eastclinton.org
Phone Number
330-720-4142
Course Learning Outcomes

1.0
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to construct processes which allow for student input into the curriculum.
2. The student will be able to construct which promote democratic approaches to creating learning
environments.
3. The student will be able to contrast differences between intrinsic and extrinsic approaches to
motivation.
4. The student will be able to develop techniques which promote student self-evaluation.
5. The student will be able to outline characteristics developmentally responsive middle level schools.
6. The student will be able to list what developmentally responsive middle schools provide.
7. The student will be able to list the characteristics of an effective middle school teacher.
8. The student will be able to list the characteristics of the young adolescent.
9. The student will be able to evaluate the qualities of a caring learning environment.
10. The student will be able to discuss how to promote meaningful learning.
11. The student will be able to modify to alter school structures.
12. The student will be able to discuss the need for middle school teachers to be advocates for young
adolescents.

Course Materials

Textbook
Name: Teaching Middle Years
Edition: Fourth 
ISBN: 978-1-032-60307-0
Author: Donna Pendergast, Katherine Maine and Nan Bahr
Publisher: Routledge

Instructor's Course Objectives

1. The student will be able to construct processes which allow for student input into the curriculum.
2. The student will be able to construct which promote democratic approaches to creating learning
environments.
3. The student will be able to contrast differences between intrinsic and extrinsic approaches to
motivation.
4. The student will be able to develop techniques which promote student self-evaluation.
5. The student will be able to outline characteristics developmentally responsive middle level schools.
6. The student will be able to list what developmentally responsive middle schools provide.
7. The student will be able to list the characteristics of an effective middle school teacher.
8. The student will be able to list the characteristics of the young adolescent.
9. The student will be able to evaluate the qualities of a caring learning environment.
10. The student will be able to discuss how to promote meaningful learning.
11. The student will be able to modify to alter school structures.
12. The student will be able to discuss the need for middle school teachers to be advocates for young
adolescents.

Course Schedule

Tentative Schedule

Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.

Class Date

Topic

Assignments

January 12

 

Course Introduction

Due 01/26

  • Syllabus Quiz

  • Read Chapter 1 

 

January 19

No Class MLK Day

 

January 26

The Purpose of Middle School

Due 02/02

  • Chapter 1 Quiz 

  • Read Chapter 2 and Chapter 8

  • Middle School Reflection

 

February 2

The Middle School Learner

Due 02/09

  • Chapter 2 and 8 Quiz

  • Read Chapter 4 and 18

  • First Four Weeks of Middle School

February 9

Student Well Being

Due 02/16

  • Chapter 4 and 18 Quiz

  • Read Chapters 5 and 17

  • Student Well Being Assignment

February 16

Student Engagement

Due 02/23

  • Chapters 5  and 17 Quiz 

  • Classroom Management Plan

February 23

Curriculum

Due 03/02

  • Read Chapter 20

 

March 02

Assessments

Due 03/16

  • Chapter 20 Quiz

  • Read Chapter 6

  • Assessment Assignment

March 09

No Class Spring Break

 

March 16

Quality Teaching and Lesson Planning

Due 03/23

  • Chapter 6 Quiz

  • Read Chapter 7

  • Lesson Plan Assignment

March 23

Inclusive Practices and Differentiation

Due 03/30

  • Chapter 7 Quiz

  • Read Chapter 15

  • Differentiation Assignment

March 30

Collaborative Learning

Due 03/23

  • Chapter 15 Quiz

  • Read Chapter 16

  • Collaborative Learning Lesson Plan

April 6

No Class

 

April 13

 

Critical Thinking

 

Due 03/30

  • Chapter 16 Quiz

  • Critical Thinking Lesson Plan

April 20

Unit Planning

Due 04/13

April 27

Work Session

 

May 4

Final Exam

 

Course Assignments
Lesson Plans
Throughout the course you will write different lesson plans based on what is being covered during
certain weeks.

Essays
Throughout the course you will be asked to write essays over various topics that are related to the
course text or issues in the field of education. The essays, unless otherwise stated, should be a
minimum of 500 words. If citations are required, you will need to cite your sources and include a works
cited list.

Field Based Assignments
Some of the assignments that are listed on the schedule require work in a placement and are
dependent on you being placed in a classroom. We will discuss the details of those assignments
during class.

Classroom Planning Assignments
Some assignments in this class are meant to provide you with authentic work that you would complete
for your own classroom. The details of these assignments will be given to you in class.

Other Assignments
As the course progresses, other assignments that are not listed in this syllabus may be added
Evaluation of Work

The grading scale will be as follows: Grades are calculated using points which will be turned into percentages. 

The grading scale is below.
A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (0-59)

Instructor Course Policies

Instructor's Course Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend each class session throughout the semester. If a student has to miss
class for any reason, they should contact the instructor ahead of time with as much notice as possible.
Students should follow-up with their instructor to see what they missed and need to complete to catch
up to their peers. If a student misses a presentation day, they will be expected to make up for that
presentation when they return. Students will earn 50 points for perfect attendance for the semester
when final grades are tallied. Students will lose 10 points from that total for each absence during the
semester past 2 absences without a doctor’s/professor’s/coaches’ note for the absence.
Please do not attend class if you have a fever or are vomiting.

Instructor's Academic Integrity Policy
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct: “I will
practice personal and academic integrity.” The College believes that it is important for students to
develop high ethical and scholarly standards and accept responsibility for maintaining these standards.
Students who engage in academic misconduct receive sanctions from the faculty member of the
course in which the misconduct occurs. In addition, students with multiple offenses or who commit a
serious violation are required to appear before the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee and
may be subject to additional sanctions as determined by the committee.
Examples of Academic Misconduct
• Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
-Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
-Talking in the examination room without authorization.
-Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
-Attempting to observe the work of another student.
-Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
-Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited
by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another
source or another student.
-Acquiring unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer,
or give information about any part of an examination.
• Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in
the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
-Resubmission of work – Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
-Plagiarism – Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying
of all or parts of a published work or internet document.
-Prohibited sources – Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
-Improper collaboration – Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind
expressly prohibited by the instructor.
-Deception – Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
-Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is
used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an
assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares
responsibility for the plagiarism.
• Other misconduct – Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
• Lying – Deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as
misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
• Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – Causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting
instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty. This includes use of a cell phone during
class.
See the current Undergraduate Student Handbook (https://www.wilmington.edu/current-students/)
for the college's Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom
behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
 

Institutional and Program-Level Policies

Final Exam Schedule

All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.

Undergraduate:  SP25 Final Exam Schedule    Graduate:  

 

Out-of-class Work Expectation

A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week.

Instructional Course Delivery                                                                                                            

Definition of Courses

Academic Integrity Policy

The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions.

Academic Integrity Policy

Class Attendance Policy                              

Institutional Class Attendance Policy

Accessibility and Disability Services