Summer 2010
TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Gina Garner
This class not only satisfied the state requirement for all teachers, but served as an important reminder of the essential need for all students to be able to read. By examining and learning about various reading assessments, I was reminded of the many ways that I can interpret my students' skills as readers and how I can use those skills to push them further. The most important idea I took from this course was a reminder to know each of my readers on an individual level so I can help their skills continue to grow in the right way.
Fall 2012
TE 818: Curriculum and Its Social Context
Matt Ferkany
Who has the right to decide what students learn? This is the question that was the focus for this course. Although discovering a concrete answer will never be possible, this class did have me examine the societal connections that affect what we teach our students and to reflect upon if we are reaching all learners with those concepts. The most beneficial exercise in this course was when we were asked to make a statement based on research, readings and personal findings about what we believe education to be. This is a document and belief system that will continue to evolve every year that I am in the classroom and will serve as a reminder of what my focus as an educator should be.
TE 848: Writing Assessment and Instruction
Kati Macaluso
The examination of writing instruction and assessment in this course was done by reading various texts as a writer. Not only did we discuss the literary merits of the texts we were reading, The Book Thief , for example, but instead of viewing it as a reader, we were asked to view it as a writer and see how that affected our intended instruction. This class also put me back in the shoes of being a writer and asked me to go through the writing process, just as my students do. As I reacquainted myself to the writer hidden inside my keyboard, I again, analyzed this as a way to improve my skills as a teacher of writers.
Spring 2013
ED 800: Concepts in Educational Inquiry
Steven Weiland
The roots of educational history was the focus of this course. I was taken on a journey through the foundational ideologies of education, how students learn best and the importance of learning through inquiry. This was a meaningful course to me because it took me back to my undergraduate years that created my philosophies as a teacher. This course served as a meaningful reminder of the importance of inquiry in the classroom and that educators should always be doing what is best for students.
TE 849 Methods and Materials for Teaching Children's and Adolescent Literature
Laura Apol
The goal of this course was to go on a discovery of what it means to bring quality literature to students that is authentic but culturally accurate. The majority of the course readings were centered around American Indians. Not only were we learning about the American Indian culture, we were learning what it meant to take that life and put it into words and who had the right to put the life of an American Indian into words. This learning was also connected to all cultures and had us participate in a very invigorating debate about who has the right to write about a culture. What was most meaningful for me in this class was learning how important my awareness of authenticity and accuracy are in regards to the books that I make available to my students.
Summer 2013
TE 836: Awards and Classics of Children's Literature
Laura Apol
My journey as a teacher of readers continued in this course as I had to opportunity to read, analyze and expose myself to a multitude of award winning children's books. We examined what qualities educators and award presenting organizations (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King Award, etc) hold high in regards to quality children's literature. I took from this course a knowledge of organizations who pride themselves on awarding authors and illustrators for diverse reasons. I also became more confident in my personal philosophy that reading is such a personal experience and was able to come up with my own definition of what quality literature is. What will resonate with me is the collective list that was created where each class participant came up with what will become the classics of future generations. It was a very difficult task to accomplish and one where I saw an awareness of texts that I need to familiarize myself with, again, in order to benefit my students.
TE 842: Elementary Reading Assessment and Instruction
Tanya Wright
In the summer of 2010 I was reacquainted with several reading assessments that helped me know my readers. In the summer of 2013, that knowledge was made deeper through the participation in this course. I was asked to evaluate student data, perform reading assessments on my own students and then use that data to plan for instruction in the classroom. Again, through this course I was reminded of the importance of reading and helping all readers be successful. One of the most memorable experiences in this class was my participation in a book group. I worked synchronously with three other classmates and held digital conversations on how we would implement word study into our classrooms. It was extremely beneficial because we learned how book groups should work in the classroom by participating in our own book group, and also gained knowledge about research based practices that improve the skills of our readers.
Fall 2013
TE 855: Teaching School Mathematics
Michael Weiss
As I moved out of my comfort zone of literacy and into the world of mathematics, I was taken on an exploration of what mathematics instruction should look like in the classroom. This class provided me with a greater understanding of the importance of the process of mathematics over the product. As the shift to the Common Core State Standards occurs, this class verified for me the importance of mathematical instructional practices and how much emphasis math deserves in a classroom. The activity that struck me the most was where we used a rubric from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to assess the rigor of several math problems. It was an eye-opening experience to see that some of the questions that I thought were higher level thinking were not. I was also able to identify a problem with my own math instruction and design a research based action plan to implement in my classroom. Those findings helped to benefit my mathematicians and improve my instructional skills as a teacher of mathematicians.
Spring 2014
ED 870: Capstone Seminar
Matt Koehler
As the literal capstone to my journey in my achievement of a Master's degree, this course served as a necessary reminder of where I started as an educator and how I have grown to better the education I am giving to my students. The emphasis on technology was apparent and a reminder to me of where educational and instructional practices are heading. I benefited most from creating a digital journey of my time as a learner at Michigan State University and a continually growing educator.
TE 861A: Teaching Science Understanding
Alicia Alonzo
Another step outside my literary comfort zone led me to a class evaluating the science instruction that I provide for my students. As the Next Generation Science Standards are being implemented and debated in a parallel fashion, I am able to analyze what it means to create a community of students who are scientifically literate. This class has showed me that science understanding goes way beyond the classroom and is an essential piece to the success of my students and our society.
TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Gina Garner
This class not only satisfied the state requirement for all teachers, but served as an important reminder of the essential need for all students to be able to read. By examining and learning about various reading assessments, I was reminded of the many ways that I can interpret my students' skills as readers and how I can use those skills to push them further. The most important idea I took from this course was a reminder to know each of my readers on an individual level so I can help their skills continue to grow in the right way.
Fall 2012
TE 818: Curriculum and Its Social Context
Matt Ferkany
Who has the right to decide what students learn? This is the question that was the focus for this course. Although discovering a concrete answer will never be possible, this class did have me examine the societal connections that affect what we teach our students and to reflect upon if we are reaching all learners with those concepts. The most beneficial exercise in this course was when we were asked to make a statement based on research, readings and personal findings about what we believe education to be. This is a document and belief system that will continue to evolve every year that I am in the classroom and will serve as a reminder of what my focus as an educator should be.
TE 848: Writing Assessment and Instruction
Kati Macaluso
The examination of writing instruction and assessment in this course was done by reading various texts as a writer. Not only did we discuss the literary merits of the texts we were reading, The Book Thief , for example, but instead of viewing it as a reader, we were asked to view it as a writer and see how that affected our intended instruction. This class also put me back in the shoes of being a writer and asked me to go through the writing process, just as my students do. As I reacquainted myself to the writer hidden inside my keyboard, I again, analyzed this as a way to improve my skills as a teacher of writers.
Spring 2013
ED 800: Concepts in Educational Inquiry
Steven Weiland
The roots of educational history was the focus of this course. I was taken on a journey through the foundational ideologies of education, how students learn best and the importance of learning through inquiry. This was a meaningful course to me because it took me back to my undergraduate years that created my philosophies as a teacher. This course served as a meaningful reminder of the importance of inquiry in the classroom and that educators should always be doing what is best for students.
TE 849 Methods and Materials for Teaching Children's and Adolescent Literature
Laura Apol
The goal of this course was to go on a discovery of what it means to bring quality literature to students that is authentic but culturally accurate. The majority of the course readings were centered around American Indians. Not only were we learning about the American Indian culture, we were learning what it meant to take that life and put it into words and who had the right to put the life of an American Indian into words. This learning was also connected to all cultures and had us participate in a very invigorating debate about who has the right to write about a culture. What was most meaningful for me in this class was learning how important my awareness of authenticity and accuracy are in regards to the books that I make available to my students.
Summer 2013
TE 836: Awards and Classics of Children's Literature
Laura Apol
My journey as a teacher of readers continued in this course as I had to opportunity to read, analyze and expose myself to a multitude of award winning children's books. We examined what qualities educators and award presenting organizations (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King Award, etc) hold high in regards to quality children's literature. I took from this course a knowledge of organizations who pride themselves on awarding authors and illustrators for diverse reasons. I also became more confident in my personal philosophy that reading is such a personal experience and was able to come up with my own definition of what quality literature is. What will resonate with me is the collective list that was created where each class participant came up with what will become the classics of future generations. It was a very difficult task to accomplish and one where I saw an awareness of texts that I need to familiarize myself with, again, in order to benefit my students.
TE 842: Elementary Reading Assessment and Instruction
Tanya Wright
In the summer of 2010 I was reacquainted with several reading assessments that helped me know my readers. In the summer of 2013, that knowledge was made deeper through the participation in this course. I was asked to evaluate student data, perform reading assessments on my own students and then use that data to plan for instruction in the classroom. Again, through this course I was reminded of the importance of reading and helping all readers be successful. One of the most memorable experiences in this class was my participation in a book group. I worked synchronously with three other classmates and held digital conversations on how we would implement word study into our classrooms. It was extremely beneficial because we learned how book groups should work in the classroom by participating in our own book group, and also gained knowledge about research based practices that improve the skills of our readers.
Fall 2013
TE 855: Teaching School Mathematics
Michael Weiss
As I moved out of my comfort zone of literacy and into the world of mathematics, I was taken on an exploration of what mathematics instruction should look like in the classroom. This class provided me with a greater understanding of the importance of the process of mathematics over the product. As the shift to the Common Core State Standards occurs, this class verified for me the importance of mathematical instructional practices and how much emphasis math deserves in a classroom. The activity that struck me the most was where we used a rubric from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to assess the rigor of several math problems. It was an eye-opening experience to see that some of the questions that I thought were higher level thinking were not. I was also able to identify a problem with my own math instruction and design a research based action plan to implement in my classroom. Those findings helped to benefit my mathematicians and improve my instructional skills as a teacher of mathematicians.
Spring 2014
ED 870: Capstone Seminar
Matt Koehler
As the literal capstone to my journey in my achievement of a Master's degree, this course served as a necessary reminder of where I started as an educator and how I have grown to better the education I am giving to my students. The emphasis on technology was apparent and a reminder to me of where educational and instructional practices are heading. I benefited most from creating a digital journey of my time as a learner at Michigan State University and a continually growing educator.
TE 861A: Teaching Science Understanding
Alicia Alonzo
Another step outside my literary comfort zone led me to a class evaluating the science instruction that I provide for my students. As the Next Generation Science Standards are being implemented and debated in a parallel fashion, I am able to analyze what it means to create a community of students who are scientifically literate. This class has showed me that science understanding goes way beyond the classroom and is an essential piece to the success of my students and our society.