Spring 2014
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I took TE 803 while I was student teaching, and it really helped me to define what kind of teacher I wanted to be. All of the assignments tied in very clearly to my experiences in the classroom. I got to blog regularly about my struggles and insights as I worked through the program, and I also got to experiment with introduction of learning goals and how that impacted my lesson success. The most beneficial part of this course was the undying support from my instructor and peers as they guided me through a very difficult transition year. |
This was another course that supplemented my student teaching. TE 804 allowed me to explore my writing instruction through an elaborate inquiry project. I posed questions about how I would approach and refine my methods and then tested these methods in my student teaching classroom. Additionally, I observed my classmates through recorded video footage of their classroom. This gave me some necessary perspective on how other classrooms run while also creating a kind, supportive environment through which I learned how to ask for and offer help from and to my peers.
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Spring 2014
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As my introduction to the MAET program, my work in CEP 810 walked me through developing a blog to track my work in my next few courses while also challenging me to consider how technology plays a role in the learning process. To better understand this, I set out on a personal journey to do something new and improve with only the help of the Internet. I chose to work on my golf swing, and spent several weeks poring over YouTube videos and blogs to correct my form. Several trips to the driving range later, I can say it worked. More importantly, I learned about how much growth can come from allowing students to play and explore their resources.
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Through both readings and elaborate projects that allowed me to experiment, CEP 811 taught me all about maker culture and how it applies to education. I had little to no understanding of the maker movement before I took this course, and I can now say that I regularly think about how I can improve my classroom with it. The maker movement allows students to create and play in the classroom. Instead of assigning work and defining the parameters by which students show their skill, making allows students to define them by themselves. This is tremendously helpful in building up student motivation and creating a happier class environment.
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Spring 2016
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In CEP 812, I learned about problems that arise in education. More specifically, I learned about simple, complex, and wicked problems. While simple and complex problems can be solved with a little bit of patience and thought, it is the wicked problems that elude us and leave us frustrated most often. I focused my research in this class on the wicked problem of teaching students to view failure as a learning mode. So many are tremendously resistant to embracing this attitude, yet it is so important to learning. While I still do not have any concrete, easy solutions, I have a much better understanding of the issue now.
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By delving into the process of acquiring knowledge in great detail, CEP 800 furthered my understanding of what it is to learn. It focused heavily on the concept of expertise: I learned what it means, how students acquire it, and how teachers can help. I think of this class as an advanced version of some of the education courses I took in my undergraduate studies because it pushed me to consider how exactly learning happens in very concrete terms. As a teacher, I sometimes get caught up in the indefinable pieces of education; this class pushed me to consider the learning process from an objective perspective.
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Summer 2016
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Summer 2016:
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CEP 822 gave me exhaustive insight into the methods behind education research. Not only did I learn how to analyze data using basic statistics, but I also conducted my own research review project on the impact on independent reading on secondary students. To do this, I identified several studies conducted by professionals and thoroughly analyzed their results. This class took me out of my comfort zone, but it was tremendously helpful in learning how I can use research to support my decisions in the classroom.
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In asking me to focus on teaching learners using technology, CEP 820 challenged me to take the concepts I had studied in previous material and apply them to an actual LMS that could feasibly be used in my course. I spent a lot of time working on my final project, which was a unit for my Honors College Writing and Literature class. I took Albert Camus’s The Plague and revamped the unit so that it was presented as a blended learning opportunity. Not only did I take a lot away from the readings and discussion, but I gained invaluable insight from my instructors as they worked with me to develop an online course and gave feedback at every step.
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CEP 846 pushed me to explore how I differentiate to accommodate a literacy learner’s individual needs. I worked with a student from my class to assess her literacy needs by administering a pretest and analyzing her performance. I designed two targeted lessons to help her with the deficiencies I found and then administered a posttest. I developed this work into an elaborate research report and supported my pedagogical choices with course readings. TE 846 really drove home the importance of considering every student’s needs and treating each one like a unique individual.
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