Kami Almy
Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)
Annotated Transcript
Summer 2014
Fall 2014
Summer 2015
Fall 2015
Spring 2015
The focus of this course was teaching all Literacy Learners. Throughout the course we were introduced to ways to plan, teach, and assess reading and writing skills for the different learners. The readings and activities in this class really helped me bring to perspective the importance of early literacy. I was also able to find resources to use in my classroom when teaching my students reading and writing skills.
This course gave me the opportunity to review my current beliefs of students and classroom management and develop goals on where I wanted my classroom to go. It taught me the importance of being a leader in my classroom as well as what types of roles I needed to fill. We were introduced to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans. We then were able to develop interventions and strategies for classroom management and behavioral intervention. We also learned to think critically about instructional accommodations as lesson plans are developed and to meet the diverse learning, behavior, and social needs of students. This course also helped us develop an understanding for management as a prevention and discipline.
While taking this course we were given the opportunity to reflect on our classroom management a lot. This course required us to recognize our own ethnocentrism and biases, our knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds, our understanding of the broader social, economic , and political context of our education systems, the ability and willingness to use culturally appropriate classroom management strategies, and commitment to building caring classroom communities. Through readings and projects we were able to then develop a culturally responsive classroom management system that we could use in our classroom.
Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners (TE 846) - K. Cook
Psychology Classroom Discipline (CEP 883) - J. Carlson, M. Lien
Classroom Management in the Inclusive Classroom (CEP 841) - T. Mariage, L. Morin
Concepts of Educational Inquiry (ED 800) - S. Weiland
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Characteristics and Educational Implications (CEP 843) - S. Ferreri, T. Kaid
In this course, we focused on some of the most effective ways to study teaching and learning, and educational administration and leadership. Our goal was to understand the essential methods and domains of educational inquiry. The course had some unusual readings that included a lot about the history of theories and philosophies and how they can relate to education today which is not discussed in any other courses. I was able to see myself as an ethnographic participant through the observations I make of my students on a daily basis. It is important especially in my classroom to just sit back and observe the students. You can gain a much deeper knowledge of who they are and what they truly know.
This course focused on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We spent a lot of time discussing our reading and how to interact with students with ASD. This class helped me feel prepared to learn from, assist and teach my current and future students with Autism. This class taught me a lot about ASD, prior to this course I had no formal education on how to work with my students who have ASD or how I could be of help to their families. We also learned about the importance of the family being involved with the student and teacher and how we can support the families.
This course gave us a deeper understanding of special educators’ roles, and skills related to decision-making, problem-solving, and collaboration related to the effective education of students with disabilities. It focused on a behavioral and instructional consultant’s decision-making process in order to develop thoughtful and responsive instruction for students with disabilities. We focused on the importance of the school and classroom environment, instructional and behavioral methods, curriculum, evidence-based practices related to effective teaching and learning, communication and problem-solving skills, and the specific needs of students’ with disabilities. This course taught me a lot about the importance of collaboration.
Consultation and Collaboration in Special Education (CEP 801A) - E. Bouck
Educating Students with Challenging Behaviors (CEP 832) - V. Mousouli, E. Oka
Through this course we received a deeper understanding on how to educate students with challenging behaviors. The text focused on different challenging behaviors which we discussed in our work. It was refreshing to be able to learn how to deal with the behaviors I was currently dealing with in my classroom through techniques geared toward those students. This course helps you get a better understanding of the common challenging behaviors and how to deal with them in your classroom.
Policy, Practices, and Perspectives in Special Education (CEP 840) - C. Englert, H. Schmitt
This course gave me information on different disabilities and the responsibilities, both legal and ethical, of teachers with students with disabilities. Through multiple forms of media I learned the importance of the role of the teacher in the education of students with special needs. We also learned about the characteristics of students with disabilities and special needs. Prior to this course I did not have a lot of experience with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) but was able to work with a peer to write up a nice example.
Counseling, Educational Psychology & Special Education (CEP 866) - C. Roseth
In this course we learned about the theoretical and empirical bases for designing, implementing and evaluating intervention programs. I worked closely with a group of my peers to create an intervention that could be used with students who are at-risk youth with delinquent behavior. This class was geared toward older students than what I work with but it helped me get an understanding of where my students could end up if interventions are not implemented now. I was also able to look at what types of interventions are being used and how I could incorporate some of that into my classroom. It was really interesting to look at the statistics of delinquent behavior and think if we did something about it starting at a pre-K level how those numbers could drop dramatically.
The capstone seminar is how we wrap up our Master of Arts in Education program. The seminar helped me look back at my graduate journey and see what I have learned, what I want to worked on, and where I plan to go from here. The seminar allowed me to see how far I have come and the knowledge I acquired along the way. This seminar has helped me create a toolbox of some of the important information I have learned throughout my Masters degree. The capstone also helped me launch a usable classroom website I hope to use for years to come.