SHOWCASE
This showcase highlights portions of the work I completed throughout my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program from Michigan State University. While this work represents artifacts that span my academic and professional work, this portfolio is also designed to give glimpses of the scope and breadth of my learning. The artifacts are presented in three categories, representing overarching themes of emphasis and some of the main areas of my learning and interest.
The categories I chose are Leadership, Teaching and Learning, and Reflection. The theme of "Leadership" reflects one of my goals from the very beginning of undertaking a graduate degree, which was to bridge the gap between teaching and building sustainable programs at both the k-12 and higher education levels. This theme highlights my learning in these areas. I chose "Teaching and Learning" to highlight another of my goals which was to develop a much deeper understanding of adult and higher education. I earned graduate certification in Teaching and Learning in Postsecondary Education and much of that learning is expounded on in these first two themes. I chose "Reflection" as my third them because I think it is critical work for all educators and leaders to understand how their intersectional identities are important. I believe that understanding yourself and reflecting on your teaching and leadership practices are foundational measures for change and growth, both in yourself and the organizations that you serve.
While the work below was completed through academic coursework, I've had multiple opportunities to integrate these projects and the subsequent learning into my professional work. During my tenure as an MAED student, I have grown so much as an educator, across both the p-12 and postsecondary landscape, as well as a reflective lifelong learner. I hope that this showcase can present some interesting and relevant artifacts highlighting my learning journey.
LEADERSHIP
INFOGRAPHICS | LEADERSHIP THEORIES
These infographics were created with Canva to define, explain, and demonstrate the applicability and possible interventions these leadership theories might offer to relation to my organization. Please click on each of the four images to enlarge the infographic.
SLIDESHOW OF GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
I created these graphic organizers to provide a visual representation of some of the leadership challenges facing school leaders and communities in the United States educational system today. These organizers provide some brief background regarding the historical context, power structure, and what can be done moving forward to create more diverse student and family engagement and ways to build stronger school communities through inspiring leadership.
Please click on the slideshow to enlarge and read a description of each image.
COMPREHENSIVE "PROBLEM OF PRACTICE" PROBLEM
This set of artifacts includes a literature review and a comprehensive report.
"Responding to Preservice and Novice Teachers Deficit Practices regarding Building Relationships with Students and Families to become more Culturally Proficient and Responsive K-12 Teachers". This project was an amazing opportunity for me to use my research and problem-solving skills to really dig into a large "problem of practice" at the programatic level and try to affect large scale change.
Teaching and Learning
ANALYSIS OF ADULT LEARNING IN “THE LUNCHBOX” USING CRITICAL THEORY
This essay was published on Medium and analyzes adult educational across cultural norms, generations, and using critical theory as a lens. The paper addresses embodied and spiritual learning and looks at means to strengthening community bonds/learning experiences. It was very enlightening and exciting to have a chance to explore non-traditional and informal learning settings as well as non-Western norms in education.
ADULT LEARNER ANALYSIS
SYLLABUS REVISION PROJECT
During a restructuring of the academic coursework required for intern teachers in the Chinese Language Teacher Certification Program, I undertook revising the appropriate content and course sequencing for the 3 year academic program. The PDF attached, is the revised syllabus for the third year student's internship course. This was especially useful for me because this is a course that I am currently teaching and I've been able to really dig into my content and how it fits within the scope of the program.
RATIONALE AND ANALYSIS OF SYLLABUS REVISION
This analysis paper details the context of the TE 894 courses within the academic program and the rationale for undertaking the changes and design of course contents and sequencing. I liken this paper with developing your content and objectives in a classroom, it was extremely applicable to my teaching as these are courses I currently teach and help administrate.
Reflection
LIVING EDUCATIONAL HISTORY
This essay takes the loose form of a letter to my past, present, and future students. It recounts my own educational history, reflecting on my life, teaching practices, and beliefs surrounding curriculum and student engagement. This paper provided me the opportunity to craft a personal, reflective narrative detailing my own personal beliefs in a form other than an educational philosophy.
TEACHER INTERVIEW PROJECT
This artifact showcases my interview with a teacher, highlighting the subsequent discussion, transcription, collected student artifacts and resources that were included in the scope of this project. The reflection component allowed me to integrate the multicultural and interdisciplinary k-12 curriculum frameworks discussed into my own teaching of primarily international students, in higher education context.