Fall 2016
Education 800 - Concepts in Educational Inquiry
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland ED800 is an introduction to the different approaches of educational inquiry and is one of two required courses for the Master of Arts in Education program. In this course, I began by exploring the work of John Dewey and his influence on subsequent educators. Using the writings of Vivan Paley and Howard Gardner, among others, I also considered technology's influence on educational inquiry and the changing nature of the field. These examinations prompted further inspections into my current educational setting. |
Kinesiology 857 - Promoting Positive Youth Development in Sport
Instructor: Dr. Dan Gould KIN857 explored how to most effectively use sport to establish and maintain positive youth development. The work of Joe Erhmann and Tom Ferrey were most influential for me in this process as they both identify current issues in youth sports and offer techniques and suggestions for alternatives that offer lasting positive influence for the youth athletes. To culminate my work in this course, I created "Millbrook Grand Slam," a hypothetical youth baseball camp whose programming reflected the ideals of these two authors. This hypothetical project led to the establishment of the first Millbrook Baseball Camp in the summer of 2017. |
Spring 2017
Educational Administration 801 - Leadership and Organizational Development
Instructor: Dr. William Arnold EAD801 provided me with an introduction to the practice of adaptive leadership. During the spring of 2017, I examined an adaptive challenge at my school, the Master of the Day position. Using my experience at the school and faculty interviews that I conducted, I proposed a re-imagination of the position that addressed inefficiencies and frustrations with the current practice. This work enabled me to practice the principles of adaptive leadership that we studied in class. |
Kinesiology 868 - Skill Development in Athletes
Instructor: Dr. Andrew Driska KIN868 introduced me to current and prospective coaches to the best practices in developing physical skills in athletes. During this course, I examined coaching practices, such as effective practice planning and verbal and physical feedback, that best enabled athletes to know their body and respond the the coaching to achieve skill retention. I also completed two constraints-based projects. One designed to train a baseball batter's visual acuity to enable quick and efficient pitch recognition and the other designed to improve a high school baseball pitcher's pitching mechanics for improved pitch control and prolonged shoulder and elbow health. |
Summer 2017
Counseling, Educational Psychology & Special Education 815 - Technology and Leadership
Instructor: Professor Kyle Shack & Professor Rohit Mehta CEP815 explored the most effective ways to integrate technology into the classroom. Using such models as TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition), I examined my current educational environment and ways that technology integration could enable me to redefine the activity of the classroom. I also proposed an introduction for the entire faculty to these models that could offer fresh insight into our models of education throughout the school. I also performed a case study on a school district's incorporation of technology to better understand the obstacles that such a venture inevitably encounters. |
Kinesiology 856 - Physical Bases of Coaching
Instructor: Dr. Tony Moreno KIN856 built upon much of my work with KIN868. In this course, I conducted several movement analyses to better understand the physical and environmental influences acting upon an athlete. This enabled me to formulate the best response and coach the most efficient and healthy movement patterns. Similar to KIN868, I focused primarily on movements occurring during the course of play in baseball as that is the sport that holds the greatest interest and application for me and my roles as a baseball coach. |
Fall 2017
Educational Administration 822 - Diverse Students and Families
Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Jacobsen EAD822 explored the question of how to most effectively engage a diverse group of families in students' education. In this course, I analyzed the variety of support and resources that different families offer and how to best incorporate all families into the working of a school. Through my work in this course, I was able to better understand both the variety of demands various families face and how to connect and engage with all families. I also looked at current parent support programs and parent liaison positions to examine their effectiveness in achieving the goal of parental engagement. |
Educational Administration 878 - Education in the Digital Age
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland EAD878 is dedicated to examining how technology and the digital age are influencing and changing the nature of education. Beginning with the mechanical clock and moving into the Internet, I tracked how different historical innovations influenced society and education. I also analyzed the skills most important to cultivate in students in the digital age and the influence (and opportunity) of social media on these students. I culminated my work in the course by identifying those "open resources" available to me in pursuit of my professional goals. |
Summer 2018
Education 870 - Capstone Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Koehler ED870 is the final course in the MAED program. It enabled me to create a portfolio to both showcase the work that I completed in the program and reflect my growth over this time. I was also able to examine how my professional goals have changed over the course of the program and how each individual course influenced these goals. This course provided me with peer and instructor feedback on the development of my portfolio as well. |
Teacher Education 846 - Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Instructor: Dr. Lance Wheatley TE846 examined the most effective practices in literacy education and accommodating those students who struggle with literacy. By working with one specific student struggling with literacy, I was able to better understand typical challenges such students face and how to respond to those challenges as an educator. This study culminated with the Literacy Learner Analysis that is available on the Showcase page. TE846 had direct application to my previous work as an English teacher and provided an enjoyable return to the classroom. |