My Coursework
This page features a snapshot of each of my courses during my time as an MAED student at Michigan State University. Provided are examples from each class that has, in some way, contributed to my growth as an educator. All files linked are in PDF format. You can also click on some of the pictures next to each course as some will bring you to websites pertaining to the course.
KIN 854 - Sport Law for Administrators and Coaches
Instructors: Dr. J. Haubenstricker and Al Bush
Summer 2009
This course provided risk management strategies for potential athletic directors and coaches. Other topics included contracts, corporal punishment, and supervision. This course helped me currently in my job through showing me legal liabilities and many other issues that I need to consider while coaching. This course also gave me an appreciation for those coaches who do what they can to fulfill all legal obligations.
Most of the coursework for this class required me to respond to scenarios and perform research as to what the best action should be. There were a few situations where I was required to write an Emergency Action Plan for the School that I work for and a job description. Please click on the link below for the job description. I do not have a copy of the syllabus used for this course.
High School Varsity Head Coach Job Description
Summer 2009
This course provided risk management strategies for potential athletic directors and coaches. Other topics included contracts, corporal punishment, and supervision. This course helped me currently in my job through showing me legal liabilities and many other issues that I need to consider while coaching. This course also gave me an appreciation for those coaches who do what they can to fulfill all legal obligations.
Most of the coursework for this class required me to respond to scenarios and perform research as to what the best action should be. There were a few situations where I was required to write an Emergency Action Plan for the School that I work for and a job description. Please click on the link below for the job description. I do not have a copy of the syllabus used for this course.
High School Varsity Head Coach Job Description
KIN 856 - Physical Bases of Coaching Athletes
Instructor: Dr. Scott Riewald
Summer 2010
Kinesiology, psychology, legal issues, vector analysis, nutrition, and other principles of coaching were explored in this extremely challenging but rewarding class. The areas of study proved to be invaluable and relevant to the athletes and to the coaching staff which I work with. We also explored technology that can be used to advance the physical development of athletes through videotaping and the use of Dartfish software. We also examined coaching practices, with an emphasis on safe and effective instruction as a major point of emphasis. Much of what I learned from this course has been applied to what I do as a coach, especially the use of videotaping individual performances in track & field.
One other thing that I brought with me to the work place is the use of information brochures about nutrition and supplements. Both were created as they were required for the course but I made sure they could be used where I work. Click on the links below to see the brochures.
Nutritional Information Brochure
Supplement Information Brochure
KIN 856 Syllabus
Summer 2010
Kinesiology, psychology, legal issues, vector analysis, nutrition, and other principles of coaching were explored in this extremely challenging but rewarding class. The areas of study proved to be invaluable and relevant to the athletes and to the coaching staff which I work with. We also explored technology that can be used to advance the physical development of athletes through videotaping and the use of Dartfish software. We also examined coaching practices, with an emphasis on safe and effective instruction as a major point of emphasis. Much of what I learned from this course has been applied to what I do as a coach, especially the use of videotaping individual performances in track & field.
One other thing that I brought with me to the work place is the use of information brochures about nutrition and supplements. Both were created as they were required for the course but I made sure they could be used where I work. Click on the links below to see the brochures.
Nutritional Information Brochure
Supplement Information Brochure
KIN 856 Syllabus
ED 800 - Educational Inquiry
Image taken from: http://www.duboisweb.org/
Instructor: Dr. Steven Weiland
Summer 2010
As a foundational course, ED 800 touched upon the philosophies of several influential thinkers in the 20th century and their views of educational inquiry. Prior to this class, I had limited knowledge of educational concepts and where they came from. This course provided an important introduction to my understanding of the field of education and learning, covering the ideas of Vivian Paley, Mary Catherine Bateson, Edward Hirsch, and Howard Gardner, to name a few.
Below are two assignments that illustrate my gains from this course and helped me reflect more of what it means to learn and what society needs for learning. The article titled "My history with ICT's" is about my history with linking technology to my education and how I use it in my classroom.
W.E.B. Du Bois’ Education
My history with ICT's
ED 800 Syllabus
Summer 2010
As a foundational course, ED 800 touched upon the philosophies of several influential thinkers in the 20th century and their views of educational inquiry. Prior to this class, I had limited knowledge of educational concepts and where they came from. This course provided an important introduction to my understanding of the field of education and learning, covering the ideas of Vivian Paley, Mary Catherine Bateson, Edward Hirsch, and Howard Gardner, to name a few.
Below are two assignments that illustrate my gains from this course and helped me reflect more of what it means to learn and what society needs for learning. The article titled "My history with ICT's" is about my history with linking technology to my education and how I use it in my classroom.
W.E.B. Du Bois’ Education
My history with ICT's
ED 800 Syllabus
TE 855 - Teaching School Mathematics
Instructor: Dr. Kristen Bieda
Fall 2010
This course exposed me to the methods, materials, activities, and content important to what it means to learn mathematics. There was a great emphasis put on conceptual understanding of these mathematical ideas. Throughout the course we also learned about the implications for lesson development, teaching diverse learners, and evaluating student learning as we further understood our role as a teacher in the classroom.
In response to understanding what it means to teach mathematics, I developed an action research project intended to look at the motivational factors that play into the learning of math. I communicated my finding through a variety of formats for sharing and communicating. We were encouraged to utilize our wiki site and VoiceThread as presentation methods. Below is the final product of the research even though I would loosely use the term "final" as this kind of research is never ending for the purposes of teaching.
How to engage the “disengaged”?
TE 855 Syllabus
Fall 2010
This course exposed me to the methods, materials, activities, and content important to what it means to learn mathematics. There was a great emphasis put on conceptual understanding of these mathematical ideas. Throughout the course we also learned about the implications for lesson development, teaching diverse learners, and evaluating student learning as we further understood our role as a teacher in the classroom.
In response to understanding what it means to teach mathematics, I developed an action research project intended to look at the motivational factors that play into the learning of math. I communicated my finding through a variety of formats for sharing and communicating. We were encouraged to utilize our wiki site and VoiceThread as presentation methods. Below is the final product of the research even though I would loosely use the term "final" as this kind of research is never ending for the purposes of teaching.
How to engage the “disengaged”?
TE 855 Syllabus
TE 831 - Teaching Subject Matter with Technology
Instructor: Erik Byker
Spring 2011
In this course I learned how to successfully integrate instruction, technology, and pedagogy into my instruction. The course introduced me to Web 2.0 programs such as Glogster, Weebly, Wordle word clouds, and even the WikiSpace that I now use in my classroom. We also learned how to search for appropriate technology and how to "re-purpose" technological tools which were not specifically designed for the classroom, into useful tools for learning. Click on the link below to see the lesson plan and my reflection after using the plan. Other notable course work was the creation of a digital story used to illustrate a practical use for trigonometry. Click on the picture to the left to view the digital story.
Re-purposing Technology Lesson Plan
Reflection of Re-purposing Technology Lesson Plan
TE 831 Syllabus
Spring 2011
In this course I learned how to successfully integrate instruction, technology, and pedagogy into my instruction. The course introduced me to Web 2.0 programs such as Glogster, Weebly, Wordle word clouds, and even the WikiSpace that I now use in my classroom. We also learned how to search for appropriate technology and how to "re-purpose" technological tools which were not specifically designed for the classroom, into useful tools for learning. Click on the link below to see the lesson plan and my reflection after using the plan. Other notable course work was the creation of a digital story used to illustrate a practical use for trigonometry. Click on the picture to the left to view the digital story.
Re-purposing Technology Lesson Plan
Reflection of Re-purposing Technology Lesson Plan
TE 831 Syllabus
TE 846 - Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Map used for final lesson in project
Instructor: Laurel Disney
Summer 2011
This course looked at the developmental processes, instructional practices, and assessment principles that contribute to effective learning of reading and writing literacy learners in today's school systems. In this course I studied and assessed two struggling students to see what components of reading and writing they might have a deficit in or were missing all together. After assessing where the student needed support, I taught the student strategies and worked with them to improve their understanding of reading and writing.
I completed a case study, which can be seen below, on one struggling learner and I developed lessons and assessment pieces to interpret the data. My assessment of this case study can be seen below as the Final Project.
Case Study
TE 846 Final Project
TE 846 Syllabus
Summer 2011
This course looked at the developmental processes, instructional practices, and assessment principles that contribute to effective learning of reading and writing literacy learners in today's school systems. In this course I studied and assessed two struggling students to see what components of reading and writing they might have a deficit in or were missing all together. After assessing where the student needed support, I taught the student strategies and worked with them to improve their understanding of reading and writing.
I completed a case study, which can be seen below, on one struggling learner and I developed lessons and assessment pieces to interpret the data. My assessment of this case study can be seen below as the Final Project.
Case Study
TE 846 Final Project
TE 846 Syllabus
TE 861C - Action Research in K-12 Science and Mathematics Classrooms
Instructor: Dawnmarie Ezzo
Summer 2011
This course focused on the philosophy and methods supporting action research in sciences and mathematics classrooms. I worked through the steps necessary to design and implement an action research project for my classroom although much of the actual implementation was hypothetical as it took place during the summer months. However, the planning and preparation for data collection analyzing, interpreting, and reporting project results helped me to know what to do when I had my students back again. Even though I didn't use the action research in my classroom at that point in time, this course greatly benefited my ability to reflect on my teaching as well as the ways in which I evaluate myself.
As for my action research project I focused on the use of differentiated instruction in very large mathematics classes. Click below to see the details to collecting the data for this research and the proposal.
Data Collection Plan
Action Research Proposal
TE 861C Syllabus
Summer 2011
This course focused on the philosophy and methods supporting action research in sciences and mathematics classrooms. I worked through the steps necessary to design and implement an action research project for my classroom although much of the actual implementation was hypothetical as it took place during the summer months. However, the planning and preparation for data collection analyzing, interpreting, and reporting project results helped me to know what to do when I had my students back again. Even though I didn't use the action research in my classroom at that point in time, this course greatly benefited my ability to reflect on my teaching as well as the ways in which I evaluate myself.
As for my action research project I focused on the use of differentiated instruction in very large mathematics classes. Click below to see the details to collecting the data for this research and the proposal.
Data Collection Plan
Action Research Proposal
TE 861C Syllabus
KIN 855 - Psychosocial Bases of Coaching Athletes
Instructor: Dr. Marty Ewing
Fall 2011
The aim of this course was to look at student athletes from more than just a physical perspective, but also at their developmental level psychologically. In this course, I considered the variety of different philosophies for the athletes that I work with in both football in the inner-city and track & field in a more rural setting. The course touched on how growth and development impact coaching, how to match competitors, early specialization, gender differences, how to plan an effective season, how to be an effective teacher and how to give effective demonstrations. A lot was taken in as I was coaching football at this time.
Below is the coaching philosophy that I developed.
Coaching Philosophy
KIN 855 Syllabus
Fall 2011
The aim of this course was to look at student athletes from more than just a physical perspective, but also at their developmental level psychologically. In this course, I considered the variety of different philosophies for the athletes that I work with in both football in the inner-city and track & field in a more rural setting. The course touched on how growth and development impact coaching, how to match competitors, early specialization, gender differences, how to plan an effective season, how to be an effective teacher and how to give effective demonstrations. A lot was taken in as I was coaching football at this time.
Below is the coaching philosophy that I developed.
Coaching Philosophy
KIN 855 Syllabus
EAD 866 - Teaching in Post-Secondary Education
Instructor: Ann Austin and Leslie Jo Shelton
Spring 2012
This course introduced concepts of teaching for specifically the higher, adult, and lifelong education environment and discussed the different factors that affect learning for students and learners beyond the high school level, whether in training courses, colleges, or other educational settings. We explored the course goals, teaching strategies, and how to evaluate learning. I chose this course because I was interesting in post-secondary education and I wanted to expand my understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced in the classroom. I found a great many parallels to teaching in high school and in the post-secondary level.
Through this course, I developed and fine-tuned a philosophy for teaching and my core beliefs behind it. Click on the link below.
My Philosophy of Teaching
EAD 866 Syllabus
Spring 2012
This course introduced concepts of teaching for specifically the higher, adult, and lifelong education environment and discussed the different factors that affect learning for students and learners beyond the high school level, whether in training courses, colleges, or other educational settings. We explored the course goals, teaching strategies, and how to evaluate learning. I chose this course because I was interesting in post-secondary education and I wanted to expand my understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced in the classroom. I found a great many parallels to teaching in high school and in the post-secondary level.
Through this course, I developed and fine-tuned a philosophy for teaching and my core beliefs behind it. Click on the link below.
My Philosophy of Teaching
EAD 866 Syllabus
ED 870 - Capstone Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Matthew Koehler, William Cain and Penny Thompson
Summer 2012
As our thesis seminar, ED 870 gave us the chance to compile our masters work in a professional setting through an online portfolio. Not only were we given the chance to create "snapshot" of sorts of our courses, but this course also allowed for us to reflect in a meaningful way on our time in the program along with our future as learners. This capstone seminar helped me understand just how much I have grown as an educator through the curriculum offerings of the MAED program at Michigan State University.
ED 870 Syllabus
Summer 2012
As our thesis seminar, ED 870 gave us the chance to compile our masters work in a professional setting through an online portfolio. Not only were we given the chance to create "snapshot" of sorts of our courses, but this course also allowed for us to reflect in a meaningful way on our time in the program along with our future as learners. This capstone seminar helped me understand just how much I have grown as an educator through the curriculum offerings of the MAED program at Michigan State University.
ED 870 Syllabus