Annotated Transcript
Below is an outline of the courses I completed during my time in Michigan State University's MAED program.
Summer 2018
Dr. Steven Weiland
ED 800: Concepts in Educational Inquiry
In this course we had the opportunity to study a variety of different educational philosophers and learn how they came up with their strategies and theories. A great deal of emphasis was put on reflection as the best way to build one's own philosophy. The course finished by asking us to reflect on our own experiences as a teacher and student, especially in regard to technology in the classroom.
Meenakshi Sharma
TE 861: Teaching Science for Understanding
The Next Generation Science Standards are on their way. They have been rolled out in some districts, but not others. This class provided a deep dive into the cross-cutting concepts in conjunction with the standards. We created units based on science phenomenons that would capture our students' interests and attention.
Fall 2018
Dr. Andrea Zellner and Swati Mehta
CEP 818: Creativity in Teaching and Learning
As we struggle to keep up with new standards and initiatives, creativity often falls by the wayside. This class aimed to bring creativity back into the limelight of the classroom. We reflected on our own creative process and learned new strategies for bringing it out in our students. We journaled about our experiences as the course progressed.
Tracy Weippert
TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
The State of Michigan has required this course in order to move from a provisional teaching certificate to a professional teaching certificate. After taking this course, it’s easy to see why. Different aspects of literacy learning were examined, along with best practices for literacy instruction. The culminating project was a case study on one of my students for which I created two phonics lessons and wrote a study analyzing her progress.
Spring 2019
Scott Jarvie
TE 818: Curriculum and its Social Context
What is curriculum? What does a curriculum reveal about the biases and ideology of those who construct it? In this course we explored the tensions between the explicit curriculum: what we mean to teach, and the implicit curriculum: that which we may teach inadvertently. During this course, I wrote a personal educational philosophy and a visual ethnography of my own classroom, which explored the potential biases and hidden values behind the setup of my classroom.
Dr. Patricia Edwards and Tracy Weippert
TE 848: Writing Assessment and Instruction
For this course, we discussed the best practices of teaching writing in both whole and small group settings. We also examined the qualities of successful writing curriculums and reviewed a book on getting the most out of student writing. During this course, I spent the semester writing an in-depth analysis of the new guided reading and writing curriculum that our district recently adopted.
Summer 2019
Dr. Brandon and Brooke Thomas
CEP 800: Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings
This course united ideas from behaviorism, developmental psychology, and the study of habit formation to explore the ways we learn both in school and out. We were given the opportunity to analyze our own habits, along with the habits of others. We even designed a plan for ourselves with goal of acquiring a new skill or habit. I chose to develop the habit of studying Arabic, so that I might better communicate with my wife’s side of the family. In addition to offering strategies for self-improvement, I learned many strategies I can implement in the classroom.
Dr. Laura Apol
TE 836: Awards and Classics of Children's Literature
For this course, we compared winners of the Caldecott and Newbery awards throughout different time periods. We explored the different themes and literary elements that seemed to merit each award. We also spent some time studying lesser known awards which focused on the works of specific minority communities. To complete the class, we wrote a final piece illustrating the political implications of awards and how best to utilize award-winning works in the classroom.
Fall 2019
Dr. Evelyn Oka and Ian Clemente
CEP 802: Developing Positive Attitudes Towards Learning
As someone who often struggled with motivation in my early school days, I found this course incredibly eye opening. It explored the psychological theories behind motivation. We studied different models for thinking about motivation, and designed a detailed strategy for one student in our classroom based on an in-depth analysis of the motivational issue. We also had the opportunity to apply many of the theories to hypothetical cases for practice. The insights taken from this class are sure to come in handy throughout the rest of my career.
Dr. Matthew Koehler, Aric Guant, and Brooke Thomas
ED 870: Capstone Seminar
This portfolio is the culminating project of my master’s studies at Michigan State. This course allowed me to construct the site step by step, including important artifacts from throughout my time in the program. This showcase of work represents the knowledge I’ve gained since beginning my studies, and hopefully paves the way for the road ahead.