Showcase
Michigan State University's Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program has been a journey of challenge, reward, and growth. Not only have I grown as a teacher, but I have grown as a lifelong learner. I chose the Literacy concentration because, as an English teacher, I have a lot of students who cannot read or write on par with the rest of their classmates. Whether it's language barriers, learning disorders, or other factors, I wanted to update my teaching tool box with innovative lessons and activities to help all students reach their potential. Additionally, as I have been involved with coaching multiple sports, I decided to go for an additional certification in Sports Leadership and Coaching. These two avenues have helped me grow and develop my abilities in three specific areas: teaching, learning, and leading. Teaching in a public school requires so much more than teaching curriculum; we are constantly being called upon to learn new strategies and approaches to improve our craft, and we need to stand out as leaders of our students, our peers, and of our schools as a whole. Additionally, teaching, learning, and leading are all things that occur in a classroom on a daily basis. Pursuing this degree has provided me with skills of management, communication, and leadership that can fit both in the classroom and out. The work I have selected showcases the pride I have in my work, the struggles I encountered, and my growth as a professional and as a person. I organized everything according to my pattern of teaching, learning, and leading to demonstrate work that I have completed across a spectrum of responsibilities.
Teacher
Pedagogy Analysis
In this paper, I explore various pedagogies and ideologies in education. This paper allowed me to critically analyze these pedagogies so I could point out similarities and differences between them. In turn, I was able to reflect on my own values within teaching and things that I strive to do as a teacher. I found that I was able to apply strengths and (in my opinion) weaknesses of various pedagogies and think about how they applied to me as a teacher and how I use pedagogical research to influence my teaching. |
Educator Identity Project
This project allowed me to reflect upon who I am as an educator and how I have come to be the teacher that I am today. It pulls from resources about helping students discover information, instead of telling them facts for memorization. It was interesting to me as I thought about where I started in education and where I am now. Especially, I loved recalling memories of those who influenced me to become a teacher. |
Differentiated Lesson for English Language Learners
Here is a pre-created assignment with comments and plans for adaptations for English language learners. I went back through this lesson with a fine tooth comb and made suggestions I thought would be beneficial for English language learners based on research and literature about ELL students. This reflects how important it is for teachers to be considerate of the abilities of every student who comes into the classroom. Personally, revisiting this assignment has reminded me of how important it is to remember the needs of every student. |
Learner
Communication Project for KIN 855
This project revolved around holding a meaningful conversation with an athlete; the task was to interview an athlete using a specified method of questioning. The athlete I selected was a student in one of my English 9 classes who I knew was involved in a range of athletic teams and sports. This activity not only taught me how to ask effective questions (for my students and for my athletes), but I also learned a lot about this particular student, and I loved getting to know another side of him. This assignment also helped me with communication practices inside my classroom. |
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My Language History Project for TE 845
In this presentation, I have researched and collected historical information about my family's linguistic development over generations. That is, I studied my family history related to languages that my ancestors spoke at various points in their migrations from Germany to the United States. I learned so much about my heritage and found some incredibly interesting facts about my family. This project was one of the most creative, enjoyable inquiry activities I completed during my studies.
In this presentation, I have researched and collected historical information about my family's linguistic development over generations. That is, I studied my family history related to languages that my ancestors spoke at various points in their migrations from Germany to the United States. I learned so much about my heritage and found some incredibly interesting facts about my family. This project was one of the most creative, enjoyable inquiry activities I completed during my studies.
leader
Self Analysis of Leadership Style
In this activity, I took time to reflect upon the type of leader I want to be. Additionally, I thought critically about what research says about leadership styles and methods. I hadn't ever stopped to think about what kind of leader I wanted to be, so critically analyzing myself in terms of strong leadership was very helpful for me; this gives me a path for being the best teacher, coach, and overall mentor that I can be. |
Visualization Activity
For this task, I lead an athlete through a mental preparation strategy called imaging. This is a mental preparation activity in which the athlete envisions him/herself participating in a specific part of an activity. The goal is to help athletes see themselves do something successfully; this is effective for easing anxiety, improving on a skill or technique, etc. This helped develop my leadership skills because I had to lead the athlete through the activity to the best of my ability. I had to make sure that I had created enough visual stimulations for him to imagine, and I had to make sure that I was leading confidently and seriously, so he could take the activity seriously, too. |
Inquiry Project for TE 848
For this inquiry project, I put together a presentation about creating opportunities for writing assignments with authentic audiences. The argument is that students perform better on writing tasks that are written for audiences beyond the teacher or for real world experiences. Additionally, students tend to enjoy writing more when they are given creative freedom. While the creation of this project did not help me develop as a leader, the feedback given was very encouraging. The professor suggested that I submit this project for presentation at the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), adding that many professionals would benefit from this information. Until this feedback, I had never considered myself a leader among my colleagues, or did not see myself leading any kind of educational discourse with other teachers. However, this feedback gave me confidence in my abilities and makes me want to start standing up to be a leader of my peers. I have a lot of experience leading students, but I'm often intimidated by my colleagues and take the role of a follower. I guess this has helped me develop new goals for leadership, and I am growing more confident in what I do and genuinely try to be a leader for my peers and colleagues.
For this inquiry project, I put together a presentation about creating opportunities for writing assignments with authentic audiences. The argument is that students perform better on writing tasks that are written for audiences beyond the teacher or for real world experiences. Additionally, students tend to enjoy writing more when they are given creative freedom. While the creation of this project did not help me develop as a leader, the feedback given was very encouraging. The professor suggested that I submit this project for presentation at the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), adding that many professionals would benefit from this information. Until this feedback, I had never considered myself a leader among my colleagues, or did not see myself leading any kind of educational discourse with other teachers. However, this feedback gave me confidence in my abilities and makes me want to start standing up to be a leader of my peers. I have a lot of experience leading students, but I'm often intimidated by my colleagues and take the role of a follower. I guess this has helped me develop new goals for leadership, and I am growing more confident in what I do and genuinely try to be a leader for my peers and colleagues.
Photo credits:
I Teach - What's Your Superpower? - Teaching Superpower
Personalized Learning - Xyleme
Leadership Characteristics - Reliamax
I Teach - What's Your Superpower? - Teaching Superpower
Personalized Learning - Xyleme
Leadership Characteristics - Reliamax