"A Passion for a Science Literate World: Elevating my Teaching"
At the inception of my graduate program journey, there was uncertainty and collective stressors being experienced by everyone worldwide. Initially, I sought to fulfill a dream of my own which included Michigan State University. Through childhood, as a Southern California native, I wanted to go to college out of state. Beginning this program I was challenged to broaden my rationale and pedagogical best practices. The constant integration of my assignments to my classroom context provided a forum for my ideas to come into fruition and experiment with practices. The development of deep understanding about my science concentration has given me a stronger leadership role in my school. With the right set of circumstances that I have due to my insight afforded to me by this graduate program has changed the trajectory of my future in my career. I have achieved conviction in my perspective which adapted the job responsibilities I held at my new school district. Two years before I started my graduate program, I moved districts after holding a position for six years and returned to a lack of job security which I had not experienced in such a long time. Due to declining enrollment I was pink slipped my first two years and I felt hopeless that my moving districts would negatively impact my job stability. Within the two years of my graduate program commencing, I found that I no longer felt the reflex to engage new responsibilities in an effort to maintain my employment, I sought to jump into opportunities that I normally would not because I had the security to do so. The newfound determination in my own skills nourished my science department as I was representing them in committees and through various adjunct duties at my district. For years, I lived with the anxiety that I could be pink slipped or lose my job, with the knowledge of the Master of Arts in Education graduate program I am seen as a valuable asset to the teams that I inhabit. In a literal sense, I can see the impact of the goals and values of great science education is my drive of impact which positively affects the community that I serve.
---"The best practices that I have gained in this graduate program have refined my approach in my classroom and how I interact with my colleagues."---
The best practices that I have gained in this graduate program have refined my approach in my classroom and how I interact with my colleagues. Prior to this program, I found that participating in collaborative professional learning communities as large as the ones in my school site, that I felt overwhelmed and insecure about my own competence. I gained a unique perspective and confidence necessary to collaborate with my colleagues in each course due to the built in peer to peer activities. The courses included assignments in which we would work with like subject peers to discuss and dissect the artifacts created. Through all of these collaborative learning experiences even in an online only graduate program provided a foundation for my future interactions as a professional. The constant group work was essential in growing as a beneficial member of my school. The leadership seats that I fill have provided chances for me to practice the skills I read or discussed in my courses. Each course had reading materials that were relevant to our times and the status of science education in the 21st century. The previous experience I had in the classroom, I found that the material was outdated whereas with MSU the readings and articles synthesized built a concrete foundation of emerging knowledge and best practices. In my current job, the biggest challenge is transitioning onto the Next Generation Science Standards has been abrasive on the veteran teachers. My work in the Master of Arts in Education program has allowed me to positively persuade my colleagues in my science department which best serve the needs of our students.
In my ED 800 Concepts of Educational Inquiry course, I was challenged to see from others’ points of view. My ability to empathize shifted and strengthened as I read the books assigned in this course and the learning experiences that were required. The course allowed me to ponder on deeply personal morals and the way we operate our interactions based on these ethics. The book which truly changed my way of thinking was Vivian Paley’s “The Girl with the Brown Crayon” which discussed a lifelong teacher’s experience with her students and the circumstances that surrounded their lives. The amount of recordkeeping and analysis that Vivian Paley provided through her work really allowed for a genuine dissection of the hurdles experienced in learning. Her insight also gifted educators with the basis for research in the classroom and the universal truths in which she outlined in her writings. My instructors gave prompts that intricately weaved questions for the books and my conclusions became profound beyond anything I have written before. This course really boosted my own confidence in my connection to the classroom and learning including the shared experiences most teachers face. Similarly, the course included in a unit a film about a Maori coming of age story that challenged my ability to separate from my own point of view to truly empathize and write from another person’s perspective. In the film Whale Rider, the story centers on a strong ethic of one young person to embody their potential no matter what the hurdles. This practice was transformative to my own teaching by sensing concerns in my students and the hesitation among my colleagues and my increased confidence gave me the skills to reach those I had not been able to before. My lens was cleared and my ability to connect with others amplified. This course included over six books each methodologically chosen to enhance my perspective including Howard Gardner’s Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed: Educating for the Virtues in the Age of Truthiness and Twitter. The impetus of my shifting pedagogy was motivated by the various descriptions of how humans interact with virtues to learn in the enlightenments that Gardner revealed in his book.
Halloween 2021 Ms. Frizzle Costume from the cartoon show The Magic School Bus put together by me. This show was one of my all time favorites growing up.
Above: My science campaign creation: Dream Hacker.
Above Right: My classroom wall; meant to intrigue students about space exploration. Even though was is pictured is not realistic.
Top: Playing a cornhole competition on our Fun Fridays October 2021
Left: Student paintings of the Electromagnetic Spectrum and Visible Light Spectrum
Right Below: The California Coast minutes from my school
---"My lens was cleared and my ability to connect with others amplified."---
Through TE 861B Inquiry, Nature of Science, and Science Teaching course, my instructor created assignments which bound a three dimensional learning into my day to day teaching. I have always wanted to dive into the practices in the NGSS but did not have the background or wherewithal to plan and execute in a productive and efficient way. The course utilized the National Science Teachers Association’s Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices by Christina V. Schwarz, Cynthia Passmore, and Brian J. Reiser. The book enhanced the previous strategies I was using in my teaching and refined my understanding of practices that are universally applicable. My pedagogy grew over time to fuze the data and evidence to support these best practices. In diligently and meticulously embedding these evidence based practices my overall perception of my own teaching evolved. The course immersed me in the literacy that pushed my learning to new heights. In the current state of science education there is a stall among those seeking to maintain the status quo and those wanting to serve the needs of students by providing equitable education. The community that I serve needs for my education teaching strategies to be top notch and inevitably the graduate coursework in my science concentration courses allowed me to fill the gaps in my foundational knowledge and teaching practices. The reinforcement of these skills has impacted my day to day teaching and lesson planning. As the NGSS standards continue to be integrated among school districts, more aligned materials are being disseminated that still fall short in providing access to high quality science instruction. My experience in the graduate program at Michigan State University has heightened my responsibility to ensure that the quality of lessons is superior and the necessary skills to achieve those goals I developed through the courses
Additionally, the technology courses that satisfied my secondary concentration, allowed me the platform to engage in my skills to create content specific artifacts that are rooted in evidence. The course TE 831 Teaching Subject Matter with Technology transformed my skills in multimedia creations aligned with my content. For the first time in my teaching career, I can create the types of media that I want to show my students. Spending time to create artifacts that I can utilize in my classroom for years to come transforming my teaching. My personal drive to teach science is to provide accessible learning experiences that build literacy about our world and with this course I was given the tools to further my goals by taking control of the creative process to create my own media for my classroom. Further, the course readings included concepts of design that are aesthetically pleasing for most and I have infused those practices to all my multimedia projects. My classroom presentations now fulfill the rules to engage participants and not overwhelm them with a plethora of items on a page. My effectiveness was elevated in a simple way by changing font, background, and number of items in my Google Slides by following the design guidelines for universally appealing aesthetics. Usually, even the perception of being technologically savvy was something I rejected but through the courses aligned with technology and design I found that I could lean into my creative skills and generate materials that I am proud of. There is constant praise that I experience in my job from students telling me that they really like the style or look of a multimedia presentation and I proudly say that it is something I created. My students often call me a “hacker” because of my technological skills and I am amused but clearly the skills I gained in this program radiate and are noticeable even to my students. My students are 8th graders who often hate being at school but with my enthusiasm they are witness to lifelong learning and the satisfaction it brings people.
All things considered, my experience through my graduate program was revolutionary to my life. Every part of my life was changed due to this program, my increased skills, ability to connect with others, and desire to further my education and knowledge. Prior to Michigan State University, I found that my pedagogy was leaning towards what I now understand to be these best practices I gained in this program but I did not have the rationale to prove it. I struggled to find a mentor with whom I could share my ideas for teaching without fearing ridicule but now I am confident that I have the evidence to support my practices. The courses in this program also were chosen by me which gave me a custom journey that was dedicated to the goals I sought to accomplish. The path the Master of Arts in Education program provided was tailored to my needs and suited to achieve a diverse expanse of ideas and research. Even with being in the Pacific Standard Time zone in California, all of my instructors accommodated my time and carefully met the constraints for synchronous work which was transformative in the extent of my growth. I am eternally grateful for the various opportunities this program has provided me and the collaborative experiences that challenged me to push my pedagogical boundaries and evolve my teaching practices. I have struggled to find a space in which I felt like I belonged and with my new achievement I find I stand tall and proud of the new hard earned expertise.
**All images displayed are my own and taken by me.**