ProfessionalDispositionsExpectations

**What are professional dispositions and what do they look like in a college classroom?**
The Teacher Education Program at the University of Maine Farmington understands and supports the assessment of dispositions throughout the student’s program, both in the classroom and in the field. There are [|nine dispositions]to strive towards: Professionalism, A Constructive Attitude, Effective Oral and Written Communication Skills, A Respect for Diversity, Effective Collaboration, Self-Directed Learner, Reflective Practitioner, Respect.

**attitude:** // "a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways" // 1 Education courses require the participants to **think about teaching and learning** in ways that they may not have experienced. This kind of thinking requires an open mind, flexibility, a tolerance for ambiguity, patience, and creativity. Participants will have to think as much about what is possible as what exists.

As a member of a community of learners, you should seek help from, and offer help to other students.The teachers in MLTI have a rule of thumb: **If you want to know, ask. If you know, share.**

I don't believe in busy work. I try to have only class activities and homework assignments that help students answer an essential question, learn something new, and/or meet a course objective. If you feel an assignment is busy work, meet with me individually and I will explain the objectives of the assignment and you can explain why it feels like busy work. Sometimes, once a student understands the objectives, the assignment no longer feels like busy work; sometimes, it still feels like busy work. If that is true in your case, speak up and together we can create a replacement assignment that will still meet the objectives but be more appropriate to your needs.
 * busy work: **// " // //a term for work or assignments that are felt to be time consuming, but not useful"// 2

**Student voice, student choice**: the new mantra in a proficiency-based education and a classic component of good teaching See the "no busy work" policy above. You have a voice and you have a choice in this class. Feel free to voice your own creative ways to demonstrate your learning and understanding. I typically have several avenues for you to choose from, but I'm always open to more alternatives. Let's work together at the introduction of a new learning target/topic/unit to design an appropriate avenue for you, if you so desire.

Students are expected to observe classroom etiquette and to **show common courtesy to the instructor and fellow classmates**.
 * etiquette: ** // "rules governing socially acceptable behavior" // 3

Some of the **digital etiquette practices** to be honored in this class include: If there is a need for additional digital etiquette practices, they might be added mid-semester after a group discussion and be added to the syllabus.
 * Cell phones and other electronic devices should be silenced during class. If you receive an emergency communication, please excuse yourself from the room to take care of it.
 * When someone is presenting to the class, close your laptop and keep your phone out of sight.
 * Playing computer games, instant messaging, checking Facebook, reading email, and other personal technology usages (laptop or phone) during class are considered rude. Refrain from being rude.
 * Surfing the Internet should only happen during class when in-class activities involve the Internet and you should only be surfing towards sites related to the class activity.
 * If we are working individually on projects, listening to music is acceptable as long as the volume is low enough that no one else hears it and low enough that you can still hear group instruction. Do not assume that the entire class wants to hear your choice of music.
 * You may only record class lectures or events (audio recording, video, photography) with permission of the instructor. If permission is given, you may only record yourself or the instructor.
 * Do not post or share photographs, video, or audio recordings of classmates, the instructor, or class activities to anyone, anywhere (no Tweets, Snapchats, Facebook photos, email, texting, . . .).
 * Please keep liquids in their container on the floor. It's much less painful for everyone to clean up a spill on the floor than to repair the damage to a friend's laptop when a liquid spill is on the table. Please be careful with food crumbs as well.


 * respect: ** // "denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person of other entity (such as a nation or a religion), and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem." // 4
 * // Professional characteristics / personal attributes //: It is hoped that in class and with any outside interactions in which you represent this class (mentoring or group work out of class) that you will exhibit or strive to exhibit the highest standards of [|professional characteristics and personal attributes] as outlined in the UMF rubric.
 * // [|Code shifting] // is a sociology term for a human's ability (conscious or unconscious) to shift into a different way of talking depending on the context of the conversation--especially the people that are being spoken with. You don't talk to your great grandmother the same way you talk to your boss or the way you talk to your best friends on a Saturday night. It can be embarrassing when you forget to code shift. For this class, in both your speaking and your writing, practice code shifting into your best professional voice, language, style, and mannerisms.
 * **whine (verb):** //2. to snivel or complain in a [|peevish], self-pitying way// 5 Conversation and constructive criticism are welcome during office hours or by appointment whether about content, assignments, procedures, or teaching style. Whining is not welcome in class or at any other time.
 * Humor is appreciated in this class and encouraged. [|Kidding, teasing, sarcasm, and jokes at other people's expense] are not allowed. Even if you and the person you are kidding are good friends and exchange that kind of banter all the time, the rest of us are not a part of that and could misjudge you as a bully.

//Thank you to students from prior semesters who asked great questions and helped me make these expectations clearer.//

1. Definition of attitude from Princeton's Word Net Web: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=attitude 2. Description of busy work from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_work 3. Definition of etiquette from Princeton's Word Net Web: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=etiquette 4. Description of respect from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect 5. Definition of whine from dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whine