Lessons Learned: Bringing them Along for the Ride

 

 

 

            As my yearlong internship in an elementary school was coming to a close, and my college experience with it, I was so excited for the future.  I knew I would begin the scary, but exciting process of looking for a job as a full time teacher in an elementary school.  I was so proud to say I graduated from the highest rated elementary education program in the country.  I was looking forward to sharing all that I learned with my future peers, principal, students, and families at whichever school I would be teaching at.  The future was just full of so many possibilities and I could not wait to get it started.

           

            I received my probationary teaching certificate and I stopped to think about what I had accomplished.  After attending a seminar about how to stay certified as a teacher in Michigan, I realized that my education was nowhere near complete as I would be foolish not to get a master’s degree.  First of all, it’s necessary to continue education as a teacher to stay certified.  Secondly, and most important, it is necessary as a teacher to continue to learn and grow in the profession.  Being a teacher means I obviously value education, and therefore see the importance of continuing my education.  It was in the summer of 2011, just one math after completing my internship that I made the commitment to myself that I would find a job, get one of teaching under my belt, and then apply to Michigan State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree, to continue my education and complete a master’s degree program.

           

            Well, after one year of teaching I realized how wonderful and rewarding the job is.  I also realized how draining and stressful it could be.  I just simply could not imagine working full time as a teacher while taking extensive graduate classes.  I decided to give myself one more year of teaching before starting.  After that second year I decided to give myself one more year of teaching.  It was at this point that I realized I was just nervous to start.  When I start something I want to see it through to the end and do my best with it.  In my mind, I could take no half measures with my master’s degree program. 

          

              I researched and found the perfect opportunity for me.  The MAET program at Michigan State University jumped out to me right away.  I consider myself a “techie” in my personal life and have always been interested in ways to bring technology into the classroom in a meaningful way.  The MAET program was also offered completely online which was great for me because I teacher in South Lyon and live in Plymouth.  I knew I wanted to continue my education at Michigan State University because of its high prestige and my great experience with it for my undergrad.  I applied, was accepted, and began in the summer of 2014.  It’s been a whirlwind year and a half with teaching and taking classes, but it has been worth it.  After looking back on my experience, I have found many lessons I learned that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and in my personal teaching profession.

           

              One of the major lessons I learned during my time in the MAET program is the important distinction between instrumental and relational understanding.  A few of the courses I took delved into this topic and helped open my eyes to my own teaching practices and look into what my students are actually learning from me.  In CEP 805 (Learning Math with Technology) we read a great article by Richard Skemp about instrumental and relational understanding.  We then went on to have group discussions about this topic and I found myself referencing this article not just in CEP 805, but in other courses as well. 

             

              The idea behind it is that teachers often fall into the trap of teaching our students so they have an instrumental understanding of the topic.  For example, we might show a student the algorithm for dividing fractions.  We could tell them that you just multiply by the inverse and you will have your answer.  While students could certainly memorize that process and find the answers to division problems with fractions, they wouldn’t have a relational understanding of the concept.  The have a relational understanding of a concept they need to understand why and how it works.  This deep understanding allows them to build on their knowledge of math and lays a foundation for further lessons.  This course made me examine my own teaching in math and I realized I fell into the trap of teaching instrumentally too often and it has been something I have adjusted heavily in my practice ever since I took the course.  I can’t put into words how much more meaningful I feel my instruction has become, and for that I am thankful.

             

              Since my degree is in educational technology I expected to learn a lot about new technologies that I can use in my classroom, and I wasn’t disappointed.  While almost all of my courses introduced me to new technologies and taught me how and why they can be used in classrooms, CEP 805 (Learning Math with Technology) really opened my eyes to a whole new world of useful tech tools to use in my classroom.  One of the major projects for the course was to compile an online resource library.  For this project classmates and myself found and curated 20 different digital tools that are used for math instruction and then I made my own website where these tools are organized by math concept domains.  I find myself going back to this resource library when planning math units now to add in quality technology that helps engage my students while also allowing them alternative ways to show their understanding.  I have shared this resource with fellow teachers at my school and they have been very appreciative.

             

             During my time in the MAET program I wasn’t just exposed to new technologies.  I learned why they are important and when they should and should not be used.  Many of my courses drove the point home that technology should not just be used for the “bells and whistles.”  Technology has its pros and cons and it is our jobs as professionals to research technology and use it in ways that promotes a deeper understanding and gives students more ways to show understanding.  CEP 816 (Technology, Teaching, and Learning Across the Curriculum) taught me this.  This course revolved around a book study of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson.  This book was used as the anchor to discussions and projects.  I learned so much about what technologies are useful for classrooms and which ones just aren’t good enough to use.  I was impressed to learn how social media such as Twitter can be a great way for students to learn and show their learning.  Needless to say, I have brought in new technologies into my classroom that I learned about in my courses.

           

              I mentioned previously that I have always considered myself a “techie” in my personal life.  I say that because I constantly read about the new technology in TVs, video game systems and computers.  I am that person who always wants the latest and greatest technologies.  Once starting the MAET program I quickly realized that my knowledge of fun personal gadgets didn’t really translate into having great technological skills with tools that can be used in the classroom.  My first course, CEP 800 (Learning in Schools and Other Settings) was the perfect course to start with.  I was ecstatic to find out many of my assignments would involve creating multimedia presentations with technologies I have never used before.  After a few practice sessions I learned how to make a digital story and podcasts.  This was very powerful for me because I felt comfortable with these presentation tools and was then taught how to bring them into the classroom.  I learned how to create presentations to help add another dimension to my instruction for my students.  I have also come up with assignments for my students to show their understanding using these presentation tools.  It has really added a lot to my personal teaching practice.

             

             Another major lesson I am taking away from my time in the MAET program is the importance of assessment with my students.  Many of my courses delved into this topic, but CEP 813 (Electronic Portfolios for Teaching and Learning) spent a lot of time on it.  This course taught me many different ways to assessment students while also showing me why.  I learned a lot about formative assessments, pre-assessments, summative assessments, and how and why to give meaningful feedback on assessments.  The importance was all modeled for me and I was then given the opportunity to practice it on my own.  I didn’t just learn the reasoning behind why to and how to assess student understanding, I was also given new ways to assess.  I gained experience using content management systems such as Schoology and Edmodo.  I learned how to create classrooms in these programs and create pre-assessments that can be collected quickly and efficiently.  I learned how to vet different programs and come to my own conclusions on which ones worked for me.  I even walked away knowing how to build an assessment inside the world of Minecraft that my fifth graders could use to show me their understanding of coordinate grids.  The experience in CEP 813 is invaluable to me and I will take many lessons from that course with me for the rest of my life.

           

              While I am finishing up my master’s degree program, I am not done with my education.  As a teacher, and student, I firmly believe that we must all continue to keep learning in life.  The world is changing, and the world of education is changing with it.  Our students are growing up in a world that is very different from the one I grew up in and it is critical that I change with the times.  The MAET program taught me the importance of being on the cutting edge of teaching philosophies and technologies.  Our job as educators is to grow each and every one of our students as much as possible and to the best of our abilities.  I owe it to them to continue to learn as I gain more experience as a teacher.  I plan on taking classes in the future to keep my certification current and to gain valuable new knowledge.  I am proud of all I accomplished and very thankful for all that I learned over the last year and a half.  I know that I will continue to come back to my digital portfolio time and time again as I plan units for my students.  I will continue to utilize good teaching practices, meaningful technologies, assessments, and feedback that I learned during my time in the MAET program.