On this page, you will find the courses I completed throughout my time in the Master of Arts in Education Program (MAED) at Michigan State University! Starting at the top of the page are my most recent courses I have completed, and as you scroll down you will find the courses I took towards the beginning of my MAED journey! To read more information about each graduate course, click on the course names below!
This was my final course I completed in my final semester of the MAED program. Throughout this course, I was able to think back to previous courses I had taken and goals I had set, reflect on my learning throughout the MAED program, and think about my goals for my professional future. I created an online portfolio that synthesizes my learning throughout the program, expresses my past and present professional goals, and presents who I am as a person and educator. I also added several webpages for parents and students to view, that show what my first grade classroom is like. I am extremely proud of the online portfolio I have created, and I am excited to present it to my colleagues, parents, and students in the future!
Throughout this course, I learned a variety of ways to assess and instruct reading. The main assignment of this course was to analyze a variety of literacy assessments and data collected that were given to two different students. I enjoyed this assignment because it exposed me to a variety of assessments I had never seen before. After analyzing the assessments and data, I was asked to make goals for these students and provide instructional strategies I would use to help the students improve in their literacy skills. This assignment was one of my favorites I completed throughout the graduate program because it allowed me to dig deep into assessments. I used my findings to plan and guide future instruction, which is a skill that I feel all educators must learn! I now take the knowledge that I learned from analyzing student data, and can use with my current first graders.
The purpose of this course was to explore ways to accommodate differences amongst literacy learners. The main assignment for this course was the "Literacy Learner Analysis Project." In this assignment, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with a student, conducting a variety of assessments and lessons to assist her in with literacy skills. First, I conducted several interviews with the students' parent, so I was able to gather information on the child's background, home and family life, and emotional climate when it comes to reading and learning. Having this knowledge helped me determine the assessments, assignments, and materials to use for the study sessions to come! After giving several literacy assessments and collecting data, I used this information to guide and plan literacy lessons for the future. Lastly, I reflected on the results of the lessons and created a recommendation letter for the child's parents and teacher so they are informed with my findings and how to plan and help their child for the future. I found this course helpful because it helped me think about ways to accommodate my students in literacy, no matter if they are above or below grade level. I learned ways to assist my students who need more support with literacy skills and challenge my students who are excelling.
At the beginning of this course, I was asked the question "What is learning?" For the very first assignment of the course, I answered this question and created my own Personal Theory of Learning. Little did I know, this Personal Learning Theory was something that would be edited often and evolve immensely throughout the course. For each module, I was assigned online resources to explore, such as readings and videos. I took the information I had learned each module to slowly tweak my Theory of Learning. At the end of the course, I was left with a Personal Theory of learning that was I was proud of. I also participated in a personal habits assignment where I had to choose a habit I wanted to break, and create a new habit. I kept track of my progress throughout the semester and reflected on my experience at the end.
When enrolling for a Fall course, I knew that my students would be starting the year virtually due to the COVID19 pandemic. I intentionally chose this course, in hopes I would learn skills I could use when literally teaching my students online. The main assignment for the course was to create an Online Course Module (OCM) for my students. Throughout the course, I created a math module with a variety of lessons that included assignments, learning resources, and assessments to assist my students' learning online. Having this course while my students were virtually learning, was extremely helpful for my teaching. I was able to take everything I learned and apply it to my everyday teaching! Pre-pandemic and even present day, I feel that technology is being integrated into the classroom more and more. Taking this course helped me understand the most important elements of teaching students online.
This was the first masters course I took at the beginning of the MAED program. For each module of the course, I explored a variety of resources such as books and movies, and composed essays that reflected my thoughts. Through the exploration of each resource, I learned about concepts of educational inquiry, such as traditional versus progressive education, teacher research, history, philosophy, and even technology. I enjoyed this course because it allowed me to reflect on many forms of educational inquiry and forced me to become familiar with educational topics I hadn't thought much about before like the educational pillars.
Throughout this course, I learned a variety of ways to assess and teach writing. I had the opportunity to dive deep into a variety of texts that informed me the best techniques, strategies, and skills to teach different writing genres. The main assignment of this course was the "Genre Exploration Project" where I was able to choose writing genres that interest me, and create resources I can use in my own classroom. I chose to create a teaching website and newsletter, to create more opportunities to communicate with my parents. I now use the resources and information I learned about teaching and assessing writing in my every day teaching.
In the Fall of 2018, I began my year-long internship in the Teacher Preparation Program through MSU. While interning with a mentor teacher at an elementary school in Walled Lake, I was also attending graduate classes in Detroit and completing assignments for the courses. This course helped me in organizing and teaching our districts social studies curriculum. I created a series of social studies lessons that included the five elements of powerful social studies curriculum: meaningful, challenging, integrative, value-based, and active. Participating in this course help me craft meaningful and engaging social studies for my students.
Out of all of the courses I participated during my year-long internship, this course was by-far my favorite. We had many conversations throughout the course about how because literacy and math are so important, science is a subject that can sometimes be forgotten about or ignored. This course helped me understand the power of science, and how big of an impact it can make on young learners understanding the world around them. For the main assignment of this course, we were asked to choose a science standard for our grade level, and the create a "Sense-Making Science Talk" and a full science unit with with lesson plans including resources, activities, and assessments to give the students. At the end of the unit, we reflected on our science unit and what could be changed for the future. After this course, I had a whole new appreciate or teaching science, because it showed me the excitement and engagement students have when learning science concepts.
Throughout this course, I participated in a variety of math based assignments that assisted me in organizing, creating, teaching, assessing, and reflecting on math in the classroom. I began this course by meeting with each student to identify their mathematical and social strengths. I then took this information and the districts math curriculum to create a sequence of math lessons to teach my students. Throughout the two weeks of lead teaching my math unit, I tracked each students individual growth by giving formative and summative assessments. I then took the information from these assessments to guide my instruction further. This course helped me improve my skills with organizing curriculum and assessing and tracking my students growth.
Throughout this course, I participated in a variety of literacy based assignments that assisted me in organizing, creating, teaching, assessing, and reflecting on literacy in the classroom. First, I participated in a "Interactive Read Aloud: assignment where I was asked to create and conduct an interactive read aloud that included elements like vocabulary and assessment. Next, I created reading and writing units to teach to my class that aligned with the districts' Lucy Calkins literacy curriculum. At the end of the course, I felt better-prepared to teach my students literacy skills in one-on-one, small group, and whole group settings.