Chelsea Tinney
Educator. Lifelong Learner. Spartan.
Designing Instruction with Students in Mind: A Synthesis of my Graduate Studies
I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones as I have always known I wanted to be a teacher. I had great teachers throughout my K-12 education that helped me determine the type of instruction I wanted to provide to my future students, or so I thought. While I did learn quite a bit from my elementary and secondary education teachers, my time at Michigan State University (MSU) as both an undergraduate student and as a graduate student in the Master of Education (MAED) program are unmatched. Through my graduate courses, I have been challenged to reflect deeply upon my use of technology in the classroom, intentionality in my instruction, and how to best support all students so that they can be successful. The MAED program granted me the opportunity to build upon the qualities and practices I had learned prior, question them, and in turn feel justified in the knowledge and tools I have gained that have allowed me to become a better educator.
TE = Teacher Education /// CEP = Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education
Using Technology Effectively in the Classroom
Technology continues to be one of the latest buzzwords in the education world. What types of technology are you using? Did you hear about the latest tools you can use in the classroom? These are the questions that I let get to me as a beginning teacher. I didn’t want to be the teacher that struggled with the computer and needed help from my students. I aimed to be ahead of the game and I felt if I was able to use technology in my classroom, I was keeping up with the latest trends. The effective use of technology in the classroom was not something I had thought about much less researched during my undergraduate studies. However, as I applied for the MAED program and was faced with choosing a concentration, I knew that technology was an area in which I wanted to learn more, especially as my future students become more literate in technology every single day. I knew that as the years progress, I am going to have to compete with technologies that my students find engaging and exciting. Enrolling in courses centered around the effective and engaging use of technology in the classroom was exactly what I needed to do to create a better future as an educator.
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In CEP 805 Learning Math with Technology, I was asked to examine different technology tools, their uses in the classroom, the learning they can provide and the way in which the learning was presented. Evaluating these different mathematical resources that I was able to find on the enormity that is the internet and that I could potentially use was quite a challenging experience. Before I would look at tools and resources to make sure they covered the content I wanted and were user friendly. I’m sad to say that was the entirety of my criteria. Luckily, CEP 805 challenged me to look more deeply at the underlying purpose of the technology so that I could ensure the technology would be used effectively in my classroom. I created a resource library comprised of both technology tools and resources that fit into four categories: Transformations, Similar Triangles, Surface Area & Volume of Shapes, and Miscellaneous so that I have a starting point for finding tools in the future and an evaluation protocol that I can reference when looking at different technologies I’d like to incorporate in my classroom. I further explored the five affordances technology provides alongside the proficiency strands that can be addressed - both of which have helped me hone in on the intention behind using the technology which has allowed for an increase in the effectiveness of the technology I choose to use in my classroom. By taking CEP 805 and other courses centered around the use of technology in the classroom, this led me to question the intention behind all of my instruction, not just my instructional practices that involved technology tools and resources.
Intention in Instruction
Year after year, educators race to teach all of the standards that the state requires before time runs out. With the fight for time, it has been crucial for me to further reflect on the intention behind my instruction. My first two years of teaching were spent in two different districts where my main goal was to keep my head above water - a common goal of most first and second year teachers. The workload required of beginning teachers can be extremely overwhelming and from my personal experiences, I know that the intention behind my instruction was not even on my radar. As I look back on my first couple years, it pains me to admit that I wanted to get through the curriculum as quickly as I could and the purpose behind each task and lesson was not well thought out. This is an area in which I needed a tremendous amount of help and clarity.
In CEP 816 Technology, Teaching, and Learning Across the Curriculum, I was challenged to think critically about the choices I made as a young teacher and the decisions I will have to continue to make in the future in regards to tools and instructional practices used in the classroom alongside lesson and unit planning. Through CEP 816, I began to examine cognitive load when making instructional decisions. If I do not consider or address cognitive load when I’m introducing new content, the chances of the content being stored in my students long term memory is very unlikely. With this in mind, I began to examine lessons that I had previously taught and determine ways in which I could modify these tasks to reduce cognitive load for my future students. I believed that this would be a fairly simple task but I was very wrong. I chose to address the intention behind my instruction as I redesigned a math unit centered around transformations using the learning management system (LMS) Google Sites. Through the redesign of this unit, I began to develop a better understanding of different strategies that could be used for the undertaking that is cognitive load. These strategies included chunking of information, emphasizing key points by using bold text or large font, introducing one concept at a time, and removing distractions whether they be a part of the task itself or in the classroom. Now that I am more aware of cognitive load, I am more intentional in my instruction as well as the design of the tasks I ask my students to do. Being aware of cognitive load leads to teaching that is designed with students in mind.
The MAED program as a whole has continued to require me to be calculated in the decisions I am making, concise in regards to my expectations and aware of the working memory of my students. Although CEP 816 asked me to focus on one unit in one math class, I feel I have gained tools and insight in regards to the intentional use of time and tools that I can use in all units and all classes. Regardless of the district I’m employed by or the classes that I teach in the future, I feel prepared to better educate my students thanks to the MAED program.
Supporting All Students
As an educator, I always have and will strive to support all students in my classroom regardless of level of understanding, cultural differences, disabilities, and so much more. I have worked to differentiate lessons, incorporate real world scenarios that all students are familiar with, follow the accommodations and modifications listed in my student’s individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, as well as spend extra time in and out of the classroom with my students when help was needed. As much as I’d like to believe I had all of the necessary tools to continue supporting all of my students after completing my undergraduate program, I did not. By enrolling in the MAED program, I have taken multiple courses that have allowed me to further build my resources to support every single individual that walks into my classroom regardless of their background.
In CEP 840 Policies, Practices and Perspectives in Special Education, I examined many different accommodations and modifications that can be used for students with disabilities that are covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). This course challenged me to consider the necessary adjustments that could be made in my classroom to support these special education students and other students alike. Through CEP 840, I came to the realization that many of the supports put in place for special education students are also tremendously beneficial for students that do not fit under the umbrella of disabilities. Although this seems like an easy connection to make, I had previously found the language in IEPs and Section 504 plans to be overwhelming and didn’t have a grasp of what this would look like on a larger scale. By taking this course and others through the MAED program, I feel that I have built a library of resources that will allow me to support all students that enter my classroom through the use of accommodations such as explicit instruction, breaking material into manageable chunks and presenting content visually and audibly, to name a few. As mentioned in being intentional in instruction, being aware of the different accommodations and modifications that can be used in the classroom will help me to best design instruction with students in mind.
The MAED program has tremendously changed my view in regards to the necessary qualities of a great educator. I have gained a plethora of knowledge, protocols, tools, and resources that will allow me to better support my future students. Through CEP 805 Learning Math with Technology, I acquired a criteria that will help me choose the best technology tools to use in my classroom. This evaluation criteria is something I didn’t know I needed prior to the MAED program but I am thankful to have as this will help me improve as an educator. Through CEP 816 Technology, Teaching, and Learning Across the Curriculum, my understanding of cognitive load increased significantly allowing me to be more intentional in my instruction. The overall design of my lessons will better address the working memory of my students to allow them to better retain content knowledge. I am able to enhance the learning experience of all students after taking CEP 840 Policies, Practices and Perspectives in Special Education, and learning more about the benefits of accommodations and modifications that can and will positively impact all. These three courses are only a small portion of my degree program but have remarkably changed my outlook on education.
I am extremely grateful for the Master of Arts in Education program at Michigan State University as I have become more confident in my abilities to effectively educate all students that enter my classroom. I enrolled in this program with the goal of improving my practice in regards to the use of technology in my classroom. Through the different courses I had the opportunity to take, I learned more about the underlying expertise needed to accomplish this goal. I can without a doubt say that I now have the knowledge needed to accomplish the specific uses of technology. As I finish out the program, I have set new goals that I will work toward, still in regards to technology, but more specifically in the areas of leadership, chemistry, mathematics, and special education. As an MAED student, I have been reminded of the importance of feedback and collaboration in further developing my practice and will continue to seek out these opportunities in the future. I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to further ignite my passion as a lifelong learner and for what my future as an educator holds. The work is never done.