EDCI 200

EDCI 200: Stress, Society and the Brain was taught by Professor Haley Woodside-Jiron. The course led students through an introduction to brain development, brain-based learning principles and the effects of trauma/stress on student learning. This course was directly applicable to my work in education, but had implications on my learning around family dynamics, poverty and curriculum development. Our main texts- including The art of changing the brain: Enriching the practice of teaching by exploring the biology of learning by Zull, Poor students, rich teaching: Mindsets for change by Jensen, and I thought it was just me (But it isn’t) by Brown- were informative and challenged my pre-existing notions of brain development and brain-conscious teaching practices. Students were able to reflect on course content with weekly online discussions on readings and text chapters, which allowed interaction and spirited discussion of topics. Personally, these discussion boards challenged my personal interpretations of the readings, pushed me to see other's perspectives and connect course content to my own teaching practices.

Professor Haley Woodside-Jiron gave students the opportunity to apply content to our own professional work. For myself, I chose to apply content in my larger papers to my work in Makerspaces and technology education. This class gave me the opportunity to learn directly how teaching in Makerspaces or similar environments are beneficial to student learning. I was able to learn about how the Makerspace facilitation by educators directly impacts student outcomes, which will assist me in my new position as Technology Integrationist at Edmunds Middle School. In the first large assignment, Paper I, I dove into the research behind Maker Education- topics such as active learning, background on theories like Constructionism and Constructivism, and educators shifting their role to encourage student-driven processes. In the second large assignment, Paper II, I connected the research and theories to the motivation of incorporating Makerspaces within schools. Paper II gave me an opportunity to dive into the potential implementation of Makerspaces in Vermont schools, and the varied benefits for both educators and students. My final project culminated in a presentation about Maker Education in the state, and how it can be used as a tool to boost student engagement and interest in their own learning.