The following courses were taken during my time at Michigan State University as I worked towards my Master of Arts in Education. To view classwork completed in these courses, please visit my Master of Arts Showcase.
The following acronyms are used for class codes:
ED - Education
TE - Teacher Education
CEP - Counseling, Education Psychology, and Special Education
Spring 2018
TE 846: Accommodating Different Literacy Learners
Professor: Laura Tortorelli
In this class I learned the best strategies and methods for teaching reading and writing to children. I chose a child in my kindergarten classroom that was struggling with vocabulary and researched ways to better help him in the classroom. I created lesson plans then reassessed his skills with vocabulary. Through group discussions and reading throughout the course I was able to determine how effective these lessons were for this student. I learned a lot from this class.
CEP 832: Educating Students with Challenging Behavior
Professor: Dr. Vicky Mousouli
The main focus of this course was to address challenging behavior in students. We were asked to choose one child from our class that we observed and tracked behavior for several weeks. Through reading and discussions we collect information on how to develop a plan in addressing those problem behaviors. I then implemented my plan with the students and did a follow up assessment to observe and changes in behavior. This course allowed me to address a lot of challenging behavior in my classroom that I was at a loss on how to correct. The text books that were used for required reading are resources I still use today.
Summer 2018
ED 800: Concepts of Educational Inquiry
Professor: Steve Weiland
This was the introductory class to my masters program. It allowed me the opportunity to get a good educational foundation before moving on to my other courses. During this class, I got to think and write about essential questions relating to education. The course delivered information through articles, videos and text book chapters. I learned a lot about the history and foundations related to the educational field.
TE 861A: Teaching Science for Understanding
Professor: Julie Christensen
During this course I took a look at teaching science through real life scientific phenomena. I was exposed to the Ambitious Science Teaching and how it fosters longer discussions and projects that span over weeks. I took a closer look at the Next Generation Science Standards and how it aligned to my science teaching. I created units of study based on engaging topics. I was able to reflect on things I wanted to change in my classroom.
Spring 2019
Summer 2019
TE 831: Teaching Subject Matter with Technology
Professor: Douglas Hartman
Throughout this course I was given the opportunity to explore, test and get familiar with different technologies available in the classroom. By the use of videos and other media the professor taught about the positives and negatives of technology and how to best utilize it in the classroom. I planned and implemented lesson plans involving these new technologies and shared my success with the other teacher in the course. I still use many of the technologies in my classroom to this day!
CEP 841: Classroom Management in an Inclusive Classroom
Professor: Dr. Troy Mariage
In this course I used a variety of behavioral assessments tools to develop a plan for a child exhibiting challenging behavior. I learned to look at what motivated students and how I can use that to my advantage as a teacher. I picked certain times of the day where I wanted to improve my management and developed a plan to implement. I then reflected on the effectiveness and what need to be changed for next time. I liked how this class was very practical and I am still using the resources I created in my classroom.
CEP 842: Content Instruction for Children with Mild Disabilities
Professor: Dr. Cindy Okolo
In this course I was able to learn more about how to recognize and help children with learning disabilities. The goal of this course was to be able to differentiate instruction to best meet the needs of all students in the classroom. This course covered all content areas and how to make modification based off the specific needs in the classroom. I choose students from my classroom and tailored lessons to help them learn. This course gave me a lot fo information on how children with mild disabilities learn and how not every child learns in the same way.
Fall 2019
TE 855: Teaching School Mathematics
Professor: Amy Parks
In this course I examined my mathematics curriculum. We read books and articles that taught us about how the teaching of mathematics has shifted to more open-ended materials and questions. This gets the children to use more critical thinking skills. I used this knowledge to develop a 4 week plan on implementing story word problems with the kindergarten students. I then used a post assessment to measure their knowledge of story problems after the project was complete.
Spring 2020
ED 870: Capstone Portfolio Course
Professor: Matthew Koehler, Aric Gaunt, Brooke Thomas
This was the final course in my program. The goal of this course was to complete an online portfolio to be reflective of our time in the program. I took a look back at all of the assignments and things we learned and showcased it on our site. I was able to choose my audience and tailor my site to meet my needs. I got to highlight my work in the classroom as well as give people information to get to know me.
CEP 850: Teaching Technology and Literacy for Children with Mild Disabilities
Professor: Dr. Cindy Okolo and Rachel Kopke
The course focused on using technology to help students with learning disabilities. We exploring different technology platforms and evaluated their accessibility to students with LD. The main focus was on literacy. Each week we explored different types of assisted technology. We created plans for specific students in our classroom using the different types of assisted technology we covered over the course. We used these to write intervention plans for our students with learning disabilities. I learn so much about online learning by taking this course.