Synthesis Essay

Reflection. It is a word that is used frequently in the education world, but it is often put to the side with the day-to-day whirlwind we experience as teachers. We know the importance of reflection, but it is often difficult to find the time to sit and think about what went well and what didn’t. This reflection time is what helps us grow as educators and I need to constantly remind myself to stop, think, and reflect. That is exactly what this writing piece is about. It is my way of reflecting on my experience here at Michigan State University (MSU) in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program.

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While I have learned something new in each class I have taken over the past seven years, nothing compares to the connections and learning that took place in CEP 811 Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education, CEP 810 Teaching for Understanding with Technology, and CEP 812 Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice. These courses were important to me because I was able to make some major connections between what we were learning to what I experience as a fourth grade teacher.  

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Creativity. Creativity is a skill that most kids are born with but for some reason lose over time. This is extremely unfortunate because creativity is a major skill that employers are looking for. We must encourage kids to continually utilize and grow this skill. In CEP 811 we learned a lot about the makers movement in education and the importance of creativity. Makers education provides students with the tools to make new things, build confidence, foster creativity, innovate, and overall find interest in the areas of science, math, engineering, technology, and the arts. Maker education allows for all students to learn and show their understanding in unique and creative ways.

In this course we also discussed our own creativity. We often hear about a new idea or technique we’d love to apply in our classrooms, but we just don’t have the resources to do so. That is where our creativity comes in. We must take the limited resources we are given and repurpose them in order to try out these new ideas and techniques.

Part of maker education is all about providing students with choice and allowing them to use creativity to express what they know. This really resonates with me because in 2018 I was asked to be a part of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) cohort in my district. UDL is a framework that allows children to have more choice in how they learn, where they learn, and how they demonstrate their understanding. On my journey to discovering and learning more about UDL, I have made some great connections with what I have learned in my CEP 811 course. Maker education definitely encapsulates many of the great qualities of the UDL framework, one of which allows students to choose a spot in the room where they can do their best work. Part of the UDL framework teaches educators how to set up the furniture in their room to provide multiple seating options. In CEP 811, I was able to learn more about flexible seating and how it can be extremely beneficial for students. We as teachers need to provide a learning space where students can be creative and do their best thinking and learning.

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With my UDL cohort we have been doing some research and testing of our own using flexible seating. While we do not have the resources yet, we needed to use our creativity in order to repurpose the items in our classrooms. We took old tables and played with the leg heights to make them shorter or taller. We also played with other seating options such as pillows, stools (high and low), milk crates with cushions, and normal chairs. We have found what kids like and what they do not like, what areas are great for collaboration, and what spaces are great for individual work. We are now taking what we have learned and are now designing our classrooms using furniture from Norva Nivel. From there we will be the first in the district to pilot the new furniture and test it out with our students. Being a part of this process is very exciting and I’m grateful to have my experience in CEP 811 to guide my thinking.

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Collaboration. While working on your own you might be able to achieve and learn quite a bit, but there is nothing like the learning and work that can be accomplished when you are working with a group of people who are striving for the same goal. In CEP 810 we discussed the importance of collaboration, while also learning new things in a very non-traditional way. In this course, I learned how to do something new in a non-traditional way, how to make learning meaningful for all children, and what I can do as an educator to continue my learning even after I finish my master’s.

Networking with people who are experts in a particular topic that you are learning about can be extremely beneficial. By interacting with an expert you can learn from their craft and skills and build up your own. The internet is a wonderful tool that allows us to connect with experts anywhere in the world. I believe that teachers should encourage their students to locate and learn from other people. The teacher doesn’t always need be the expert and the flow of information doesn’t always need to come from them. Oftentimes the most memorable teaching comes from someone who isn’t in the classroom on a regular basis. Not all learning needs to take place in front of a chalkboard; it can take place by talking with others, watching videos online, or reading blogs or online forums. Our world is changing and it is about time the way we learn and gather new information does too.

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Part of my goal as an educator is to make my lessons impactful, memorable, and meaningful. In CEP 810 I was introduced to a theory called TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge). This theory explains how good teaching transpires when technology, pedagogy, and content come together and intersect. In order to prepare my students for the 21st century working day world I need to provide them with the grade level content knowledge using a pedagogy that has proven to have great results while teaching the students how to use the technology to their advantage.

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Another concept that stuck with me through many of my courses from MSU and especially in CEP 810 is the importance of having a Personal Learning Network (PLN). A personal learning network is a group of people that you have contact with whether it is face to face or through social media outlets. You are able to talk and discuss things going on in the classroom and learn about the latest trends and good practices. While I may not be taking classes at MSU anymore I will still be able to follow and hear what is going on in my colleagues’ classrooms through Twitter and Facebook. Learning never ends when you have a great PLN.

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Failure. Scary word, huh? You might be wondering, “Why is she bringing up failure?” Well, let me explain. In my CEP 812 course we learned about wicked problems, which are issues that are so intricate and difficult to solve that there really isn’t a great solution. I was asked to find a wicked problem that resonates with me and team up with others to figure out the “best bad solution.” Our team decided to learn more about using failure as a learning mode in the classroom. Failure as a learning mode was of high interest to me because the school district where I work was working on incorporating a move at your own pace approach, meaning students would study a topic and when they felt ready they would be assessed. If they did well they moved onto the next topic; if they didn’t do well they would study more and try the assessment again. This is exactly the idea behind using failure as a learning mode. I was interested to see what students, teachers, parents, and administration thought about failure and why. To learn more, we sent out surveys to all stakeholders and asked them many questions regarding failure. As it turned out, our data told us that many students, teachers, and parents feel uncomfortable about personal failure. From there my team came up with our “best bad solution.” Even though failure was not accepted well by most stakeholders we knew that so much more learning comes when we’re confronted with our mistakes and are able to learn from them. We then came up with a solution that would make all stakeholders happy. You can read more about our solution by clicking here.

As I had mentioned before, my school district has been working over the years to implement a move at your own pace approach. As we know, this is a wicked problem as there are so many intricate pieces that need to be assessed. My district attempted to implement this approach to our math curriculum. We had the technology, the resources, the training, the communication among stakeholders, but as a district, we failed. We had the program up and running until we started seeing some major flaws and received some huge push back from parents, students, and teachers. Some students were falling way behind due to lack in motivation and we didn’t have a system in place to prevent this. We had parents who couldn’t stand to see their child struggle with failure. We also had many teachers who were just completely overwhelmed by the sheer work of keeping up with thirty students who were all at thirty different places in the math curriculum. After parents started getting upset, we had to take a major step back and reevaluate how failure as a learning mode could still work. While we as a district have been confronted with our own failure, it is important to keep striving for success. We know that kids can learn best when they are able to learn from their mistakes. The same goes for us adults. We needed to pick up the pieces, see what worked, what did not work, and try again. I’m happy to have a say and work alongside my district to help them find the best solution so that these kiddos can receive an amazing education and push themselves further each day. For now we are taking smaller steps; we are starting with allowing students to take an assessment when ready. When they succeed, they are able to move on and if they do not, they get some remedial help and re-try the questions they got wrong. This solution has been working well and students, parents, and teachers are much happier.

Growth. Overall, many of the skills I have learned during the MAET program have already been utilized in my daily work. I hope to continue learning about the use of new technologies and tools in the classroom as well as new theories and ideas to make learning fun and worthwhile. I plan to continue developing my skills and perfecting my craft so that when students step into my classroom they feel safe, welcome, and as if their thoughts and opinions matter. I want my students to feel like they are playing and having fun while they are really learning, collaborating, and growing their skills. I want my students to look forward to school every day and wonder what they will be creating next.

While my time at MSU is coming to as close it is important to have a plan on how I will continue learning and growing as an educator. If you haven’t done so already take a read through my Future Learning Goals essay to see what my next steps will be and where I plan to go next.