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Leader in International Education
Annotated Transcript
Below is a list of the courses I completed at Michigan State University for my Master of Arts in Education, along with a short description of each course and my learning.
TE: Teacher Education CEP: Counseling, Educational Psychology & Special Education
ED: Education EAD: Educational Administration
2017
Summer
TE 823: Learning Communities & Equity
Dr. Kyle Greenwalt
In this course, we examined how the communities we build within our schools and our classrooms can significantly influence how our students are perceived and perceive themselves. One major theme that stuck with me was the impact of how we measure success and failure on student learning. It shed light on my experience at a previous institution and how school structures - in this case the practice of early tracking - create distinct learning communities with different expectations and goals for their students. Ultimately, the course reinforced the importance of networks of support for student success.
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2017
Fall
ED 800: Concepts of Educational Inquiry
Dr. Steven Weiland
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The foundational course of the Master of Arts in Education program required me to use various methods of inquiry to think about essential questions about education. The course challenged me to simultaneously hold multiple and sometimes conflicting thoughts about education and helped me understand how the concept of education has changed over time. The different perspectives on education that the course covered has allowed me to better frame my own educational philosophy.
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2017
Fall
CEP 800: Learning in Schools & Other Settings
Diana Brandon & Cui Cheng
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The process of learning is complicated, to say the least. This course introduced research on what learning is as well as what might promote or prevent learning. We looked at examples of how content, context, and motivation can all significantly impact learning. Throughout the course we reflected on our own learning experiences and how we might apply the new concepts covered in class to help us better understand our own learning successes and failures. This, in turn, helped inform how I support others in their learning.
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2018
Spring
EAD 801: Leadership & Organizational Development
Dr. BetsAnn Smith
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Leadership is one of the most sought after skills today, but it is difficult to pin down what exactly makes a good leader. In this course, we closely studied two major pillars of leadership, Bruce Avolio's full range leadership model and Ron Heifetz's theory on adaptive leadership, and regularly discussed how these ideas were relevant to our personal and professional lives. The final assignment, which required us to consider a leadership challenge at our own organization using the lens of these theorists, allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of my own leadership capacities and areas for growth.
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2018
Summer
EAD 867: Case Studies in Educational Leadership
Nathan Clason
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This course helped me build on the momentum from EAD 801 by introducing additional perspectives on the topic. We consistently practiced putting ideas into practice by analyzing case studies that were set in an education context. These case studies allowed us to clearly identify leadership missteps in others, but also highlighted how difficult it is to be an effective leader in the moment because there are so many factors to take into consideration. The course culminated in creating our own Educational Leadership Philosophy, which can guide us as we work through our own leadership challenges moving forward.
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2018
Fall
EAD 822: Engaging Diverse Students & Families
Dr. Jada Phelps-Moultrie
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Although we naturally associate learning with schools and other educational institutions, learning does not occur in a vacuum. Unfortunately, many of our institutions, intentionally or unintentionally, marginalize diverse students and families rather than channeling them to support student learning. This course explored how intersectionality and culturally responsive school leadership can help inform strategies for family engagement, with special focus on disrupting the deficit thinking mindset that is prevalent when engaging with diverse families. These ideas continue to influence me today, especially as we work towards dismantling the structures that perpetuate racial injustice and inequality in our society today.
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2019
Spring
EAD 860: The Concept of the Learning Society
Dr. Steven Weiland
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The increasingly plentiful opportunities to continue learning beyond the limits set by formal education has led to the rise of the idea of a "learning society," in which learning takes place throughout the course of a lifetime rather than during any specific period of one's life. However, the ways in which these new ways of learning might interact with our existing education structures remains to be seen. By examining different perspectives on our evolving learning society, this course helped broaden my own on thinking with regards to lifelong learning, as well as the challenges and opportunities that new learning technologies might bring.
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2019
Summer
EAD 864: Adult Career Development
Dr. Steven Weiland
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Our work is commonly seen as a defining aspect of who we are. In reality, though, careers are often shaped by, and change with, our values and sense of identity. In this course we used key theories on career stages to examine the lives of real people and fictional characters and piece together how they ascribed meaning to and derived fulfillment from their work. Through this work I have come to understand that although there is no ideal career path, reflecting on our careers - in particular our career decisions - is a helpful exercise for improving self awareness and informing future career moves.
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2020
Summer
CEP 815: Technology & Leadership
Kyle Shack
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Technology has the potential to disrupt the content, modes, and goals of education, but unlocking the benefits of technology while minimizing any negative consequences requires careful and intentional implementation. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) frameworks for technology integration introduced in this course have allowed me to think more critically about how to best introduce new technologies into my work. The course assignments helped bridged the divide between theory and practice by encouraging us to apply these frameworks to our individual context.
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2020
Summer
ED 870: Capstone Portfolio
Dr. Matthew Koehler & Aric Gaunt
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As the culmination of the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program, the Capstone Portfolio facilitates self reflection on the learning that occurred throughout the program. It also represents a launching pad for students in the program by ensuring they have consolidated and organized their work in a presentable manner and by asking how they will continue their learning after the program formally ends. This course prompted the creation of this website, which has helped me to identify and summarize the important milestones throughout the program.
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