Annotated Transcript
Below is a brief description of each course I completed during my time in the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University (MSU). Nine of these credits transferred from my Graduate Professional Internship through MSU.
Acronym Key:
TE= Teacher Education
ED= Education
CEP= Counseling, Educational Pyschology, and Special Education
Fall 2014
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice I
Instructor: Jessica Meier
This course was part of my teacher certification internship year. Throughout this course I learned about the teaching of diverse academic subjects through the lens of literacy. Specifically I had the opportunity to explore students' opportunities to learn language, learn about language, and learn through language. I completed three inquiry projects including developing a literacy field guide within my internship context, designing a literacy unit including daily lesson plans and an assessment plan, and publishing a professional piece based on personal reflection.
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Spring 2015
Professional Roles and Teaching Practice II
Instructor: Dr. Betty Okwako
As a continuation of TE 801, this course focused on preparing us for our role in the professional teaching community. In addition, I focused on creating integrated units in/with social studies for all students. As part of the culminating semester of my teacher preparation program, I targeted six central topics: 1) social studies teaching and learning; 2) integrated curriculum; 3) professional and ethical responsibilities as a teacher; 4) accommodation of special needs; 5) lesson study; and 6) reflective practices. All of these topics were addressed in the context of my field placement during my lead teaching period so that I was able to practice them in authentic, meaningful, and “real” ways.
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Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II
Instructor: Tim Bennett
TE 804 represented the science instruction portion of my internship year coursework. This course gave me the opportunity to reflect and build on ideas and concepts taught in prior teacher education courses. The focus of the course was to give support in developing standards-based practices in planning, teaching, and assessment. My two main projects for the course included planning and teaching a science unit and preparing a classroom learning community inquiry project.
Technology & Leadership
Instructor: Kyle Shack & Rohit Mehta
The purpose of CEP 815 was to help me develop as a technology leader. This course examined the aims of education, the history and evolution of technology, principles of leadership, and the intersection of these three elements. I was exposed to new ideas and asked to determine how these perspectives fit, or didn't fit, into my professional practice. Some of the work I completed in CEP 815 included developing a vision statement as a leader in Educational Technology and completing a case analysis that articulated the relationship between technology, standards, and the factors that influence student learning.
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Summer 2017
Concepts of Educational Inquiry
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland
I took this course in my first semester of the MAED program and it served as an excellent introduction to the key concepts that frame the MAED program: the role of the learner, the role of the teacher, the process of inquiry, research, participant observation, and the nature of current education debate. Throughout the course I read the work of important figures such as John Dewey, Howard Gardner, and Vivian Paley. Reflecting upon their work helped me re-examine my teaching philosophy and think of my classroom as an educational laboratory where best practices can be developed.
Fall 2017
Creativity in Teaching and Learning
Instructor: Carmen Richardson & Candace Marcotte
CEP 818 was a course that challenged me not only as an educator but as a person. We read and discussed Root-Bernstein's book, Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. We explored the tools discussed in the book and incorporated them into our assignments, as we designed artifacts that reflected our discussions of creativity. Through this work I was able to explore my own creative process as well as that of my students. I found myself sharing my learning from this course often with with my colleagues and as a result I chose to design a book study surrounding the course's text.
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Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Instructor: Laura Tortorelli
In TE 846 I examined various ways that the needs of all students can be met in a literacy classroom. I explored the best practices in literacy instruction and engaged in many high quality discussions surrounding the latest research in literacy. TE 846 gave me the opportunity to research various approaches and techniques for literacy instruction and to engage in a focused research case study with two kindergarten students struggling with literacy issues. I completed a semester long case study with one of my Kindergarten students focused on phonological awareness, specifically blending and segmenting, based upon a variety of diagnostic, formative and summative assessments used before, during and after carefully planned instruction.
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Learning Technology Through Design
Instructor: Carmen Richardson & Bret Staudt Willet
When I first registered for CEP 817, Learning Technology Through Design, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was signing myself up for. I chose this course because I have always been interested in graphic design in my free time and I was interested to learn how the art of design could relate to my professional life as a Kindergarten teacher. I never could have imagined how much I would learn in this course and how relevant design thinking would be to career. Throughout CEP 817 I had the opportunity to learn how design is an essential component of teaching. We explored good and bad elements of design and the ramifications of each. Our main project in this course was to design an answer to a problem of practice we experienced in our own educational world using the Design Thinking Model from the Stanford Design School.
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Spring 2018
Educating Students with Challenging Behavior
Instructor: Dr. Evelyn Oka & Dr. Vicky Mousouli
In CEP 832 we explored effective teaching approaches for students with challenging behavior. We investigated inattention, aggression, academics, and other environmental influences that affect students and their learning. In small focus groups we discussed case studies and developed strategies to help the students and teachers in the case studies we read. In this course I developed a research-based intervention for a student with challenging behaviors in my own classroom. I was able to implement the intervention in my classroom and saw positive changes immediately.
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Summer 2018
Capstone Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Koehler, Sarah Keenan-Lechel, Spencer Greenhalgh, and Sukanya Moudgalya
ED 870 was my capstone course in which I celebrated and displayed my learning throughout the MAED program. Throughout this course I developed the online portfolio you are viewing now that showcases the courses I completed throughout my master’s program. I reflected on my experiences throughout my degree and how it has impacted my goals and instruction as an educator. In ED 870 I had the opportunity to collaborate with others on a weekly basis to reflect on the assignments and provide feedback to one another to create a strong portfolio.