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ED 860 The Concept of the Learning Society 

Dr. Steven Weiland and Dr. Nick Sheltrown (Fall 2011)

 

In this course, I discovered that what Robert Maynard Hutchins (right) called the "learning society" can exist 

anywhere and take any shape among willing and invested learners, from the autodidact to the online master's

student.  Each unit examined the case of such a learner, including the following: Atul Gawande, who studies and

teaches simple ways to make critical improvements in hospitals; Noah Adamsthe NPR reporter who chronicled

his experience of learning to play the piano in adulthood; Rafe Equith, who teaches inner-city children by

immersing them in experiences with Shakespeare and other higher-level texts, instilling in them a passion for

learning; Deborah Fallows, who details her experience with language-immersion in China; and William Powers,

who is learning to live with and compartmentalize the technology in his life.  

 

EAD 864 Adult Career Development 

Dr. Steven Weiland (Spring 2012)

 

This class put into perspective my work with high school seniors, who conduct so much of their college search

with an emphasis on career preparation.  Each case subject in the course offered an example of the unique ways

in which we all make our work meaningful for ourselves and those we serve.  The course was an effective

reminder that there is no standard path to any career, even for doctors, for each of us experiences and responds

to our training in different ways, times, and contexts.  Steve Jobs (right) offered a unique example of the kind of

career development that happens outside of formal education and training, especially given the revolutionary

impacts he had on several different industries, including computers, film, music, retail, photography, and

interpersonal communication.  

 

ED 800 Concepts of Educational Inquiry

Dr. Steven Weiland (Fall 2012)

 

This is the required introductory course for the MSU MAED program.  Students explore four areas of inquiry,

including the classroom, ethnography, history and biology, and psychological theory as applied to curriculum.

Beginning with John Dewey's (right) progressive approach to education, the course opens with a consideration

of the goals of formal education and how those goals fit within the larger context of our society and democracy.

I also read Vivian Gussin Paley's account of her kindergarten class's year-long work with Leo Leonni books,

which she documented in a reflective journal as a form of teacher research.  I studied Howard Gardner's dense,

but enlightening Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed, in which he seeks to reconcile the classical virtues

with our new technologies. Mary Catherine Bateson was the subject of the next unit for her approach to inquiry

through "ethnographic participant observer."  The final unit on technology in education turned out to be an

excellent foundation for the Fall 2013 course I took on Education in the Digital Age. 

 

TE 849 Methods & Materials for Teaching Children's and Adolescent Literature

Dr. Laura Apol (Spring 2013)

 

Our materials came from a wide swath of classic illustrated books and teenage fiction, along with journal articles

and scholarly analysis.  The methods component of the course focused not on specific classroom activities;

rather, we considered the kinds of discussions in which we could engage with particular kinds of books, and how

to engage children in meaningful experiences with literature.  The most challenging component of the course was

an exploration of Native American literature, particularly the Abenakis (right), and the debate over what kind of

background an author must have in order to be considered an authentic voice.  I learned important lessons about

the negative consequences for young audiences when an ethnic experience is inaccurately or insensitively

portrayed, particularly by an author who inappropriately claims authenticity.

 

EAD 882 Education in the Digital Age

Dr. Steven Weiland (Fall 2013)

 

This course explored the historical, philosophical, critical, and practical questions about the role of technology in

education.  It began with the history of the debate surrounding the new technologies of writing during ancient

times and the invention of the printing press, and examined how those technologies affected teaching and

learning.  The echoes of Socrates' argument against writing resonate today in the debate over the place of

digital technology in the classroom.  From Plato's (right) Phaedrus, we learn that Socrates was concerned that

writing would replace our memories. Next, we explored the affordances and consequences of the new digital

literacies from proponents, like Henry Jenkins and Richard Halverson, and critics, like Mark Bauerline, Sherry

Turkle, and the late Stanford researcher, Clifford Nass.  This laid the groundwork for an exploration of the new

digital infrustratures in educational institutions, the DIY educational hacker, and the new possibilities for

credentialing. 

 

TE 836 Awards & Classics of Children's Literature

Dr. Laura Apol (Spring 2013)

 

This class taught me how to more effectively identify quality literature for children.  The course effectively

incorporated class discussion in assigned groups.  We researched all of the major awards given for children's

literature, including the Newbery (right) and Caldecott medals.  We also read scholarly articles and criticisms of

the awards themselves, which introduced the idea of quality literature as a social construct.  Next, we examined

what it means for a work to be considered a "classic."  Again, we began by identifying for ourselves what the term

meant and how it might differ from being "award-winning," followed by a review of the scholarship on that

designation for the texts we were assigned.  My experience in this course with J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan changed

forever the way I read and place a text within its larger cultural context.  This was one of the most personally

rewarding classes I have ever taken.  This course is essential for anyone who cares deeply for children as readers.

 

TE 838 Children's Literature in Film

Dr. Laura Apol (Summer 2014)

 

For six weeks this summer, I read several children's classics and watched their film adaptations(s). I learned to

read the language of film differently than one reads the texts and illustrations in a book.  In addition to the original

texts, screen versions - including some Disney (right) productions - and remakes, we read scholarly articles

which critiqued the adaptations and explored their positions and influences in our culture.  Issues of a film's

fidelity to the original, cultural appropriation or creation, gender-role portrayals and perversions, stereotyping,

and commercialism were examined.  In the final analysis, we were asked to examine one children's book of our

own choosing and its film adaptation through the same lenses.  In so doing, we considered the fact that teachers,

like filmmakers, become interpreters of literature for the children whom they teach. 

 

EAD 882 Serving the Needs of All Learners

Dr. Kristy Cooper (Summer 2014)

 

In this course, I explored six case studies of students with different needs.  Professor Cooper framed each case

with detailed lectures that provided the history of educational philosophy, policy, legal protections (Johnson

signs ESEA, right), and practice on the topic, supplemented with required readings from related scholarly

research.  I was challenged to create action plans to address the needs of each student based on the laws in

place today and the research describing best practices.  My topics included English language learners, students

with learning disabilities, students at risk of dropping out, victims of bullying and cyberbullying, homeless children,

and students with substance-abuse problems.  The content and exercises provided a foundation of practical

knowledge and tools upon which any school leader or classroom teacher could draw to appropriately meet the

needs of their students with these particular needs.

 

Image Credits (top to bottom):

Robert Maynard Hutchins. Retrieved October 2014 from https://president.uchicago.edu/directory/robert-maynard-hutchins.

Seeff, Norman. Steve Jobs. Retrieved October 2014 from http://www.webpronews.com/rare-pics-of-steve-jobs-show-his-love-of-yoga-2012-08.

Schutze, Eva Watson. John Dewey.  Retrieved October 2014 from http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/projects/centcat/centcats/fac/facch08_01.html.

Abenaki couple, 18th Century.  Retrieved October 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abenaki.

Raphael. The School of Athens detail. Retrieved October 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle.

John Newbery. Retrieved October 2014 from https://bibliobulimica.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/libro-john-newbery-father-of-children´s-literature/.

Walt Disney. Retrieved October 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney.

Okamoto​, Yoichi R.  Lyndon Johnson signs ESEA. Retrieved October 2014 from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2005/03.17/05-edupolicy.html. 

"Robert Frost, Circa 1910" Retrieved November 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost#mediaviewer/File:Jb_modern_frost_2_e.jpg.

 

ED 870 Capstone Portfolio

Dr. Matthew Koehler, Spencer Greenhalgh, Brittany Dillman, Sarah Keenan (Fall 2014)

 

"I shall be telling this with a sigh/ Somewhere ages and ages hence," (Robert Frost, right) but this Capstone

Portfolio will provide an authentic history of my experience in the Michigan State University Master of Arts in

Education program.  I created this digital portfolio by capitalizing on web affordances and applying the basic

elements of design theory. More importantly, I synthesized all that I learned from my courses to demonstrate to

my Capstone classmates and my portfolio audience my mastery of content, theory, and practice. Only through

this semester-long experience was I able to articulate the thread that weaves itself through all of my coursework

to create a cohesive exhibit.  It was a collaborative effort among classmates and a personally sentimental journey

that reinforced the argument in favor of incorporating technology into education.

 

Annotated Transcript:

Deborah Flanagan's Course Descriptions from the

Michigan State University Master of Arts in Education Program  

EAD 871 Collegiate Contexts for Teaching and Learning 

Dr. Ginny Jones (Spring 2015)

 

This course is designed to examine "the meaning of learning and the various contextual factors that influence

the learning process in higher education." Topics include "engaged pedagogy," theortical learning models,

sociocultural considerations, institutional differences, diversity in the academy, out-of-class learning environments,

technology-mediated learning, and the teacher's perspective in higher education. In addition to several papers,

assignments also included active blogging, my first Pecha Kucha, and a group mini-grant proposal. This course

provided me with new resources that will help in my daily work as a college counselor.  For example, the work of

the NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) and Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt & Associates' work on the

DEEP (Documenting Effective Educational Practice) schools informs and expands my perspective on what

defines value in a college program.

 

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