Educational Showcase
Masters of Arts in Education
Emphasis in Special Education, technology, & Literacy
Here are a few examples of some of the projects that I have created to demonstrate my understanding of special education, literacy, and technology.
- Motivational Assessment: In this assignment I had to look at a student that I was working with that showed characteristics of being unmotivated. I had to address the motivational problems, complete a motivational assessment, and develop specific motivational interventions. To complete the motivational assessment I used the TARGET model. This model required me to look at the task being asked of the student, the authority of the teacher in the classroom, the recognition of the student, the grouping in the classroom, the evaluation methods being used, and finally how time was spent in the classroom. From there I created a plan to increase motivation in that particular student. This project has taught me several strategies to use for a student that exhibits characteristics of being unmotivated to learn. I know how to look at and assess the problem so that I can specifically target the source of the problem and come up with appropriate interventions. Click on the photo below to see the PowerPoint presentation I created to summarize my plan. To navigate between slides, press the space bar.
- Bullying: For this assignment, I had to pick a problem area in schools today. I decided to focus on a problem that schools nation wide struggle with, the various forms of bullying. For this project I had to define the key characteristics of the problem, give examples of the different forms of bullying, and find ways to address the problem. This project opened my eyes to the nation wide bullying problem that our country faces. I now have the resources to address and prevent bullying in the building that I currently work in. Click on the photo below to see the PowerPoint presentation I created to summarize my ideas and action plan to address bullying.
- Positive Behavior Support: I had to work with a group of two other educators to develop a 'mock' professional development day. Our team chose to look at School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports (SWPBS). We had to actually plan what a day of PD would look like. In order to do this, we created a PowerPoint presentation. This project was extremely beneficial to my current teaching position. It gave me an in-depth understanding of SWPBS. I am currently an active member of my schools MiBLSi team, and have wonderful background knowledge and understanding of the initiatives thanks to this project. Click on the link below to view the presentation.
- Audio Book: For this assignment I had to look at how a variety of learners, no matter their disability, could access texts. We were required to choose a technology platform and create two pages of an audio book. I decided to use PowerPoint to create my audio book. I recreated two pages of Brown Bear, Brown Bear. This project really opened my eyes to various ways that students can access text. This was a fairly easy way to adapt a common children's book so that one of my students could read it aloud to my class. I used this method several times after completing this course. Click on the picture below to see a sample of the audio book.
- Literacy Unit Plan- I had to create a five lesson literacy unit plan. The goal was to engage my students in a literature unit that was meaningful to them. Before I developed the plan I had to complete a literacy assessment to determine their overall literacy preferences. I focused on a novel we were required to read, The Great Gatsby. This project taught me that I need to take in my students preferences, background knowledge, and interests when teaching literacy. At the time, I worked with the high-incidence population, and I used all of these skills regularly in my classroom. Click on the photo below to see the entire unit plan.