Drew Linder
Learner-Educator
Annotated Transcript
Fall 2014
CEP 800- Learning in School & Other Settings- Danah Henriksen
In this class, we learned how students learn. We not only observed students in our own classrooms, but we also observed students and how they learn in other settings. For example, we used students learning in their homes as a vantage point to see how the students learn best. We also used different types of technology to help students learn and see how technology can help students learn. This course offered a real opportunity to learn something new and immediately implement it into the classroom.
TE 861B- Inquiry, Nature of Science- Sarah Stapleton
During this course, we created, conducted, observed, and reported on how to teach science in diferent ways. We used inquiry to drive our instruction and also used inquiry to help ask questions. After questions were asked, students then created arifacts such as posters and models to demonstrate what they had learned. We were able to learn about the best practices for teaching science and conducting inquiry all while creating and engaging and enriching classroom. This helped me to think about how best to challenge my students and push their thinking.
Spring 2015
ED 800- Concepts in Educational Inquiry- Sarah Weiland
In this course, we read and researched concepts and ideas associated with the evolution of education in the classroom. We read articles and other excerpts from books and then analyzed the facts, wrote essays, and had discussion forums on the topics. Topics included: philosophy of education, psychology in education, and applying inquiry to everyday education. Using techniques from this course allowed me the opportunity to look at my class and my teaching through a different lense. I was able to see where my flaws were and what I needed to adjust to reach each student.
TE 861A- Teaching Science for Understanding- Tamara Heck
This course consisted of research and readings to find ways to better teach students how to understand science rather than to just memorize facts. We researched different ways to instruct students and to reach each student individually. We also used time as a class in discussion forums to reflect and react to other students' experiences in their classroom teaching. I was able to assess students and learned the best ways to assess students in the classroom to better understand what they understood. Creating a type of classroom that was based on actual understanding instead of memorization and repetition.
Summer 2015
EAD 801- Leadership and Organizational Develoment- William Arnold
This course consisted of reading, writing, and discussing about different types of educational organizations. We were expected to read different books and articles, have discussions in small groups with other class members, and writes essays about our own organizations and how they connect to the texts we were reading. This course provided a lot of insight into what it takes to become a leader, at any level, in a school or other educational setting. It also made me look at my own organization through a different lens and allowed me the chance to help "solve" problems that were apparent in the organization.
EAD 822- Engaging Diverse Students and Families- Rena Reynolds
Fall 2015
This course focused on how best to interact with families from a veriety of backgrounds inclding race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, etc. During this course we used mentor texts to guide discussions and interactions we had experienced with students and families in our own schools. We were also tasked with a major project of analyzing two different community events to compare and contrast them. This course taught me a lot about the variety of students any one educator can encounter over the course of their career. Being a leader, this course gave me the challenge of considering the type of leader I want to be and how I will have to approach different students and families.
TE 855- Teaching School Mathematics- Michael Weiss
This course centered around mathematics in the classroom and different ways to analyze what student responses were really saying to the teacher. Much of this course was analytical and required a lot of critical thinking to understand a variety of students answers to help teachers understand what their students were thinking and how to best adjust our teaching to better suit each student. This course provided me with more understanding on how to analyze the work of students to gain more insight to their thinking. I was forced to think through the eyes of a child and try to see things the way they may see things. Most importantly, I had to view math problems outside of the ways that they are traditionally taught how to solve.
Spring 2015
CEP 832- Educating Children with Challenging Behavior- Vikki Mousouli
This course focused on students that show a wide variety of challenging behaviors from defiance to shutting down completely. The course discussed and analyzed many different behaviors adn each behavior that was discussed was easy to relate to based on experiences I have had in the past with a large variety of students. The best part of this class was finding one student to work with and focusing my attention on them. It provided me with a lot of opportunities to attempt different strategies to help the student with their challenging behavior. It also pushed me to continue to create and nurture the relationships I had developed with many students and families. With the hope of becoming a school leader, I felt this course gave me a real chance to practice that component.
EAD 830- Racial Achievement Gap- Terah Venzant-Chambers
This course focused on the achievement gap, but mostly from the standpoint of minorities-not just race. Different subgroups of people were analyzed based on a variety of criteria. Each minority, such as at-risk youth, have experienced something in their education that has created a gap of achievement across the nation. In this course I worked in a small group of other students to analyze and compare our own experiences and those of other students in other parts of teh country. We used this as the basis of reasearch for a group project designed to shed some light on where or how the gap is growing or shrinking. Looking at the achievement gap as a whole it was clear to see that there were major holes, but when we got up close to the numbers, it became even more clear that it isn't just the academic achievement gap we need to be worried about, but the racial achievement gap is equally as wide.
Summer 2016
During this class, the focus is to reflect and anlyze all that I have learned over the course of the program at Michigan State University. This course also requires an online portfolio to be used either peronally or professionally. This course has pushed me in ways outside of my comfort zone. Prior to the course I had no knowledge or experience building portfolios or websites. The course provided me with an opportunity to reflect on my experiences in my career and use what I have done as building blocks for my portfolio. It also pushed me out of my comfort zone as a learner on a platform with which I had no experience. I am now being asked to help run the website of the school for which I am currently working.