ED 800 - Concepts of Educational Inquiry (Summer 2009)
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland
ED800 is the foundational course for Michigan State's MAED program. As a teacher, this class forced me to reflect on how I teach what I teach and the choices I make in my classroom. We studied the history of the traditions of education, which had somehow escaped me during my undergraduate studies, and we also looked at different types of inquiry within education from the likes of Vivian Paley, Mary Catherine Bateson, and Howard Gardner. The first half of my final paper (link to the left) looks at Bateson's ideas about ethnographic participant observation and how it is our job to understand how various cultures communicate and learn if we are to successfully education all children.
ED800 is the foundational course for Michigan State's MAED program. As a teacher, this class forced me to reflect on how I teach what I teach and the choices I make in my classroom. We studied the history of the traditions of education, which had somehow escaped me during my undergraduate studies, and we also looked at different types of inquiry within education from the likes of Vivian Paley, Mary Catherine Bateson, and Howard Gardner. The first half of my final paper (link to the left) looks at Bateson's ideas about ethnographic participant observation and how it is our job to understand how various cultures communicate and learn if we are to successfully education all children.
TE 847 - Advanced Methods for Teaching Language Arts (Summer 2009)
Instructor: Rebecca Shankland
TE847 is a course designed for Language Arts teachers to practice various methods of teaching novels. We read Kite Runner, Water for Elephants, and The Namesake, and through reading logs and other narrative writing pieces, we looked at ways to get students to connect to what they read. My final project for the course (link left) was a short video about my journey as a teacher and what I hope my students, mainly students who struggle academically, come away with from my class.
TE847 is a course designed for Language Arts teachers to practice various methods of teaching novels. We read Kite Runner, Water for Elephants, and The Namesake, and through reading logs and other narrative writing pieces, we looked at ways to get students to connect to what they read. My final project for the course (link left) was a short video about my journey as a teacher and what I hope my students, mainly students who struggle academically, come away with from my class.
EAD 860 - Concept of a Learning Society (Spring 2010)
Instructors: Dr. Steven Weiland and Nicholas Sheltrown
EAD860 focuses on what it means to be a learner within a community and society, especially with the advent of technology and how it has changed how people learn. This class not only focused on traditional educational environments, but also looked at how other people (surgeons, like Atul Gwande, and writers learning how to play the piano, like Noah Adams) learn in order to better their practice or better themselves. My final paper for the course (link left) looks at how the media influences how people learn and forces us to carefully choose how we receive information in a society that is bombarded by it.
EAD860 focuses on what it means to be a learner within a community and society, especially with the advent of technology and how it has changed how people learn. This class not only focused on traditional educational environments, but also looked at how other people (surgeons, like Atul Gwande, and writers learning how to play the piano, like Noah Adams) learn in order to better their practice or better themselves. My final paper for the course (link left) looks at how the media influences how people learn and forces us to carefully choose how we receive information in a society that is bombarded by it.
EAD 801 - Leadership and Organizational Development (Summer 2010)
Instructor: Gerald Jennings
EAD801 is a somewhat introductory course about characteristics that successful leaders share and how organizations, particularly educational environments, are structured and should be structured for success and achievement. We looked at different case studies throughout the course in order to better understand the steps formal and informal leaders take when making decisions. My final paper (link left) combined concept maps that I developed during the semester and reflection on the type of leader I see myself being.
EAD801 is a somewhat introductory course about characteristics that successful leaders share and how organizations, particularly educational environments, are structured and should be structured for success and achievement. We looked at different case studies throughout the course in order to better understand the steps formal and informal leaders take when making decisions. My final paper (link left) combined concept maps that I developed during the semester and reflection on the type of leader I see myself being.
TE 843 - Reading, Writing, and Reasoning in Secondary School Subjects (Summer 2010)
Instructor: Todd Ide
Through a series of online readings and projects, TE843 is a course that looks at how teachers can develop plans centered around reading and writing to increase student achievement and motivation. This course allowed us to put into practice what we learned, and I came out of it with a solid unit plan that I could start using in my own classes. My final project (link left) is centered around a plan I developed for my struggling readers. It focuses on increasing self-awareness and reader identity through choice books.
Through a series of online readings and projects, TE843 is a course that looks at how teachers can develop plans centered around reading and writing to increase student achievement and motivation. This course allowed us to put into practice what we learned, and I came out of it with a solid unit plan that I could start using in my own classes. My final project (link left) is centered around a plan I developed for my struggling readers. It focuses on increasing self-awareness and reader identity through choice books.
EAD 830 - Issues in Urban Education: Racial Achievement Gap (Spring 2011)
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Dunbar
Because I work in a large urban/suburban high school, I found EAD830 to be a very practical course. It looked at issues surrounding the racial achievement gap that is prevalent in American education and what can be done by educators to overcome some of these issues. We read about a high school in Berkeley, California that developed a plan to increase the success of underrepresented students, and we also read about theories for the existence of the achievement gap. My final paper (link left) focuses on what parents, teachers, and administrators can do to begin to close the racial achievement gap in schools.
Because I work in a large urban/suburban high school, I found EAD830 to be a very practical course. It looked at issues surrounding the racial achievement gap that is prevalent in American education and what can be done by educators to overcome some of these issues. We read about a high school in Berkeley, California that developed a plan to increase the success of underrepresented students, and we also read about theories for the existence of the achievement gap. My final paper (link left) focuses on what parents, teachers, and administrators can do to begin to close the racial achievement gap in schools.
CEP 883 - The Psychology of Classroom Discipline (Summer 2011)
Instructors: Dr. Evelyn Oka and A. Fedewa
CEP883 was a departure from most of the leadership and literacy classes I have taken. This course focused on classroom management and school structures that can be put in place to motivate students and ensure that all students found ways to participate in their classroom during lessons and their school community. My final project (link left) was a PowerPoint presentation about using Positive Behavior Interventions and Support in a high school context. It looks at the advantages of school-wide implementation of this structure and different interventions that can be put in place, not only for struggling students, but for highly motivated students.
CEP883 was a departure from most of the leadership and literacy classes I have taken. This course focused on classroom management and school structures that can be put in place to motivate students and ensure that all students found ways to participate in their classroom during lessons and their school community. My final project (link left) was a PowerPoint presentation about using Positive Behavior Interventions and Support in a high school context. It looks at the advantages of school-wide implementation of this structure and different interventions that can be put in place, not only for struggling students, but for highly motivated students.
TE 846 - Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners (Summer 2011)
Instructors: P. Crutcher and R. Stanulis
TE846 takes a look at the different ways in which students struggle in terms of literacy development. It also provides ways in which teachers can combat these struggles through various strategies and teaching techniques. My final project (link left) is a case study on one of my students and the plan I developed for him to overcome his deficiencies in reading.
TE846 takes a look at the different ways in which students struggle in terms of literacy development. It also provides ways in which teachers can combat these struggles through various strategies and teaching techniques. My final project (link left) is a case study on one of my students and the plan I developed for him to overcome his deficiencies in reading.
EAD 825 - Shared Leadership in Schools (Fall 2011)
Instructor: Barbara Meloche
EAD825 was the most useful class I took during my program. It focused on what shared leadership is within different communities. We studied these ideas through group simulations and projects that were designed to work through shared leadership practices. The course revolved around the concept of leadership in both formal and informal contexts with ideas about how to navigate situations from a leadership perspective. My final project was to design a plan for facilitation of a day long proficiency articulation for my district. I was able to utilize some of the strategies from the course and then reflect on the implementation of the plan.
EAD825 was the most useful class I took during my program. It focused on what shared leadership is within different communities. We studied these ideas through group simulations and projects that were designed to work through shared leadership practices. The course revolved around the concept of leadership in both formal and informal contexts with ideas about how to navigate situations from a leadership perspective. My final project was to design a plan for facilitation of a day long proficiency articulation for my district. I was able to utilize some of the strategies from the course and then reflect on the implementation of the plan.
ED 870 - Capstone Seminar (Spring 2012)
Instructors: Dr. Matthew Koehler, Andrea Zellner, and Sean Leahy
The Capstone Seminar is the last course for my program. It is designed for students to holistically reflect on the work that was completed throughout the MAED program through the development of a webpage. The link on the left is a picture of the process of the webpage development, and it takes you back to my homepage.
The Capstone Seminar is the last course for my program. It is designed for students to holistically reflect on the work that was completed throughout the MAED program through the development of a webpage. The link on the left is a picture of the process of the webpage development, and it takes you back to my homepage.