Summer 2019
TE 845 -
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One of the first courses I took in the MAED program, TE 845 focused on the instruction and assessment of language minority students. In this class I was able to investigate my own family’s language heritage, as well as reflect on myself as a learner of languages. At the end of the semester, I observed a class that was specifically tailored to second-language learners in the school where I taught at the time. I took away practical and theoretical knowledge of literacy learning that I use in my classes each day working in an international school that consists of about 50% English Language Learners (ELLs).
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TE 846 -
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While the title sounds similar to the previously mentioned course, ‘Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners’ focused on unique situations students may face in their literacy education, such as their own self-concept as readers or reader interests/attitudes. This course taught me about formal literacy assessments for students with a variety of needs, and I even met with a student from outside my classroom to conduct these assessments and create lessons specifically for her. Additionally, I completed a Disciplinary Literacy Project that involved creating an entire unit for a class I teach wherein students experience several types of literacy practice (reading, writing, classroom talk, etc.).
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Fall 2019
CEP 816 -
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In Fall 2019, I was enrolled in CEP 816, the first course of my program that ventured outside of the Teacher Education class category. The class focused on incorporating technology into the curriculum regardless of the content area or age group. This course was incredibly meaningful, as it taught me about using technology meaningfully - not just for the sake of it. Through our own homework assignments, we experimented with tools such as Flipgrid and EdPuzzle, to get the firsthand experience our students might get in our own classes. We also created our Dream Projects, which were visual representations of what we had learned throughout the semester. This was especially valuable to me, as it felt more reflective and purposeful than a simple essay.
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TE 849 -
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As an English teacher, this literature course felt a bit like getting back to my roots. In my undergraduate studies, the majority of the classes I took were literature centric. However, this class specifically broadened my horizons in a few ways. First, the literature we read was purposefully selected to focus on communities that are generally marginalized or kept out of classrooms. We read novels about protagonists with mental illness, as well as stories centered on characters who were part of the LGBTQIA community. In addition to the diversity of the subjects, the range of text types was also eye-opening. Not only did we read verse and graphic novels, but also children’s picture books, something that as a secondary teacher I have very little experience with. This course has inspired me to include a wider range of texts in my own English classroom.
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SpriNG 2020
TE 843 -
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While the course title might suggest a very dry and straightforward evaluation of student reading abilities, this class turned out to be anything but. Instead, we focused on the unique literacies students already possessed and the ways in which they could use them outside of the classroom, in real-world contexts. Many of the readings and discussions we partook in focused especially on students’ abilities to use their literacy skills to engage in social issues and civic duties. This outlook on reading, language, and literacy as a whole presented a perspective on secondary English classes that I had not fully considered before.
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TE 848 -
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In TE 848, we focused on a variety of factors that contribute to student writing, such as teaching different styles of writing or examining the writing process. Throughout the course, we were encouraged to think of writing not only as a production of a new text, but more as an act that someone undertakes; an act which can influence the world around them as well as the writer themselves. I also participated in discussion and inquiry projects in which I investigated writing topics with which I was not as comfortable, such as the incorporation of creative writing into secondary ELA classes. Ultimately, I reflected upon the main question of the course: Why do we write?
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Summer 2020
CEP 841 -
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My summer 2020 semester started off with CEP 841, and it was a class unlike any I had taken thus far. Coming into the class, I had assumed that we would learn a variety of classroom management tricks and strategies; however, my main takeaway from this course was not some easy implementable way in which to control student behavior. Rather, I took away the understanding that every single behavior a student exhibits has a function, or reason behind it. This mindset has greatly affected my day-to-day teaching and has encouraged me to maintain patience and compassion for every student.
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CEP 866 - Psychoeducational Interventions for Children and YouthInstructor:
Dr. Courtenay Barrett |
Psychoeducational Interventions for Children and Youth focused on the individual- and whole school-level intervention programs that can be implemented to help students who are at-risk. This course highlighted the fact that specific groups of adolescents cannot just be labeled as ‘at-risk’. Instead, risk should be evaluated as if on a continuum, with some students falling at low-risk and others at high-risk. I evaluated the efficacy of many interventions using What Works Clearinghouse, and identified the various factors that could affect a student’s need for those interventions.
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ED 800 -
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In ED 800, I explored the essential foundations of educational inquiry, such as the true role of formal education in our lives, or the ways in which students learn best inside and outside the traditional classroom. Throughout the course, we examined viewpoints of educational philosophers and thinkers, discussing and thinking critically about their merits and pitfalls. Included in our exploration were the psychological, historical, biographical, ethnographic concepts involved in educational inquiry. After investigating each of these concepts, we reflected on their relevance to ourselves as teachers and learners, as well as their practical application into our classrooms.
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Fall 2020
ED 870 -
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My final course in the MAED program, the Capstone Seminar was my opportunity to reflect on my master’s program as a whole. In creating my online portfolio, I was able to reassess my goals as a professional at the end of the program. Additionally, by compiling the work I have done at Michigan State into one resource, I have created a useful, professional tool to share with future employers which demonstrates the growth and change I have undergone during my year and a half in my program. It is the culmination of plenty of sleepless nights, as well as many triumphs and successes.
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