Sara's Arts in Education Transcript
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
- Nelson Mandela
Internship
Courses
2007-2008
As part of my student teaching internship I took three courses: TE 802 (Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice) with Renee Wohl, TE 803 (Professional Role and Teaching Practice) with Renee Wohl, and TE 804 (Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II) with Sylvia Hollifield. In these classes I learned how to make my own lesson plans, teach lessons, and reflect on my teaching. Throughout these courses I was able to work alongside other teaching professionals to gain more knowledge and understanding about teaching. I also gained insight into the elements of becoming a teacher and what it is like to have your own classroom.
EAD 824
Fall 2012
ED 800
Spring 2013
EAD 801
Summer 2013
TE 846
Summer 2013
CEP 815
Fall 2013
EAD 822
Spring 2014
ED 870
Summer 2014
EAD 824 allowed me to delve deeper into the components of professional development and the importance of professional learning communities. I was able to learn about the different domains that principals should focus on with their teachers, like classroom environment, instruction, planning and preperation, and professional responsibilities. I also had the opportunity to create a budget plan that included professional learning for a teaching staff, as well as a proposal on a year-long plan for teacher learning. This course taught me why leaders and principals need to offer their staff as much professional learning opportunities as possible to learn and grow as educators, not only for themselves but for their students.
Leading Teacher Learning
Instructor: Nancy Colflesh
Concepts about Educational Inquiry
Instructor: Steven Weiland
This course focused on the history behind education. I learned about the importance of inquiry and the many different types of teaching styles. I was also able to take educational practices and apply them to my teaching and to myself as an educator. In ED 800, I took inquiry based philosophies and relfected on how they have evolved. This class offered an opportunity to take a step back and learn how education has developed over time and how I can incorporate different methods and theories into my classroom.
In this course, I learned the importance of collaborating and working together not only as a leader, but also as a staff member. During this course, I learned and relfected on key skills, principles, and characteristics that good leaders should practice. I was able to take my learnings and reflect on leaders I have worked with, as well as brainstorm ways that I will use them as a leader. Through my readings, group chats, and assignments, I learned more about myself as an educator and future leader and how I will apply these key elements as a teacher leader and/or principal.
Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Instructor: Jennifer Knight
Leadership and Organizational Development
Instructor: Nancy Colflesh
This course was a requirement from the Michigan State Department of Education. It stressed the importance of reading for all students and how important it is to examine each students' reading abilities and skills. In this course, I conducted a literacy case study on one of the students in my classroom. This case study included information about their background and the focus of the study, their literacy history, assessments given and results, lesson plans, and my reflections. This course allowed me to reflect on how important it is to examine each reader individually and how essential it is to design instruction to push all students to grow as readers.
Technology and Leadership
Instructors: Luke Rapa and Josh Rosenberg
CEP 815 focused on multiple ways for leaders to incorporate technology into education. It discussed the positives and negatives technology has on students, teachers, families, and leaders in education. Different technologies were used, like Twitter and Prezi, to help demonstrate ways to use technology in the classroom. I reflected on how technology is currently used with students and staff members, and what can be done to increase the use of technology in schools and at home. At the end of the course, I created a proposal for how I would utilize technology at my current school.
Diverse Students and Families
Instructor: Muhammad Khalifa
Capstone Seminar
Instructor: Matthew Koehler
During this course, I learned about the diversitites that exist in our educational system, in regards to race, gender, disabilites, etc. EAD 822 allowed me to study how oppression affected and still affects many individuals in education. It also made me take into consideration the differences that are prevalent between the dominant and marginalized groups. I learned how schools, families, and communities are intertwined in education. At the conclusion of this course, I reflected on my new learnings through a case analysis of how I would improve the relationships between school, students, parents, and the community.
This course was a culmination of what I learned during my Master of Arts in Education program. ED 870 provided an opportunity to reflect on all of the courses I took in my master's program and how I have grown as an educator. I had the opportunity to share my work, collaborate with my classmates, and give/receive feedback on the creation of my portfolio. Through the creation of my electronic portfolio, I was able to document my journey of learning in the MAED program at Michigan State University.