A Hopp, Leap, and a Jump Through Learning
As I wrap up my master's journey there are many things to look back on. As I reflect on those experiences and look to the future I am able to see both the growth and new lens which I take with me as I wrap up this journey.
The First Steps
There I was, teaching on a computer. Opening a new portal into learning that no one had expected. Teaching focus shifted from tests to survival. While content was important, academic skills took a back seat as students were navigating a collective trauma. As we were navigating the unknown we were asked to balance teaching with supporting students and families. “SEL” became the buzzword in my school. I was no longer just a math teacher but also teaching SEL, or Social Emotional Learning. While everything was uncertain I took a few uncertain steps into that buzzword and enrolled in a master’s program focused on Social Emotional Learning at National University.
Through the start of the program I was able to jump into the gaps and needs students brought to the classroom beyond the curriculum such as navigating social situations and emotions. I jumped into the CASEL framework where I was able to learn about and intervene in the different areas within a child's social and emotional development. As I took the first few courses towards the degree I was able to apply my learning to develop skills and engaging lessons for middle schoolers. Throughout this process I was able to see how using media such as movies and books could help teach students skills that are often overlooked in the classroom.
As the world was opening back up new worries and fears entered my classroom. Schools were returning after a year at a distance and every student and family was not ready for the return. No matter what decisions families made for their child’s education, the social and emotional skills I had learned through the program were more relevant than ever before. I was asked to remain virtual. I was helping students navigate a learning experience that was new to all of us. While the focus of the program was for me to support students I found that in order to do so I had to take care of myself and my own mental health. For that reason I found I needed to take an educational pause and refind my footing.
Finding the Footing
The next few years were a series of new steps. As the immediate impact of Covid-19 was subsiding, a new virtual program in my district was developing. While I was helping to build a virtual program from the ground up I started to find my passion come to life. I was able to see struggling students grow in a new way while embracing a digital platform and new way of teaching.
As I was helping to develop a program I was placed in a leadership role. We were trying to create a program that was equitable and met the needs of all our students. At the time I was embracing the change but there was so much I did not know. We were trying new things with limited research available to rely on. While making steps to develop the program I was encouraged to jump back into learning and pursue a master’s degree.
This encouragement helped give me the confidence to reenter the classroom as a student and learn the best practices within my new role. I wanted to learn how to best use technology to support the diverse virtual learners in my class and in my school. While researching programs I came across the Master’s in Educational Technology (MAET), with a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning. This program seemed to match my personal goals of using technology intentionally to support the diverse learners in my classroom. At the time I thought I was just trying to improve the teaching in my classroom. I was unaware of how the program would shift my mindset on equity and change my perspective on what online teaching could look like. With encouragement from my coworkers and family, I decided it was time to jump in.
Taking the Leap
One of my first classes upon jumping in was Learning Math With Technology. In this class I was able to dive into the standards and kept them as the focus while using technology. We also learned about how to be intentional and creative with the technology we chose. Throughout this course we created a variety of projects using various tools and integrating real world components such as social justice.
I was able to immediately apply these skills in my classroom. It has helped me to determine which tools are the best to actually teach the content as opposed to just picking technology out of convenience or because it is popular or commonly used. I was able to use this to make professional judgments and narrow down the focus in my classroom. This helped me to recenter on the mathematical focus within my classroom within the context of technology. While this class gave me my first leap into educational technology, it also laid the foundation for future learning.
Hop Across the Pond
My biggest piece of learning from this program did not just have me jump into content but rather jump across the Atlantic and see education on a broader scale. I had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland where I took two courses that were distinct but connected through one experiential learning opportunity. In Learning In School and Other Settings we looked at the theory of learning and education as a whole. In Approaches to Educational Research we focused on and used research to explore changes we would like to see in our classroom and how we can use and apply concepts of research to shape both our classroom and educational systems as a whole. While there were take-aways from each of these classes individually their intersection helped shape my thinking as an educator.
Being in Ireland shifted the focus from just looking at theories and research to analyzing education on a broader scale. We were able to interact with Irish educators in order to compare and contrast educational systems from educational instruction to modern practices and challenges. We were able to jump into not only the history of education but how the history of a country plays into the education system. Religion plays a larger role in Irish classrooms than the separation that is present in public schools in the United States. In Ireland the focus is less on overtesting students in elementary but rather focused assessments that have more value, and often more stress, for students at the secondary level.
While it is easy to say one group of teachers has fewer problems than the other, every system has its own struggles which impact the role of teachers and the societal view of education. This perspective shifted and opened my mind to see how best practice is defined by the system in which we learn. This helped me to create a critical lens as I shaped not only my own classroom but also made leaps into the broader educational experience in the country and the world as a whole.
Sticking the Landing
As I was wrapping up my degree I landed in Online Teaching and Learning. This class seemed fitting as a compilation of the work I created throughout my master’s journey. This class helped me to apply the pieces from my other classes and connect them through Universal Design for Learning(UDL). In this class we created a culminating unit that is approachable and engaging for all learners. Concepts of technological best practice, assessment, and assignment design all worked together to create a learning experience for students.
Through this unit creation I was able to transfer the information to make learning experiences for my students. Through UDL I have been equipped to make learning experiences for all of my students. While promoting equity is one of the goals of the MAET program, this class was able to take all of the pieces together so I could see what this looks like in practice. Sometimes creating accessible educational environments can seem like more work, however, in reality intentional design benefits all students. I have learned many skills throughout this degree program. Overall my biggest takeaway was a mindset shift for creating instruction for all learners.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
As a virtual teacher I work with students with many different educational needs. Many of my students have found their way to our program after facing obstacles within the traditional brick and mortar schools. I assumed that in the design of our virtual program, school was becoming more equitable for students. Through MAET’s focus on equity by design I learned that an equity label can not just be thrown onto a new program. Equity needs to be intentional. Part of it does play into the creation of a program but it really comes alive when each decision is made intentionally for all learners. Equity starts through little changes made every day. What starts out as subtitles opens the door for many students.
Throughout my program the thread of equity shifted. What started off as thinking my program was equitable enough, those thoughts transformed into seeing that equity is a process. In Math and Technology I was introduced to this idea that intentionality was essential in the virtual math classroom. I started to see how equity could come alive with tool selection and assignment design. As I continued my education in Ireland my critical lens was developed as I discovered how equity looks different in different systems and experiences. As I continued through my classes and learned about UDL I jumped into how online learning should be designed for the success of all learners. While there are many take-aways from this program this is only the beginning of my work on equity.
As I hop out of the classroom as a learner I plan to hop into the lessons that I have learned. One area of equity I am still growing in is how to best provide choice in the classroom. All students do not learn or show their learning the same way. I have started applying the element of choice into practice work within my classroom and want to do more research in order to apply this to assessments. I plan to use what I have learned about educational technology to design not only differentiated assignments but to reshape the learning experience. Ultimately, my current students have decided to jump into a different educational experience, virtual. I need to use my new knowledge to shape that experience for each of my learners who deserve an education that fits their needs and helps them to succeed.
I plan to not only transform the learning experiences within my classroom but to step into a leadership role where I can share my newfound knowledge. I hope to share what I have learned both within my building and beyond. Equity is not just a checklist that you complete, rather it is a daily commitment to keep students at the center of the classroom. As I dive more into equitable learning and UDL I plan to learn more that I can apply both in and out of the classroom, so all students can grow by leaps and bounds.
All of the ideas and writing in this reflection are mine. Claude by Anthopic was used in order to help brainstorm and revise my writing.