Here you can find a collection of the work I have completed during my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program through Michigan State University. My work focused on the intersections of race and the educational system. Many of the essays and lesson plans provided in this showcase revolve around that topic area. Specifically, I have separated my work into three major categories: learning, multicultural education and media & education. These categories showcase my ability to read and apply research and journal articles to my own work. They also display my strengths and weaknesses in educational leadership and the ways I plan to focus on building up my repertoire in my future professional development. Lastly, I believe this showcase provides readers an opportunity to understand how I have learned about the historical roots of education and how that information is now utilized in my own multicultural lesson planning.
Please click on the title of each piece to view the full PDF.
Learning has been a constant theme in my journey through my own professional experience. These essays showcase a development of my own learning throughout my master's program.
This essay asks the age old question of why we as educators should study curriculum? In this essay I discuss my personal connection to curriculum development. I also touch on how I (as a non-teacher) have to work collectively with the school to ensure that my curriculum is developed based on the specific context of the school and the needs of the students.
This personal essay is a culmination of everything I have learned about my own personal and professional experiences as an educational leader. I decided to break down sections of this paper into things I felt were important as I continued to work in a position of leadership. Being that this is a final essay in my educational journey I believe it is my best piece on what I believe I will focus on in the future.
After reading the work of Merriam and Mackeracher, I wrote this essay that delves into the many assumptions of adult learners. It also uncovers the importance of the individual process of transformative learning and how educators can help strengthen an adult learner's journey through education by personalizing the process.
We are often overwhelmed by stereotypes of education in mass media. These essays and artwork delve deeper into the ramifications of said stereotypes and how educators can work against media's messages.
For my final paper I decided to utilize my art skills and wrap up the course through two specific drawings. The first piece is a reminder for me of why I chose to go into education in the first place. The second piece is a compilation of everything I had learned in class and a connection back to society's views on culture and stereotypes in the media.
In this essay readers are offered a glimpse into how stereotypes occur in media representation. Part one focuses on communication as a vehicle for misrepresenting cultures. Part two speaks to my own experiences in teaching and how I work on my communication skills in order to effectively educate diverse individuals in different types of contexts.
Higher learning, one of my favorite movies, is used in this paper to analyze how stereotypes can be embedded in post-secondary institutions. Specifically my paper looks at the idea that what we know about the world and others is subjective. Also the idea that oppression is institutionalized in both K-12 and post-secondary education.
Before starting my master's program I focused a great amount of my work in diversifying programming for all of the youth I worked with. The essay and lesson plan below illustrate my new understanding of what multicultural education needs to incorporate including the history of education.
This lesson plan was my first attempt at developing my own curriculum utilizing a flipped classroom. It showcases one of my favorite workshop presenters Marina Morris and her Ted Talk on developing your 60 second story. The lesson plan builds on that topic working with students to develop their own stories.
There is importance in studying educational figures who have went above and beyond the call of duty to fight for educational reform. In this essay, I focus on the life and education of W.E.B Dubois. He struck me as a figure that mastered the art of learning despite the roadblocks he would continually face.