Kelley Nobles
Teacher. Motivator. Lifelong Learner.
Fall 2014
Educational Journey
Below you will find my annotated transcript- a list of the courses that have contributed to my Master of Arts in Education at Michigan State University with a focus on School and Teacher Leadership, as well as a brief description of each course's application to my teaching and educational leadership.
2009-2010
During this time, I completed my yearlong student teaching internship at Seminole Academy, an elementary school in Mount Clemens, Michigan. In addition to this classroom experience, I completed a series of graduate level classes through Michigan State University. During the first semester, I took TE 801 (Professional Roles and Teaching Practice I) with K. Johnson, and TE 802 (Reflection & Inquiry in Teaching Practice I) with J. Knight. Second semester, I took TE 803 (Professional Roles and Teaching Practice II) with J. Bruner, and TE 804 (Reflection & Inquiry in Teaching Practice II) with Rochelle Rubin.
These courses, paired with my classroom experience, provided the opportunity to plan, create and execute lessons in literacy, math, science, and social studies. Coursework included complete unit plans and reflections, as well as research and discussion around teaching practices, assessment, and classroom management strategies. With a heavy focus on multiculturalism, these courses also included a large amount of discussion with peers about creating culturally responsive classrooms.
Overall, this year was pivotal in shaping my teaching philosophy. It allowed me to begin using data to drive my instruction, as well as see the power of reflection when creating successful teaching experiences for my students. Most importantly, I learned the value of creating a culturally responsive, open classroom that meets the needs of all students.
Summer 2014
EAD 824: Leading Teacher Learning
Nancy Colflesh
A few years into my professional teaching experience, I found myself becoming interested in school wide needs. My motivation to share my practice and philosophy with others, as well as work to benefit my school community as a whole drove my decision to focus my graduate work on school and teacher leadership. This course began my journey to develop my skills as a leader. I learned about the need to establish and maintain relational trust, an idea that has carried over into all of my professional relationships. The course also provided many resources for planning and executing Professional Learning experiences, many of which have proved to be successful ways to engage my colleagues.
Through the coursework, I developed a yearlong plan for teacher learning that would not only establish a much needed dedicated team of teachers, but would also provide the staff with the resources and training needed to implement a Positive Behavior System (PBIS) school wide.
EAD 860: Concept of a Learning Society
Steven Weiland, Graham McKeague
As an educator, one of my main goals is to provide my students with rich and meaningful learning experiences that will prepare them to be active citizens in the real world. In order to create these experiences, teachers must first fully understand the complex mixture of possibilities and opportunities that exist for the learner (otherwise known as the "learning society"). This course provided the opportunity to explore what exactly is meant by the phrase "learning society", as well as experiences and views of different people living and working within it. Coursework not only included fascinating reading surrounding these ideas, but also the opportunity to reflect on my own thoughts and ideas and how they connected to those of others within many different contexts. Additionally, the course allowed me to enhance and strengthen my skills as a writer, which has become extremely important to my work as a teacher leader within my school.
ED 800: Concepts of Educational Inquiry
Steven Weiland
The courses that I took early on in my graduate level educational journey exposed me to the idea of inquiry-based learning. I learned early on that students have much more meaningful learning experiences when they are able to take an inquiry based approach, participate in hands-on activities that emulate the real world. It was not until this course, however, that I learned the value of teacher inquiry as well. Concepts of Educational Inquiry opened my eyes to inquiry in all educational contexts, and I began to see it as more than just an approach to teaching. During one of the many intriguing course readings, I felt inspired by Vivian Paley's work. Her view of teachers as writers, and her use of a reflective journal to follow her inquiries has since guided a lot of my own practice as a teacher and leader in my school.
EAD 801: Leadership & Organizational Development
William Arnold
This course was extremely important to my understanding of the characteristics of a leader, as well as the process of making lasting and effective change within an organization. Throughout the course, I learned that a great deal of what makes a leader effective is dependent on how he or she is perceived by others. This not only cycled back to the importance of building a foundation of relational trust (as I discovered in EAD 824), but expanded my knowledge on what it takes to be a successful leader in any situation. Most beneficial, though, this course provided me with the opportunity to identify an existing adaptive challenge at my school, and then create a plan to move forward and grow as an organization. The course pushed me to look at the challenge in alternative ways, a skill that I did not have beforehand. Because the course allowed me to find a challenge that was actually occurring at my workplace, the plan I created is currently underway. I was able to build upon the plan for yearlong teacher learning developed in a previous course, and my school is now moving toward building a PBIS that will benefit all students K-8 beginning next year.
EAD 822: Engaging Diverse Students and Families
Christopher Dunbar
As an educator in an urban area, I want to build an open classroom that not only appreciates, but celebrates all of my students, their background and their culture. This course was very helpful, as it allowed me to identify the issues that affect my students both positively and negatively. The course readings and assignments allowed me to investigate school culture and climate, as well as the culture of power that exists in many schools. Next, I was able to look into the effects of change and poverty on students and families, and how these issues impact family involvement. Finally, and most important to my current practice, the course provided a look into school leadership and the will to engage diverse populations. Overall, I feel that this course has helped me to become proficient in understanding and developing a relationship with varied student families.
Spring 2015
TE 846: Accomodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Patricia Edwards
One of the main reasons I became a teacher is because I feel that we are all lifelong learners. I hope to instill in my students this passion for learning that they will take with them throughout their entire lives. I feel that the strongest vehicle for lifelong learning is literacy, and as my teaching experience continues to grow, I have found myself looking for new strategies and practices to engage my struggling readers and writers. This course provided me with knowledge about the principles of instruction and remediation, classroom assessment techniques, and materials and adaptations for instruction in reading and writing. Together, these aspects of the course have given me the tools that I need to reach literacy learners at all levels, helping to strengthen their skills and increase their confidence and love for reading and writing. As a result of the course, I feel that I am better equiped to critically evaluate materials, curricula, programs and practices that can be used in literacy instruction, as well as select, modify, or design materials to be used in my classroom.
Matt Koehler, Spencer Greenhalgh, Brittany Dillman, Sarah Keenan, Joshua Rosenberg
The Capstone Seminar was the final and culminating course leading to completion of my Master's degree from Michigan State University. The course was an ongoing adventure to look back and reflect on the knowledge and skills that I gained from each of my graduate classes. Each week was a stepping stone to the overall creation of my online professional portfolio, which not only provides an outline of my academic and professional experiences, but also showcases my most valuable and monumental work. Additionally, the coursework included several reflection essays that helped me to constructively reflect on my graduate work, as well as look forward to the future as I continue to use the skills, strategies, and knowledge that I have gained as a result of this educational journey.